I'm all for being experimental in the kitchen. Without it, the wonderful science of food would never progress. But when someone throws a steak in the dishwasher to cook, I have to draw a line and say science has just gone too far.
You may have heard about the process of sous vide before. It is the delicate and slow process of using heated water to slowly bring meat up to a food-safe temperature. Due to the nature of the cooking method, it keeps the food incredibly moist, results in very tender meat, and can really embed some flavour. However, it usually requires specific tools. None of those tools is a dishwasher.
But, an Australian BBQ chef made the rogue decision to wrap his steak and throw it in the dishwasher. Their argument, which was originally a joke, stated that the consistent temperature of the cleaning appliance would have the same effect as sous vide.
Although it started as a silly April Fools' prank, they swear it worked.
There Was Method To The Madness
The guy, about to potentially ruin a steak in the dishwasher, said he took the process seriously. As with a traditional sous vide, he vacuum-packed it before cooking it. Although there were other dirty dishes alongside the cut, there was no detergent for fear of tainting the flavour.
They put the steak on for a regular dishwasher cycle, and then let it rest for twenty minutes in the vacuum pack. Incredibly, once the cooking process was complete, Simon Luxton told the Underseasoned BBQ Podcast that it turned out amazingly well.
They had seasoned the steak beforehand and gave it a quick 90-second sear post-dishwash. When they cut into it, it was tender, juicy, rich, and delicious. "Even the fat was so perfectly rendered, like that knuckle of fat that runs through the middle of the Scotch [rib filet], it was butter," he told the show.
If this is true, the sous vide machinery industry needs to pay attention. Their days may be numbered. Even so, a steak is one thing, but an entire chicken is another. It's only a matter of time.
The post I'm Deeply Troubled That Someone Tried To Cook A Steak In A Dishwasher appeared first on Wide Open Country.