State-sponsored jazz, NPR, says it’s getting crafty in the kitchen this summer.
It’s another triumph of food porn over food safety.
In a story about making magically moist sous vide chicken without the fancy equipment, chef Christina Tosi says consumers can cook chicken with a spiced-buttermilk sauce sous-vide, in just 5 to 20 minutes, with a Ziploc bag.
Judge the recipe for yourselves:
You’ll need a chicken breast or boneless thigh, seasoning of your choice (either salt and pepper or a spice blend), buttermilk (or even bottled ranch dressing), a heavy-duty zip-top freezer bag, and a straw.
- Butterfly the chicken breast, or pound it flat, and season.
- Put a butterflied chicken breast in a plastic freezer bag with the buttermilk (or ranch).
- Seal the bag except for one corner. Insert a straw into the remaining hole and slowly suck out the air with your mouth. Be careful not to suck the sauce into your mouth! Seal the bag to get it as air-free as possible.
Wait, what?
Sucking air out of a bag of Salmonella and Campylobacter is a terrible idea.
And have those zip-lock bags been designed to work at the unspecified higher temperature?
- Optional: If you are using thinner storage bags, repeat the process in a second bag, to prevent leaks.
- Bring a pot of water nearly to a boil. Set a piece of tin foil in the pot like a hammock (with the ends crimped over the edge).
- Plop the bag into the pot of hot — but not boiling — water. The foil will suspend the bag above the bottom of the pot so the bag doesn’t burn.
- If the chicken is thin, it will cook (poach, essentially), in five or 10 minutes. An intact chicken breast may take 20 minutes.
You can test the chicken by looking and feeling to make sure it isn’t pink inside.
Wait, what? Color is a lousy indicator. The chicken needs to be temped with a tip-sensitive digital thermometer.
I can’t wait for the next installment.