Celebrity Life | Food

Chef Rolando Laudico schools 'Pop Talk' about sous vide cooking

By Cara Emmeline Garcia

Published On: October 29, 2020, 04:38 PM

Discover what's sous vide and how it elevates every chef's cooking style in this episode of 'Pop Talk.'

When hearing the term “sous vide,” most people would associate it with fancy French restaurants or competition shows.

But at its core, sous vide is simply the process of sealing food in an airtight container -- usually, a vacuum-sealed bag -- and then cooking that in temperature-controlled water.

In French, the term translates to “under vacuum,” which makes total sense. Chefs vacuum seal any type of protein, marinade it with sauces, herbs, and spices, and drops it in a large pot of water without any contact with a metal surface.

While it may sound simple at first glance, Chef Rolando Laudico says most restaurants would not opt to cook food this way since purchasing the equipment is an investment in itself.

In an episode of Pop Talk, he says, “First of all you need a vacuum pack machine which is not easy to have.

“At the same time, you need a thermal circulator which is 'yun yung nagre-regulate ng temperature ng water. So, those are pieces of equipment na medyo mahal, and it's a long process.”

He further explains that while the meat takes significantly longer to cook, it also means that you'll never have an overcooked piece of protein -- whether you'll have beef, pork, fish, or chicken.

In the city of Ortigas, there's one restaurant that offers this type of cooking, and it's called Seared Restaurant and Lounge located right next to MC Home Depot.

Here, every protein selection is prepared sous vide and seared before serving.

The price range? Not so bad for a fancy way of cooking as each meal costs at least PhP 200 up to PhP 3,500.

In the episode, Chef Laudico praised Seared's appetizer called Cowabunga, composed of Wagyu beef, chili, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos beautifully placed in wonton wrapper basket.

He tells host Tonipet Gaba, “Marami siyang laman. Akala mo maliit lang siya with the wrapper, but it's quite filling.

“Maganda rin 'yung idea of using wonton wrapper as a basket and shinape pa nila ito individually.”

Source: GMA Public Affairs (YouTube)

Meanwhile, he also commended its burger meal called Malcolm's X for it's thick and juicy patty offering.

He adds, “Rare na 'to, e, 'yung makakakakita ka ng twister fries because you don't see this every day.

“Pansin niyo 'yung logo nila nasa bread? Meron silang stamp! Ang galing, e. It makes it more personalized na creation talaga nila 'yon.”

Other meals offered during his visit with Tonipet and actress Isabelle de Leon were the Seared Salmon with Butter Sauce, BBQ Baby Back Ribs, A-Chops, and Skillet Smores.