Uncategorized – Foodservice.me

When we think of baby food we think of pureed food. Stuff that is easy to eat, not to thin and runny, not to thick or chewy. This same concept however applies for people with dysphagia as well.

In short, dysphagia is a condition in which a person’s ability to eat and drink is disrupted. This is very common, more than 3 million cases a year in fact. IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative) framework consists of an eight level continuum to provide common terminology to describe food textures and drink thickness.

So the next time you make something such as baby food, realize 590 million people worldwide are living with dysphagia. This has been a very interesting learning experience for myself as I work deeply with equipment that serves all fascists of the healthcare industry as well as recently having identical twin girls to feed.

I have found great joy in making meals for my little ones and have been enjoying coming up with new ideas, flavors, and textures to get them accustom to. What I have found works the best, has been utilizing Sous Vide to cook down food without losing the valuable nutrients. Below, is a video I made on how I use my cool Sammic tools to help me make baby food.

The equipment used (I’m a huge fan of kitchen tools)
– SmartVide7 (check out sous-vide.cooking)
– SE-206 (Chamber Vacuum Sealer)
– XM-12 (Immersion Blender)

A huge benefit from Sous Vide, is all of the moisture that would otherwise be steamed off, stays in the bag! Imagine a chicken breast cooked any other way. For one, you need to make sure it’s cooked safe, right? So generally we tend to over cook it, just to be sure. No over cooking with Sous Vide. Set to 165F, and the chicken can’t ever go past that temperature… Even if you are busy changing multiple diapers and extremely sleep deprived, and forget about the food that has been sitting in the tank. It’s all good, get to it when your ready, it will be waiting for you.

I came across this challenge while reading through some of the great forums that are on ChefTalk.com and could not resist. The set it and forget it cooking method is always a plus during the work week, and it is also great in a professional kitchen. No reason why we can’t bridge the two right?

Lamb-Barbacoa-Taco

Place a boneless lamb leg (NAMP234) in a slow cooker / hotel pan, season with Trade East Six Pepper Blend, add cooking liquid (Beef broth and Tropical Rub Glaze) to about half way up the roast. Cook on Low /200F for 7-8 hours, and after it is cooked you can either take it out or hold it (if you are in a commercial kitchen) at 150 for up to 8 hours.

This lamb came out tender and juicy. So tender my bear claws pulled right through it! I spread it out on a warm taco with some freshly made hot salsa, red onion, cilantro and a squirt of lime juice. These little spicy Lamb Barbacoa Tacos warmed my bones after shoveling some snow.

The oven I used was an FWE Cook and Hold, the great thing about it is, it can act pretty much like a crock pot on steroids. You set it for a low temperature and time just like you would at home, plus you get to add a hold temperature that has a little more flexibility than the crock pot, but some idea.

pulled lamb with bear claws