Manresa cookbook question

I recently got the Manresa cookbook on kindle. One of the recipes has eggplants that are cooked sous vide at 130C, 266F. The instructions say to vac seal the bag.

What does this mean? Use oil for the bath? Wouldn't that be a ton of waste? My hunch is that it's a typo but I don't see an errata. Or perhaps I do not understand. Clarifications would be helpful. Thanks!

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FrankM_3301

The simplest way to do this would be to put the eggplant, oil, soy sauce and vinegar into a zip lock bag. Seal the bag using the water displacement method. Then place the bag into your water bath.

I have to say, though, that your temperature is probably a typo. You are not cooking anything at 130C using a water bath. Pressure cookers temps are only 121C. Maybe try 85C.

brian_martin2001

I don't understand what you're thinking with "Use oil for the bath?" What I'm reading is put the oil, the soy sauce, and the vinegar, along with whatever it is supposed to be 2-3 inches in length, put it all in a vacuum bag, and then seal the vacuum bag. I really don't understand the confusion with that part of the instructions. Cooking it at 266°F/130°C seems a bit extreme, cooking a vacuum bag, but I don't see how putting the ingredients in a vacuum bag seems like any kind of waste.

Am I misunderstanding what you are asking? I feel like what you're asking is just going right over my head, but that's what I'm seeing, and what I'm taking away from it anyway.

meyer8863

This recipe is definitely a typo. A water bath (and boiling water for that matter) cannot get above 212 F unless under pressure. Most vegetables are sous vide around 180-185 F. I didn't see the thickness/size of the pieces, but since the alternative is blanching for 1 minute, I'm going to guess its quite small. I would sous vide the eggplant at 185 F (with all the other ingredients) for 15 minutes, then give the bag a poke every 5 minutes until it was the desired texture. The recipe sounds tasty, let us know how it turns out!

P. S. I have gotten great results, salting the sliced eggplant liberally, and letting it sit for an hour, then rinsing it off. This gets rid of a lot of the liquids that makes eggplant bitter. Its admittedly more work, but you get more consistent results.

fisher23

Not sure what you're making, but this has got to be a typo. I made an eggplant parm last night, cooked the eggplant sous vide at 183°F for 15 minutes to pre cook it. I always do as @Michael_Meyer_123524 suggested, salt both sides and let it sit an hour, rinse, blot dry prior to cooking.

Shivam_Daryanani_92859

Yeah the part that threw me off is the temp

Shivam_Daryanani_92859

it's some japanese eggplant thing, not planning on making it, was just thrown off by the temp. that's what I figured. Thanks

Shivam_Daryanani_92859

Correct, I was asking about the temperature. It definitely has to be a typo.

Shivam_Daryanani_92859

Yeah my question was referring to the temp, I do clearly understand the first part

tshewman

enjoying the book? Not that I need another but have been considering it for a while.

Romain_Van_Aelst_392402

Most certainly a typo and maybe even a dangerous one.

Any food you place in a fryer will only reach a temperature of 100°c at the surface as long it contains any water. Does not matter how hot the oil is.

Imagine what would happen if you vacuum sealed food and place it in a fryer. Steam would buildup in the bag until it explodes. That's the moment you have to keep your head over the fryer while holding a lit candle to enjoy a spectacle of hot oil flying through your kitchen.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

The weird thing about that is the temp conversion is accurate. So it's actually a double typo.

Shivam_Daryanani_92859

I haven't read too much of it, just the first couple of chapters. I definitely like his story, and how they create their menu based on the farm. The first few recipes I've seen are different.

After reading a little bit of it, it's made me very interested in going and eating there. I do live an hour away, so that helps

brian_martin2001

I'm in agreement with everyone else: definitely a typo.

tangma27

I've read the book several times. I love it, he's super creative and kinda weird; right up my wheel house

tshewman

LOL!

tshewman

damn!

fisher23

I liked seeing Chef David Kinch in series 4 of "The Mind of a Chef". Let me know how you end up liking the book.

Shivam_Daryanani_92859

yeah those episodes made me buy the book.