405 replies to this topic

[coz]

Peter, nice summary. I just got the Boxer 35 and I think it's great.

They started to offer a quick stop H2O sensor that shuts the vacuuming off when the contents start to boil. I was a little skeptical as to how effective it would work. I've used it now on several occasions and it works perfectly. I opted for the double seals instead of the cut off wire like you have.

I see that you run it for 5 seconds after you reach 99%. I haven't done that yet but maybe I'll try it.

Regards

Attached Images

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[delste]

Has anyone tried the MVS20 from polyscience? This unit has a very good german vaccum pump

[blackp]

This is what I also understood from the discussion of chamber machines in Modernist Cuisine. However, I thought -- perhaps wrongly -- that a chart like the one above linking %ages to -cmHg would allow me to seal the bag at the right moment, eliminating the boiling risk. True, I gotta be standing there to do that! But that should work as well, shouldn't it?

Yes this should work fine. And for other pressure sensitive items (like sausages) you can keep your eye on the vacuum meter and kill the vacuum at your desired percentage so the human operator can take the place of the vacuum sensor.

Whose your supplier? Apologies if I missed this.

My supplier is Foodtec who are the Australian distributors for Henkelman. I didn't think it'd be very useful to 99% of readers and they don't even list bags on their web site.

Uh oh... I feel another SV equipment purchase coming on....

At least this one is pretty cheap.

[blackp]

They started to offer a quick stop H2O sensor that shuts the vacuuming off when the contents start to boil.

Hmmm - I wonder if it is available as an upgrade? It sure sounds pretty useful.

Could this be the catalyst for more SV investment?

Don't tell the Missus!

[LoftyNotions]

Has anyone tried the MVS20 from polyscience? This unit has a very good german vaccum pump

My biggest concern with this device is the chamber size. The seal bar is only 8.5 inches wide, and the maximum height food you can put in the chamber is 3 inches. That really limits the size of what you can seal.

Also, be sure to read blackp's excellent post on chamber sealers in general.

Larry

[Todd in Chicago]

Can anyone who already has the 112 comment on it's ability to compress and infuse fruits (such as the infamous watermelon)? Or do we have to wait until Chris gets his? In reading these posts it seems for most here that is the biggest question.

:-)

Todd in Chicago

[Phaz]

Can anyone who already has the 112 comment on it's ability to compress and infuse fruits (such as the infamous watermelon)? Or do we have to wait until Chris gets his? In reading these posts it seems for most here that is the biggest question.

:-)

Todd in Chicago

Yeah, this has been asked a few times. I think several people are curious before they pull the trigger.

I'm curious with other stuff too, such as the curry apple in MC. In that recipe it says to hold the vacuum for 4-5 minutes (If I remember correctly). It seems like the 112 can only do a max of 1 minute. I'm not sure what "hold" means though. Like, if that means suck the air out for 4-5 minutes straight, or if it means to suck the air out, then keep the vacuum that is already there (but not create more) for 4-5 minutes. The 2nd option seems like it might be possible if you can delay things like that.

[coz]

I looked at the MVS 20 initially too. It is smaller but the other thing that I didn't like was that it was a timer based vacuum system as opposed to the sensor (% vac) based like the larger machines mvs26 and mvs31 etc.

[Msk]

I am loving this machine more every day (VP112). Still haven't been able to figure out if I can compress watermelon (or tomatoes for that matter). I'm having this issue where small foods move away from the sealer bar when trying to pull the full vacuum.

I have been going infusion crazy though (without even reading the MC chapter on it. I made Pickles that were amazing in it, and did Grapefruit Salmon Curing that got grapefruit zest flavor completely permeated through the salmon (it was delicious).

I also did a toasted marshmellow infusion that was insane.

Mike

[Chris Amirault]

More details, please, on all things! And what do you mean by "move away from the sealer bar"?

[Msk]

I have been crazy busy as of late so I get 10 mins here and 15 mins there to test with it, so here are some observations.

I have never used a chamber sealer before so there is some learning curve I am findung.

When you put something in a bag, and, put the open flap over the sealer bar, there is nothing that physically holds it there.. So as the pump sucks air out of the chamber, the bag tends to drift toward the pump and away from the sealer bar (assuming light items). The lighter the food in question (i.e. tomatoes and watermelon), the more they "walk". It only becomes an issue if it walks far enough to pull the bag opening across the sealer bar so it will not seal.

Its really not a big deal just something I never considered. Easily rectified with a weight blocking the movement.

It made delicious Pickles in 18 hrs, that to me tasted like they could have been going for days/weeks and still crunchy.

Toasted Marshmellow Infusion - Toast 3 Marshmellows, add to bag with 1/2 cup milk (I used skim) Vac and leave overnight in fridge. Use as a base for whip cream, custard, or give to your 6 year old who will eagerly devour it in 3 seconds. I was curious if you would get the nuances of flavors and you definetley do.

Last night I threw some Milk and sliced Jalapenos and Poblanos into a bag and vacced. Ill be interested in how it works.

Mike

Edited by Msk, 21 March 2011 - 07:30 AM.

[edsel]

...
When you put something in a bag, and, put the open flap over the sealer bar, there is nothing that physically holds it there.. So as the pump sucks air out of the chamber, the bag tends to drift toward the pump and away from the sealer bar (assuming light items). The lighter the food in question (i.e. tomatoes and watermelon), the more they "walk". It only becomes an issue if it walks far enough to pull the bag opening across the sealer bar so it will not seal.

Its really not a big deal just something I never considered. Easily rectified with a weight blocking the movement.
...

My SVP-10 does that too. It has a fairly deep well which is curved. They supplied a bunch of heavy plastic inserts so you can adjust the depth. These can be tilted a bit to keep liquids from draining out, but then you get the bag-creep effect you described.

I just put a dish towel behind the bag to keep it in place. Seems to work pretty well.

[Chris Amirault]

Can you put a clip in there to hold it?

From the looks of my tracking information, I may be able to answer this tomorrow!

[Msk]

Im sure you could do that, but I would not want to prevent any air evacuation from the bag depending on where you put the clip. Just clip one side of the bag lip.

It does not seem to be a major impediment. The dish towel is a good idea. It has just prevented the one opportunity from trying to compress watermelon from being successful.

Being able to bag liquids is a blast!

[Chris Amirault]

Being able to bag liquids is a blast!

I have literally been fantasizing about this several times an hour.

[Msk]

Compressed WatermelonVideo

I like the idea of adding watermelon puree to intensify the flavor.



Mike

[blackp]

For those with problems about bag creep - do your machines have an adjustment which allows the gap between the sealing bar and the pressure bar (inside the lid) to be altered?

If so make it snug, but not tight and it will exert enough pressure to hold the bag in place without it moving around.

Cheers,

Peter.

[Todd in Chicago]

Darned you Chris and lstrelau! Darned you!

I couldn't wait for the answers and made a few calls for the VP112 but of course, was not very successful - until I called Conrad. He had two units left and was willing to provide the same price to me as he did to Chris. Now he only has one unit left! LOL!! <big grin on face>.

My wife allowed me to make the purchase based on the condition that I remove the Ronco Rotisserie "Set it and forget it" oven - I didn't see a problem with that so I should have my VP112 by Monday at the latest.

I told him about the great things folks were writing about his service on this forum and he was asking about SousVide in general and was thinking he may need to get one to see what the fuss is about. Cool! He said he saw a surge for these a few years ago (chamber vac) and now another surge. I let him know about the "Modernist Cuisine" which he had said he had heard of....."You mean the "tome"?" LOL...yes. Anyway, I'm sure the VP112 will work perfect for me, and even better if it can do some of the compression being talked about. Unfortunately the VP210 would most likely not make it past the "chosen one"'s decision making for what can/cannot be allowed in the kitchen. ;-)

Can't wait!

Todd in Chicago

[Chris Amirault]

The VP112 here, and it's pretty amazing. A few notes.

• I think that it's pulling at least a 98% vacuum if you run it at 60 seconds, the maximum. I definitely was able to get both room temp stock and alcohol to boil in less than 60 seconds, which means that it's over 97.4%.
• Just to annoy me, they have replaced the dial that is in the online user's manual listing cm Hg to bar.
• The answer to the watermelon compression question is "half-way." They definitely compressed, but this machine isn't going to be making watermelon meat.
• At first I was folding the bag over the sealing bar, tucking it into the space between the bar and the chamber. That's a no-no: it blocks the release of air from the bag. Just lay the bag over the bar and it's fine.
• The sealing bar isn't screwed in; it just sits on its posts. If the bar is jarred, it can sit unevenly, causing the sealing action to fail.
• This thing seals liquids gloriously. I come to bury FoodSaver, not to praise it.
• Watermelon cubes infused with Negroni are fine, fine things.

About to seal a few dozen other things.

[Phaz]

The VP112 here, and it's pretty amazing. A few notes.

• I think that it's pulling at least a 98% vacuum if you run it at 60 seconds, the maximum. I definitely was able to get both room temp stock and alcohol to boil in less than 60 seconds, which means that it's over 97.4%.
• Just to annoy me, they have replaced the dial that is in the online user's manual listing cm Hg to bar.
• The answer to the watermelon compression question is "half-way." They definitely compressed, but this machine isn't going to be making watermelon meat.
• At first I was folding the bag over the sealing bar, tucking it into the space between the bar and the chamber. That's a no-no: it blocks the release of air from the bag. Just lay the bag over the bar and it's fine.
• The sealing bar isn't screwed in; it just sits on its posts. If the bar is jarred, it can sit unevenly, causing the sealing action to fail.
• This thing seals liquids gloriously. I come to bury FoodSaver, not to praise it.
• Watermelon cubes infused with Negroni are fine, fine things.

About to seal a few dozen other things.

Thanks for the update!

Overall do you see any limitations of this or things you won't be able to do (that you are aware of obviously)?

I wonder if doing thing like adding bricks to the chamber (to lessen the amount of air you are starting with) does much.

[Chris Amirault]

The owners manual suggests adding as many of the plates -- plastic slabs that adjust the height in the chamber -- for that purpose.

One additional note: if the vacuum is pulling slowly at first, you can press down on the cover and it kicks right in pdq. For max vacuum, you could do that from moment one.

[lstrelau]

Sorry Phaz - didn't mean to push your budget - good thing your wife is understanding - I am sort of in the same boat, if something new comes in something old is supposed to leave (but I keep finding new spots to put things so the atttition is not as successful as my partner would like. Just comandeered a new bookcase for the eventual arrival of MC.

Finally had a chance to buy a little watermelon - tried 4 bags, one each with:
white wine
tequila with a touch of salt and some ground chili
orange juice
syrup left over from preserved meyer lemons

They all look quite dense, definitely took on deeper colour.

But won't have time to taste them til tomorrow so hopefully that won't take too long.

The mangoes I compressed with lime juice the other day were very nice though.

Chris, my unit still has the cm/H rather than Bar's. Wonder why/when they change that?
I would say I reach a max of 64 cm/H by maybe 30 seconds but kept it going for 60, the liquid boils starting at about 25 seconds or so into the game.

Haven't had any problem with the bags sealing even when I tuck the end of the bag between the seal bar and the front edge of the chamber but then I don't stick it really far down I guess.

Have some duck legs curing in salt and spices now ready to cook SV on Friday morning for Friday night.

[KennethT]

Still in process of designing/rigging Ghetto Vac 5000.... coming soon.... hopefully!

[IndyRob]

Still in process of designing/rigging Ghetto Vac 5000.... coming soon.... hopefully!

Looking forward to it. I had occasion to drag out the ShopVac the other day. When I turned it on I was impressed by the power of the vacuum. Of course, this immediately made me ponder the ways in which it might be employed in the culinary arts.

Today I discovered GLAD Press'n Seal plastic wrap. I'm pretty sure a marriage is possible here, but a preliminary FoodSaver powered test revealed that some development of technique will be required.

[Todd in Chicago]

Wooohooo! My VP112 should arrive on Tuesday if all goes well. Conrad over at Homestead Harvest was great!

Does anyone know if the VP112 can make a second or even third seal on the bag? I mean, I know it can but without re-vacuuming? I've gotten into this strange habit of double/triple sealing things.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[Chris Amirault]

Good question. I think that you can set the vacuum to 0 and it'll just seal, yes? I'll try it now.

ETA: Nope: 5 sec minimum. But, hey, that'd be ok, right?

[Todd in Chicago]

Thanks Chris....yeah that should be fine. I think the reason why I got into the "multiple seals" deal anyway was because I was worried about a small drop of liquid making a "loose seal" on my vacuum sealer. With the VP112, so long as care is taken to NOT get liquid on the seal area while putting the items in the bag, I should be golden! Thanks again....

Todd in Chicago

[blackp]

I don't know anything about the machines you have but using the kind of bags common to chamber machines sealing is not a problem. Foodsaver type bags are temperamental and don't seal well if there is any food residue, but the non-channel type bags are much more forgiving. As I mentioned up-thread, my machine has one seal element and one cut-off element and I have never had a seal fail in 6 or 7 years.

Give your machine a go without double sealing - bag some rags if you don't want to risk some food, but I'm sure that the good sealing is as a result of the bag type, not the machine.

Cheers,

Peter.

[Chris Amirault]

What Peter said appears true for me as well. I regularly double-sealed stuff with my FS machine and haven't felt the need to do it so far this time around. There's a flank steak about to hit 48 hours in the SV Supreme and it's doing just fine.

[bmdaniel]

Chris -

Would be interested to hear your impressions on the size of the unit - is it big enough to do most anything you would want?