Sous Vide for Christmas

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by daixloxbmw

The two Anova Ones I had were the original unit, which had a touchscreen display, no connectivity whatsoever and has been discontinued for a while now. The Anova Precision Cooker that is on sale now has the wifi or Bluetooth connectivity, I've never owned or used these newer devices. My understanding is that the newer Anovas actually downgraded the heating element to 900w (wifi) and 800w (Bluetooth), compared to the original unit's 1000w. The Joule has 1100w. This distinction may not matter to you if you're only cooking for a handful of people at a time but I have regularly cooked 12-15 steaks at a time in a large cooler so the extra heating power is needed for larger meals like that.

I have 2 of the original "Anova Precision Cooker" models with Bluetooth, but not wireless - bought them on the kickstarter when they decided to make them. They're good, but for doing the potatoes on Christmas day I had to put both in the same tub to get it up to 190 and hold it there - one on its own was increasing temp about .1 of a degree every 10 seconds - would have taken hours to get to 190. I am sure they have degraded because I have done potatoes at 190 before with just one.

[radiofrequency]

Originally Posted by dinonz

I have 2 of the original "Anova Precision Cooker" models with Bluetooth, but not wireless - bought them on the kickstarter when they decided to make them. They're good, but for doing the potatoes on Christmas day I had to put both in the same tub to get it up to 190 and hold it there - one on its own was increasing temp about .1 of a degree every 10 seconds - would have taken hours to get to 190. I am sure they have degraded because I have done potatoes at 190 before with just one.

Do yourself a favor, get an Instant Pot for your vegetables. 4 large russet potatoes, two cups of water, some garlic, and in 10 minutes you have perfect potatoes. i do mine with the skins on, transfer from the instant pot to a large bowl, add one stick of butter and use my mash tool to smash up those potatoes. You will become an evangelist for the Instant Pot, together with my Sous Vide, it has become indispensable. Sous Vide and Instant Pot, IMHO, are the perfect tools for a man, I cook about 4 -5 times a week, and these tools together with my grill are all I use at present. Good luck!

[Rik84]

We sous vide like crazy at home. Did a brisket last year that turned out Way firmer than I’ve ever had but the flavour was insane. We were able to cut it almost like meat loaf.

Lean steaks are perfect. Fattier cuts are tricky, can’t ever seem to render the fat well enough, even with a good hot sear

[Uber Commuter]

Originally Posted by radiofrequency

Please refrain from using regular plastics for Sous Vide. Plastics are a HUGE source of food contamination, it kind of goes against the grain of the health benefits of Sous Vide, when you decide to Sous Vide using Zip Loc or other non-suitable plastics. I started my Sous Vide journey several years ago, and due to my profession, have some knowledge of the nature of contaminants in our food supply. My research had indicated that plastics should be kept away from food, so I wrote to Zip Loc and asked the question: "Can I Sous Vide using a Zip Loc bag?" They wrote me back recommending that I NEVER use their products for Sous Vide. Then I found this product on Amazon: SousVide Supreme Zip Cooking Pouches, Small, SVV-00304

Of course SC Johnson recommended you not use them... If they said "Go for it" and the bag failed, then they are liable for that...

All Zip-Loc bags are BPA, Adipate and phthalate free; and are food safe at microwave temperatures. Feel free to continue purchasing "special" bags at $27 a box; but please stop trying to scare people away from "plastics" while using plastic bags to cook in yourself...

[rad doc]

Originally Posted by Uber Commuter

Of course SC Johnson recommended you not use them... If they said "Go for it" and the bag failed, then they are liable for that...

All Zip-Loc bags are BPA, Adipate and phthalate free; and are food safe at microwave temperatures. Feel free to continue purchasing "special" bags at $27 a box; but please stop trying to scare people away from "plastics" while using plastic bags to cook in yourself...

Ha! I am guessing he is antivax too!

[glfwdw]

Try potatoes in Sous Vide. Best mashed potatoes can be made via Sous Vide (just taste different than typical boil in water method). Even did sweet potatoes with a little cinnamon and sugar. I have only started about 3 weeks ago but makes cooking thick steaks easy.

[Cattivo]

I just picked this up, makes my life a lot easier

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A3PAV43I12A2F0

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[wrickem]

Originally Posted by daixloxbmw

The torch will give you a really nice blackened and crispy crust on your steaks without overcooking the inside. Plus it is just fun as hell to use and will impress your guests. The center comes out end to end bright pink when cooked at 128* with no gray band.



A few tips when using the torch though, when igniting it initially, point it away from your food because you may throw unburnt raw fuel onto your food and you will taste it. Spend a few bucks more and get a torch with an air/fuel valve adjustment, so you can fine tune it for a bright blue flame with no specks. Orange flame means the fuel isn't burning as hot and efficiently as it should be. The specks are unburnt fuel.

http://modernistcuisine.com/2011/02/torch-tastes/

Usually close up pictures of cooked meat make my stomach flip, I don't like to see it so up close and personal, but this made my mouth water and now I need run out to get a good steak!

Did you by chance cook this for my grandmother? She has a new "gentleman suiter" who she's keeping secret from the family, but I'd recognize her Corelle Livingwear anywhere! Are you going to be my new grandfather? I hope so if you can cook steak like that.

[daixloxbmw]

Originally Posted by wrickem

Usually close up pictures of cooked meat make my stomach flip, I don't like to see it so up close and personal, but this made my mouth water and now I need run out to get a good steak!

Did you by chance cook this for my grandmother? She has a new "gentleman suiter" who she's keeping secret from the family, but I'd recognize her Corelle Livingwear anywhere! Are you going to be my new grandfather? I hope so if you can cook steak like that.

Haha I get a ton of compliments on those classic plates. I'm only 36 (just turned a few weeks ago) but I got that set from my mom, who may have got them from her mom. They are incredibly strong. I've dropped them from around 4' onto my kitchen tile floor and didn't break or even chip.

[wrickem]

Originally Posted by daixloxbmw

Haha I get a ton of compliments on those classic plates. I'm only 36 (just turned a few weeks ago) but I got that set from my mom, who may have got them from her mom. They are incredibly strong. I've dropped them from around 4' onto my kitchen tile floor and didn't break or even chip.

I always knew my grandma was a cougar, but a 36 year old who can cook a steak like that, man, she hit a big payday!

Those dishes are the best. I'm going to warn you though that if they ever actually do break, they REALLY break and explode into shards. The 2 I've broken in my lifetime trapped me in the kitchen with bare feet both times. Always wear slippers at grandma's!

[GoHokiesGo]

I've been using my Anova for 2-3 years now. I love it for thicker cut steaks, but honestly still like the flavor from a properly grilled steak the best. It's magical for fish though- cook it to a nice rare-med rare, and then finish under the broiler for a quick sear.

Finally nailed down my perfect steak setup though - sous vide at 127F for 2-4 hours, then I have an Uuni pizza oven that hits 900F with wood and charcoal for a nice crusty sear. I made an awesome dry aged tomahawk last month that was easily the best steak I've ever had, and it was awesome to make it in my own house.

[KenB925]

Originally Posted by bimmerfrk

Wife got me a sous vide cooker for Christmas.

OMG i can't believe i have been missing out on this. I suggest everyone stop what they are doing and go get one of these.

This was cooked at 132 water temp. I think im going to bring it down to 128 on the next round. Still amazing!

Be careful, if you 'cook' to a very low temp, particularly with fatty/marbled meats. You need to get the meat warm enough to melt the fat or you can end up with a weird waxy mouth feel.

Obviously this can be cured when finishing under high heat, I prefer to run the sous vide just about where you did (maybe even a little warmer to get the fat melted into the meat) and very quickly sear.

If fillet is your choice...the redder the better!

[BMW F22]

Well...I got an Anova 900 watts version with Bluetooth and Wifi. Going to give it a try cooking today’s dinner.