Sous-vide

@jbartus when you start using this, one thing won’t immediately occur: this thing also reheats leftovers to ideal temp in 20 minutes, depending on size. It brings the dish back to initial temp without overcooking it like a microwave or pan would. You are going to have a blast… Oh yeah- load the Anovo app on your phone, and it will give you recipes & cook times.

@alacrity I will do that. It just showed up today!!!

I don’t much care for Woot but DAMN!

@jbartus you’re in for a helluva ride- the end result is soooooooo different than any other method. my favorite vessel to cook in is a plastic cereal container- the footprint is small and the end fits the circulator perfectly- and for $6…
Have fun!

@jbartus oh, yeah… the container:

So this video was very informative. You can use regular ziploc bags. If I were cooking for a family I’d be all over this. But cooking for one I’m still not entirely sold, I like traditional stove top cooking. The prospect of sealing stuff up together for one bag meals is somewhat alluring. If the $45 version were still available I’d give it a whirl (get it?) but not for $70. Thanks for posting.

@moondrake Do NOT put it over flame. The circulator heats the water and keeps it at a constant temperature.

You don’t necessarily need a special bag. A regular zip-loc bag is fine. Leave the top partly open while you submerge the bag and all the air is forced out. Then close the seal and clip it to the pot so the top of the bag is out of the water. The two vacuum sealers I bought here both have significant rates of failure so I’ve switched to the zip-loc method. I bought a sous vide book whose author also said they use the zip-loc method almost exclusively.

As for the benefits, there are plenty of places to read about that if you have any interest. I’ve found it great for some things (rib-eye, lamb chops, swordfish, lobster tails, carrots, etc.).

@SSteve Thanks. I can see it being nice to throw chicken and veggies with seasonings into a bag and have a one dish meal. The stabilized cooking time is nice as you can go shopping or out to work in the yard and you don’t have to collect your food until you are ready rather than when it is ready.

@moondrake I’m not sure you can put the chicken and veggies in one bag. Veggies need to be cooked around 183°. You don’t want your chicken that done. What I’ve done is cook the carrots first at the higher temperature, then dump in some cold water to cool it down the the temperature I want for the meat. Put the meat in and leave the carrot bag in there. The carrots will stay warm while the meat cooks.

@moondrake So this is like a fancy, expensive one of those things that were illegal in the dorms back in the dark ages before microwave ovens - a small plug in heating element you put in the pot or cup? I can’t remember what they are called and googling says portable immersible water heater but I know that is not what we called them. Or are they just expensive crock pots where you give yourself cancer by cooking in plastic bags and have no clean up? I get, from the video, they claim a steady temp is somehow superior but I have never noticed any problems cooking over a regular stove with repeatable results.

@Kidsandliz They stir the water and keep it at a specific temperature, so more sophisticated, but certainly looks like the same idea. I used to have one for making hot water for tea. And you still have to dirty a pan browning the meat if appearances are important to you, although what I would do is use my toaster oven broiler and foil. I’m still dubious, because I could have skillet cooked a nice steak with mushrooms, peppers, onions, cracked pepper and balsamic vinegar in the time he spends in the video and have had the same number of dirty dishes. Since I pour the sauce over the steak and veggies for serving, I’m not throwing anything good down the drain. Some people seem to really like it, but for me it feels like another kitchen gadget I’d end up never using.

@moondrake
I like it just fine. Also the skillet alternative. So long as someone will come do the cooking.

@f00l I’ll cook if you’ll clean up. I love to cook. Washing dishes, not so much.

@Kidsandliz you’ve never, ever had a boneless, skinless chicken breast like one that’s been cooked at 140f/60c for 110 minutes, or pork that’s been done the same way- moist with a tender bite, perfectly and uniformly cooked with every cc of it’s natural juice intact in each bite (i’d describe the breast, but it would be creepier). it’s easy, less to clean than microwaving and almost foolproof.

@moondrake
We just might have a deal. Depending on the cleanup level. I expect cooks to clean as they go, since that’s what I do when I cook.

I am sure you are the sort of cook I could work out something with.

(I know this next is not @moondrake:
if an unnecessary mess is left by a sloppy cook, it can just sit there for several centuries. I’ll be leaving without having assisted in cleanup.)

/giphy "clean kitchen"

@Kidsandliz It’s sort of that device’s evolved descendant. Rather than boiling water, its precise temperature control and circulation for even temperature throughout the water bath removes some of the element of timing from cooking. Having company for steaks? Put them on at 135 degrees for edge to edge medium rare and it doesn’t matter if you take them off on time or two hours late, because they won’t get any more done than medium rare. Or experiment with the differences two degrees makes in the buttery yolk of a soft-boiled egg. And like @alacrity said, it makes the juiciest, most tender meats you’ve ever had without even trying.

But it’s not for everyone.

@f00l I clean the cutting and prep stuff while the food is cooking, but actual cooking implements are cleaned after the meal. I always let everything fully cool before washing. I cooked for many years in Visions all glass cookware and that was a survival trait. Cleanup is pretty easy though, as I use well seasoned cast iron or well cared for Teflon lined pots with glass lids. I also usually cook everything in one skillet, with sometimes a saucepan for rice or pasta. So only one or two pans.

@moondrake

@alacrity this is false. I use my sous vide supreme to make alcohol infusions regularly. Im more of a bourbon guy, but i have done some lime infused tequila for margaritas a couple times. Cherry and vanilla infused bourbon is fantastic. And instead of homemade bitters taking weeks i can do it in a couple hours.

@pfarro1 nuh-uh. it melts the ice and the blender attachment leaves much to be desired, to say the least.

@DaveInSoCal That’s a good catch. It seems like the last time I shopped for one on Amazon the cheapest was over $100 (and seemed pretty sketchy quality).
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’ll have to do my homework better next time.

@DaveInSoCal I paid $69 at Amazon just before Christmas for the same one. Here’s camelcamelcamel pricing history.

@gglockner liquor infusuions. Also if you have access to a smoker you can run cold, cold smoke your fish before sous vide cooking it. I do it with tri tip and short ribs as well.

@pfarro1 I have a Traeger pellet grill with the cold smoker attachment. Cold smoking brisket before sous vide is awesome. I still don’t bother with fish. I get better results when I smoke the fish without the immersion circulator.

@gglockner for fish or poultry- I toss in handfulls of roasted garlic, sauteed shallots & mushrooms, a half cup of chicken stock, a splash of white wine and a splash of lemon juice, as well as the usual spices. when done, the chicken/fish are left in the bag, put back in the water bath to hold temp and the aforementioned ingredients are cooked off in a pan with chopped tomatoes, italian parsley and a splash of cream as a sauce to pour over- if you want to thicken the sauce, sprinkle in a little wondra flour for body, or powdered arrow root. give it a try- blandness won’t be an issue, I promise.

@dashcloud nice! I used to rep Electroluxes’ commercial food equipment- their stuff is pretty damned good. downside is the pricing will reflect increased material quality they tend to use.

@dashcloud Wow, just wow.