Sous vide

[AlanS 1]

SethInMI

***The Anova is bluetooth, not wifi.
To me, it's really a worthless feature.
You set the temperature you want, and leave it alone for 45 minutes to 72 hours on some recipes.

According to their website, Anova has a wifi one now. Released early last year sometime. It would be handy to start a 2 hour cook 1.5 hours before you got home.

Yes, I thought I saw WiFi somewhere!! ANova is back on this list.

[brenthutch 444]

DJL

***I got a Gourmia, makes some noise in the wearer level gets low, but it is very easy to use. Unlike my smoker (which I love BTW), you can leave it unintended for a day or two. Another advantage is that your "window of done" is measured in hours not minutes. On the downside, it takes longer than traditional methods and you can't brag about your mad culinary skills because it is so easy. A child can make a perfect brisket with ten minutes of prep.

Thanks for the recommendation. Just bought a Gourmia for my girlfriend. It arrives Monday and yes that gift might be a little self-serving.

I know what you mean, my wife got mine. For a first try I would recommend pork chops. Fairly quick, perfectly cooked and super juicy.

[normiss 800]

I'm not leaving uncooked food in room temperature water for hours on end.
Good luck with that!

[SethInMI 174]

I was wondering about that. I could read on a sous vide forum i suppose, but what are the rules? Could I turn it on to 115 degrees for 6 hours then bump it up? Or put ice in to keep it cool for the 6 hours?

It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

[NWFlyer 2]

AlanS

My question is how does this work with fish? Salmon, Trout, etc...

Any recommendations there?

I've done fish in it before but generally don't bother. As others have mentioned, I love it for steaks and chops primarily. I haven't really gotten into the "72 hour pork belly" kind of stuff. But for a chop / steak, I'll throw it in the bath when I get home from work at 530 or 6 and it's ready to sear and get on the table between 7 or 730. And it's cooked perfectly every time.

Yes, the purist in me loves traditional methods of cooking, but the busy foodie in me loves my gadgets - my sous vide, my slow cooker, my pressure cooker, etc. All help me to cook more regularly and frequently and eat good home cooked food.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[AlanS 1]

NWFlyer

I've done fish in it before but generally don't bother.

Hmm... I'm mostly about fish and chicken, which is generally considered healthier than red meats. But I do love steak and BBQ.

Quote

Yes, the purist in me loves traditional methods of cooking, but the busy foodie in me loves my gadgets - my sous vide, my slow cooker, my pressure cooker, etc. All help me to cook more regularly and frequently and eat good home cooked food.

I try to be scientific about nutrition, so I'm not traditional. Instead I'm looking for cooking methods that best preserves the nutritions in the food. It seems logical that sous vide would be good at keeping the nutritional value of the food.

In general preserving nutrition means microwaving, steaming or boiling food, but generally not frying. Grilling is OK for lean meats. Also the Vitamix for smoothies.

I'd generally use a microwave to cook scrambled eggs rather than a stove.

Alternate microwave recipe.

Recipe: Two eggs and a little milk. Stir. In microwave for 45 seconds. Stir. In microwave for 45 more seconds. Add an vegetables/meat (cooked separately), light amount of cheese and salsa cook maybe another 20 seconds. Wrap in tortilla or lettuce.


I also like recipes that work well on a camping store or in fire. Fish with spices works nicely wrapped in foil. And if you catch your own fish on the trip, even better.

[Rick 67]

NWFlyer

***
My question is how does this work with fish? Salmon, Trout, etc...

Any recommendations there?

I've done fish in it before but generally don't bother. As others have mentioned, I love it for steaks and chops primarily. I haven't really gotten into the "72 hour pork belly" kind of stuff. But for a chop / steak, I'll throw it in the bath when I get home from work at 530 or 6 and it's ready to sear and get on the table between 7 or 730. And it's cooked perfectly every time.

Yes, the purist in me loves traditional methods of cooking, but the busy foodie in me loves my gadgets - my sous vide, my slow cooker, my pressure cooker, etc. All help me to cook more regularly and frequently and eat good home cooked food.

Yes it kind of feels like cheating but the gadgets make good food and are a big time saver. Especially if you are entertaining and have several things cooking at once.

You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

[normiss 800]

Actually I think you can set it for desired temp and leave it at that temp for up to 72 hours before finishing it as desired.
One of the reasons it's so popular in restaurants, they can simply finish a dish in minutes after it has sous vide cooked to desired temp.

[jumpwally 0]

You don't need to go high tech...just get a timer ( like the kind for x-mas lights ) set up the time so it matches your arrival home,,so simple ...12 bucs

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[AlanS 1]

jumpwally

You don't need to go high tech...just get a timer ( like the kind for x-mas lights ) set up the time so it matches your arrival home,,so simple ...12 bucs

Well my arrival time varies due to a long commute. Some days I want to stop by the gym or go swimming before going home, and I've had days when I worked so late that i just slept in a conference room to avoid the commute. (Luckily those days are now in the past)

Being able to control this device from my phone like I can with the NEST thermostat is a huge feature.

[iopenhi 0]

I have the Anova and have been loving it. I 'll echo what others have said in that the bluetooth feature is useless.
If we prepare NY strips or ribeye, I finish 'em outside on the gas side burner in a cast iron pan. Then de-glaze said pan with a bit of red wine, mushroom stock or whatever nad then add the juices left in the bottom of the sous-vide cook bag and use as a glaze for veg or spuds. Bon Appetit!

You can't make chicken salad out of chicken manure.

[AlanS 1]

iopenhi

I have the Anova and have been loving it. I 'll echo what others have said in that the bluetooth feature is useless.

I did my research over the weekend and bought the ChefStep Joule.

The ANova (WiFi) was also on my list, but I couldn't find any in the store and none of the store employees know how they worked. I began to suspect the WiFi in the Anova and as useless as the Bluetooth, so went with the #2 that had the feature I wanted.

It is now 11 PM at night, and I'm trying it out for the first time. The ChefStep iPone app is working fine. I'm going to try to poach an egg with it. (Not that I need one just before bed time, but I want to see this working).

https://www.amazon.com/ChefSteps-CS10001-Joule-White-Stainless/dp/B01M8MMLBI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485846759&sr=8-1&keywords=ChefStep+Joule

One think I can see already is I'm going to need to buy large pots. It will increase the thermal mass, but also need to fit a steak into it.

[normiss 800]

One reason I went with the anova was I bought a cooler and cut a perfect circle in the lid.
No evaporation on long cooks and more efficient.
I couldn't see doing that with a few other brands.

So how'd the egg turn out?

[DJL 235]

Did chicken last night. No spices, just breast meat. 2 hrs at 141 and it was probably the most tender breast meat I've ever had.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[BillyVance 34]

DJL

Did chicken last night. No spices, just breast meat. 2 hrs at 141 and it was probably the most tender breast meat I've ever had.

Tender? Damn... Guess I better try this. My wife and I have had mixed results with chicken breasts in the oven or on the skillet. Beating the shit out of the breasts with the double headed kitchen hammer helps some but... Just once I'd like to be able to cut a nice fat slice of breast meat and chew through it like it was a filet mignon.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[DJL 235]

BillyVance

***Did chicken last night. No spices, just breast meat. 2 hrs at 141 and it was probably the most tender breast meat I've ever had.

Tender? Damn... Guess I better try this. My wife and I have had mixed results with chicken breasts in the oven or on the skillet. Beating the shit out of the breasts with the double headed kitchen hammer helps some but... Just once I'd like to be able to cut a nice fat slice of breast meat and chew through it like it was a filet mignon.

Yup. Never knew a chicken breast could cook like that. They were from the frozen foods section and in their own containers. Next I'm going to try with a chicken breast pulled from a whole chicken and add a marinade.

The one I really look forward to is smoking some ribs and finishing them sous vide overnight.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[normiss 800]

I can't par-boil, sous vide, pressure cook, nor boil ribs.
That's cheating.

Low and slow on the smoker wins every time IMO.

[SethInMI 174]

normiss

Actually I think you can set it for desired temp and leave it at that temp for up to 72 hours before finishing it as desired.
One of the reasons it's so popular in restaurants, they can simply finish a dish in minutes after it has sous vide cooked to desired temp.

I spent some time over the weekend learning far more about food safety and bacteria that I expected to, but I am glad for the extra knowledge. From what I read, leaving meat out for more than 2 -4 hours between 40 and 130 degrees is a no-no, so using a remote wifi-start would require an ice bath or some other way to keep the temp below 40 until a few hours before you arrived home.

My house in the winter (like it is now) is set at 56 degrees when we are sleeping or not home during the day, so actually keeping a bath cool would not be a problem, but summers are the opposite, and so it probably would be better just keep it above 130 for 8-10 hours like you said, as it sounds like it does not lower the meat quality that much.

Having said that, I also read about pasteurization of meat, and how it does not actually take a really high heat source to do it. Even 145 degrees for 10-20 min is enough too kill all the bacteria, so having meat a little too long at room temp theoretically should not be a problem for the sous vide method. Not really into tempting fate though...

It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

[AlanS 1]

normiss

So how'd the egg turn out?

The poached egg turned out perfect. I use to try to float the eggs in a cup in boiling water, but that was hit or miss.

And better yet today, I was at work and started it up on with my cell phone before the commute home. (I got the ChefStep Joule just for this feature). Having a main dish finished when I get home from work. I'm looking forward to that.

This is the one I got.
https://www.amazon.com/ChefSteps-CS10001-Joule-White-Stainless/dp/B01M8MMLBI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485923507&sr=8-1&keywords=ChefStep+Joule

[brenthutch 444]

What did you have and how did it turn out?

[TriGirl 318]

SethInMI

I spent some time over the weekend learning far more about food safety and bacteria that I expected to, but I am glad for the extra knowledge. From what I read, leaving meat out for more than 2 -4 hours between 40 and 130 degrees is a no-no, so using a remote wifi-start would require an ice bath or some other way to keep the temp below 40 until a few hours before you arrived home.

My house in the winter (like it is now) is set at 56 degrees when we are sleeping or not home during the day, so actually keeping a bath cool would not be a problem, but summers are the opposite, and so it probably would be better just keep it above 130 for 8-10 hours like you said, as it sounds like it does not lower the meat quality that much.

Having said that, I also read about pasteurization of meat, and how it does not actually take a really high heat source to do it. Even 145 degrees for 10-20 min is enough too kill all the bacteria, so having meat a little too long at room temp theoretically should not be a problem for the sous vide method. Not really into tempting fate though...

Depending on how long you're out of the house, you could put frozen meat (like, straight out of the freezer as you walk out the door) in the sous vide, with cold marinade or spices. You could also prep meat WITH the spices or marinade and use the vacuum sealer before freezing the whole thing, and place the whole frozen clump in the cooker as you're leaving for work. By the time it thaws (and reaches 40 degrees even) you wouldn't have much longer than 4 hours, I'd estimate, for it to be at that temp. And like you said, a good 2-hr cooking cycle during your drive home (assuming you bring the temperature of the meat up to 145-150 degrees) should equal safe, tasty, tender food ready when you walk in the door.
Okay, now I think I'm in the market for one of these things! AlanS -- let me know how that remote start option worked out!

See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!

[AlanS 1]

TriGirl

Okay, now I think I'm in the market for one of these things! AlanS -- let me know how that remote start option worked out!

I can tell you for certain the remote start option works great the ChefStep Joule . I was at work and started it from there no problem.

I didn't get the ANova with WiFi because I couldn't see it in person and couldn't verify that repose start would work for that.


The real test is after work tomorrow. I'm going to try to start a real meal steak or chicken tomorrow. Freeze it tonight and start it on a 4 hour cook tomorrow from work.

[SethInMI 174]

TriGirl

Depending on how long you're out of the house, you could put frozen meat (like, straight out of the freezer as you walk out the door) in the sous vide, with cold marinade or spices. You could also prep meat WITH the spices or marinade and use the vacuum sealer before freezing the whole thing, and place the whole frozen clump in the cooker as you're leaving for work. By the time it thaws (and reaches 40 degrees even) you wouldn't have much longer than 4 hours, I'd estimate, for it to be at that temp. And like you said, a good 2-hr cooking cycle during your drive home (assuming you bring the temperature of the meat up to 145-150 degrees) should equal safe, tasty, tender food ready when you walk in the door.
Okay, now I think I'm in the market for one of these things! AlanS -- let me know how that remote start option worked out!

Yeah, its an interesting problem in heat transfer. Freezing the food would help, and insulating the pot would help a lot too. Refrigerating the water in the pot overnight would also be a good thing, so you are starting with 37 degree water and not 50 degree tap water. You could also easily freeze a big ziploc bag of water and put that in the pot instead of a shitload of ice cubes. Experiment with bag size to find the one that takes 8 hours to melt.

If you can monitor the water temp remotely, you can get a feel for when to start the cook.

It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

[DJL 235]

You guys doing the remote start or timer. Do you leave raw meat in there all day long or is something frozen that thaws over the course of the day?

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[oldwomanc6 52]

DJL

You guys doing the remote start or timer. Do you leave raw meat in there all day long or is something frozen that thaws over the course of the day?

I've never used one, but I can tell you a steak or piece of chicken will thaw in a water bath before even a few hours.

Can you put it in an ice bath to extend the safe zone when preparing it for a work day unattended?

lisa
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