Adam Simmonds Case Study | The Tool Shed

Adam Simmonds Case Study

“Sous Vide Tool’s service is very good, they are really knowledgeable, and they are honest and upfront. If there is a problem it is put right and that is exactly what you need in a busy industry – in terms of return it really is good value for money. ”

– Adam Simmonds

How long have you cooked sous vide?

10 + years now – it’s been in the industry for some time but only now coming to the forefront of cooking. Where I used to work they couldn’t afford a water bath so we used to use a temperature probe in a bath of water – technology now is more affordable and definitely worth investing in.

What machines do you have?

We have two Vacmaster VP320 machines but because of space constraints have the two trolleys so we can wheel them in and out of the cupboard as needed – both supplied by Sous Vide Tools. We have two machines for hygiene and food purposes. The Vacmaster VP320’s are much more powerful and stronger than others I’ve used, they’re very durable and easy to use (idiot-proof).

Why do you like sous vide cooking?

Consistency and texture. No matter what size the piece of meat you can get consistent flavour. We temperature probe everything (using the sticker re-sealers) to check the product temperature to ensure it’s cooked to requirement throughout. So, there is little room for error and we deliver consistently good food to the customer time and time again.

There really is no better way to achieve that melt-in-the-mouth texture, every time, and I’d argue you cannot achieve that by roasting.

For us it’s about enhancing the product and giving customers something they couldn’t get at home – the sous vide enables us to do that.

It also frees up other equipment, such as the oven, for other ingredients.

What dishes do you use it for?

Primarily meat and fish. I do beef, pork belly/chop, cod, salmon, lamb, pork jowls and so on… I don’t over complicate it and don’t go overboard, some people go crazy putting everything in there, with creating every part of the dish in the sous vide. I have used it for rhubarb and peaches though and it’s great for that. Seasonal favourites of mine are wild salmon in July, game (partridge) in the winter and lamb cannon in spring.

How does it influence your menu?

It doesn’t, menu development comes first then we experiment with how we can use the sous vide after. Menu development is always the key focus but gadgets like sous vide help create better dishes – they amplify the flavours.

What business benefits does SV cooking bring you?

Time – once the dish is created/recipe designed staff are trained and anyone in the team can do it. It is also great as we can just leave it to one side and let it do its thing – we don’t need to go back and forward. There is less shrinkage too as the cooking temperature isn’t as harsh.

Why SVT?

I have used sous vide tools’ equipment such as their circulators in different restaurants over the last 3 – 4 years. I met Alex Shannon at Skills 4 Chefs about 3 years ago. SVT’s service is very good, Alex is really knowledgeable, and he’s honest and upfront. If there is a problem he puts it right and that is exactly what you need in a busy industry – in terms of return it’s really good value for money. SVT are middle-market price wise but the service you get is worth investing that little bit more for.

Other comments

Home sous vide is great – people are getting really adventurous, can play and have a go. Friends of mine all have water-baths.

Post by Chris Holland

Our Chef Director Chris Holland worked as Head Chef at the prestigious Alderley Edge hotel before joining us. He has a passion for using the best produce and never compromises on quality. Author of our best selling book Sous Vide The Art of Precision Cooking, Chris is a expert on the sous vide technique.During the later part of my school days at Wardle High School Rochdale I always wanted to be a chef . I knew from the very start that my path to work was never going to be academic it was always going to be something practical and hands on.

As a young boy growing up I was inspired to cook with my Grandma who was and still is an inspiration to me . I have memories of helping make the cakes that she always had made for visitors and family alike . She made the most amazing cakes and I loved nothing more than eating the sweet raw cake batter straight from the bowl . We used to fight over who got to lick the bowl/spoon after the cakes were made. My grandma’s philosophy for cooking even on a shoe string budget was always to use fresh and seasonal ingredients either home grown or bought from the market.

School was somewhat of a drag for me as I was itching to learn to become a chef.

I started at Hopwood Hall college as a chef and instantly fell in love with it .To me it was the only real time I excelled in something and this inspired me to really get my head down and put in the hard work. College was the first time I really excelled in something and gave me the opportunity to laugh at the teachers who said I would never make something of my life!!!!

During the three years at college I also took on a part time position in a local hotel working the bar and restaurant first and then the kitchen. These were great days and gave me the opportunity to see how the industry ticks. I learnt a lot from those days both good and bad !! But I have to say I was itching to work only in the kitchen but it was a good insight into the catering world .

After completing college I moved away from Rochdale for a full time roll at one of Cheshire’s most talked about Hotel restaurants The Stanneylands Hotel. This was the school of hard knocks for me as I quickly realised that although excelling at college meant nothing in “The Real World”.

I loved every minute of the 18 hour days 6 days a week on minimum wage . Although difficult I feel that without this grounding I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today. After 18 months of hard graft I left Stanneylands and went with the Head chef to open a fine dining restaurant at Mere Golf and Country Club. The opportunity to work alongside Matthew Barrett was too good to turn down. I learnt so much from the ex-Ritz chef and working in a much slower paced role helped me develop a much better understanding of how to organise and run a kitchen. We were a very small team and teamwork was and still is the only way to go for me.

After 2 years at Mere I got the opportunity to go into The Alderley Edge Hotel as Junior Souschef. The Early days at the Edge were all about learning new styles of cuising which is invaluable in any role as a chef. I got the opportunity to grow and learn all aspects of every section which was inspiring . I was offered the opportunity at the age of 29 (2004) to take the role of head chef. For me this was when I really started to develop my own style of food.

After 9 years at the top winning Cheshire restaurant of the year , Chef of the Year and appearing on GBM amongst many highlights including cooking for many celebrities and famous people I decided to move on into development with Sousvidetools.

The main inspiration for this was to train and educate people . I always had a great passion for education but could never really see myself at a college . The job is super rewarding and I am proud to say we have become the leading light in sous-vide education in the UK . This is something I am very proud of . Food is my biggest passion and this is what keeps me interested the most . I love to travel and try out other countries cuisines. I am constantly inspired by ingredients and the pursuit of getting the best out of them without destroying their natural flavour .It is super important to me to continue to try and be at the forefront of the food scene this is what inspire me and the team to keep driving forward .

Technology is now widely used in the industry and I am super proud to say we have been a big part of spreading that message.

I am very lucky to be in the position I am and the drive to constantly improve our training and links to the next generation of young budding hospitality chefs.

TI feel that my experience over the last 25 years really enables me to get close and educate the “next generation” of chefs .

The industry which I love is really struggling to bring through new recruits and if I can help that process I will be immensely proud.

The food seen in the Uk has improved dramatically over the last ten years and I feel this will continue with the correct education. What happens next only fate will tell us...

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