• The development of any software program, including, but not limited to, training a machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) system, is prohibited using the contents and materials on this website.

Sous Vide

It's here! :woot:

Chicken breast is cooking as we speak! :D

I still need a vacuum packer, which was too big for her to bring in the luggage and costs aroudn USD150 here. :blink:

The melons look damn appealing.
 
Just made the best cheeseburguer EVER.

:drool:

IMG_20150328_214644700.jpg
 
Today I learned that if steam hits my Anova, it goes crazy, like if someone was frantically pushing the bluetooth button.
Also, the Android app is out. :)
 
you have a sousvide that...
A) can't handle steam?
B) has bluetooth????
 
bone said:
you have a sousvide that...
A) can't handle steam?
B) has bluetooth????
Click to expand...

yeah, especially with the design of that thing, this has to be a rather serious issue, right?
except maybe... sous vide temperatures should be below boiling anyway, so maybe it shouldn't be after all...
that thing looks like a very convenient entry to sous vide cooking... the bluetooth is just a gimmick i guess (recipe database etc), or do you actually always have to set it with your phone?
 
bone said:
you have a sousvide that...
A) can't handle steam?
B) has bluetooth????
Click to expand...


eizbaer said:
yeah, especially with the design of that thing, this has to be a rather serious issue, right?
except maybe... sous vide temperatures should be below boiling anyway, so maybe it shouldn't be after all...
that thing looks like a very convenient entry to sous vide cooking... the bluetooth is just a gimmick i guess (recipe database etc), or do you actually always have to set it with your phone?
Click to expand...

To be fair to the Anova, it is a very entry level device, and it for the price it's fantastic, apart from its flaws. I've had it for months and only ran into this problem because I was using 82?C. When setting it to around 60?C, which is the common range of use, that is absolutely NOT an issue. Also, covering the pot with plastic wrap fixes the issue and makes the temperature more stable while minimizing water loss, so it's not THAT big of an issue.
As for the bluetooth, it is more useful that it looks.
The app has recipes, which make it much easier to setup, since you just hit "play" and temperature and time are already right for that recipe, but it also fixes two silly flaws (in my opinion) this particular circulator has.

First: when you turn it on, the timer does not take into consideration the time needed to reach the desired temperature. If you set it up using bluetooth, it actually waits until the temperature is right, sends you a notification and THEN starts the timer.

Second: When you turn it on, you need to press and hold the start button to enable the timer, but doing so changes from ?F to ?C and vice-versa, which means I have to change it back to ?C EVERY SINGLE TIME. With bluetooth that is a non-issue, because the interface is much MUCH more friendly and I just input the desired temperature/time and hit play. :)
 
 
Sous vide in a steam oven? Interesting...
 
You can do 'sous vide' in a very low, regular oven. It just takes longer than when covered in water. I believe this is because water is a better heat conductor?
 
I would expect the water bath to be more stable too.
 
Yeahhh sooo, I now have an Anova around here, too. Any suggestions what to go for first? :D
 
eizbaer said:
Yeahhh sooo, I now have an Anova around here, too. Any suggestions what to go for first? :D
Click to expand...
:thumbsup:

Steak is generally the one people go for, since it's the simplest. If you want a quick result, hamburguers take 30 minutes. Chicken breast is also quick and easy.
If you want something more involved, I once tried sweet coconut rice, and it took 12 hours. :lol: It was worth it. :mrgreen:
 
Haha, so both ends of the spectrum right there :D
Will be getting my hair cut in half an hour and try to get some inspiration, then go buy all the stuff on my way home. Maybe I can come up with something cool.
 
Well, that was the idea: give you two extreme examples :lol:
 
I went with some salmon... because that seemed utterly ridiculous: 30 min @ 40?C. That somehow feels wrong, because that's basically bathwater! Turned out rather amazing, though, I have to say :) (put some spinach with it)
 
Personally, I rather sear steaks in the pan because I also like all the pan juices you get. However, sous vide is without a shadow of a doubt absolutely brilliant for poultry. If you want the most badass chicken or turkey breasts, brine them in a 7% salt solution for a couple of hours (I typically also add 3% sugar and various spices). Then bag them up with duck fat or butter. 1 hour at 60c is good for chicken. I usually leave turkey at 59c for 2-3 hours. The latter is my now go-to recipe for Christmas turkey.
 
eizbaer said:
I went with some salmon... because that seemed utterly ridiculous: 30 min @ 40?C. That somehow feels wrong, because that's basically bathwater! Turned out rather amazing, though, I have to say :) (put some spinach with it)
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

ahpadt said:
Personally, I rather sear steaks in the pan because I also like all the pan juices you get. However, sous vide is without a shadow of a doubt absolutely brilliant for poultry. If you want the most badass chicken or turkey breasts, brine them in a 7% salt solution for a couple of hours (I typically also add 3% sugar and various spices). Then bag them up with duck fat or butter. 1 hour at 60c is good for chicken. I usually leave turkey at 59c for 2-3 hours. The latter is my now go-to recipe for Christmas turkey.
Click to expand...

I like to use the torch for practical reasons, but a pan is great if you wanna get the juices and make some kind of sauce with it.
I am thinking of buying a Searzall, to be honest.
 
Forgot to put this in:

To show as evidence to my success with sous vide and poultry; had dinner at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal several months ago with my family. My sister ordered the chicken. While eating it, she said "It's very similar to what you make for Christmas" ^_^ I tried a piece and did indeed agree.
 
Last edited:
I'll try my hand at some chicken breast this coming week, then :)

Quick question: how much effort do you put into the whole bagging process? with my piece of salmon today I simply stuffed it into the bag, dumped it into the water to force most of the air out, and then just closed the whole thing down by clamping it to the pot. there were still some rather small pockets of air in there (think pea-sized in volume), but that doesn't seem to have hurt in any way in this case. Should I be taking as much care as I can or am I ok with sticking to "that'll do"? :p
 
Well, a friend has the same exact Anova that I do and I can't see a difference in the results between his vacuum sealed bags and mine, in which I used water displacement, like you did. Granted, the vacuum sealer is a much easier method and if you want to do something in the higher end of the temperature spectrum, you better seal the food first instead of trying to seal it in a pot with 60-70?C. Ask me how I know. :lol:
Also, sometimes my bags float, depending how much air I manage to squeeze out, while that is not an issue with the vacuum sealer. I sometimes also clamp them to the side, but I rotate it mid-cook, because I noticed the meat wasn't quite the same color on the side facing outside, seemingly because water was getting trapped between the bag and the pot wall, so keep that in mind and if possible, find a way to have water circulate around it as much as possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top