M&S’s upmarket new dish ... boil-in-the-bag steak
THE days of tough and unevenly cooked steak could be coming to an end as a culinary technique favoured by leading chefs hits the high street.
Sous vide cooking – an upmarket version of boil-in-the-bag – involves poaching food at a constant temperature, meaning it is cooked evenly throughout with no moisture or nutrients escaping.
The method normally requires special equipment that can cost hundreds of pounds. But now perfect steaks will be available to all after Marks & Spencer spent three years developing the technology to allow customers to try it for themselves at home.
Their British sirloin steaks come wrapped in plastic, which diners submerge in a pan of hot water for less than ten minutes before pan frying for the juiciest steak possible.
The sous vide submersion means any fat and tough fibres are broken down and the cut increases in tenderness, unlike pan frying alone, which can be tricky to time and makes the muscle in the meat stiffen. Heston Blumenthal began using sous vide 15 years ago and has been passionate about the technique ever since, saying: ‘It has the potential to be the biggest change in domestic kitchens since the microwave.’
M&S product developer Matt Dawson said: ‘Sous vide is one of the best ways to cook a steak as it retains all the flavour and succulence of the meat.’
The Gastropub Ultimate Steak & Chips is available at M&S stores now at £8. It comes with triple cooked chips and a creamy peppercorn sauce.