The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

(Nandana) #1

Cooking sausages is just like cooking steaks or a whole
turkey: the best way is to be gentle. You want to bring them
slowly up to around 150°F in the center. Indoors, it’s
possible to do this in a dry skillet with a lid over low heat or
in the oven, but here’s the most foolproof method to cook
your sausages: Place your sausages in a pan or a pot full of
cold water and place it over a medium-high burner. Allow
the water come up to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat.
Let the sausages poach until they reach an internal
temperature of 140° to 150°F. Of course, you don’t have to
cook your sausages in water. If you plan on serving them
with a flavorful sauce or other accompaniment—say,
sauerkraut or a spicy tomato sauce—then you can simmer
them directly in that liquid for better flavor exchange.
Now, you could eat the sausages as is, and they’d be
totally delicious, but usually you want to get some good
browning on the exterior. If you’re indoors, do this in a hot

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