Sous Vide for restaurant pick-up

Not sure if this is the proper forum, but I want to ask chefs that use sous vide on the line.

What is the best method for storing product? Let's assume for all items they will be pick-up in a conventional manor (grilling sauteing, etc.)

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Johan_Edstrom_5586

This thread might help a bit

http://forum.chefsteps.com/discussion/224/restaurant-or-catering-setup

Brandon__67713

Thanks, my question is more for picking up items in a more conventional manor.

grant

@brandon

Can you give me a scenario? I cannot say that there is one standard way for all items.

Brandon__67713

Thanks for the response!

I personally have never worked in a restaurant that did sous vide. I spent most of my early days cooking at Chex Panisse and similar style restaurants. So I am just starting to dabble.

Currently we are doing halibut, fluke, monkfish, chicken breast, and bone-in pork chop. All are portion prior to sous vide.

Chris_Young_80640

Brandon, do you have preferred temperatures for these different proteins? How are you portioning them (how thick). And are these mains or starters?

Brandon__67713

I am still experimenting with temps. Mostly taking advice from this board.

All listed are mains.

Halibut is 5oz and about 1.5 inch thick

Fluke is 6oz and on the thinner side, maybe 1/4 inch for most

Chicken has the wing tip and is 6 oz

Heritage Pork is 9-11oz bone-in

All items I have been taking out of pouch cold to order and searing in french steel and basted except for the pork which goes on a wood grill.

I find the bags messy and the cold fat difficult to work with in a hectic line setting, but love the results and control.

Chris_Young_80640

So, you precook, chill, and then reheat with conventional techniques?

Why not drop in bath to reheat, pull from bags, and finish by a quick-pan roasting or on the wood grill?

Brandon__67713

Thanks Chris,

Is that the most common way to pick up items? Getting a sous vide container on the line may be tricky, but I will give it a go.

lucasbodd

@Brandon How does the reheating using conventional techniques works for you?

com-chefsteps

For me, reheating meats a la minute that were previously cook-chilled tends to leave my meat cold in the middle. Even pork tenderloin, a relatively small medallion - I can get excellent crusty browning on the outside, a minimal grey-cook ring, but cold meat in the middle.

If your line is crowded, maybe you can reserve one burner for a warm bucket?

Brandon__67713

@Lucasbodd Certain items work better than others. We are currently doing steak, duck, chicken, octopus, and sweetbreads sous vide.

We pickup steak/duck/chicken/sweetbreads in french steel pans and octopus goes to the grill. We just adjusted the temp down a few degrees from what most people recommend. We presear all except for the octopus.

Chicken is the only one that I have consistency issues with. I would love to see a CS video with chicken and actually more animal proteins in general.

Nicky_J_17040

we just put a smaller stockpot on and maintain heat below a boil (poaching pretty much). or you could set up a steaming vessel.

this works great to bring cold items up to temp, then you can proceed with sear.

i'm not sure what kind of volume you're talking about either.