Cooking the perfect steak - Every Time!

One of our custom sink clients used to own 7 restaurants. He told me a trade secret that perhaps you already know. In case you don't, this is how he cooked perfect steaks in his restaurants and didn't even have steak knives offered! The steaks could be cut with butter knives.

Many of you know that I love to cook. My background comes from an entire Italian family of amazing cooks. I am the cook in our home and I love every part of it - including the clean-up. 

First, to always cook a steak perfectly, you need a Sous Vide. I prefer the brand Anova. Get the model that has Bluetooth and wifi. So... what is a Sous Vide?

You are looking at one to the left. This gadget hooks on to just about any tall pot or container. Make sure the pot is plenty deep. You can use ziplock bags, but I find the vacuum seal bags are best. Before you start, season the steak well. Use a generous amount of salt and pepper, or best yet seasoned salt. Place the steak in the bag, remove all air and place it in the pot. The Sous Vide will clip on to the pot. Plug in the Sous Vide and set the temperature. I have found that 134 degrees will be medium rare (shown above). Here is the best part. Leave it to cook for several hours. It will not overcook. The steak you see above cooked for 4 1/2 hours. Pick the doneness you like. 132 will be rare, 136 medium and 138 medium well. 

I have found that leaner meats work best. I believe a strip steak or a filet would be best. The steak in the photo was a ribeye. It was terrific, but the fat areas were unappealing. The ribeye is easily my favorite for grilling though. 

So, when you are ready to eat, take a cast iron skillet and put it in your oven at the highest temperature possible (around 550 degrees). Once hot, remove your steak from the bag and DRY it thoroughly! Put the steak in the skillet, shut the door for about a 45 seconds, flip the steak, shut the door for another 45 seconds. Take the steak and skillet out of the oven and place on the cooktop. Sear the sides of the steak quickly and you will have the perfect steak!

It is impossible to overcook or undercook if you leave the food in the Sous Vide for at least 2 hours. Read some online recipes, you will be amazed. 

My son actually made "Poached Eggs" in the shell in the Sous Vide and he said they came out perfectly. 

Who has two hours to cook a meal? Well, this is the best part of the Sous Vide. Let's say you would like steak for dinner tonight. Before leaving for work, set up everything and put cold water and plenty of ice in the pot. This will keep the meat from sitting at room temperature. Remotely (from a smartphone) turn on the Sous Vide at 3pm. Your steaks will be ready any time from 5:30 or so through 9pm. The longer the time, the more tender the meat. 

I hope you learned something fun today! I have had a ball cooking with my Sous Vide. 

The perfect kitchen has the perfect kitchen sink. Check out our custom sinks.

Custom Sinks by Rachiele

What is the best way to go about shopping for a new kitchen?

With 40 years experience as a professional kitchen designer, Dino Rachiele explains the best way to go about shopping for a new kitchen in this, the first of 5 in a series of "How to" videos.

The many faces of copper farmhouse sinks by Rachiele Custom Sinks in Apopka, Florida. 

How did all of these amazing patinas evolve and reside only on Rachiele sinks? Evolution is the keyword. I, Dino Rachiele, am an avid experimenter and inventor. I love to think outside the box. Back in the late 1900's, I began working with copper patinas on the first sinks I designed and sold. For years, I was the only one doing the patina work. I then hired an artist who took the patina process to a new level. He and I experimented with new ways to patina copper. Over the years I have worked with our patina artists coming up with new ways to achieve wonderful colorful works of art. The experimenting never stops. I am always looking for new ways to work with copper patina and for new ways to topcoat those beautiful finishes. Recently, I came up with a new topcoat process that is as smooth as glass and gives the patina a 3D effect that cannot be shown by photography. You must take my word for it. The glassy topcoat brings out details and depth that I have never been able to achieve in the past.

Visit us at https://www.rachiele.com

or call us at 407-880-6903

The Copper Sink industry lies to consumers!

This import damaged by hot pans

I receive phone calls all the time from two different types of homeowners. The first type calls indicating they have a nickel plated apron front farmhouse sink and the finish has worn off - generally after just a few months. They want to know what can be done. The answer is NOTHING short of replacing the sink. The "greedy" purveyors of these sinks should, at the very least, be honest with their potential customers and tell them the nickel plating WILL fail. 

The second type of call I regularly receive generally gives me a bit of a scare for a minute or two. These callers do not initially indicate that they DID NOT purchase one of my sinks when they call in tears telling me their sink does not drain properly. In one early instance, I had the caller get a level and check to see if the counter was level. I had them put the level in the sink too! They said their counter was level and so was the bottom of the sink. I started to wonder... could I have possibly sent out a sink that did not drain properly? I know we test drainage over and over. I finally asked, "Did you purchase your sink from us?" The answer was "No... I did a great deal of research and you seem to be the experts on copper sinks and I thought you could help me". Sadly, this research should have been done BEFORE they installed a sink in their kitchen. When I told this caller there was nothing that could be done about the pooling water, she literally started to cry and told me she spent over $65K remodeling her kitchen and now she hates her sink. I have been able to replace many of these horrible sinks, but at a cost that the owner should never have had to pay if proper research had been conducted prior to purchasing the sink.

I am going to make some folks in my industry angry, but I have to sadly say that my industry reminds me of the car business back in the 60's and 70's. I can say that because I had a one year stint in the car sales business back in 1976. I felt like I had to disinfect myself when I got out. The copper sink business is just as bad now as the car business was back then! Many copper sink companies hide, lie about or omit information that an educated buyer should know about before making an investment. Below find some of the hidden, omitted or misrepresented bits of information I have seen online.

1. Use and care - This should be easy to find on a web site and should be explained in detail by the sales person. Use and care is generally well hidden, for good reason! Many indicate you must dry the sink after EVERY use! What intelligent person would invest in a sink like that if they knew that in advance?

2. Country of origin - This information is usually hidden, or even lied about! You should know if your sink is made of scrap that is unlikely purified to U.S. standards.

3. Purity of the copper - Often misrepresented or intentionally lied about. If the company does not have third party independent testing and written proof of purity, assume the worst!

4. Antimicrobial properties - Only companies with E.P.A certification can legally make that claim according to the Federal Government and the E.P.A. They are breaking Federal Law by making those claims. You should demand to see that certification!

5. The differences between annealed (soft) copper and cold rolled (hard copper) have been intentionally misrepresented online to suit the importer.

6. The big lie - If you see something like this: "When you disrupt the finish in the bottom of the sink, the finish will come back like the original." If you hear that and the original finish is NOT the color of an old penny, you are hearing a LIE!

7. Size Matters - Copper sink companies should clearly indicate their tolerances with regard to dimensional specifications in an easy to find location. Some sinks vary as much as 1/2" in all dimensions!

8. Are their sinks true and square? Many won't tell you their sinks might be out of square. If they do, they always say it is because the sinks are hand made. Think about that statement. The pyramids were hand made the the precision was far better than the sink on the right! The sink on the right fits tightly at the top and has a huge gap at the bottom. 

9. Is the inside of the sink lacquered? I have found that this information is rarely offered. A lacquered interior is a disaster waiting to happen! Hot water or a hot pan can ruin the sink!

Lastly, would you really want to do business with a company that intentionally misrepresents their products before the sale? Imagine what the customer service will be AFTER the sale! Invest in the best.

#coppersinks

#coppersinklies

#fakenews

Workstation sinks - the kitchen sink of the 21st century

Our specialty is copper sinks, however we build the finest stainless steel workstation sink on the market!

Finally... double bowl sinks are obsolete. Center drains are obsolete. The evolution of kitchen sinks has been very slow compared to most kitchen appliances. The kitchen sink of the 21st Century is finally here. Workstation kitchen sinks are here to stay, and for good reason.

Interior ledges allow for various accessories that allow for all food preparation to be accomplished within the confines of the sink area. No more cutting on the counter top. The need for large counter top areas for food preparation are no longer necessary. In fact, a larger sink is necessary! Rear corner drains allow for placing large items inside the sink for easy cleaning. 

See all of the marvelous designs and accessories Rachiele has pioneered over the past two decades.

Stainless Steel Workstation Sinks by Rachiele

This isn't your parents' stainless steel sink!

Stainless steel sinks are no longer boring! Our stainless steel workstation sinks are not only gorgeous, but they allow you to do all of your food preparation within the confines of the sink. No more messy countertops, no more mess. Everything is done on the sink! The above sink is a hammered Rustic Matte stainless Signature Series Workstation sink with a rear deck and integral backsplash.

Our Rustic Matte finish means no more worry about scratches. For decades, the only finish for stainless steel sinks has been a semi-polished brushed finish. That finish is very susceptible to scratches and scuff marks. Worse yet, it is virtually impossible to remove those scratches and scuff marks. Generally, the first thing users do is to go out and purchase some sort of protective grid or mat for the bottom of the sink. My Rustic Matte finish eliminates all of those issues! A scratch or scuff mark is easily removed with a gray ScotchBrite pad (included with the sink). The sink will look new again in a matter of seconds. No need for protection. This sink has the ability to look new decades from now.

If you like the look of hammered nickel sinks and you don't want the issues of staining and the plating wearing off, our brushed hammered stainless workstation sinks are the choice!

By the way, we manufacture in Apopka, Florida and all of our metal is made in the USA. Watch out for stainless sinks from companies like Kohler, etc. Many are made in China!

See more at https://www.rachiele.com/stainless-sinks-apronFront.aspx