DANIEL SEIDMAN
Daniel Seidman is a home chef and food photographer with a passion for creating delicious meals that look as good as they taste. Find his recipes at thechefdan.com.
Sous-Vide: When do you like to use sous vide over another cooking method?
Daniel Seidman: When I’m cooking for a crowd, sous vide is my go-to. I love the consistency that I’m able to achieve with minimal effort. If I am making sous vide steaks, I am confident that they will all come out perfectly cooked and I won’t have to spend my time monitoring them on a grill. I recently cooked over 50 sliders sous vide for a party and I was able to focus on spending time with friends and prepping other ingredients instead of worrying about whether I was over- or under-cooking them.
SV: What are your favorite foods to sous vide?
DS: Steak is one of my absolute favorite things to sous vide. After having a perfectly cooked sous vide steak, it’s hard to go back to any other methods of cooking. I also enjoy creating alcoholic infusions using sous vide. It’s a quick way to infuse a lot of flavor into spirits like tequila, vodka, or bourbon. One of my favorites for a hot summer day is making blueberry- and lemon-infused vodka and then spiking lemonade.
GRANT CRILLY
Before co-founding Seattle-based food and technology company ChefSteps, Grant Crilly spent four years collaborating with photographer Ryan Matthew Smith to develop the brand that defines Modernist Cuisine.
Sous-Vide: What sous vide recipe could you make every day and not get tired of?
Grant Crilly: Crispy, pounded boneless chicken thighs. They are simply amazing, and you can garnish them with anything from a quick sauté of vegetables to Korean pancake–style toppings. Just pound out some boneless chicken thighs with a pot or mallet, cook sous vide at 167°F (75°C) for 45 minutes, and then press them in a pan to sear them. Always delicious.
SV: What are some of the misconceptions about sous vide that you’ve encountered?
GC: My favorite is that it is only for fancy restaurants or meals. You can cook amazing humble meals with sous vide. It’s how I cook most at home. That it’s always a slow cook; it can be as fast as 10 minutes if you want a nice piece of fish. That it’s inconvenient. All things are inconvenient if you don’t plan a little. And with sous vide, if you plan even a tiny bit, you can have dinner waiting for you whenever you are ready, even if your schedule changes.
