Vermicular: adjective 1) like a worm in form or movement
or 2) of, denoting, or caused by intestinal worms.
When I first Googled the name, that was the exact
definition which definitely didn’t sound like an enticing cooking implement.
But I later discovered that vermicular is also a form of graphite iron that
while being difficult to manipulate also has hybrid characteristics of
exceptional heat conduction and durability.
Since 1936, the Hijikata family foundry was known for its
ability to cast and machine iron with great accuracy. However, during the
mid-20th century, their Aichi Dobby foundry’s business slowed
significantly until the current generation Hijikata brothers repurposed the
foundry to create cookware to inspire chefs of all levels. After several years
of experimentation, they created the Musui-Kamado with a cast iron, enameled
pot or Musui and an induction base mimicking the old Kamado rice cooking
hearth. The difference with their cast iron pot is that they machine the
contact between the pot and lid to 0.01mm of variance so the lid effectively
seals in moisture. And the induction base means it’s 84% efficient versus
electric or gas burners which aren’t even 50% energy efficient. And because the
Kamado can be set at exact temperatures on the warm setting between 90 and 200
degrees, 230 degrees on the extra low, 300 degrees on low and 445 degrees for
searing on the medium setting, the cooking temperatures are precise.
It also doesn’t hurt that New York Times Bestselling
author and James Beard Award Winner, Chef Sean Brock is featured on their
website heartily endorsing their product for its ability to slow cook and
virtually sous vide without taking
hours like the traditional methods yet produce the same results. And when Chef
Brock waxes poetic about the results using vegetables concentrating their
flavors as Vermicular either uses very little added water which dilutes flavor
compounds or simply uses the moisture in the vegetables themselves for perfect
steam cooking and creating a flavor distillation and concentration. And once again,
because of the advertisements I saw on Facebook, it got me again…
The Issue with
Sous Vide
Low and slow cooking under vacuum to attain the perfect
temperature does wonders for virtually any protein so they never dry out or
toughen due to overcooking. But my main concern was when cooking steaks to that
perfect medium rare as I usually set an internal temperature somewhere between
125 and 130 degrees. However, that little imaginary food scientist that sits on
my shoulder and remembers my old Food Science classes lets me know that any
food kept between 40 and 140 degrees is still in the danger zone especially
when kept at those temperatures for over 2 hours. Sous vide steaks need at
least 2 hours, possibly longer for thicker cuts. Sous vide cooked steaks also
are placed in a vacuum sealed bag or anaerobic conditions to seal in the juices
but that also means the lack of oxygen can also promote growth of
microorganisms that create toxins under oxygen free conditions. Like Clostridium botulinum which produces
botulinum toxins in oxygen free conditions and can also multiple when the
temperature is between 40 and 140 degrees. And since I don’t suffer from
chronic migraine headaches or need treatment from facial wrinkles (and both use
injected botulinum toxin), I don’t really need a dose of oral botulinum toxin.
But setting the Vermicular at 130 degrees attains that perfect medium rare
steak in 2 hours and because it’s not in an oxygen free environment, botulism
isn’t a worry.
And I had both bison sirloin and beef filet mignon cooked
to the perfect medium rare by simply setting the temperature at 130 degrees
after 2 hours flipping each piece once at the 60-minute mark.
Other Proteins
Because my slow cooking methods with pork and lamb are
meant for meat that is “fallin-of-the-bone” tender, it requires temperatures
that are well above 140 degrees so microbial growth isn’t an issue at all as I
usually set the temperature at 230 degrees for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours
depending on the size of the protein. Both my boneless leg of lamb spiced with
pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, coriander and cumin and boneless pork shoulder
were fork shreddable after 3 to 4 hours (and made the perfect filling wrapped
in fresh tortillas).
And poultry whether chicken or turkey needs to be fully
cooked, the temperature is usually set at 176 degrees to just get the proteins
cooked but low enough that dry breast meat isn’t an issue. So I followed the
recipe listed in their included cookbook and brined a boned turkey breast
overnight then drained and dried the breast and formed it wrapping it in Saran
wrap then cooked it at 176 degrees – because the recipe only “sous vide” it for
30 minutes total, I actually cooked it at 176 degrees for 80 minutes turning it
on each side for 20 minutes. And despite the additional cooking time, it was as
moist and tender as turkey gets. In fact, the Mrs. says she’ll be on the
lookout for turkey breast at every supermarket trip. I also spiced then wrapped
boneless, skinless chicken breast (without brining) and cooked them at 145
degrees for 3 hours with the same tender, moist results!
Vegetables
I experimented with baby carrots purchased at Whole Foods
and simply placed the cleaned, unpeeled carrots in the musui and cooked them on low without any added water. After 10
minutes on low (300 degrees) then another 10 minutes on very-low (230 degrees),
the carrots were very tender and produced about a ¼ cup of intense carrot
“stock”. As soon as I find baby beets, I plan on employing the same approach
perhaps serving them on a bed of arugula on smoked yogurt and candied walnuts…
Rice
I also used the rice setting to cook both plain white
rice and the okoge setting to produce
a char on the bottom of the rice. The regular setting produced rice as light
and fluffy as my Tiger Mi-Com induction rice cooker. For the okoge setting, instead of short grain
rice, I used basmati rice in the Persian style which typically also gets crusty
on the bottom and is the favored part of the dish and it filled the kitchen
with a pleasant, nutty aroma during the char part of cooking. The okoge setting also produced great
results with short grain rice for the traditional Korean Bi Bim Bap creating a
nice char to mix into that runny egg yolk…
The Downside
The only downside to Vermicular is the cost as the Musui
is $300 though you can use it as you would any other cast iron Dutch oven, while
the Kamado is $370 and pretty much is specific just to the Musui and extras
like the wooden magnetic trivet are $60 and the specific pot holders are
another $40. So, if you purchase everything, it’ll set you back $770 (shipping
is free to the 50th so the same should apply Stateside). Will
Vermicular replace any of my other kitchen gadgets? No. I’ll still use my sous vide machine for porchetta di testa, my pressure cooker
for fibrous cuts like oxtail and trotters and my Tiger Mi-Com rice cooker for
all types of rice. But I’ll probably use the Vermicular for assorted veggies
and I’ll definitely use it for chicken and turkey along with individual
portions of steak.
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