RDaneel

Well, e_monster, I'm putting this to the test! ;-) I have about six pounds of pretty nice looking boneless beef short ribs in the bath at 132F, going to give them 48 hours, then chill and reheat for an hour to bring up to temp for torching and serving. That will free up the circulator to do a Keller dessert recipe from his PolyScience book. As I understand it, I'll be long past the point of pasteurization at this point, so cook-chill-hold is totally ok, and it will really simplify my prep when guests are there. I'm hoping to be posting my own "I just tried SV short ribs and was blown away" story next week!

e_monster - thanks so much for the skirt steak suggestion. I did a 1 lb. skirt, cut into three segments and trimmed, in a freezer Ziploc with a bit over a 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke and 2 tb of 6% brine. 24 hours at 132 in the PolyScience SV Pro and then Iwatani torched briefly. The texture was amazing, practically fork tender. The torch did a nice job on the small amount of remaining fat and very small bits of membrane/connective tissue that I couldn't remove with a knife. Lo temp worked as advertised - the steak was barely more than one centimeter thick, but only a millimeter or so was browned, the rest was all perfectly done. A happy success for my first red meat experiment. Next time, I think I'd try it without liquid smoke, or with more liquid smoke - I couldn't decide if the faint essence of smoke was something I liked or not. Maybe I just didn't prefer this intensity level. I don't know what size a "cap" is on your bottle, so I just guesstimated. The related question is this - with nice skirt steak running $13/lb. at the nice grocer near me (I haven't shopped the cheaper stores for it yet, it's not a cut I normally buy), what are the $5/lb. cuts that work well SV? That skirt was barely cheaper than ribeye! I will try boneless short ribs as soon as I find some (or get to Costo), but will london broil, chuck roast, etc. work, or will the intramuscular fat and connective tissue that doesn't melt ruin the final texture?

e-monster, this doesn't surprise me. I think when Doug has used the wash (at least in his YouTube video), he is doing it with a skinless chicken breast. I imagine that works better, and is probably what I'll try...

I don't recall who asked about the new PolyScience, but I picked mine up on Friday and can share some initial thoughts. First, the unit seems very well built, securely packaged, and "high end." It appears aimed at the enthusiast rather than the restaurant purchaser (fancy full-color box, Chef Keller's booklet, etc.), though I could see many pros using it. Second, it appears to work just as advertised. It is very simple to set up and control, with really only a couple options. The large LCD readout is very nice, but really indicates only the set temp and actual bath temp. No Twitter feed, RSS headlines, etc. ;-) Third, it is very compact and easy to store. It stands on its own because of the shroud, so you can just put in in a cabinet and it uses only about 9 square inches of space. Very nice. So far, I've done only chicken (twice), but am looking forward to trying beef and duck soon. To anyone considering this unit, I recommend it. The included instructions are minimal, and the "how to" DVD is a joke (it tells you how to turn it on, that's about it), but no one buying this tool is hearing about SV cooking for the first time. Doug Baldwin's youtube videos and book, and this thread, are plenty of education in terms of the basics. I think the SVS folks were right to have Doug do the book, it's a far better and more comprehensive "user guide" than the manufacturer is ever going to write on their own. One last note about Keller's booklet. It is brief, but full of info, and is worth the read. It covers a bit of SV history and how Keller uses - and thinks about - the technique. He expresses an interesting perspective, sometimes seen in this thread, that SV has the potential to remove some of the risk and, thus, artistry from cooking. But he concludes that this is likely progress, and that WHAT you do with an immersion circulator and the resulting food is far more important than the mere HOW of cooking with it. His recipes combine interesting sauces and other elements with the SV proteins. Can't wait to try a few. I'm not likely eating at the French Laundry any time soon, but I can try to make some of the magic at home...

I can give another vote for the Iwatani, but it's not going to solve everything. I did SV chicken breasts the past couple days, finished once in a hot skillet with peanut oil just smoking and once with the Iwatani. Here were the pros/cons: Skillet Pros: Even, golden browning of the surface in about 25-35 seconds. Cons: My overactive smoke alarm went off once the chicken hit the pan. Cleaning the stainless steel pain required barkeeper's friend. Iwatani: Pros: No mess, quick, nothing to clean but a quick wash of the sheet pan on which I placed the chicken, and torches are fun. Cons: Browning isn't even. The small protrusions on the surface of the chicken (including pepper if you used it for seasoning), burn before the main surface of the chicken browns. You do get browning, but not as nicely, and the lack of oil also means it is less golden/fried. The Iwatani was great fun and worked well, but I think you end up with a spotty browning unless you really keep on the heat. For red meat, that's probably not a problem, where a nice mahogany brown is achievable and searing/burning of some little bits isn't as visually obvious. For chicken/duck, I think I'd rather try door number three, which is Doug Baldwin's gulcose wash and sear. I'm hoping to avoid the smoke and mess by cooking at a lower temp. I could probably even do it in a nice nonstick skillet, which would be super easy for weeknight cleanup. Anyway, for $25, I think the Iwatani makes a great addition to the SV chef's arsenal. Plus, you can always creme brulee with it...

Damn, I really want to try one of those burgers. And at 16 subrecipes, I'm really hoping I can find someone else to make it for me! (just kidding about that last part)

Kim, just repeat after me: I don't need a Pacojet. I don't need a Rotovap. I don't need an Anti-Griddle... haha

Awesome, sounds great. My only concern, before I read the preview site in more depth, was that recipes would be limited to a few dozen. They would certainly be welcome, but I'm glad to have many more considering the length of the compendium! Can't wait for that Amazon delivery to arrive... The book appears to be a bit of On Food and Cooking, some Complete Techniques, a dash of Under Pressure, and then a whole lot more. I don't see how it could be summed up in a sentence or with a good metaphor, so thank you for putting together the preview site.

Wow, very nice. It looks like the book may actually live up to the hype! ;-) I'm very excited to receive my copy - it looks incredibly educational, but also a lot of fun to read. I'm wondering if the recipes listed in ToC are just examples - are there more? I'm certainly happy with what is listed, but I'm guessing that a 66 page section like "Tough Cuts", even with the gorgeous photography, includes more than eight recipes. Of course, they could be "lessons" as much as "recipes," and be much lengthier than I'm assuming. Nathan, if you have a moment, could you resolve my confusion? Thanks! EDIT - Ah, I think I understand a bit better. Looks like the recipe section in Vol. 5 is for special plated items, while there are recipes spread throughout a couple of the other volumes as well. So there are many (hundreds?) of recipes, just not all in Vol. 5.

Thank you for posting the videos, Doug. I really appreciate all the effort you've made in this thread and your book. To celebrate (!?!) my new Polyscience (hopefully shipping soon!), I ordered a copy of your book via Amazon, even though I was hoping to save on shipping by buying it directly. I'm sure it will be well worth the $30. Can't wait to try it out. I look forward to more videos, I'll be very impressed if you can do one every week or two, that's a lot of work for a busy man! Maybe one thing to do would be to make a dish from your book - showing the SV cooking and the various sauces/preparations you can do with the protein. One thing that really drew me to SV was the idea of being able to SV one meat and serve it with different finishing - allowing me to mix up the menu without having to make totally separate dishes every evening. Your book seems to help in that area, and it would be a cool thing to highlight in a video.

Spaghetti is good, and can certainly take a long time to do sauce, but I'm thinking fancier...

Great idea - I was thinking of monkey bread with my niece, but cinnamon rolls may be an even bigger hit...

Doodad - sounds like good choices! Not sure if your family are red meat eaters, but if so, this is a great recipe to use in that crock pot. I make the tacos with the quick picked onions mentioned on the page, sour cream, and fresh lettuce. Amazing combo. This is one of the things I plan on cooking (but I'll use the dutch oven method, I don't want to bring the crock pot for just this one dish, I think). http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/southwestern-pulled-brisket/

Hi - Every year, I go on vacation with my wife and in-laws (six adults and two children), where we rent a condo by the beach. I'm not a beach guy, so I focus on my hobbies - sleeping, reading, and cooking. This is one of the only times of the year I can cook great food that takes a lot of time and attention. I'm already planning on some slow cooked brisket or pork, a great tomato tart, corn and bacon chowder, etc., but I'm open to any great ideas from my esteemed eG colleagues. Are there any recipes that you love, but can't make because life gets in the way? I'm looking for any fabulous and reliable recipes. My constraints: an electric range and only what tools and equipment I can bring in the car (and no immersion circulator, yet!). Healthy is a plus, but it's vacation, so it's not a must. I try to avoid going too exotic with this crowd, so I'll probably avoid anything too esoteric (squid ink and anything involving a sea scallop foam need not apply). I have access to a good old American mega-mart and a farm stand. Thanks in advance for your creativity and suggestions! My family appreciates it... Thanks, RDaneel

Douglas, have you received any update on when your book will be available through Amazon? I've been checking frequently, and while your name/title is a "suggested search," there's no listing yet! I'm looking forward to reading it...

Just a thank you to Fat Guy for the post and the idea. I make pizza at home fairly regularly, and we decided to give this version a try. Normally, I start with store-bought dough and the Cook's Illustrated "Quick Tomato Sauce," which is based on shredded yellow onion and dried oregano fried in butter, tomatoes, and fresh basil. Made with Muir Glen fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (which are plenty chunky), it's an excellent sauce. I tend to use one package (16oz.) store dough, divided in two, tossed into 12" pies. I cook on a pizza stone in a 550 deg. oven for about 4 minutes. My normal plan violates many of the "rules" in Fat Guy's post. It involves four on the counter, flour on me, flour on the floor, the time needed to make the sauce, etc. I was really hoping that the FG recipe would work, but it didn't quite do it for me (with all due respect). The Pomi strained tomatoes are simply too flavorless. I think they dragged the whole pie down with them. I think I'm going to try making the sheet pan pizza with the CI sauce, and see if it works. Not tossing the dough would certainly make my life easier! Thanks again for the recipe and technique idea, and even more for motivating me to try something new...

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Addelice Swid? I'm currently saving (and saving, and saving) for an immersion circulator, and both the Polyscience "Sous Vide Professional" and the Swid appear to be good options. Both have adequate power, are designed for home use, digital controls, PID autotuning, etc. The Swid is 449 Euros, which is significantly cheaper than the $799 for the Polyscience. I haven't yet heard anything bad about the Swid, except that, like the Polyscience, it isn't available yet (at least in 120V form). Addelice predicts 120V availability in "summer," I think. Preordering Nathan's book took a quite large chunk out of my discretionary funds (I'm really banking on it to be a valuable book with an impact on my cooking for decades to come), but I'm hoping to pick up a circulator later this summer, so any impressions are welcome. Thanks in advance...

Thank you, Pete J, for the creative idea. I like it...

I have some from Penzeys and been happy with them for ice cream. Guess the one that's been in my fridge for a year might be past its prime! D'oh! The top of the door seemed like a good place for that glass vial of goodness...

No problem, always welcome to borrow a thread to get good info!!!

I think Bob is probably thinking of Dave at D R Sharpening: http://www.drsharpening.com/ They do reasonably priced mail order services, and Dave is said to be one of the few people around that knows how to really work well with Japanese blades...

Wow - that is SERIOUS! Very professional... and I'm glad you're using it, it would be overkill for even many of us! Good work, sir!

shengcai - I don't think this is oven safe, you'd need a traditional probe thermometer. However, because you don't need the quick read or super slim probe that a thermocouple unit gives, you can get a thermistor-based digital probe for about $20-30. I have one and love it, think it was from William Somoma or LNT or something. Unfortunately there's no all in one unit that does immersion (candy/oil), oven roasting (probe), instant read, and surface tems (IR)! I'll still have three digital thermos after this one arrives, but at least it isn't four...

Thanks, C, for those thoughts and pics. I'm still working on my decision for a gyuto, and have considered that Blazen in the 210mm length. I've been very very impressed with my Tojiro nakiri, it's a wonder with veggies. Glad that you like the parer, I'm going to get that for my parents who are getting into japanese knives after trying the Hattori 150mm baby gyuto as a all around utility knife...

Forgot to post a link: ThermoWorks Infrared + Type K Thermocouple