LOW TEMPERATURE COOKING

Consider this lovingly cooked piece of beef.Would you believe that this has been cooked for 17 hours! Welcome to low temperature cooking.

A method of cooking i have utilised for the past 5 years, which gives surprising results. Cooking at low temperature for long periods is not a new practice and is used extensively in the restaurant world, with many top restaurants using sous-vide water baths to cook for extended periods, with results far behind the reach of the normal oven.Now the problem. Like most people, myself included i do not have access to sous-vide, but by cooking at very low temperature in a domestic oven you can achieve wonderful results, and even turn lower quality beef, lamb into a special treat. I will not urge people to buy cheap meat or even intensively rear meat that sees the animals living in below standard conditions, but it is a fact of life for many of us who struggle on day to day that at some point we will buy supermarket beef, and globally we are having to watch the Penny's more, with the recession that appears to be taking a grip. In the UK the main supermarkets have taken to selling joints of beef which are only marked roasting joint, this is not a lot of help to the home cook. Think beef wrapped in netting then sealed in plastic, the consumer has no say in what they are buying or the quality which appears to be hit and miss at times. Independent butchers that care about the product they sell are always going to be the best bet for quality, with the major advantage of being able to see what you buy, with advice as part of the purchase! You can't go far wrong in this scenario but we do not live in an ideal world, and unfortunately for the majority, expensive beef is beyond everyday reach.

I first started to use low temperature cooking after an accident in the kitchen left me with a shorter index finger. I was preparing to cook a lamb dish not much different in execution than Kleftico(traditional Greek bandits meal), when a three legged cat ran across the garden shed roof. This was in my field of vision, which resulted in a fraction of a seconds loss of concentration, which caused a slip of the knife. After this little accident a rapid loss of appetite ensued, so a haphazard approach to the rest of the prep occurred with the lamb shanks being thrown into the oven on the lowest possible setting! With the oven temperature set around 50c, i trundled off to the pub for local anaesthetic. Six hours later i returned to the oven feeling no pain to retrieve my lamb, and what a delight! That was my introduction to low temperature cooking. Of course over time we adapt our methods, so i adapted this for roasting with the theory being that what ever the oven temperature is set to the meat will not reach a higher temperature inside. This theory is OK as long as you use an oven thermometer to calibrate your oven as most ovens vary quite a few degrees in their true cooking temperatures. With science playing a bigger part in our cooking today i could waffle on about collagen and molecules but that is best left to the super cooks!

Method:

Pre- heat your oven to the required setting somewhere in the region of 53c-63c. Season your meat all over with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.Take a skillet or saute pan big enough to brown your meat. Brown your meat, in a little oil on each side for a minute or so or until a dark brown. Remove from the pan and place in the centre of the oven, direct onto the oven rack, with a roasting tin placed at the bottom to catch drips!

Sit back and relax!

Notes;

For fan assisted ovens i have not got a clue! I have utilised these methods with gas and electric only.

If your not the one cleaning the oven, tell whoever is that you got this method from some telly chef, and not this dodgy blog!

If you crucify your nice expensive joint of beef don't blame me, because it was obviously you who messed it up as i was not there!

This method of cooking is not really used for expensive lean cuts, it is best used for cheaper cuts or cuts with good marbling.

Cooking at 53c will give you rare beef, so please bear this in mind if you decide to cook this way!

Using this method to cook at 100c is stupid so don't bother!

Cooking at 63c will give superb results!

ROAST POTATOES

What can beat a well roasted potato, an essential part of the British roast dinner with variations around the world! It is important to choose your potato well as not all varieties of potato are suitable for roasting! Waxy potatoes in particular are not really suited, neither are new potatoes but good floury potatoes are by far the best roasters!


Maris pipers and king Edwards being a good choice here in the UK, the latter being my preferred choice. Potato varieties globally tend to go by different names, so at least try and stick to a Floury variety!

Once you have your choice potatoes you need to give the cooking medium some consideration, plus your choice of cooking vessel! I will start with the cooking medium!

For the most adorable potatoes goose or duck fat will make you many friends, but that is only if you can persuade your guest of the health giving properties of this wonderful full flavoured animal fat, that just so happens to be low in saturates.

Beef dripping is another tasty choice for potatoes especially if rendered from meat just cooked, but unfortunately suffers from being very high in saturates, lard will achieve a very good potato but again very high in saturates, with a mix of fats you could still use a little dripping, but combine with oil for a healthier and tastier choice! Personally i would not use butter for roasting, unless mixed with another oil(this should prevent the butter from burning), but even then i find that the potatoes can be too rich!

Olive oil is another healthy option and yields good results as the photo above is testimony, vegetable oil, sunflower oil all coming in close behind! Mixtures of oils at about a 50/50 mix for example olive and vegetable or sunflower/olive and so on will give good results. Olive oil with the a small amount of rendered meat fat or juices are a delight!

The cooking vessel should at least be a good size with ample room to provide space for the potatoes to crisp, overcrowding is never a good practice! A good metal roasting tin /tray should be sufficient, as long as it is of appropriate size.

To cook;
Pre-heat oven to 190c, place a appropriate sized roasting tray into the oven with approximately 5mm of your chosen cooking medium. while your roasting tray is heating up, bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil.
Peel your potatoes, once peeled run under the cold tap to remove excess starch(2-3minutes approx). Par boil your potatoes for approximately 8 minutes, then drain. Shake off all excess water. Remove the roasting tray from your oven, and add your par boiled potatoes, shake the tray or use a spoon to make sure all potatoes are liberally coated with fat. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper,now place the roasting tray into the hot oven for approximately 1-1 half hours.

Note:

Roast potatoes are very giving, so you will be able to get away with overcooking. For extra crunchy roast potatoes rough the potatoes a little after boiling, this can be achieved buy vigorous shaking of the tray or draining colander.