VACUUM PACKING
This is probably the toughest plastic challenge for our industry and will require a bit of sacrifice along with some creative thinking. We all love adding days to our mise en place and heating up vac-packed purees in a pot of water, free from any chance of burning…sacrifices to be made.
THE SOLUTION
STORE FOOD WITHOUT IT
Check out these other ways of reducing food waste.
- Keep on top of the stock levels in your fridges and freezers and only order what you need - this will help with storage space and keep your food fresh.
- Ensure all of your team uses the ‘First In, First Out’ fridge system
- Ensure food is put away into fridges as soon as it arrives and in airtight containers when necessary.
- Don’t get too far ahead on your prep, fresh is better anyway.
Click here for waste saving recipes and zero waste staff foods!
Note: The carbon footprint of food waste is massive. So if the above suggestions don’t work, then try to only vacuum pack what really needs it and have a look at the compostable bags below.
SOUS VIDE HACK
Keep using your sous vide machines to maintain precision and achieve that perfect cook. However, instead of vac-packing your protein and placing it into the water bath, put it directly into a flavoured oil or brine bath. See below for more info on how to best use this technique.
MOVE AWAY FROM SOUS VIDE
Look into the reverse sear technique or cook your meat at a lower temperature to achieve that even cook all the way through.
CAN’T STOP?
If stopping sous vide is not feasible or removing plastic vacuum bags causes you more food waste, then try compostable ones. They are now more readily available but unfortunately still a bit pricey. Look for ones which are home compostable.
Keep in mind that the most sustainable practice is still to avoid single-use products.
SOUS VIDE HACK:
TECHNIQUE DETAILS
Chef Blair Hammond, during his time at Silo and Amass, used this technique as a way to maintain the efficiency brought by sous vide but without the plastic. The brining process enhances the flavour of the chosen protein and that perfect edge to edge cook can be achieved hassle-free.
Fill a metal gastro with a flavoursome brine or oil and place this into the water bath.
Set your machine to a few degrees higher than you want the brine and protein to reach. Once your brine/oil is up to your chosen temp, add your protein.
Just like classic sous vide, you can hot hold the protein until you need it. Just remove it when ready, pat it very dry (essential for good caramelisation) and sear as normal.
Notes from Blair: It is necessary to use a ‘bath within a bath’ in order to keep your sous vide machine clean and protect it from breaking down. Also, keep in mind that different machines and containers will require different temperature settings. It may take you a few attempts of trial and error in order to reach the ideal temperature to set your machine.
