NWR: Sous Vide

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Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
I've read aficionados elsewhere write about using equipment that spans the gamut from specialized set-ups to water in a Dutch oven at a constant oven temperature. Jay has posted a couple of times here about his sous vide achievements; I wonder if anyone else in the community is using this technique and how it's working out.
 
I haven't tried it yet. I've read online about gerryrigging your own using a crock pot and a temperature controller like this

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www.amazon.com

and with a circulation pump that is sold on eBay.

I saved the links on one my browsers somewhere, I can post them if you are interested.
 
I loved the Sous Vide Supreme until I broke it. While I was looking to replace it I found out about the Kickstarter campaign fo the Sansaire, after much waiting it's shipped and I expect it to arrive on Thursday.

Meanwhile I'm hearing great things about the Anova. If I knew about that before the Sansaire I would have spared myself the wait.

I find it most impressive for chicken and eggs but it also makes a perfectly cooked steak trivial to prepare.
 
I've been thinking about trying the Anova, as it seems to be the best of the new, less expensive models, but I keep wrestling with the issue that, in the overall scheme of things, I just don't like the texture of meat cooked sous vide all that much and it's tough to serve it hot. I'd mostly use it for those soft poached eggs and vegetables and do I really need it if I'm just going to use it for that?
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
NWR: Sous VideI've read aficionados elsewhere write about using equipment that spans the gamut from specialized set-ups to water in a Dutch oven at a constant oven temperature. Jay has posted a couple of times here about his sous vide achievements; I wonder if anyone else in the community is using this technique and how it's working out.
Click to expand...
Serioueats has a 3 way comparison of circulators that start at $200. Even cuisinetechnology has a $299 model.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:

Meanwhile I'm hearing great things about the Anova. If I knew about that before the Sansaire I would have spared myself the wait.
Click to expand...
Oh that looks interesting. How's it work, you just stick it in a stockpot and it turns it into a sous-vide circulator?
I'm kind of with Brad though in that the number of things I'd want to use this for is pretty limited (eggs, maybe fish) so I'm definitely not shelling out $400+ (and valuable cabinet space) for the Sous Vide Supreme. But this looks interesting.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
originally posted by Jay Miller:

Meanwhile I'm hearing great things about the Anova. If I knew about that before the Sansaire I would have spared myself the wait.
Click to expand...
Oh that looks interesting. How's it work, you just stick it in a stockpot and it turns it into a sous-vide circulator?
I'm kind of with Brad though in that the number of things I'd want to use this for is pretty limited (eggs, maybe fish) so I'm definitely not shelling out $400+ (and valuable cabinet space) for the Sous Vide Supreme. But this looks interesting.
Click to expand...
The circulators are superior technology that probably render the Sous Vide Supreme obsolete.
 
Does anyone have a sense how important the 'vide' part is? Easy enough to get the air out of a ziploc, but is the vacuum an important element at all?

Otherwise, you can maintain temperature in a sink or a big pot easily enough by adding hot water and stirring a bit, if your temperature tolerance is broad enough.
 
From what I understand -- I am another one eyeing the Anova -- the vide part is necessary only inasmuch as it allows the food to be in contact with the water.

But your point about the water is not well-taken: Perhaps it was the review above, but somewhere I read that swings of a few degrees will change the temperature texture (and possibly the safety) of the food. Certainly, this is true in chocolate (it will un-temper if you let the temp rise, say, 10* more than is good for it).

Edited to fix wrong word.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
From what I understand -- I am another one eyeing the Anova -- the vide part is necessary only inasmuch as it allows the food to be in contact with the water.

But your point about the water is not well-taken: Perhaps it was the review above, but somewhere I read that swings of a few degrees will change the temperature (and possibly the safety) of the food. Certainly, this is true in chocolate (it will un-temper if you let the temp rise, say, 10* more than is good for it).
Click to expand...

Additionally, keeping the water constant lets you set it and forget it, so to speak. Toss your whatever in before you go to work and you don't have to worry about it overcooking all day. You'd just have to worry a little about evaporation.
 
A friend made one out of a large rice-cooker and thermostat. Having played extensively with it, I find that it's very little use for the items which I find hardest to prepare properly - whole birds (from pigeon to grouse), bone-in beef and lamb, all manner of seafood. I like it for eggs and custards (get it to just before it sets, then finish normally), but find that I still prefer lower-tech methods (e.g. thermometer and timer).

Not all the air has to be evacuated; you don't want to compress the items too much.

Safety is a concern for me, because many of the meats stay at a pathogen-friendly temperature for long enough to be worrisome. Some restaurants I work with use it to par-cook many of their meats, and I can see how undesirable populations could multiply in such an environment.

I've yet to find a really, really good steak which was sous-vide then finished on the grill. It just doesn't have that gradation of texture which I seek.
 
Firstly the reviews say that the Anova and sansaire are virtually equivalent in quality with minor advantages to one or the other.

Keith - yes, though if you're doing something really long you'll probably want to cover it to reduce evaporation

Convenience is a big thing. Perfect soft eggs of desired degree of doneness without fussing. I really like the satiny texture it gives chicken.

Potential issues with not all air being evacuated are

1) more important - that there is enough air that the package will float to the top and therefore not all the food wil be exposed to the constant heat

2) the section of food next to the air pocket won't have the same adjacency to the water. I don't know if this makes any real difference or not

Btw, be careful with fish. It is very easy to overlook it in the sious vide at which point it becomes mushy.
 
Whole birds are no good cooked sous vide:

From CuisineTechnology:
"What should not be cooked Sous Vide?
Whole chicken, duck or game hen in one piece. The issue with that for any method is that white and dark meats require different cooking times. For Sous Vide specifically a whole bird cannot be vacuum sealed without remaining a cavity, resulting in uneven cooking. We recommend breaking down the parts and cooking the legs and thighs separate from breasts.
Green vegetables, such as green asparagus, broccoli and spinach. Based on our experience and the feedback of the best chefs in the world, green vegetables don’t benefit from longer and low temperature cooking times. Traditional methods like blanching or sautéing achieve much better results."

I think the hip (modernist) way to cook whole birds is with a CVAP or combiove. Typically it's an expensive piece of equipment but it looks like some table top consumer versions are coming out. There's one from Cuisinart for $300.

I like steaks done in a low oven and then seared. Brooklynguy brought the method to my intention.
 
I mostly would rather not have the uniformity of texture that you get with sous vide. I am still young and healthy enough that I don't mind chewing my food.

Yixin, if you are keeping meat at pathogen-friendly temps for a while, you need some new recipes. Scare me to death.
 
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