Sous Vide anyone?

[easysurfer]

Tonight, I made myself a steak dinner, sous vide.

Can't complain .

 

[EastWest Gal]

I probably use my Anova sous vide circulator two or three times a week. I buy large packages of steak and chicken at Costco, then season them with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Then I vacuum pack them in smaller packages and pop them in the freezer.

They can go straight from the freezer into the sous vide water bath. I always sear in an iron skillet.

For the money, my favorite cut is the pork tenderloin. Costco sells them for $2 to $2.50 per pound, and it's the pork equivalent of a beef tenderloin that they sell for $15.

BTW, everybody should own a vacuum sealer. A piece vacuum-packed cheese will last for months and months in the refrigerator, and a bag of chips properly sealed will stay crisp for weeks.

Edit: I just noticed that my handle, Slow But Steady, defines the sous vide process.

Vacuum sealing lettuce in a mason jar is amazing. It lasts a couple of weeks, very fresh. And you can reseal it if you don't use the whole jar. Amazing.

 

[Chuckanut]

I did Sous vide once after buying several steaks in a package. The first ones I cooked was rather tough so I decided to SV it using an old lunch cooler and my cooking thermometer. It required a lot of close monitoring, but I have to admit the tough steaks turned out quite eatable. I just don't eat enough steak to make getting the gadget sensible.

Times change.

I am thinking a sous vide outfit like this might be a good Christmas gift to myself.

https://www.costco.com/anova-sous-vide-precision-cooker-kit.product.100671168.html

 

[mistershankly]

Times change.

I am thinking a sous vide outfit like this might be a good Christmas gift to myself.

https://www.costco.com/anova-sous-vide-precision-cooker-kit.product.100671168.html

That's a great starter kit! I use a small Igloo/Coleman cooler for sous vide cooks. I recommend getting sous video water balls for longer cooks. The balls limit the evaporation of water and also keep the meat/food from floating up out of the water in case you have an air pocket in the bag/seal.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Balls-Count-Drying-Wasserstein/dp/B01MTYMH7K

I also clip the bag to the side wall of the container to keep the bag stable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D3XNL3S

Aside from meat, I recommend egg yolks sous vide cooked in olive oil... absolutely delicious!!

 

[pj.mask]

I was going to get the instapot with souvida features next time it is on sale. I assume it helps with water evaporation/insulation.

 

[mistershankly]

I was going to get the instapot with souvida features next time it is on sale. I assume it helps with water evaporation/insulation.

Yes, that would definitely help. Evaporation only becomes a concern with long cooks (overnight or longer).

 

[EastWest Gal]

Glad to see this thread revived. I have been using an Anova for years. Be sure you don't screw it on too tight or the casing can crack. Mine did, but a little superglue was applied and it works fine. I bought a polycarbonate box with a cut out and a rack as well. The brand name is Lipavi. A rack with dividers is helpful for eggs in the shell (to pasteurize eggs) and multiple steaks-keeps them vertical and separated. BTW, that is an excellent price. Here is my rack on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Rack-...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

hollandaise sauce in a small Mason jar and yogurt are other non-meat applications.

 

[braumeister]

I bought an earlier generation of sous vide machine, the Sous Vide Supreme, which is probably more accurately referred to as a water oven. It's a large metal box that holds about three gallons, and has the temperature controls on a control panel on the front. I've been using it for nearly ten years, several times a month and I like it a lot. If I were going to buy something today, it would be either the Anova or the Joule, but my old faithful will probably last me forever. The only thing it doesn't do that the newer gadgets do is circulate the water, but I think that's only a minor advantage.

 

[easysurfer]

I plan on making pork chop Sous Vide for dinner tonight.

Sous Vide is probably now my favorite way of cooking.

The cooker I have is an inexpensive one I picked up from Aldi. I bought the plastic bin that came with the metal rack divider. I don't use the divider that often as usually, I use the binder clip with knife method to weigh the food down if just cooking for one.

 

[tmm99]

I bought an earlier generation of sous vide machine, the Sous Vide Supreme, which is probably more accurately referred to as a water oven. It's a large metal box that holds about three gallons, and has the temperature controls on a control panel on the front. I've been using it for nearly ten years, several times a month and I like it a lot. If I were going to buy something today, it would be either the Anova or the Joule, but my old faithful will probably last me forever. The only thing it doesn't do that the newer gadgets do is circulate the water, but I think that's only a minor advantage.

Hey, I've got the same thing! We were sous vide'ing before it was popular! I believe it has been discontinued. It is rather bulky, but it works. Because of the size, I don't take it out for small jobs - The last time I used it was for roast beef.

 

[explanade]

Do you have to take the butane torch to brown the meat?

 

[easysurfer]

Do you have to take the butane torch to brown the meat?

That's just one method.

 

[MRG]

Do you have to take the butane torch to brown the meat?

I use a cast iron pan with avocado oil indoors with the vent on. Outside I turrn turbo mode on the gas grill, it gets really hot.

Charcoal chimneys are popular, I won't use charcoal because of forest fires.

 

[Chuckanut]

Times change. [emoji6]

I am thinking a sous vide outfit like this might be a good Christmas gift to myself.

https://www.costco.com/anova-sous-vide-precision-cooker-kit.product.100671168.html

I ordered this setup. The box the water and food container came in was huge and got me thinking about size issues such as the volume of water to be heated, weight and storage space. So I returned the setup unopened.

Instead I found an Anova Nano unit on EBay for $55 less, but no container. It fits well into my existing pots. I cooked some soft boiled eggs with it and they came out very nice. Next up is beef, chicken and salmon. Storage is so much easier.

 

[audreyh1]

I also got an Anova Nano and used my instant pot as the container for pasteurizing eggs. Worked ok except for trying to get the eggs not to jump around. I tried asparagus once, but between the vacuum sealing, the hassles keeping it submerged, and the time required, I won’t do it again. Might try poached eggs. Eggs it is, I guess.

 

[MRG]

I ordered this setup. The box the water and food container came in was huge and got me thinking about size issues such as the volume of water to be heated, weight and storage space. So I returned the setup unopened.

Instead I found an Anova Nano unit on EBay for $55 less, but no container. It fits well into my existing pots. I cooked some soft boiled eggs with it and they came out very nice. Next up is beef, chicken and salmon. Storage is so much easier.

+1

I bought the circulator and use the instant pot pot for 99% of cooking. I did buy a sealer after a year it's used mostly for sealing before freezing. I do season the meat so it's ready to cook.

Less is more.

 

[Souschef]

This is such a long thread, I may have posted earlier, but here goes.
We have an Anova and love it. We ordered the little plastic card that tells you how long to sous vide based on the thickness and physical configuration on the meat. We also bought the flexible cover for the pot to keep evaporation down.

We have a 12,000 BTU searing burner on our BBQ that DW calls "Wilma"
There are only two of us so our largest pot works well. We use freezer bags and clip the bag to the side of the pot with two binder clips.

 

[walkinwood]

I also got an Anova Nano and used my instant pot as the container for pasteurizing eggs. Worked ok except for trying to get the eggs not to jump around. I tried asparagus once, but between the vacuum sealing, the hassles keeping it submerged, and the time required, I won’t do it again. Might try poached eggs. Eggs it is, I guess.

Try Salmon. If you like your salmon just barely cooked, you'll love what the sous-vide can do. No need to vacuum seal - just put it in a ziploc bag.


I also love the thick lamb chops you get at Costco cooked sous-vide. I do the whole package & then refrigerate or freeze. Thaw and sear and part of dinner is ready in no time.


Chicken breast comes out perfectly every time. If we're consuming them right away, I don't bother to vacuum seal.


Short-ribs & other cuts that you would normally braise can be done very well in the sous-vide. However, I find the braising & resulting sauce more to my liking. Due to the long sous-vide times, I always vacuum seal.



Ramen style eggs... yum!

 

[easysurfer]

Salmon was the first thing I tried cooking sous vide. Came out absolutely delicious.

 

[audreyh1]

I just really like my meats and fish roasted, grilled or smoked. I dont have any trouble getting the exact doneness I want.