Lawyer by trade, #anovafoodnerd at heart! Waymond Wesley started his journey to delicious meals in 2017. Not to be outdone by a friend who had just purchased an Anova Precision Cooker, Chef Way decided to start his sous vide journey. Present day, Way is throwing down some viral videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels using his Anova, and spreading sous vide love all across the land!
(more…)
Does the thought of fermenting food confuse you, scare you, or maybe both? Cāmon, itās 2021, fermentation is totally having a moment while a majority of us are looking for new hobbies at home, and itās an incredibly easy way to bring funky, delicious, umami to any meal ā if you have the right equipment.
Lactic acid, or ālactoā, fermentation occurs when you harness the natural power of lactic acid bacteria (present on the skins of fruits, veggies, and even humans) to convert sugars into lactic acid. This results in the familiar sharpish, kinda funky, vinegary, umami-tinged sourness we taste in things like sauerkraut and kimchi.
But guess what ā you can do it with just about any fruit or vegetable, and today (right now) Iām going to show you just how easy it is. Then, not unlike myself, youāll inevitably be hooked on the fun and funky hobby of home ferments.
Let me start by saying that as much as Iād love to take credit for this super-gratifying and ridiculously easy method of fermentation, I canāt. Iāve dragged this method from Rene Redzepi and David Zilberās book āThe Noma Guide to Fermentationā and I canāt recommend it enough. Armed with that book, an Anova PrecisionĀ® Vac Sealer, and maybe some mason jars, thereās pretty much nothing you canāt ferment. The world is your kimchi.
Like I said, just about any fruit or veg will do. As per my experience, foods that are higher in sugar content and juicier will tend to ferment a bit quicker than their counterparts, but as a ballpark figure youāre looking at about 4-7 days to lacto ferment just about anything. For this example Iām just doing 2 separate ferments: cherry tomatoes, and a combination of cabbage and persian cucumber to make a simple sauerkraut.
In general, little teensy fruits and veg (blueberries for example) can be left whole, while larger fruits and vegetables will want to be cut down into smaller portions. For the purposes of this batch, I simply halved the cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced the cabbage/persian cucumbers Iām turning into a kraut. With bigger fruits with pits like plums, peaches, etc, youāll want half them and pull the pits out before fermenting.
Ā
Here is the most complicated part of the entire process ā simply weighing things (in grams.) So, after youāve chopped your fruits and/or veggies, youāre just going to add salt. How much salt, you ask? 2% of the total weight of your food.
This is simply calculated by weighing out your food to be fermented (in grams) and multiplying that number by .02 ā the resulting number is how much salt youāll be adding to said food for fermenting. Add that amount of salt to the fruit of vegetables youāll be fermenting and toss in bowl or mix by hand inside vac bag to evenly distribute.
For example:
– I had 315G of tomatoes. 315 x .02 = 6.3, so I add 6.3G of salt to my tomatoes.
– I had 435G of cabbage/cucumber. 435 x .02 = 8.7, so I add 8.7G of salt to my kraut mixture.
Just like it says, thereās nothing left to do but seal your ferments up and wait for them to…well, ferment! Youāll want to keep them at room temperature, in the range of about 21Ā°C or 70Ā°F. If your room is slightly warmer or cooler, it shouldnāt be a big deal but will keep in mind that a warmer environment will accelerate the fermentation process and a cooler room will have the opposite (slowing) effect. Itās also a great idea to label your vac-seal bags with the date you sealed them. Most fruits and vegetables will only take about a week to reach the maturity level weāre looking for.
So how do you know when your ferment has reached our desired levels of fermentation? It will literally let you know, just look for the fully inflated bag. If itās been right around a
week and your bag is completely or almost completely filled with air, congratulations ā itās time to reap the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor.
Dear #anovafoodnerds,
This year has been a tough one and many are excited for it to be over. There has been inexplicable loss, political turmoil, and grief over missed celebrations, gatherings and our old way of life. We hope that you are safe and healthy, and that you continue to be in the new year.
As with most dark clouds though, there are silver linings. For me, 2020 was tough, but ultimately Iāll remember it as a year of hope. 2020 reinforced my belief in the importance of Anovaās mission and highlighted how awesome our #anovafoodnerd community is. This year also revealed the character of the people on the Anova team. I was inspired by the work they did and I want to highlight some of it for you.
(more…)
Hunger and food insecurity are huge issues across the U.S., where millions of children, families and seniors struggle with access to healthy meals. At Anova, we know that food has the power to transform lives. Since June 2019, we have helped provide over 70,000 nutritious meals to underserved communities through our charity and community partnerships, including Meals on Wheels. (more…)
For many, the holiday season is a cherished time to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one with friends, family and loved ones. While this year has felt especially tough for many of us, the effects of 2020 have left an unprecedented number of individuals struggling to afford rent, utilities, medication or food. Since the start of the pandemic, thousands of more people have joined pantry lines across the country for the first time. Thatās why this holiday season, itās more important than ever to make a difference however you can.
(more…)
Whether you prefer warm and gooey, light and flakey, chocolatey or fruity, maybe even Ć la mode, fresh baked pastries tend to exist on another plane of existence when it comes to their ability to pique the interest of any living thing blessed with even a marginal sense of smell.
Plus, if you have kids, making a batch of cookies or a simple pie is the perfect excuse to get them in the kitchen and building memories that will last a lifetime. The Anova PrecisionĀ® Oven only adds to the baking experience, allowing you to a keep hawk-like watch on your time and temp while ensuring all the right textures in all the right places ā every time.
Ready to bake? We’ve curated a list of our favorite pies, cakes, cookies, galettes and more over on our latest blog post.
(more…)
You can’t go on Reddit or Facebook without seeing Kaido Mac cooking up a storm with the Anova Precision Oven! Few have put the APO through the paces quite like Kaido has, and we caught up with him recently to let him tell his story and show how the Anova Precision Oven has changed his cooking routine for the better.
(more…)
