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[Chairhome]

For the uninitiated, Sous Vide is a form of cooking in which you make a "water bath" of a certain temperature then place bagged food (vacuum sealed or water displaced) into it until the food cooks by it reaching that temperature as well. For example, say I want to make a medium rare steak, i make a water bath of 130F,place the vacuum sealed steak in the bag, maintain the temp and walk away for an hour then take it out. The result is a steak that is 130F from end to end, the only thing left to do is sear the outside to make a nice crust, then eat it.

There are a few different ways to actually maintain temperature, but the easiest way is to buy a cooker or circulator. In the past few years, these things have become a lot cheaper, ranging from about 200 on. I recently bought the Anova Precision Circulator and you just set the temp, let it preheat then place the bag in and walk away.
Here's a 2 min video on the one that I bought that shows how it works: https://vimeo.com/96513697

And a longer video from Tested also going into a little more depth:
Tested In-Depth: Sous Vide Cooking with Immersion…: https://youtu.be/v6ChP280th4

I saw the Anova cooker on sale for $100 last week. Their new one is on sale now for Father's day for $130 on their site if anyone is interested.

I used it for the first time last night and it was pretty successful

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Lessons learned: I seared it for too long so the crust is overdone. And I think I should leave it in a little longer for more tender meat. My wife likes medium but I like medium rare, so next time it's my turn.

I loved it though, can't wait to try something else. I posted this on Facebook and a friend of mine that used to run a restaurant said that they use to use one all the time, he said cooking pork belly in it for 24h then roasting it yields amazing results, so that's one that I'm definitely interested in trying.

Anyone else use one?

 

[Hanzou]

Sou vide steak cooked that well done is a travesty. Tell you wife she is a crazy person.


I should say I have looked at the circulatory in the past. With that one on sale maybe I will take another look.

 

[favouriteflavour]

I bought a unit over christmas hoping to get into it more. Any good resources? I had a rice cooker set up with a thermostat for a ghetto sous vide cooker a while back. Used it for eggs and the odd duck confit.

 

[tomakasatnav]

Yep, picked up a Sansaire some time ago. Haven't used it in a while but it's normally how I do my steak now.

 

[Chairhome]

Sou vide steak cooked that well done is a travesty. Tell you wife she is a crazy person.


I should say I have looked at the circulatory in the past. With that one on sale maybe I will take another look.

I know :-(. I was just trying to make a good impression since I convinced her to let me buy it as an early Father's day gift!

The newer unit that is on sale has bluetooth control and fits smaller pots as well. The one I use needs an 8 inch deep container, at least. I am looking into using a cooler as I've seen many others use. The insulation makes the circulator work more efficiently.

 

[Mr. Tone]

I know :-(. I was just trying to make a good impression since I convinced her to let me buy it as an early Father's day gift!

The newer unit that is on sale has bluetooth control and fits smaller pots as well. The one I use needs an 8 inch deep container, at least. I am looking into using a cooler as I've seen many others use. The insulation makes the circulator work more efficiently.

I've got one of the newer Anovas. I don't use it as much as I would like, but it makes a great steak.

 

[Chairhome]

I bought a unit over christmas hoping to get into it more. Any good resources? I had a rice cooker set up with a thermostat for a ghetto sous vide cooker a while back. Used it for eggs and the odd duck confit.

Serious Eats has a lot of articles/recipes on sous vide, I'm finding. They actually work with Anova to include recipes in their app. I followed a steak recipe in the Anova app and it worked out well.

http://www.seriouseats.com/sous_vide_101/
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak.html

 

[Apt101]

I tried it, I really don't care for it. I'd rather just give meat a good sear and (for the most part) keep a good mid-rare within. Otherwise bake. Or a combination of the two.

Sous vide meat is largely flavorless in my opinion.

 

[Chairhome]

I tried it, I really don't care for it. I'd rather just give meat a good sear and (for the most part) keep a good mid-rare within. Otherwise bake. Or a combination of the two.

Sous vide meat is largely flavorless in my opinion.

I am seeing that sous vide retains a lot more water and doesn't dry out the meat like a bake or grill does. But I've only done it once.

I also like the convience of passive cooking.

 

[John Kowalski]

This sounds like the total opposite of fun.

 

[ZackieChan]

That tested video got my hyped, but I never tried it. Someday...

 

[YesNOnoNOYes]

Would Hannibal cook this way? If so, please carry on.

 

[rykomatsu]

Been doing it for a while.

Chicken and salmon cooked at low heat are my favorites...and farm eggs.

 

[mcfrank]

Would Hannibal cook this way? If so, please carry on.

Probably.

 

[BumRush]

Can sous vide experts explain why I would ever cook steak this way vs. Searing it in a skillet or cooking it on my weber?

 

[Machine]

sous vide cooking comes up from time to time in the iron gaf thread

 

[jimmyd]

Not concerned at all about cooking in plastic?

 

[Mr. Tone]

Can sous vide experts explain why I would ever cook steak this way vs. Searing it in a skillet or cooking it on my weber?

Here's a bit of a rundown. Basically, by heating the steak at thermal equilibrium to a precise temperature, you have a huge amount of control over how the steak is cooked, as well as guaranteeing it being cooked completely evenly.

 

[Hanzou]

Can sous vide experts explain why I would ever cook steak this way vs. Searing it in a skillet or cooking it on my weber?

Because this way you can cook a steak to the exact same temperature all the way through the steak where as in a pan or grill the outer edge of the steak is always cooked more then the center.

With sous vide you set the water for your desired internal temperature and the steak can never overcook. If the water is 135 degrees the steak can cook for 3 hours and never get above this temp. Basically you have the tenderness of slow cooked food without having to take the meat to such a high internal temperature.

 

[maven]

Can sous vide experts explain why I would ever cook steak this way vs. Searing it in a skillet or cooking it on my weber?

Cooking meat generally involves a heat gradient. The inside of the meat is only cooked by heat that has travelled through the outside. Depending on the cooking method, you can overcook the outside while trying to cook the inside.

Sous vide is cool because I can throw pre salted frozen steaks in my water bath in the morning and have them uniformly cooked through (at my desired temperature) and ready to sear at any point later in the day. It's also good for turning tough cuts into deliciousness and sous vide eggs are amazing.

The downside is you still have to sear the meat briefly before serving to get a crust going.

Edit: beaten like a 60 degree egg...

 

[NomarTyme]

Not concerned at all about cooking in plastic?

BPA free bags. Look it up yourself.

 

[Fox Mulder]

been interested in doing this since i live in an apartment and cant really grill and have a tiny kitchen. Seems neat.

 

[NomarTyme]

been interested in doing this since i live in an apartment and cant really grill and have a tiny kitchen. Seems neat.

Yep and it really hard to fuck up.

 

[triplestation]

Unnecessary

This is cooking for those who can't into timing

 

[Archaix]

Unnecessary

This is cooking for those who can't into timing

AKA entirely necessary for many people.

 

[captscience]

Unnecessary

This is cooking for those who can't into timing

Not necessarily true. I'm a good cook that has no problem using traditional methods to cook things to their proper temperature. I use sous vide to achieve textures that aren't otherwise possible. For example 63 degree eggs, 72 hour braises, barely cooked salmon etc.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

They were giving these to people this week on amazon vine to review. Wish I had it in my queue.

 

[Takamura-San]

Unnecessary

This is cooking for those who can't into timing

What about those without, you know, timing? Git gud? Waste food?

 

[golem]

Yes, also picked up an Anova on the Father's Day deal. Here's some lamb I made yesterday, came out excellent

 

[Ridli]

What about those without, you know, timing? Git gud? Waste food?

Sous vide is an interesting technique, and i would *love* to have a high quality unit fall into my lap. With that said, I wouldn't just tell a novice cook to pick up a sous vide system. I'd tell them to get an inexpensive instant read digital thermometer instead (not those slow inaccurate bi-metal ones). That and a good chef's knife are probably the things I could not live without.

 

[Beatboxtaun]

No, but I have definitely wanted to try it!

 

[entremet]

Unnecessary

This is cooking for those who can't into timing

This isn't for laypeople.

If you're buying this kit you're most likely a dedicated hobbyist cook or professional.

It's divine in terms of texture.

Sous vide is my next project to tackle. I love these new ones, much better than the huge countertop ones.

 

[magnificent83]

I'd love to get one but the issue where I'm at is that being able to have a vacuum seal and a consistent source if bags is pretty cost prohibitive

 

[BumRush]

Thank you all for the responses...makes sense. Also, that lamb looks delicious.

 

[Foggy]

I always wanted to try it, but I gotta scratch enough money together.

 

[nullref]

What about those without, you know, timing? Git gud? Waste food?

It's also not really about timing. Sous vide opens up a bunch of possibilities beyond incrementally better/more consistent steaks. That application tends to get all the popular attention, though.

With an immersion circulator I can cook an egg yolk mixture to the ideal temperature for emulsifying butter, make hollandaise quickly in a blender, dump it into a whipping syphon, then drop it back into the water bath to hold it at serving temperature for hours. Much more convenient than making it last-minute over a water bath.

I can cook chicken to 145º F, but hold it at that temp long enough to make it 100% safe. I can cook vegetables (e.g. carrots) to their ideal temperature in a perfectly consistent way, with maximum flavour intact. I can cook short ribs over several days, breaking them down to tenderness, while never taking them above medium-rare.

It's a lot of fun for the enthusiast home cook. (I got a Sansaire from the original Kickstarter; no complaints. I'd probably get the latest Anova if I was getting one now.)

 

[soco]

Isn't the trick that it's often done at lower temperatures than you'd normally cook it and for longer periods of time?

 

[jimmyd]

BPA free bags. Look it up yourself.

Thanks I did.
http://pprc.org/index.php/2013/p2-r...ls-leach-into-food-from-sous-vide-sv-cooking/

 

[MightyKAC]

Started cooking sous vide last year and I've never gone back. Steaks, lamb, salmon, bison, everything. This, mind you is from a guy who didn't know the first thing about meal preparation of any kind. I'm useless around a stove or an oven but give me a Sansaire and a George Forman grill and I'm good to go.

 

[ohkay]

I picked one up earlier this week because of the same sale, just waiting for it to arrive. Looking forward to compare cooking steak with it vs just pan searing

 

[jstripes]

My boss says "sous vide" about 50 times a day, and I want to fucking kill him.

(He's a foodie.)