Would you buy something that cooked perfect steaks?

[Surewhitey]

Our preference (& lieu of smoking cigs) is a ribeye, 3 minutes each side, about 1 inch from super hot coals. Crunchy, soft and juicy...

 

[pb4uski]

For thinner steaks that works fine.... but for thicker cuts (2" and more), the inverse works better... cook on medium heat from room temperature to 75F and flip and cook to 95F, then take off the grill and get the grill really hot and sear a couple minutes on each side to 125F and let rest for ~ 10 minutes.

 

[MooreBonds]

The downside? The plastic bags.

Are you referring to the cost of using many plastic bags, or the potential chemicals? I do worry about chemical intrusion into food from plastic sources (I realize some are way different than others). Are there any studies about this?

 

[explanade]

Are you referring to the cost of using many plastic bags, or the potential chemicals? I do worry about chemical intrusion into food from plastic sources (I realize some are way different than others). Are there any studies about this?

Amazon sells BPA-free, reusable bags./

Actually they sell Sous Vide kits which come with a clip and other accessories.

I wonder about the hassle of cleaning those things, if anything gets caked or cooked in enough that you can't really clean.

If I were to cook eggs all the time this way, it would use up a lot of bags if you couldn't clean them.

Also, when you're cooking, does steam build up in side the bags, causing it to inflate?

 

[RobbieB]

I bought a "sous-vider" awhile back. I also bought a big polycarbonate tub to use it with. It a real circulator with a pump.

Used it a little while ago, made a steak (MR 125) and flamed the color with this;

Looks pretty good eh?

It wasn't. It was tender and juicy as you can see, perfectly cooked too.

I was close to the worst steak I ever ate. Lucy ate half of it.

No flavor, no "character", no "substance" Bland, like eating a picture of a steak.

That steak was a grocery store prime NY too. Would have been much better on the hibachi with kingsford even if it was over cooked.

Anyone want a free sous-vider? I'll never use it again.

 

[MooreBonds]

Amazon sells BPA-free, reusable bags./

Actually they sell Sous Vide kits which come with a clip and other accessories.

I wonder about the hassle of cleaning those things, if anything gets caked or cooked in enough that you can't really clean.

If I were to cook eggs all the time this way, it would use up a lot of bags if you couldn't clean them.

Also, when you're cooking, does steam build up in side the bags, causing it to inflate?

There are many compounds in a plastic bag beyond just BPA. When you heat things up, they tend to break down more quickly than at room temperature. My chemistry knowledge doesn't include anything in the universe of plastic decomposition in 120-140 degree environments.

 

[EastWest Gal]

If plastic decomposed at 135 degrees in one to two hours, then cars in Arizona and West Texas and Saudi Arabia would fall apart far faster than they do, not to mention the exposure under the hood of wire coverings to the heat of the engine.

Also there is NO mess. Everything is sealed away from the water and doesn't get in the water. Eggs can be cook in the shell. No bags at all. But a soft boiled free range egg cooked sous vide is amazing with it's barely thickened custards yolk. Scrambled eggs would be silly to cook sous vide. I do pasteurize my eggs this way. It makes "raw" eggs in recipes much safer to use. I've used Mason jars for some projects like hollandaise sauce and yogurt.

The typical temperature for cooking proteins sous vide is 130-145 degrees. Far lower than your oven. So steam does not build up. And much less carcinogen risk than.

I've eaten too many burnt steaks and ribs from well meaning family and friends who slather sauce on their meat and burn the meat and the sauce on the grill.

I found that if I cook steaks rare they are bland. But seasoned or marinaded and cooked medium rare, then seated or grilled for 30 seconds on a side, they are amazing.

For all the sous vide detractors who worry about the plastic, have you considered the pollution and carcinogens produced from grilling, particularly over charcoal?

This is what the National Cancer Institute has to say about grilling meats:

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet

And this a really good article about lowering your exposure to carcinogens. Note that it discusses using lower temperatures to cook your meat, which also occurs with sous vide cooking.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/draxe.com/grilling-carcinogens/amp/?client=safari

No one uses sous vide "all the time". That's silly. For me it's a trade off. I use the oven, the stove, and the grill too. It's just another cooking tool. I don't use one method all the time.

 

[Senator]

Back when this thread was active, it spurred me to buy a digital thermostat off eBay to convert a slow-cooker into a sous-vide machine.

This jury rig cost me $9.73, not including a cord and an outlet I had on hand. The following image was posted on another thread, but I'd like to show it here once more.

Great job on the ingenuity, but it looks dangerous to me... Especially the part with the exposed outlets.

Try one of these, all ready to go, without any fuss. $33 delivered.
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Pre-...+Outlet+Thermostat,+2-stage,+1100w,+w/+Sensor