I finally tried sous vide for our restaurant's pork belly after arguing against it for years.
I mean, I always thought it was just a fancy gadget for home cooks, but our new guy from Chicago insisted we test it. We ran a side by side for a week, and the sous vide batch had perfect, consistent texture every single service, while the traditional braise was hit or miss depending on who was on the line. Has anyone else had a sous vide moment that changed a core menu item?
Know exactly what you mean, the_christopher. Watched my neighbor try to make his own bacon last month. He had this big tub of salt and pink stuff in his fridge for a week, then smoked it for like twelve hours. His whole garage smelled like a campfire. The result was okay, but honestly? Tasted pretty much like the thick-cut stuff from the butcher. Sometimes the store just gets it right.