Low temperature slow boiled suckling pig.

"Frying, frying, cooking and frying" are traditional Chinese cooking techniques. However, a new cooking method, low temperature slow cooking, has completely overturned people's understanding. Compared with traditional high temperature cooking, low temperature slow cooking makes food cooking temperature between 50 ℃ and 80 ℃. Some netizens said that this cooking method can maximize the nutrition and taste of food.

So, is low temperature slow cooking a culinary revolution or a marketing gimmick? Are all foods suitable for low temperature and slow cooking? Do you want to buy special equipment to realize low temperature slow boiling?

  Selection of cooking methods should vary from food to food

Low temperature slow boiling originated in France. It is to put food into a heat-resistant plastic bag, extract air with a vacuum machine, and then seal the plastic bag and put it into water for slow stewing.

"The key to this cooking method is to keep the water at a constant temperature, ensure that the food is evenly heated, and retain the original flavor and nutrients of the food to the greatest extent." Wang Hao, a professor at the School of Food Science and Engineering of Tianjin University of Science and Technology, said.

Data shows that low temperature slow cooking appeared in the 18th century, but it was not widely used in some high-end restaurants in France until the 1970s.

With the progress of technology and the improvement of people's requirements for food quality, low temperature slow cooking has gradually moved from a commercial kitchen to an ordinary family, becoming a part of modern cooking.

Wang Hao said, for example, that low temperature slow cooking is accepted by many people abroad, mainly because traditional high temperature cooking methods may produce harmful substances such as acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the cooking temperature of low temperature slow cooking is lower than the temperature threshold of most harmful substances, which can significantly reduce the generation of carcinogens.

In addition, high temperature cooking may also cause the loss of water-soluble nutrients such as vitamins and minerals in food. For example, excessive heating of fat in meat will oxidize and decompose, and high temperature will degrade and drain vitamin A and vitamin D.

"Low temperature slow cooking is especially suitable for making food materials that require high time and temperature, such as meat and seafood." Wang Hao said that through low temperature slow cooking, food is heated more evenly, and water loss is only between 5% and 8%, which can make meat more fresh and tender.

However, Wang Hao stressed that not all foods are suitable for low temperature slow cooking. "Some harmful substances contained in fungi and beans are difficult to be destroyed at low temperatures. Some beans contain phytohemagglutinin or saponins, which can stimulate gastric mucosa. To eat them safely, they need to be heated at 100 ℃ for several minutes, or even more than half an hour. In addition, for those foods that need high temperature to stimulate the best flavor, such as mutton, low temperature slow cooking may not be the best choice. " He said.

   Household kitchenware can replace special equipment

If you want to adopt the low temperature slow cooking method, do you need to buy a low temperature slow cooking machine? Wang Hao said that it depends on individual cooking needs and budget.

Low temperature slow cooking greatly simplifies the cooking process. Once the food is put into the vacuum bag and the cooking temperature and time are set, there is no need to worry about the fire control problem, which greatly reduces the risk of over cooking due to negligence. However, this kind of cooking method may not be suitable for people with a fast pace of life. For dishes that can be cooked in 10 minutes by traditional cooking methods, it may take more than 2 hours to cook slowly at low temperature.

"In fact, we can use the existing kitchen utensils at home to simulate the low temperature slow cooking process. Although the effect may be slightly different from that of professional equipment, this is a lower cost option." Wang Hao suggested that slow cookers, rice cookers, ovens, incubators, etc. can be used as alternatives to low temperature slow cooking machines. For example, you can put food into a heat-resistant bag or directly into a slow cooker, add some water or broth, and then set the temperature to cook for several hours. If the rice cooker is used, select the "heat preservation" function to maintain a lower cooking temperature. You can also put the thermos bottle into the incubator to maintain a constant temperature, then seal the food in a vacuum bag, and put it into the bottle to cook slowly.

Wang Hao stressed that when using the above alternative methods, the cooking temperature should be closely monitored to ensure that it is within a certain range. In addition, due to the lack of precise temperature control, cooks may need to accumulate more practical experience to judge food maturity.

"No matter which method we use, we should pay attention to food safety, ensure that the food is thoroughly cooked, and avoid food poisoning," Wang Hao warned. (Reporter Chen Xi)