Seal of excellence

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Succulent lobster tails gently poached in butter at exactly 60 deg C. Fork-tender fillets of salmon confit. These were some of the sumptuous dishes presented by acclaimed chefs at Perfection Every Time, a showcase of Miele’s latest innovations in sous vide cooking. Several leading chefs, including Emmanuel Stroobant of Saint Pierre, Malcolm Lee of Candlenut, and Timothy de Souza of Como Cuisine, along with top mixologist Christian Hartmann of cocktail bar Vasco, presented their creations. Restaurateur-chef and TV presenter Angela May was the host of the special event held at Fullerton Bay Hotel.

While such exquisite dishes and drinks are usually had in fine-dining restaurants and bars, you too can create perfection at home – with a little help from Miele.

Indeed, sous vide cooking used to be a technique applied only in top end professional kitchens. And the preparation method in which vacuum-packed food in plastic bags are cooked at low, carefully maintained temperatures over an extended period of time is favoured for plenty of reasons. For one thing: it is all about high-level precision that brings about consistent results, every time. “Sous vide-style cooking is perfect for busy individuals who have limited time for food preparation and want to be ensured maximum flavour and nutrient retention with every meal,” shares de Souza, who presented dishes that highlight the natural flavours and textures of the ingredients used.

Indeed, the flavours of even the most delicate ingredients are sealed in, and the slow cooking process results in a uniform texture. One-Michelin-star Peranakan restaurant Candlenut’s chef Malcom Lee, who prepared a salad of beef with rambutans and pickled radish at the dinner, said: “The beef is cooked at low temperature so that it is perfectly pink throughout. No juices are lost. The red radish is also vacuum-packed with pickling liquid and steamed in the oven, which cooks it perfectly and pickles it in a much shorter time.” Lee also enthused about combining Peranakan cooking with sous vide as it “brings a different dimension to the cuisine; making it fresher and more consistent”.

Meanwhile, for a dash of surprise, Hartmann used the sous vide approach to infuse various ingredients into alcohols and juices. For this event, he conjured up a refreshing welcome drink alongside three concoctions to pair with the chefs’ creations.

Besides ensuring consistency in texture and flavour, this particular cooking method is considered healthier. “There are a lot of advantages in cooking with vacuum-sealed bags, in terms of (preserving) nutrition,” said Stroobant, chef-owner of European restaurant Saint Pierre and co-owner of two-Michelin-star Shoukouwa Sushi Restaurant. “It also requires far less oil and fats,” added the chef who prepared his family recipe of roasted French chicken breast with pickled baby vegetables and wild herb emulsion, as well as salmon trout confit with hollandaise espuma for the well-attended event.

Inventive Kitchen

Yet cooking sous vide usually means investing in a sous vide machine and vacuum sealer or vacuum chamber – which all takes up valuable real estate on the kitchen counter. But with Miele’s latest innovation, everything is smartly integrated within the 60cm tall cabinetry recess of your oven. Miele’s new vacuum sealing drawer – which can be stacked together with the Generation 6000 built-in appliances just like a warmer drawer – acts as a vacuum chamber. It allows one to control the sealing settings, depending on the texture of the ingredients: a lower setting for more delicate ingredients prone to flaking, and a higher setting that draw to almost a complete vacuum for meats and vegetables. The absence of air is also beneficial for food storage: drying, unwanted oxidation and the growth of bacteria are dramatically minimised. And you can easily keep pre-cooked food with a lower risk of spoilage. Stroobant, for one, uses vacuum-packing to store the meals he pre-cooks for his two children. “The nanny can easily reheat them. It makes things very simple!” enthuses the chef who is a long time sous vide convert.

With a slow-cooking function and a temperature range of 40 to 100 deg C – not to mention the ability to maintain temperatures to a precision of 1 deg C – Miele steam ovens launched since early 2015 have been designed for sous vide cooking.

The newly unveiled 6860 XXL combi-steam model lifts standards even higher with the M Touch display. This is a high-resolution TFT display that allows easy navigation and operation, just as on a smartphone, putting the deliciousness of professional style cooking literally at the home cook’s fingertips.

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