Christmas Q&A with Iain Devine | The Tool Shed

Christmas Q&A with Iain Devine

If you ever wondered what it’s like to be a Chef over Christmas, wonder no more.

Sousvidetools.com spoke to Iain Devine, also known as the Drunken Butcher on his website. With experience as a chef, an events caterer and now host of his own supper clubs, this Sous Vide enthusiast and self-proclaimed meat-enthusiast tells us how he will be feasting over the upcoming festive season.

How many people will you be cooking for at Christmas? Will someone else in your household be chef for the day?

I’m having a rare quiet Christmas this year. Just myself & my wife Heli. Having said that, there’s a good chance that we’ll end up having some friends over too. I couldn’t stand to see anyone by themselves at Christmas.

Do you have any Sous Vide products you favour when cooking your own Christmas dinner?

As with any meal it’s important to pick the technique to compliment the ingredient. Ideally you’re looking for a range of flavours and textures. I’ll be using the Sous Vide Supreme machine and vacuum sealer, along with The Smoking Gun.

How can cooking Sous Vide reduce the stress of cooking Christmas dinner, in comparison to general oven cooking?

In almost every way! Veg can be peeled, sealed with butter, seasoned and cooked the day before (kept overnight in its bag in the fridge) requiring only a quick reheat in hot water. This will save you no end of time and stove space on the day.

The meat itself can be done Sous Vide, but I have a feeling that most families would prefer a whole bird for presentation purposes – so I’ll leave that one up to you. I’ll be having pork so it’s an absolute godsend for me; perfectly cooked and juicy meat. I remove the skin which I roast separately for the crackling which also frees up a lot of oven space for roasties etc.

What other meat would you suggest if someone didn’t want to cook the traditional turkey?

I’m a massive fan of pork so will be sourcing something special from Taste Tradition. I find Sous Vide works best with evenly-sized pieces of meat so some sirloin, rolled pork loin or belly, leg of lamb will all yield great results. If you’re thinking about a bird then you will need to joint it first. Cooking Sous Vide does make amazing confit legs and removes any doubt about “is it cooked yet?”

What’s your favourite tipple at Christmas?

Now, you’re talking!

Breakfast/Brunch: coffee, fresh orange juice and Champagne.

Dinner: Gin martini (dry & dirty), white wine with the seafood starter, a hefty white, light red or top quality cider with the pork, rum butter with the pudding. Then I tend to forgo port in preference for an interesting red with cheese that I can continue the evening with. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without a decent malt whiskey.

For cooking with, you’ll never go far wrong with using what you’ll be drinking. I tend to use Sainsbury’s Basics red and white as my ‘cooking wines’ but then finish sauces off with a glass of the good stuff, that’ll give you a nice balance of the deep flavour of cooked out wine whilst also getting the flavour of the more expensive one

Aside from the traditional Christmas dinner, what other favourite feast ideas do you have for the party season? Any stand out recipes for Boxing Day or New Year’s Eve?

I’m doing a special birthday party for a friend whose birthday is December 30^th so will be going all out on that one. If I fail to make a large pâté I’ll be in trouble! I love to cure whole salmon, which always goes down very well and is remarkably easy. I’m not a huge fan of roast turkey, but always have a hankering for cold turkey and cranberry sandwiches, so I’ll buy a turkey breast and Sous Vide it so I can slice it incredibly thinly for Boxing Day.

Due to the party on the 30^th, my New Year’s Eve will probably be a more restrained affair than usual, I’m thinking 4-6 guests, I’ll go a bit more “cheffy”; think seafood is always a good idea if you can get some quality fresh produce.

What are your top tips for cooking for large groups whilst still being able to enjoy the party?

Keep people out of the kitchen! I’m serious. If you don’t, you’ll end up unable to move with “helpers” who are doing nothing more than sampling everything you’ve made and generally getting in the way. We now have a rule at our parties that you’re only allowed in the kitchen if you’re wearing an apron or to bring the cook(s) a drink! Get one or two people who you can work with and get them to help you and keep (forcibly if needed) everyone else out of the way.

A side or two of salmon made into gravlax is always a winner, I’m going to serve one side simply sliced and the other sliced then smoked, using the Smoking Gun, for a bit of variety. Duck leg confit topping a salad is always a hit. Terrines and pâtés look impressive and are simplicity itself on the day, as all you need to do is slice them.

Are there any cooking activities that the family can help with? How can families get the kids involved?

Washing up and passing me some wine! Obviously you know your children and what they can be trusted with, I’d point out that I’ve cut myself many more times on a speed-peeler than with my razor sharp IO Shen knife, so peeling the veg isn’t always the best option!

Involve them fully, explain why you’re doing things and then have them help – I promise you the food will taste much better for it. Children like messy things and a bit of chaos (as do I) so rubbing in marinades and the like is always a good idea.

Most definitely get them involved in vacuum-sealing things as they’ll find the process fascinating, though you may soon find your car keys nicely vacuum packed if you turn your back!

Post by Chris Holland

Our Chef Director Chris Holland worked as Head Chef at the prestigious Alderley Edge hotel before joining us. He has a passion for using the best produce and never compromises on quality. Author of our best selling book Sous Vide The Art of Precision Cooking, Chris is a expert on the sous vide technique.During the later part of my school days at Wardle High School Rochdale I always wanted to be a chef . I knew from the very start that my path to work was never going to be academic it was always going to be something practical and hands on.

As a young boy growing up I was inspired to cook with my Grandma who was and still is an inspiration to me . I have memories of helping make the cakes that she always had made for visitors and family alike . She made the most amazing cakes and I loved nothing more than eating the sweet raw cake batter straight from the bowl . We used to fight over who got to lick the bowl/spoon after the cakes were made. My grandma’s philosophy for cooking even on a shoe string budget was always to use fresh and seasonal ingredients either home grown or bought from the market.

School was somewhat of a drag for me as I was itching to learn to become a chef.

I started at Hopwood Hall college as a chef and instantly fell in love with it .To me it was the only real time I excelled in something and this inspired me to really get my head down and put in the hard work. College was the first time I really excelled in something and gave me the opportunity to laugh at the teachers who said I would never make something of my life!!!!

During the three years at college I also took on a part time position in a local hotel working the bar and restaurant first and then the kitchen. These were great days and gave me the opportunity to see how the industry ticks. I learnt a lot from those days both good and bad !! But I have to say I was itching to work only in the kitchen but it was a good insight into the catering world .

After completing college I moved away from Rochdale for a full time roll at one of Cheshire’s most talked about Hotel restaurants The Stanneylands Hotel. This was the school of hard knocks for me as I quickly realised that although excelling at college meant nothing in “The Real World”.

I loved every minute of the 18 hour days 6 days a week on minimum wage . Although difficult I feel that without this grounding I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today. After 18 months of hard graft I left Stanneylands and went with the Head chef to open a fine dining restaurant at Mere Golf and Country Club. The opportunity to work alongside Matthew Barrett was too good to turn down. I learnt so much from the ex-Ritz chef and working in a much slower paced role helped me develop a much better understanding of how to organise and run a kitchen. We were a very small team and teamwork was and still is the only way to go for me.

After 2 years at Mere I got the opportunity to go into The Alderley Edge Hotel as Junior Souschef. The Early days at the Edge were all about learning new styles of cuising which is invaluable in any role as a chef. I got the opportunity to grow and learn all aspects of every section which was inspiring . I was offered the opportunity at the age of 29 (2004) to take the role of head chef. For me this was when I really started to develop my own style of food.

After 9 years at the top winning Cheshire restaurant of the year , Chef of the Year and appearing on GBM amongst many highlights including cooking for many celebrities and famous people I decided to move on into development with Sousvidetools.

The main inspiration for this was to train and educate people . I always had a great passion for education but could never really see myself at a college . The job is super rewarding and I am proud to say we have become the leading light in sous-vide education in the UK . This is something I am very proud of . Food is my biggest passion and this is what keeps me interested the most . I love to travel and try out other countries cuisines. I am constantly inspired by ingredients and the pursuit of getting the best out of them without destroying their natural flavour .It is super important to me to continue to try and be at the forefront of the food scene this is what inspire me and the team to keep driving forward .

Technology is now widely used in the industry and I am super proud to say we have been a big part of spreading that message.

I am very lucky to be in the position I am and the drive to constantly improve our training and links to the next generation of young budding hospitality chefs.

TI feel that my experience over the last 25 years really enables me to get close and educate the “next generation” of chefs .

The industry which I love is really struggling to bring through new recruits and if I can help that process I will be immensely proud.

The food seen in the Uk has improved dramatically over the last ten years and I feel this will continue with the correct education. What happens next only fate will tell us...

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