Sous Vide and Minimizing Food Waste Are Important to Peter Friehling
Peter Friehling is an engineer, but in recent years he has turned his hobby into a side occupation. The lack of good sous vide books on the market prompted him to write his own, and today it has resulted in five of them.
“Cooking has always been a hobby for me, and something I enjoyed doing,” he says.
He has always loved experimenting with kitchen appliances and new methods of cooking. His particular interest in sous vide likely stems from his education as a chemical engineer.
“I like that there is a form of control over temperature and time with sous vide. With my education, I can understand the chemical processes, and I find it fun to ‘play’ and achieve good results,” says Peter Friehling.
He ‘doesn’t like repetitions’ and enjoys eating good food. Therefore, he also spends many hours in the kitchen.
“I work a lot on developing, and I’m generally curious. I can see an understanding when I cook and immerse myself in it, and there are some fun results,” he says.
Besides sous vide, Peter Friehling is very focused on minimizing food waste. It’s important to him to get the most out of all ingredients. Any leftovers are converted into stocks, oils, or vinegars, which are increasingly filling up the refrigerator at home.
“I make my own vinegars, so I always have six vinegar jars in my kitchen, where I ferment different fruit wines, and I’m experimenting with balsamic, so that’s taking up space too,” he says.
We Ask – Peter Answers
We have asked Peter Friehling a series of questions to help you get to know him better.
Education?
I am educated as a chemical engineer with a Ph.D. in chemistry.
How did you come to do what you do today?
I had been complaining for a long time that there wasn’t a Danish cookbook about sous vide. At one point, my friend and I were at a festival, where it came up again. He said I ‘damn well should write it myself’.
So I wrote it, and he read it through. Turbine later came up as a potential publisher because I was told that they often take chances and publish books that others might not. I sent it in and was told that it was exciting and had good recipes, but professional photos were needed because mine were not good enough at all.
So we did that, the book was published, and now it’s become a pleasant, recurring project.
How do you combine cooking and your education?
I can combine the systematic approach. I’m used to setting up experiments and figuring out how to do it, and seeing how things become optimal. I can analyze experiments and use the results.
I ended up with sous vide because it was something I could understand. I understand the chemistry that occurs when things break down. I have the chemical background to understand and see what temperature in a sous vide makes sense, when and why things go fast, and when and why they go slow.
What is your best memory from the kitchen?
Basically, when you do something together with others. For example, when we take photos for the book. My good friend and I make the food, my mom comes and washes up, Jesper, who is my publisher at Turbine, comes and arranges the food, and then a photographer comes and takes pictures. There’s this coziness of doing it together, laughing and chatting, discussing how to arrange things nicely and how the photos should be taken. There’s a special kind of ping-pong between us, and it’s fun.
What dish do you like to make the most?
My wife often says the standard is that I make a cookbook, it goes on the shelf, and she doesn’t see much of either it or the dishes in it. There’s probably some truth in that I don’t have a specific dish I run with. I cook a lot based on mood and what ingredients are in season. Currently, I cook a lot with vegetables in various forms, trying to get something out of them.
What is your show-off dish?
When I have guests, I always try to find a way to ‘challenge’ them a bit. For example, my mom doesn’t eat many vegetables, so when she’s here, we often have extra vegetables.
I might also make oxtails sous vide for 100 hours and then grill them afterward if I really want to impress. It tastes fantastic, and then you can sit outside and eat, and get really messy.
What is your favorite ingredient?
Celeriac, because you can do so much with it – whether it’s chips or puree, baking or frying it. You can also go the sweet route with celeriac.
It’s fun because it can do so many different things.
Something you always have in the fridge?
I have 117 bags and bottles of homemade dips, sauces, and fermented things, which I make from what’s left over from cooking otherwise.
I also have half the fridge filled with vegetables. I try for health reasons, but also because I think it’s fun to play with, to eat many vegetables.
I try to create some variation, so there’s something cold, warm, crispy, and soft. It could be a puree, something fried, or some crispy cubes. It can also be good salads. I prefer that there’s good variation with lots of flavor when it comes to vegetables.
Where were you last impressed by a food experience out?
When I went to Alchemist with a good friend to eat. It was simply a complete experience! There was a show, good food, and a pleasant atmosphere.
What type of knife do you use the most?
I inherited a Japanese vegetable knife from my mom, and I use it a lot.
As long as my knife is sharp and has a reasonable size and function, I’m happy. I try to sharpen them, so I always have a sharp knife because the alternative is unbearable.
What machine is your favorite?
I invested in a Thermomix in connection with my last cookbook. It’s a really fun toy.
Which kitchen appliance do you have a strained relationship with?
Kitchen machines that are used when it doesn’t make sense. It can be any machine, really.
Sous vide is a bit criticized in the chef world, I can see, and I can partly understand it. I have a fondness for sous vide, but you should use it when it makes sense and not when it doesn’t. You shouldn’t put a good, tender piece of meat in the water bath, for example.
What will be the next thing from your hand?
There will be more cookbooks, but Turbine and I are in dialogue about what they should be about. I think sous vide is becoming exhausted. I’ve written five books on the subject, and there are also other fine books on the market. I think it would be fun to make another book on the Thermomix, and at home, I’m working a lot with grilling lately, so it could also be that. I also have other good ideas, and I know they do at Turbine too.
Facts
Name: Peter Friehling
Region: Zealand
Job: Works as an engineer, but has also published five books on sous vide and “The Basic Book for Thermomix“.
The books can be purchased at Saxo.dk and at Bog & Idé.
Photo: © David Bering / Montgomery.