I never grill steaks any more. Sous vide cooks my steak medium rare all the way through. Finish them on the grill or a cast iron grilling pan on my induction stove if it’s raining. I can cut it with a fork. I haven’t used hot water from the tap when I heat from frozen. I guess it would be OK from refrigeration. I have a plastic tank with a tight fitting lid I use. When finished, I up cycle the water by using it on the plants.
This was an absolute game changer for us. We buy a good whole fillet on sale, then cut it to our liking. Individually bagged in a Foodsaver, then frozen. Take it out, put into a water bath, then walk away for 3 hours. Voila!
@sylvandoc Sous vide plus a ripping hot cast iron pan plus a blowtorch (so I can sear both sides at once) makes the best steak I’ve ever cooked, and very close to the best steak I’ve ever had. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass, but it’s amazing.
@kostia@sylvandoc Do you do that outside to avoid filling the house with smoke and alarming smoke detectors? I once had someone show me true “blackened” on cast iron with a high-BTU burner outside. It was great. Also tried indoor with fans and windows open, but if you’re doing it right, I think you either need to be outside or have a serious extractor fan. (P.S. West Coast “blackened” is just salty seasoning on overcooked food – real Blackened you have to go to the Gulf Coast.)
@pmarin@sylvandoc Oh yes, one MUST do it outside. One MAY have tried it inside once, and one’s house MAY have filled with smoke with a quickness. One now has a propane burner out back.
@pmarin@sylvandoc I’m not this particular propane burner’s first owner, so I have no idea how many BTUs it is. We use them for blue crabs and for crawfish boil, and both of those use 25-gallon pots, so probably pretty damn hot.
I can state unequivocally this will not make a margarita- but what it does to a boneless chicken teat is almost as good, and there’s no hangover after 4 of 'em.
I’m starting to reach market saturation on these things. I have two that I use regularly, and gave one to each of my kids and a couple of close friends. 800W isn’t spectacular (except you could run two on the same circuit breaker).
But that’s a lot of stuff for $50. And there’s that penny or two that you’re saving. Hmmm.
You sear afterwards so if you do so on a grill or in a grill pan you can add those grill marks.
As for energy use it depends on what you use it in. If you cook in a covered container it reduces energy use dramatically. Even more so if it’s insulated. Filling up from the hot tap means less energy is used getting the water bath up to temp.
If you just throw the bagged food in an uncovered pot it uses a lot more energy.
It depends on a lot of variables like size of container, cooking temp, water starting temp, food starting temp (more energy is needed if you’re cooking from frozen), etc, but you’re roughly looking at ~4kw for a 24 hour cook in a covered container. Double that if uncovered. Half that if insulated.
Starting with hot water and using a covered container you’re going to use less energy than a full size electric oven. But this doesn’t count the energy cost for the residential water heater getting the tap hot or whatever’s being used to sear the product before serving however.
@heartny@mcanavino So have you ever thought of how much energy you need when burning charcoal to get 6 minutes of cooking time to make a perfect steak? (rare is perfect)
@macromeh@mehcuda67@phendrick The garnish and seasonings may vary with the locale; not all herbal bath bombs started out as something used by people with good taste
@heartny@mcanavino Grill marks are not only overrated, they’re a sign of a backyard amateur (and likely an overcooked steak). With sous vide, the steak remains consistently cooked all the way through, and you then sear it in a very hot pan for 30-45 SECONDS per side before serving. Cooking time in a proper sous vide bath varies widely, depending on the size and starting temp of the meat, and how you want the texture. The water temperature controls the “doneness.” https://www.seriouseats.com/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak
If I finally wanted to dip my toes in sousvide cooking is this the way to do it? Disclaimer: I am using a metaphor. I will not be dipping my toes in the sousvide nor cooking them. Thanks in advance.
@umbrellacorp This looks like a decent deal, but all you really need to give it a shot is an ice chest and a thermometer. 800 watts is a bit on the low side, but that will mostly affect how quickly it warms up - not how long it takes to cook.
@umbrellacorp Not a metaphor. I believe you mean idiom. No worries. I just felt like picking nits. And someone else will come along to tell me I’m wrong anyway.
@Trinityscrew@umbrellacorp Not about dipping just the toes … I was wondering if I could use it to keep the bath warm once I’ve filled it with epsom salts and essential oils.
@chienfou@pmarin@Trinityscrew@umbrellacorp I have used my sousvide device to maintain the temperature of the sparge water when brewing beer. (Sparge water is used to rinse the extracted/converted sugars from the spent grain after mashing when brewing beer.)
My sous vide was definitely more expensive & I have a vacuum and all that jazz - but this is a good enough cooker & a good price for somebody to get started. It’s cheap enough to give to a friend or relative if you do upgrade one day. You don’t need anything special for the container that holds the water. Just sous vide your food for 2 - 5 hours, sear / grill (very hot) for like 30 seconds a side, then serve. It’s kinda like cheating, cooking meat with almost no effort lol - not to mention you always get it exactly how you want it (rare, med rare, medium, etc.).
The Amazon priced equivalent is not this 800W item, but the 1000W version. Still not a bad deal, but I’m really tired of the mis-information with prices.
@marc101 I’m not sure where you ended up, but this is the description copied & pasted from the Amazon page that the Meh link took me to, which specifies 800W. Also, the current Amazon price is a little higher than Meh quoted, at $139.99.
SOUSVIDE ART Precision Cooker Kit | 800W DELUXE Sous Vide Machine Immersion Cookers Circulator | 30 Vacuum Seal Bags, Vacuum Pump, Digital Timer, & Temperature Control | All In One Sous Vide Machines
@ircon96@marc101 Amazon often merges multiple products into one main page. This leads to a lot of confusion. There IS a 1000W model on the same page if you click the other kit option. And reviews will include all products together.
I remember looking up reviews for a Blu-Ray movie and seeing reviews about poor video quality on a VHS tape version!
@ircon96@marc101@pmarin fwiw it does involve more work on the user’s part, but they did add the specific configuration/option to each review so you can see that specifically. They also have a filter I believe so you can see reviews for only one specific option.
@ircon96@Kyeh@marc101@pmarin The merging of multiple products isn’t Amazon’s own doing it but the vendor/seller themselves that’s managing the listing. It makes sense when there are multiple variants of the same product but some are absolutely doing so for nefarious purposes like hiding crappy products along with good ones.
@ircon96@KevinS10@Kyeh@marc101@pmarin Now that much is true, yeah. It’s so sad too because I don’t even do a major charity that already gets plenty of donations. I do a local cat rescue of which, a surprising amount has been donated to because of me. I’ve been on the fence with Prime these days anyways, so I may just end that and move the money I was paying for it over to a monthly donation instead.
@draigun@KevinS10@Kyeh@marc101@pmarin I was pretty disgusted by their decision to end the Smile program, too, even more so by their disingenuous excuse that the intended impact was being diluted by the selection of so many different charities over the years. Well, to a small local charity (which i also have chosen to support), an organization that doesn’t rake in the billions that Amazon does, those small donations really do add up & make a difference. Shame on those greedy bastards!
@gertiestn yup. Any old bucket will do so they should have included a child’s beach bucket just to cute or at least an add on option. Missed opportunity
Product: Sousvide Art Deluxe Precision Cooker Kit
Model: B081B4SR7FUS
Condition: New
Create perfectly cooked meals with our superior precision-controlled Sous Vide immersion circulator that delivers incredibly tasty, juicy results without overcooking
All-in-one starter set includes everything you need
Stainless steel 800-watt Cooker with universal clamp to attach to any cookware
Includes 30 BPA-free reusable bags, vacuum seal pump, clips, clamps, and recipe book to inspire first-time Sous Vide beginners and culinary enthusiasts
With your SOUSVIDE ART Cooker, you have limitless cooking options - chicken, fish, vegetables, egg, meat, beef, lamb, pork, and much more
Our superior technology lets you lock in flavor, retain more nutrients, and create tender, restaurant-style dishes right from your kitchen
Our premium Sous Vide technology preserves more nutrients and vitamins in your foods with no additional oils or fats required for flavoring
Plus, Sous Vide cooking is the meal prepper’s ultimate dream for batch cooking delicious, nutritious food
Achieve chef-like results with half the effort and minimal monitoring with our precision-control technology that alerts you when your perfectly-cooked food is ready
Easily clean the pod and store your circulator in a drawer to keep your kitchen counter uncluttered
Looks like a decent starter set. I got a different from here years ago that’s still going strong and another fancier one elsewhere that’s also going strong, so just a pass for me this time.
Personally don’t love these types of vac seal bags but they’re good in a pinch and fine to start with if you don’t already have something
Side note if you want more of those rubber tipped metal clips they sell them at dollar tree as like a pack of 6 with the craft stuff, probably cheapest part of this all but I actually love using them.
I never grill steaks any more. Sous vide cooks my steak medium rare all the way through. Finish them on the grill or a cast iron grilling pan on my induction stove if it’s raining. I can cut it with a fork. I haven’t used hot water from the tap when I heat from frozen. I guess it would be OK from refrigeration. I have a plastic tank with a tight fitting lid I use. When finished, I up cycle the water by using it on the plants.
This was an absolute game changer for us. We buy a good whole fillet on sale, then cut it to our liking. Individually bagged in a Foodsaver, then frozen. Take it out, put into a water bath, then walk away for 3 hours. Voila!
@sylvandoc I upcycle my urine for the plants as well!
@ohhwell @sylvandoc My urine follows more of a downcycle flow.
@sylvandoc Sous vide plus a ripping hot cast iron pan plus a blowtorch (so I can sear both sides at once) makes the best steak I’ve ever cooked, and very close to the best steak I’ve ever had. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass, but it’s amazing.
@kostia @sylvandoc Do you do that outside to avoid filling the house with smoke and alarming smoke detectors? I once had someone show me true “blackened” on cast iron with a high-BTU burner outside. It was great. Also tried indoor with fans and windows open, but if you’re doing it right, I think you either need to be outside or have a serious extractor fan. (P.S. West Coast “blackened” is just salty seasoning on overcooked food – real Blackened you have to go to the Gulf Coast.)
@pmarin @sylvandoc Oh yes, one MUST do it outside. One MAY have tried it inside once, and one’s house MAY have filled with smoke with a quickness. One now has a propane burner out back.
@kostia @sylvandoc THAT’s what I’m talking 'bout!
EDIT 36,000 BTU or something like that.
@pmarin @sylvandoc I’m not this particular propane burner’s first owner, so I have no idea how many BTUs it is. We use them for blue crabs and for crawfish boil, and both of those use 25-gallon pots, so probably pretty damn hot.
I can state unequivocally this will not make a margarita- but what it does to a boneless chicken teat is almost as good, and there’s no hangover after 4 of 'em.
@alacrity are you sure? not even the meat sweats?
@umbrellacorp nah- chicken farts, yeah- but no meat sweats.
I’m starting to reach market saturation on these things. I have two that I use regularly, and gave one to each of my kids and a couple of close friends. 800W isn’t spectacular (except you could run two on the same circuit breaker).
But that’s a lot of stuff for $50. And there’s that penny or two that you’re saving. Hmmm.
It looks like this involves cooking. I’m out.
@heartny Less cooking and more of a lukewarm food bath.
@heartny @mcanavino Good point. After using these for a few years, I’m starting to get leery about taking long baths.
@heartny @mcanavino
Oh boy, you make it sound so appetizing.
@mcanavino It seems like this takes a long time to cook a steak and would use a lot of electricity. Also no grill marks.
@mehcuda67 Now your comment has me worried about hot tubs!
Are the effects cummulative?
@heartny @mcanavino
You sear afterwards so if you do so on a grill or in a grill pan you can add those grill marks.
As for energy use it depends on what you use it in. If you cook in a covered container it reduces energy use dramatically. Even more so if it’s insulated. Filling up from the hot tap means less energy is used getting the water bath up to temp.
If you just throw the bagged food in an uncovered pot it uses a lot more energy.
It depends on a lot of variables like size of container, cooking temp, water starting temp, food starting temp (more energy is needed if you’re cooking from frozen), etc, but you’re roughly looking at ~4kw for a 24 hour cook in a covered container. Double that if uncovered. Half that if insulated.
Starting with hot water and using a covered container you’re going to use less energy than a full size electric oven. But this doesn’t count the energy cost for the residential water heater getting the tap hot or whatever’s being used to sear the product before serving however.
@heartny @mcanavino @Narwalt That hot tap water still used energy to heat up.
Yeah, I know… nitpicking.
@heartny @mcanavino After warming up the steak to safe eating temperature, you’re supposed to sear this on a grill. This gives you the grill marks.
@heartny @mcanavino @Narwalt Good points, but how does energy usage compare with using a pressure cooker (or other cooking methods)?
@heartny @mcanavino So have you ever thought of how much energy you need when burning charcoal to get 6 minutes of cooking time to make a perfect steak? (rare is perfect)
@mehcuda67 @phendrick Don’t worry about hot tubs unless you notice chopped carrots, onions and celery floating in the water.
@macromeh @mehcuda67 @phendrick The garnish and seasonings may vary with the locale; not all herbal bath bombs started out as something used by people with good taste
@heartny @mcanavino Grill marks are not only overrated, they’re a sign of a backyard amateur (and likely an overcooked steak). With sous vide, the steak remains consistently cooked all the way through, and you then sear it in a very hot pan for 30-45 SECONDS per side before serving. Cooking time in a proper sous vide bath varies widely, depending on the size and starting temp of the meat, and how you want the texture. The water temperature controls the “doneness.”
https://www.seriouseats.com/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak
If I finally wanted to dip my toes in sousvide cooking is this the way to do it? Disclaimer: I am using a metaphor. I will not be dipping my toes in the sousvide nor cooking them. Thanks in advance.
@umbrellacorp This looks like a decent deal, but all you really need to give it a shot is an ice chest and a thermometer. 800 watts is a bit on the low side, but that will mostly affect how quickly it warms up - not how long it takes to cook.
@umbrellacorp Not a metaphor. I believe you mean idiom. No worries. I just felt like picking nits. And someone else will come along to tell me I’m wrong anyway.
@Trinityscrew @umbrellacorp Not about dipping just the toes … I was wondering if I could use it to keep the bath warm once I’ve filled it with epsom salts and essential oils.
@Trinityscrew my English teacher just messaged me to tell me how disappointed (again) she was.
@pmarin @Trinityscrew @umbrellacorp
probably wouldn’t keep up with the loss of heat from the surface area. Plus wouldn’t have any way to clamp it to the side
@chienfou @pmarin @Trinityscrew @umbrellacorp I have used my sousvide device to maintain the temperature of the sparge water when brewing beer. (Sparge water is used to rinse the extracted/converted sugars from the spent grain after mashing when brewing beer.)
My sous vide was definitely more expensive & I have a vacuum and all that jazz - but this is a good enough cooker & a good price for somebody to get started. It’s cheap enough to give to a friend or relative if you do upgrade one day. You don’t need anything special for the container that holds the water. Just sous vide your food for 2 - 5 hours, sear / grill (very hot) for like 30 seconds a side, then serve. It’s kinda like cheating, cooking meat with almost no effort lol - not to mention you always get it exactly how you want it (rare, med rare, medium, etc.).
The Amazon priced equivalent is not this 800W item, but the 1000W version. Still not a bad deal, but I’m really tired of the mis-information with prices.
@marc101 I’m not sure where you ended up, but this is the description copied & pasted from the Amazon page that the Meh link took me to, which specifies 800W. Also, the current Amazon price is a little higher than Meh quoted, at $139.99.
SOUSVIDE ART Precision Cooker Kit | 800W DELUXE Sous Vide Machine Immersion Cookers Circulator | 30 Vacuum Seal Bags, Vacuum Pump, Digital Timer, & Temperature Control | All In One Sous Vide Machines
@ircon96 @marc101 Amazon often merges multiple products into one main page. This leads to a lot of confusion. There IS a 1000W model on the same page if you click the other kit option. And reviews will include all products together.
I remember looking up reviews for a Blu-Ray movie and seeing reviews about poor video quality on a VHS tape version!
@ircon96 @marc101 @pmarin Amazon just keeps getting more annoying.
@ircon96 @marc101 @pmarin fwiw it does involve more work on the user’s part, but they did add the specific configuration/option to each review so you can see that specifically. They also have a filter I believe so you can see reviews for only one specific option.
@ircon96 @Kyeh @marc101 @pmarin The merging of multiple products isn’t Amazon’s own doing it but the vendor/seller themselves that’s managing the listing. It makes sense when there are multiple variants of the same product but some are absolutely doing so for nefarious purposes like hiding crappy products along with good ones.
@ircon96 @Kyeh @marc101 @pmarin Their killing Amazon Smile being a case in point.
@ircon96 @KevinS10 @Kyeh @marc101 @pmarin Now that much is true, yeah. It’s so sad too because I don’t even do a major charity that already gets plenty of donations. I do a local cat rescue of which, a surprising amount has been donated to because of me. I’ve been on the fence with Prime these days anyways, so I may just end that and move the money I was paying for it over to a monthly donation instead.
@draigun @KevinS10 @Kyeh @marc101 @pmarin I was pretty disgusted by their decision to end the Smile program, too, even more so by their disingenuous excuse that the intended impact was being diluted by the selection of so many different charities over the years. Well, to a small local charity (which i also have chosen to support), an organization that doesn’t rake in the billions that Amazon does, those small donations really do add up & make a difference. Shame on those greedy bastards!
Maybe margarita, but definitely:
@borisparsley No.
@borisparsley Dr. Pepper hot, with lemon - I remember this from 50 years ago. It was delish.
@borisparsley @rpstrong Really?!
@borisparsley @rpstrong love hot Dr Pepper!
At the end of the day, it’s still a ‘boil in a bag’ dinner.
/giphy angry-chef
Wish I didn’t already have two sous vide setups. I’d go for this in a heartbeat.
I dated Sue Vide in high school. She was hot!
@Trinityscrew I heard she was only lukewarm.
Unless you used the Aunt Jemima treatment.
/youtube stripes aunt jemima treatment
Cooking sousvide loca!
If I wanted “precision cooking” I’d use my sniper rifle with incendiary rounds against a slab of NY prime a few hundred yards out.
Oh, Meh. “All-in-one starter set includes everything you need.” Promises, promises.
@gertiestn yup. Any old bucket will do so they should have included a child’s beach bucket just to cute or at least an add on option. Missed opportunity
/showme sous vide cooker in impressionist style
Specs
Product: Sousvide Art Deluxe Precision Cooker Kit
Model: B081B4SR7FUS
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$134.99 at Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, May 18 - Monday, May 22
I like good looking food, but I don’t any good “art” here.
/giphy gaping-phony-osprey
/giphy crucial-opposite-willow
/buy
The one I got here years ago has a busted thermostat. I’m down to try again, and this one has the bags.
@DLPanther It worked! Your order number is: cut-shaky-truck
/image cut shaky truck
Looks like a decent starter set. I got a different from here years ago that’s still going strong and another fancier one elsewhere that’s also going strong, so just a pass for me this time.
Personally don’t love these types of vac seal bags but they’re good in a pinch and fine to start with if you don’t already have something
Side note if you want more of those rubber tipped metal clips they sell them at dollar tree as like a pack of 6 with the craft stuff, probably cheapest part of this all but I actually love using them.
/giphy dead-glossy-ass
/giphy nearsighted-lost-birch
/giphy scarlet-horrible-mimosa
Can you sous vide a cat?
@mexicantacos Yes but they have to be alive when you put them in the water.
@mexicantacos @yakkoTDI
Yes
Absolutely not!
@chienfou @mexicantacos @yakkoTDI
Can you sous vide a mexican taco?
@Kyeh @mexicantacos @yakkoTDI
If the bag is big enough and has enough room left over with the cat in it…
/eightball yes or no?
Without a doubt
Still seems to be an active sale as of 13:15 CST today (1/24/23)
Anyone get theirs yet? Seems like sitting in processing status a long time. Got a roast in the fridge I wanted to use this for.
@cking22001 mine is still processing as well.
@cking22001 @kzh Mine says shipped, so maybe they’re making progress…?
@cking22001 got mine today,