Vacuum compression of plant foods

New demonstration with a short explanation of what's going on:

http://www.chefsteps.com/courses/accelerated-sous-vide-cooking-course/vacuum-compression-of-plant-foods

Interested to see what everyone thinks and perhaps get a discussion going around this topic. I realize not everyone will be able to apply this technique, but hopefully it's interest to understand how it works even if you don't have the tools.

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Brendan_Lee_56950

This has really made a huge difference in my meals. I infuse and compress damned near everything I can fit in the chamber these days haha.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

This is a good, short intro to compression. This is a difficult technique to just show as it is in tasting that the texture difference becomes obvious.

I assume you will have a separate video on compression infusion with plant foods and proteins.

Will you have a video on the difference compression makes on protein texture, say chicken breast, when it has had a full vacuum pulled in a vacuum chamber vs an edge sealer vs ziplock bag water displacement? And why you would use one over an other depending on the protein.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Since we got the chamber I don't think I've served "unmodified" plant foods in a single dish entirely. - Texture, color, flavor.

I also really like putting the "dressing" in one of the altered items.

Lettuce is what I leave alone and use as a vehicle for the rest of the pickles/compressed items.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Yesterdays dinner salad. (With some steak)

Compressed tomato with tarragon.

Flash pickled onions and roasted poblano.

Bell pepper compressed with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Pickled and compressed daikon.

Plain rinsed lettuce.

Quick pickled cucumbers (Not in a bag)

TODD_ANDERSON_36806

I cannot wait to purchase my chamber sealer to try this and my other things rather than using my foodsaver. About a month and counting until i have enough saved!!

tonybatty_36486

I haven't tried this technique yet but the transformation of colour looks great but is there any detrimental effect on the texture?

Johan, what is your process for flash pickling?

Brendan_Lee_56950

The texture becomes much more dense, normally airy foods like a watermelon can have almost a chew to them which is really nice.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Tonybatty I follow the recipe here on the site for pickling liquid or I use 2 pt water to 2 pt rice vinegar, 2 pt sugar to 1 pt salt.

The texture is firmer and flavors are "clearer"

Joshua_Sharp_47919

I have had a vacuum sealer for about 6 months now and I had actually never tried to vacuum pickle until this weekend when I used this technique and a brine from modernist cuisine at home to create some pickles veggies to throw on a pizza. I had a couple of extra bags and the pickles are incredible. I can't believe I never used this technique before, it so easy.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

I had a period where I think my poor family had to eat melon every meal for a month straight...

brianzgz_75099

Hi there,

I read in somewere that I´m not able to remember that it is possible to reach, at least, a similar results ussing the siphon instead the vacum sealer in case that you don´t have one. Putting the pieces of plant food and the liquid in question into the siphon and loading with nitrogen.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Here is another example of something I do very often, I really like rice-vinegar, black sesame oil and ginger as a flavor base for a salad, so I do that with (here) tomato and red onions (this way I also force a picky wife to eat onions), the cucumber is a simple rice vinegar pickle, ginger and sesame oil, chili paste shrooms all on a simple lettuce bed.

Served with a 54C cryo steak.

Jack_Ostrowski_46259

Another way this might work is a small vacuum pump from harbor freight and a vacuum desiccator chamber maybe from amazon. The vacuum pump will pull about 28 mm Hg which about 36 mbar. There are different sizes so large fruit and veggies would work well. To add flavor one can inject fruit with a syringe. Thus when vacuum is pulled the localized injection point will diffuse into the local area.

Brandon_610

I had dinner at a restaurant in Scottsdale on Monday. As part of their dessert, they served a slice of compressed watermelon that was vaccum infused with a sangria syrup. It was very good. I need to pick up a chamber compressor to try this at home.

Shelly_35446

Is it even possible to do these things with a FoodSaver? There's no way I can wedge a chamber in my little condo - the SV took up the last bit of space.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Shelly unfortunately not that I know, they simply do not have enough *umph*

Chris_Young_80640

Unfortunately not. The technique relies on create a large pressure drop around the food, and this is not something that FoodSavers do.

KitchenNinja_68341

I love compressing fruit

KitchenNinja_68341

Hmm for some reason my picture isn't showing

There it is

Jack_Mayer_85396

@KitchenNinja - that looks great! what is it and how did you do it? thanks!

KitchenNinja_68341

Jack it is an heirloom melon terrine, I saw this on star chefs. I will post a link here for you. It is very easily followed I recreated the whole dish and have made a few variations of my own depending on need. http://www.starchefs.com/events/studio/techniques/gabriel-bremer-heirloom-terrine/html/index.shtml

Shelly_35446

That is beautiful! Sigh. Oh well, I can focus on doing cool things with spheres.

Jack_Mayer_85396

@KitchenNinja, much appreciated, thanks!

grant

Very sexy, reminds of something I developed at MC...;)

KitchenNinja_68341

Another variation ......hmmm picture

KitchenNinja_68341

Lol eventually

DiggingDogFarm_65362

Any idea if a faucet aspirator will produce enough vacuum to compress?

Something led me to believe that vacuum increases with water temperature, it that correct?

I have an aspirator, but I need to find a proper fitting to connect it to the kitchen faucet.

Thanks!

~Martin

Chris_Young_80640

Yes, I've tested faucet aspirators and been able to pull a vacuum down to 25 mbar. The colder the water the better.

DiggingDogFarm_65362

Thanks!

Now all I need is a cheap vacuum chamber.

Any ideas?

~Martin

Chris_Young_80640

Yes, the FoodSaver folks make rigid containers that could be adapted to work with the faucet aspirator. The other possibility is to hunt around for vacuum lids that are made to fit on a Gastronorm (hotel) pan. I think Koch makes them.