Sous Vide Cooking ?

[donheff]

I have used a sous vide stick in a pot of water at times with the food in a gallon size zip lock baggy with the air driven out by water pressure. It seems to work pretty well. I have also used it to reheat leftovers that I am afraid of overcooking if I microwave.

 

[OldShooter]

Most of our sous vide food is first frozen in vacuum sealed bags. We have had three-year-old food that was sealed and frozen and it was just as fresh as when it went into the bag.

External vacuum sealers like Weston's work well; cheapos like Food Saver can work but getting consistently good seals is more difficult. Recently we have gone to a chamber vacuum sealer, something my BIL would call "rubber tire living."

Weston® Professional Advantage Vacuum Sealer

Keep foods fresh, store leftovers, marinate, or seal for sous vide with this America's Test Kitchen top pick in compact vacuum sealers (August 2014).

westonbrands.com

Avid Armor USV20 | Compact Chamber Vacuum Sealer Machine

Powerful, space-saving chamber vacuum sealer for meats, marinades & sous vide. The USV20 includes BPA-free pouches, hose & adjustable vacuum control.

avidarmor.com

 

[joesxm3]

The book arrived today. A bit disappointing. Only 33 pages of technical information. The rest is recipes.

 

[joesxm3]

Most of our sous vide food is first frozen in vacuum sealed bags. We have had three-year-old food that was sealed and frozen and it was just as fresh as when it went into the bag.

Would you recommend the chamber sealer as a BTD item?

Amazon said that the bags are cheaper than the other type.

I suppose the buy once cry once principle applies here.

 

[easysurfer]

Thanks for all the links.

That in depth one really made my brain smoke. But it did allow me to geek out on the details. The discussion on killing pathogens was very interesting.

I smell another hobby brewing.

Sous vide cooking seems totally foreign at first. I remember on of the first things I cooked, I was totally confused as to how to get the water temperature right.

Now, I pretty much keep things simple. I use the same time and temp setting for burgers, pork chops and steak. Result are to my satisfaction.

 

[OldShooter]

Would you recommend the chamber sealer as a BTD item?

Amazon said that the bags are cheaper than the other type.

I suppose the buy once cry once principle applies here.

The chamber sealer is a really nice tool. Unlike the external vacuum sealers, chamber sealers can seal liquids. This lets us freeze things like marinara sauce, soups, etc. Re BTDT, I set a price watch on https://camelcamelcamel.com/ and waited. It took a while, but I ended up paying $234 for what I'm sure was a new customer return. So saved over $100. Many other chamber sealers are available, mostly more expensive and physically bigger.

Yes, bags are quite a bit cheaper but you'd probably have to use hundreds of bags before you broke even due to the savings. Buy because it's a good tool not because the bags are cheaper.

 

[joesxm3]

I am getting the impression that if I operate like a restaurant I can cook a few steaks the cool and store and then days later take one out, warm it up and sear it? Doing the several hour cooking when convenient then needing only a half hour to prepare on the day of eating?

 

[easysurfer]

Most of our sous vide food is first frozen in vacuum sealed bags. We have had three-year-old food that was sealed and frozen and it was just as fresh as when it went into the bag.

External vacuum sealers like Weston's work well; cheapos like Food Saver can work but getting consistently good seals is more difficult. Recently we have gone to a chamber vacuum sealer, something my BIL would call "rubber tire living."

Weston® Professional Advantage Vacuum Sealer

Keep foods fresh, store leftovers, marinate, or seal for sous vide with this America's Test Kitchen top pick in compact vacuum sealers (August 2014).

westonbrands.com

Avid Armor USV20 | Compact Chamber Vacuum Sealer Machine

Powerful, space-saving chamber vacuum sealer for meats, marinades & sous vide. The USV20 includes BPA-free pouches, hose & adjustable vacuum control.

avidarmor.com

I own the USV20 avidarmor chamber vacuum sealer and love it. The size is just right for 1 person. Avidarmor also has other models as well as other companies.

I do own a very old Foodsaver also but that's just for resealing bags like for potato chips and mason jars. (The USV20 can also do jars and seal bags but seems awkward for that purpose).

As for the cost of bags vs external sealers, the difference in cost is night and day. In the long run, if you are a regular vacuum sealer user, the cost is cheaper to go chamber.

 

[More Cowbell]

I am getting the impression that if I operate like a restaurant I can cook a few steaks the cool and store and then days later take one out, warm it up and sear it? Doing the several hour cooking when convenient then needing only a half hour to prepare on the day of eating?

We do that with pork tenderloin. Cook both at the same time, sear one on cast iron same day, refrigerate other in sealed bag for later reheating and searing.

Don't SV enough or have space for chamber sealer. Costco often runs SV starter kit specials with a Anova stick, container and Foodsaver. FS useful for mason jars or sealing non-food stuff.

Have a standalone Instant Pot stick, no app or Bluetooth. IP container too limiting in size, dutch oven too heavy. Got a square Rubbermaid Commercial food storage container and fitted Everie silicone lid, much lighter and keeps all the SV stuff together when not in use.

 

[Lorenzo]

Would you recommend the chamber sealer as a BTD item?

Amazon said that the bags are cheaper than the other type.

I suppose the buy once cry once principle applies here.

Chamber sealers have an advantage for sealing liquids, like stews and juices, etc. For solid foods, any vacuum sealer will do.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I do that a

I am getting the impression that if I operate like a restaurant I can cook a few steaks the cool and store and then days later take one out, warm it up and sear it? Doing the several hour cooking when convenient then needing only a half hour to prepare on the day of eating?

I do that all the time. I also freeze marinade in little silicone muffin liners, then pop the frozen marinade along with the steak and seal it. I buy entire strip steaks from a local market and have them trim the fat and cut individual steaks. I seal them with the marinade and freeze them. They can go directly from the freezer into the water bath-I just add an hour to the time. Saves me a lot of trouble making dinner. We probably have steak once a week. One 8 oz steak is enough for the two of us.

 

[joesxm3]

Thanks for the pork info. I am pretty sure I will get the chamber sealer, the stick and a container like you discribe.

It will be a huge shock to the system switching into spending mode. But I have made a decision to spend on preventive medicine and healthy eating along with some aggressive lifestyle changes.

A couple weeks ago I dropped $360 at a farm buying grass fed beef and free range chicken.

The $24 / pound rib eye is a stretch for every day, but with sous vide I think I can buy some of the cheaper cuts and cook them longer. I might even consider a quarter cow. That is $13 / pound. I already have a freezer that I don't use. But that is a bit extreme for the moment.

I will probably order the stuff later this week.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I agree that cooking cheaper cuts longer with proper seasoning generally works. Also, the best time to buy expensive cuts is right after the holidays.

 

[MarieIG]

I came across a podcast on advanced glycation end products the other day. The cardiologist giving the presentation recommended cooking with lower temperatures and "wet cooking" including sous vide and the insta pot. I haven't used a sous vide, but as I like the insta pot anyway, will try to up my use of that in lieu of frying.

 

[Time2]

Has anyone tried using sous vide on Ribeye steaks and then freezing them until time to char, i.e. thaw and then char. I'm eating a carnivore diet and my wife gets the cheapest Rib Eye steaks on sale, and they are a bit tough. Sous vide should make them more tender, but I don't know about freezing after sous vide.

 

[ERD50]

Has anyone tried using sous vide on Ribeye steaks and then freezing them until time to char, i.e. thaw and then char. I'm eating a carnivore diet and my wife gets the cheapest Rib Eye steaks on sale, and they are a bit tough. Sous vide should make them more tender, but I don't know about freezing after sous vide.

Check the sous vide sites, but I don't see how this could possibly work out in any practical way.

You'd need to thaw the steak, and then get it it warm inside so you are not eating cold steak, and w/o overcooking it. The best I could imagine to do that, is to sous vide it (which you already did!)!

How is this any advantage over freezing raw, defrost in the fridge, and then sous vide and char? What are you trying to accomplish?

 

[Time2]

How is this any advantage over freezing raw, defrost in the fridge, and then sous vide and char? What are you trying to accomplish?

I want to sous vide 8 steaks at a time then freeze them, then later, get one out in the morning, let it thaw, then char it. I agree, that charing will take almost as long as it takes to cook. I usually cook my steaks 2-1/2 minutes on each side. But I was hoping for the tenderizing effect of sous vide.

 

[ERD50]

I want to sous vide 8 steaks at a time then freeze them, then later, get one out in the morning, let it thaw, then char it. I agree, that charing will take almost as long as it takes to cook. I usually cook my steaks 2-1/2 minutes on each side. But I was hoping for the tenderizing effect of sous vide.

But the quick sear after sous vide doesn't warm up the inside - that was done by the sous vide. Which is the point of sous vide - bring the internal temp up to a specific done-ness, then sear so quickly that you don't cook the inside any further.

It takes ~ 40 minutes to get that steak warmed in the sous vide, a 2 1/2 minute sear won't do that, it will be cold inside. Cooked from the previous sous vide, but cold.

I don't get why you don't just freeze them and later defrost, sous vide and sear? The sous vide doesn't take any active time.

 

[Time2]

The sous vide doesn't take any active time.

Maybe not, but it is easier to sous vide 8 steaks at once then 1 everyday!

 

[ERD50]

Maybe not, but it is easier to sous vide 8 steaks at once then 1 everyday!

But I think you are going to need to sous vide it anyway, to get the internal temperature up.
Heck, try it with one. Maybe you won't mind it being room temp internal. If you try to sear it slower, you'll end up overcooking it.

 

[OldShooter]

Putting a frozen steak in a bowl of warm water will cause it to thaw pretty fast. Putting a fairly flat side on a stone countertop (granite, marble) also thaws fairly fast. Since the OP plans to do this in a fairly regular basis, a little study and fussing with microwave energy levels should produce a reliable recipe to warm a thawed steak. Shoot for a temp slightly under the sous vide temperature so the steak doesn't cook any more.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

I was going to start a thread on Sous Vide; but came across this one. I have been cooking this way, as the best chefs presumable do, for the past five years. I usually vac -pack my meats with targeted seasoning before they enter the sous vide pot. However, like today, I had a four pound pork loin in a store vac-pac (with no diaper) that i cooked today with out seasoning - 148 degrees for 6.5 hours. I later placed the loin on the grill for 8 minutes per side for the char flavor.

A few minutes ago, I read that using store bags will release 'micro/nano plastic molecules that cause ill health. That does not seem right. The store seals these bags at a much higher temperature than 148 degrees. I believe there's a lot of misinformation out there and this 'never sous vide in store vac bags' is another example. It's a half truth imo. Anybody care to weigh in ?

 

[OldShooter]

Anybody care to weigh in ?

Same thing as all those California warnings. A bunch of bureaucrats hawking fanciful theories instead of working at honest jobs. When I start seeing corpses on the street corners I will start to pay attention to all the warnings.

 

[Winemaker]

DW and I have an annual celebration on Labor Day weekend that involves 20+ folks of various ages to our humble abode. We originally called it my Mom's birthday party ,9/27, but after her passing, it's a celebration of their wedding anniversary, 9/3/55. Two inch filets for all, which was hard for me to grill 30 filets to everyone's liking. I had 2 disrupters that wanted well done. Originally I cooked the disrupter's in sous vide, but now cook every filet sous vide then throw it on the Blackstone for the sear. Amazing results! I can enjoy the pre meal appetizers, and takes only 10 minutes to sear 40+ pieces of filet mignon to perfection, without the stress. Much more relaxing and better dining experience. I do have 3 sous vide tubs and cooking tubs.

 

[Time2]

Has anyone tried sous vide multiple steaks and then freezing them so you can get one out to warm up to room temp and then sear. Just wondering how the sous vide, freeze, thaw, and sear sequence would affect the meat.