Under Pressure by Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller, chef and owner of the famous French Laundry restaurant in Napa, California, released this book late last year. The book is dedicated to sous vide, a cooking technique involving sealing food in plastic then cooking at very precise temperatures in a heated water bath. This technique has many advantages. Foods are flavored better, achieve an even doneness throughout, and cannot lose much juice. This means you can cook a very juicy well done steak (whether you’d want to is beyond me). Under Pressure is a wealth of information and inspiration.
The book starts with a few essays about the history of sous vide, the implimentation of sous vide, and a defense of sous vide (although it needs not be defended). Keller points out the somewhat backward logic of cooking foods at temperatures higher than you want them to achieve. For example, if you roast a beef tenderloin that you want to be medium rare in a 375° oven, you must stop the cooking at a certain point when the roast reaches a temperature just before medium rare. By the time it’s done, the center is medium rare surrounded by rings of medium, medium well, well, and char and the dry heat of the oven has shrunken the tenderloin and dried it out. If you cook the same roast sous vide at 140° that roast CANNOT exceed 145° and the juices have nowhere to go. Simply remove the meat from the bag and sear quickly in hot fat. What you have is a perfectly cooked medium rare tenderloin with a browned, caramelized crust. The meat is medium rare from the center to the outside and unimaginably juicy.
Keller explains how sous vide allows tough cuts of meats that are usually braised, like spare ribs, to be cooked to temperatures below well done and still be soft and delicious. Normally when you braise a piece of meat you sear it then add liquid. The item is simmered for a few hours until the collagen in the meat is broken down into gelatin by moisture and heat. The once tough cut of meat is now soft and tender, but often braises can become dry. However, temperatures that high are not needed to convert collagen into gelatin. Keller explains how you can cook a tough cut of meat, let’s say short ribs at 140°, for a LONG time, about 48 hours. After that time you can sear the meat and you have delicious, medium rare short ribs.
The recipes are divided into 5 sections: Vegetables and fruits, fish and shellfish, poultry and meat, variety meats, and cheese and desserts. Almost all of the recipes are accompanied by stunning photos. The recipes are often composed of many recipes, which are each a component of the dish. Under Pressure delivers lots of inspiration and creative philosophy. It’s a book you can spend a year cooking from and gain years of inspiration. I highly recommend it.
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