FOR SIDE DISHES THAT STEAL THE SHOW,MAKE THEM SOUS VIDE | The Tool Shed

FOR SIDE DISHES THAT STEAL THE SHOW,MAKE THEM SOUS VIDE

Whilst we all love a succulent piece of meat or a delicious portion of perfectly cooked fish, it can sometimes be the sides and accompanying dishes that take a meal from ordinary to spectacular. Fluffy potatoes, fresh,crisp salads or beautiful buttery vegetables, the choices are endless!

It’s been a difficult job but we have chosen some of our favourite side dishes to show you. If you’re preferred side of choice isn’t shown here then take a look at our website, we have loads more!

SOUS VIDE FENNEL AND ORANGE QUINOA SALAD

Salads can have a reputation for being a bit boring, or maybe you’d only choose them if you’re trying to be healthy but here at Sous Vide Tools we think they are a great alternative to rice or potatoes and if using the right ingredients they taste fantastic. They are an ideal accompaniment to lighter meals or why not serve on its own as a summery lunchtime treat.

This fennel and quinoa salad from Great British Chef Shaun Rankin uses loads of fresh ingredients that combine to make a showstopper of a dish. The colours on the plate look stunning and the tahini dressing will leave you wishing for salad with every meal.

READ THE RECIPE

SOUS VIDE CHESHIRE NEW POTATOES INFUSED WITH SMOKED BACON FAT

The potato. There is a reason why it’s the nations favourite side dish. It’s versatile, filling, plentiful and so tasty. We love potatoes in all their forms but nothing quite compares with the flavour and texture of these delicious new potatoes with their crispy skin and fluffy centres.

The recipe suggests that you serve them on skewers as a snack or dinner party canapé, but they also work equally well served alongside your favourite steak or chicken dish. Just 60 minutes in your water bath for potato perfection. Yum!

READ THE RECIPE

SOUS VIDE BABY PARSNIPS

Popular with Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner, parsnips have a unique taste that works well alongside meat. They are traditionally roasted in the oven but cooking them sous vide helps to lock in the flavours and almost guarantees that they are cooked perfectly every time.

This recipe uses a honey and thyme marinade that takes the flavour to a whole new level. All we can say is, roll on Sunday!

READ THE RECIPE

Smoked Cauliflower Cheese Purée

For a side dish that the whole famiy will love, you can’t go wrong with cauliflower cheese. Cauliflower and cheese are a classic combination that just works. In this recipe a smoking gun is used to give the cauliflower an enhanced flavour with extra depth. If you want a really smoky flavour you can repeat the smoking process until it’s just how you like it.

The chef advises you to pay special attention to the seasoning in this dish. For perfect results the seasoning needs to be just right!

READ THE RECIPE

Spiced Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese And Hazelnut

Butternut squash is a fantastic vegetable and although it is known for being difficult to peel and chop, it is definitely worth the effort!

Nutritious, tasty and filling, butternut squash is combined with hazelnuts and blue cheese in this recipe to create a side dish that works with almost anything. It also makes a delicious vegetarian lunch and it’s so easy to make that you’ll be making this every week!

READ THE RECIPE

Sweet Potato Home Fries

Sweet home Alabama! Are you bored of eating your standard carbs? Sweet potatoes are a hidden gem and full of nutrients that will be locked in through the simple sous vide process – serve with your favourite steak or chicken dish and a side salad to satisfy even the wildest midweek munchies.

READ THE RECIPE

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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