Cooking The Perfect Steak With My Eyes Closed

I remember my old Savoy hotel days in London, rattling pans in the River Restaurant kitchen where the brigade of 70 chefs were split up into a system set up by Auguste Escoffier in the late 19th century and adapted all over the world called the partie system. Different sections of the kitchen were delegated to carry out specific jobs, whether it be preparing or cooking the fish, making the sauces, grilling the meats, making pastries or cooking the vegetables.

The Chef de Roti and his team were the most respected chefs in the kitchen, the way they could cook whole joints of meat and individual steaks to a rare, medium rare perfection every time. Moving on, let’s just say a few more years than I care to mention, it’s a slap in the face that his skills, developed over years of training and practice can today be replicated by an amateur cook by the push of a button. Enter stage right the Sous-Vide machine… and take a bow.

I know I keep going on about how much I love this method of cooking, but the results really are incredible. Last night I cooked top sirloin of beef and I can honestly say it was the best and most tender I had ever tasted. 2 hours in a water bath at 135 degrees F and a quick sear in the pan for caramelization and that was it. Of course the seasoning helped too and even if you don’t have or plan to buy a Sous-Vide machine then you might try this. Marinade your beef for at least 1 hour in equal parts of balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and add crushed garlic and fresh rosemary…. delicious… and Fit for a Queen !