Anyone playing around with Sous-Vide during #lockdownamerica?

[jetcone]

I was gifted  a machine last month and that night we made the best carrots Ive ever eaten. Since then I cant get close and neither can my friend, who gifted me, with the same machine.  We are a bit baffled. I splurged on a Fissler Sous-A-Matic and tried again last nite with the carrots. I have to say honestly--- YUCK! They were crunchy and not very tasty. 

 

The first time around we did 185/1hour , the next two times I tried 1) 187/1hour and 2) 187/ 1:45. Still crunchy! Hell I could do these in my pressure cooker in under 10 minutes!! 

 

It is hard to evacuate all the air and air acts as an insulation. They have vacanators for that but I want to be sure this is something to pursue before anymore $$ goes into it.  You have to get the goods under the water and they have to stay there, last nite I added 7 spoons to sink them. And then the bags are a mess to clean up. 7 spoon carrots - disaster.

 

Would love to hear your war stories and successes. 

 

[foraloysius]

No sous vide for me, I don't like cooking food in plastic. The only use I see is pasteurizing eggs etc. Pressure cookers are way better for cooking. Unfortunately I made the mistake to buy a Bosch Autocook Pro, it doesn't do what I want but it wants me to do things the way the machine is designed...

 

[kb0nes]

Jon,

I have that same Anova "aquarium heater" that I bought a few years back. I have only used it on proteins myself (fish, chicken and pork). I had no issues with encapsulating the food in zip lock bags with the water displacement method. I suppose a bag full of carrots has a lot more voids than a chicken breast though.

I buy the chicken or fish and clean and season it then bag and freeze. It goes straight from the freezer into the bath. I finish on the grill or broiler to brown it a bit.

It is a bit fiddly with extra hassle but you just don't worry about thawing or overcooking and it only takes a couple minutes to finish.

 

[toploader55]

Be careful those towels covering the pot...

The Manual specifically states "Do Not dry Clothes on Range".

LOL

There is just something about Sous Vide that just doesn't sit quite right with me personally. I am with Louis about cooking in Plastic.

And it's just the idea of sitting in tepid water that makes me shkeeve. Bacteria growth... Yes, I know all the details of Sous Vide cooking, but just being a food handler for 48 + years it just goes against the grain of what I have been doing for years.

And even in my last re certification for ServSafe class, they do go over proper time and temperature for Sous Vide Cooking.

 

[whatsername]

I made a bunch of 1 and 2 serving meals a few weeks ago and froze them, which turned out to be a great stroke of luck during social distancing. I've had repeated success with chicken breast and rump roast using an Anova wand.

It's a convenience thing for me as there is no prep. Most foods only need to be finished on the grill or skillet for a few minutes so there is little cleanup. I have been eyeing reusable silicone bags with a hand pump on amazon so I don't have to use as much plastic. My next attempt is going to be sous vide eggs in mason jars. (I work from home so a healthy breakfast is always a struggle.)

A few notes on your setup: I think your container may not be big enough. Are you sure there is enough room for the water to circulate around all sides of the food several times a minute? I only put one small bag in when using the instant pot as my container and for anything larger/more than one bag, I use a 12 quart container with a hinged lid.

For foods I suspect are drier than I intend, I add a bit of olive oil to the bag, it seems to really help everything get moving.

Lastly, while I've used ziploc bags, even when I'm sure all the air is removed, the food takes much longer to cook. When I use food saver bags with the vacuum sealer I've never had this issue.

Dislikes: big container of water sitting around all the time. I'm coming around on it though because in Colorado we appreciate the extra humidity.

 

[jetcone]

ALL interesting points

Thank you for the input everyone. I am looking at those vacuum pumps, I think all the food really needs direct contact. 

 

 

[perc-o-prince]

From the little I've looked into sous-vide, that pot looks over-crowded.

 

I love my Tilia Food Saver! It's also good for sous-vide I'm told.

 

A guy I know says his best rib-eyes are vac-sealed, sous-vide then flash grilled in a cast iron pan. I have yet to try this, but sounds good!

 

Experimentation time, Dr. Frankenstein!!

 

Chuck