Thread: Sous Vide Cooking

Originally Posted by JBHoren

When you want to first "dip your toe", before going all-in...

Interesting method of toe dipping there.



I suppose it is a good way to keep your wiener safe.

Sounds like an awful lot of work just to boil an egg...

Hmmm.... Glen, this may be more up your alley:

From Wikipedia again:

It is possible to duplicate some effects of sous-vide techniques [17] through the use of a beer cooler filled with warm water, checked with an accurate thermometer, and ziploc bags with the air removed to package the food for cooking. However, the heat loss involved in this technique makes it unfeasible for long-term (4+ hours) cooking.

So I'll bring the beer cooler, you supply the eggs and the warm water. I'll drink the cold beer and try not to laugh out loud...... too much.

Regards,

Kaptain "All this to make "egg bites" like Starbucks?" Zero [Insert sound of eyes rolling here] [OK, add the sound of a snicker here for good measure]

Originally Posted by JBHoren

When you want to first "dip your toe", before going all-in...

Looks like someone is boiling their sausages in condoms. Interesting.

These guys have the recipe for Starbucks style eggs: https://anovaculinary.com/easy-homem...ide-egg-bites/
I have seen their cooker for 119 USD at Amazon. I bet that is very modest compared to what you spend on razors and hones, a great price to keep the missus happy and stop her from buying from your enemy.

I somehow missed this thread. Yes, I cook sous vide frequently. While it is a very versitile form of cooking, there are a lot of do's and don'ts. If you are interested in getting started, I suggest getting an Anova circulator. The price/quality ratio is very high and the unit is versatile in that it can be attached to a lot of different vessels. You'll also need a vacuum sealer to package your items before you put them in the water bath. Sous Vide is a constant balance of time and temperature. In many instances we consider food cooked when it hits a certain temperature. Easy enough. But food is considered "cooked" when certain things happen. When your eggs are no longer runny, you might consider them cooked. When a tough cut of meat is finally tender, its cooked. When your steak is perfectly medium rare, its cooked. But your chicken is cooked when its well done BUT still juicy because we need to ensure that its safe to eat. Without sous vide, these too are matters of time and temperature. The chicken is cooked when it reaches 160-165 since bacteria dies immediately at 165. The steak is done when it hits approximately 125 degrees. And the tough cut is done when it has been cooked long enough to tenderize it. This is all typical for normal cooking. Its also true for sous vide with an exception. You have control to tenderize that tough cut and still keep it pink inside. Why? Because you can control the time and temperature. When its done, its still pink, tender, and juicy. But it may take you 72 hours to get there. Your chicken can be cooked just below 150. Why? Because at 150 degrees the proteins in the meat begin to fully tighten and force juices out. But because you can hold it at that temperature for a longer period you can kill the bacteria that would otherwise be a concern. Its just that harmful bacteria dies at lower temperatures too but it takes longer to do it. But you can't hold your chicken at 148 consistently with traditional cooking. With sous vide you can. But because you are playing this high wire act with temperature and time, you have to be aware of lower temperatures because you are holding your food right smack dab in the middle of the danger zone. So you need to limit the size of the item going in such that it does not hang in that danger zone too long. No 72 hours at 125. So read up on it because it has great potential but it can also be a bacteria death trap if you don't pay attention to what you are doing. Here are a few pro's and con's of sous vide.

Pros -

Consistency. You can get a perfect result every single time. You can cook with an expensive cut with confidence.
Flavor. Because food is trapped in a vacuum bag, flavor does not escape. Vegetables cooked sous vide taste more vibrant.
Flexibility. You can't over cook in sous vide. If you want med rare you will only get med rare. If your guest is running late, you won't overcook the food.
Originality. You can do things with sous vide that would otherwise be impossible. You can tenderize AND keep that item juicy and med in doneness.


Cons

Time. Much of the sous vide process takes additional time to accomplish. Its not a fast cooking method.
Equipment. It requires more equipment that you may or may not have.
Possibly dangerous. If you don't keep time and temperature in mind, you can create a bag of death.

The military has been cooking via "Sous Vide" for years. It's just called UGR's.

There's bound to be a "survivalist" type compound somewhere up there in your neck of the woods Glen. Stop by their compound (real nice like and make sure you announce your presence) and ask if they have a "breakfast" UGR you can get from them (be sure it's the breakfast...it has those awesome scrambled eggs). I'd send you one, but I haven't been in the field in a while.

Spent 3 months in Africa with nothing but UGR breakfast in the morning, then rice sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Sous Vide in the Jungle BABY!

I don't know if anyone is still following this thread. But here is a good intro to Sous Vide.

https://anovaculinary.com/what-is-sous-vide/

This was some venison I did Sous Vide late last year. Very lean meats like venison can overcook in a flash. But with Sous Vide its not a problem.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/plate...ml#post1681640