Sous Vide?


 
N

N Cage

New member
Have any of you got into sous vide? I decided to dip my toe in the water and bought the following:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0088OTON4/thevirtualweberb

Just going to use it with a crockpot i have.

Maybe later if i really get into it and enjoy it i will get a polyscience unit.

Seems to have really great reviews and seems like a great way to get started for under $100. Question for you all. Do you think the grill would impart any flavor with sous vide because of the short sear times or would it be just as good to just cook it in a cast iron skillet?

Definitely going to have to play with sear times. I'm hearing people say all the way from 30 seconds per side to 2 minutes per side. I would think 2 minutes per side would turn a perfect medium-rare steak into a medium to a medium-well especially considering the meat comes out of the water bath at the perfect temperature.
 
Dorkfood, thats a funny name!:cool:I looked at this post and I Googled Sous Vide, and I just learned something, cant help you, but thanks for the education.
 
I bought the same unit and use it with my crock pot. It's a hoot to use, but be sure you read up on sous vide before you start.
Frank
 
As far as the finishing sear; If I have some charcoal going for something else its my preference. However, your not going to pick up much is flavor over the hot cast iron at that point. Try a bit of cold smoke before SV.
Some more random links: Here, Here, Here and Here
 
Its a fun way to cook! The resaults can be stunning! I would get a tourch to make the sear...As you said really easy to overcook. But if you do you will probably eat the most jucy overcooked steak. Was a long time since i did anything SV style though. Used it alot in the cold dark months it you know what i mean. I will be happy to help. Only read good things about the dork.
 
I've been at it for 3 years, I even put together a sous vide class with tasting for about 30 people.

Some things to think about:

start with thick cut steaks, you'll get more impressive results
SV really shines when you start with cheaper cuts and get them tender. 48 hr short ribs and 72 hr brisket are incredible
try pasteurizing boneless chicken breast at 145*, you'll never want to eat overcooked white meat again
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I unwrapped the device today. Been running it and its been great at holding temps so far. Within .2 of a degree. I have it set for 130. I have my crock set to low eventhough the directions tell you to set at at high (not sure why would would have to at this low of a temperature).

If you guys are interested in a sous vide course and would like a free course here you go:
http://www.chefsteps.com/courses/accelerated-sous-vide-cooking-course

The difference between this and the high end "PolyScience" units:
http://cuisinetechnology.com/sousvide-professional-comparison.php

Is there is no water circulation with this type of setup (other than by convection which i think its good enough for an ametuer setup). Also the polyscience units would allow you to bring up the temperature MUCH quicker. Of course there is nothing preventing you from putting hot top water in your crockpot to speed things up. If you were cooking for a crowd i'm sure the polyscience units also would be a lot better (you can heat up a much greater quantity of water).


I'll be trying out ribeye steaks tonight. I bought 2 1.5in ribeye steaks. I salt & peppered the steaks & vacuum packed them with fresh rosemary from my garden. I will be using this for the basis of my recipe:
http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-steak. I'm going to use 129F for 1.5 hours to be on the safe side to allow for the temperature increase from the sear. They used thyme in the recipe but i will be using rosemary. Most recipes recommend you sear at a rocket hot temperature but since they are using butter i probably won't be able to go past a medium high temperature.

In the future i will probably get the following butane tourch:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0027HO3XO/thevirtualweberb

This will allow you to sear without really affecting core temperature that much.
 
It just seem so gimmicky to me. I guess I would have to try it before I gave it a thumbs up or down.
 
I've been interested ever since seeing this kind of thing a few yrs ago. I understand the tenderness and juiciness are without equal. I was unaware of the amateur controller you linked to. The pro units are cost prohibitive for me but this definitely puts it within reach. Let me figure out the line I gonna run off to the CFO to get the go ahead. :rolleyes:
 
I know you ideally add seasoning before sealing. But what if you intend to keep meat sealed for several days before SV'ing? Do you still add seasoning or do you only season them before searing? I realize this would all depend on the salt content of the seasoning. Trader Joe's, for instance, sell vacuum packed, seasoned tri-tips and ribeyes which can conveniently go directly into the SV machine.
 
you may want to consider some kind of circulation or false bottom. If you're running a crock pot, and the food is touching the bottom, there will be some conduction heating. I ran a batch of eggs in a crock pot and they were way overcooked, which I figured was a result of them sitting on the bottom. I bought a small round rack that fits in my crock pot, and have a plastic false bottom for my full sized food warmer. Occasionally, I will run an aquarium pump, and I'm working on a small, high heat submersible pump from Light Object.

George L said:
I know you ideally add seasoning before sealing. But what if you intend to keep meat sealed for several days before SV'ing? Do you still add seasoning or do you only season them before searing? I realize this would all depend on the salt content of the seasoning. Trader Joe's, for instance, sell vacuum packed, seasoned tri-tips and ribeyes which can conveniently go directly into the SV machine.
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I preseason pork and chicken but do not for beef. I find preseasoned beef comes out a bit like corned beef, especially if the salt has had enough time to migrate through the piece.


Bob H. said:
It just seem so gimmicky to me. I guess I would have to try it before I gave it a thumbs up or down.
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It can be, but it has very real applications in professional situations and can create results that are unobtainable with conventional methods. Beef short ribs, cooked at 135* for 48 hours aren't a gimmick
 
It can be, but it has very real applications in professional situations and can create results that are unobtainable with conventional methods. Beef short ribs, cooked at 135* for 48 hours aren't a gimmick
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J is so right. First time for me was at Hubert Kellers Fleur restaurant in Las Vegas some ten years ago. I was allowed to the kitchen after dinner and saw their sous vide process; the very best short ribs I had ever had. I was immediately impressed that this cooking technique and, while expensive, would change how restaurants could make outstanding dishes. The better sous vide machines are now finally available to us home cooks, but the better ones are still very expensive.
 
Haven't seen this device before, but I have seen the $400 ones and thought "no way". This seems like a good compromise. One question - my crockpot is programmable - you set the time and low/high heat from the front after you plug it in. Will it still work with this device? Does it completely turn the unit off when the proper temp is reached or what?
 
"my crockpot is programmable" - probably not.

To test -
1) Plug in crock pot
2) Turn on crock pot
3) Unplug crock pot
4) Plug in crock pot

If the crock pot still heats, you should be able to use the controller, otherwise not.
 
generally the "dumber" the cooker is, the better the likelihood that a PID controller will be able to effectively control it. As Russel says, set it to the max and take the plug out and in, and see if it still runs
 
I borrowed a friends Supreme unit and kept it for several months while they were away. To me, it sucked the joy and fun out of cooking. No smells, no stirring a pot, no tasting,.......naw, wasn't cooking...................d
 
David said:
I borrowed a friends Supreme unit and kept it for several months while they were away. To me, it sucked the joy and fun out of cooking. No smells, no stirring a pot, no tasting,.......naw, wasn't cooking...................d
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the advantages go to the diner, not the cook ;)
 
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