jduncan81

I have one and think it's great. I took a chance on one after reading through this topic last year. No issues so far but let me know if you have any specific questions.

Thanks, Douglas, for clarifying the 4h/6h question again. The answer to "how big a roast i could sous vide" is given in table 2.2 of Douglas' practical guide: Without pasteurization (4h-rule) the limits are: slab 55mm, cylinder 75mm, sphere 90mm. With longtime-cooking (24-72h) there is pasteurization automatically included, so the limits (6h-rule) are: slab 65mm, cylinder 95mm, sphere 115mm. When pasteurizing in short time cooking, Douglas' table 5.1 (meat) and table 4.1 (poultry) set the thickness limit at 70mm. You see a synopsis of these limits in the thickness ruler. BTW the 4h/6h-rule has already been addressed in the old SV topic in May 2010. Wouldn't this only apply to rolled structures, or something that otherwise had the potential to be contaminated internally? Would whole muscles be exempted from this?

Update on the vacuum bags: 250 each left of the 6x10 and 10x15 bags 500 left for the 8x12 bags.

I just ordered 1000 each of Vacmaster 6x10, 8x12, and 10x15 bags (all 3 mil, regular) and I suspect this is far more than I will ever use. If anybody is interested in taking some, I'm happy to sell them at my cost (incl shipping tome) in 250 bag increments as follows: 6x10: $12/250 8x12: $17/250 10x15: $25/250 Shipping to you will be added at cost. Send me a PM with your email address if you're interested! Thanks, Joe

Just to clarify, there are many Vacmaster chamber sealers that have oil pumps (including mine - the VP215). They're more expensive than the dry pump versions (just over $1000), but still a *lot* cheaper than anything by Minipack or Henkle.

Beef and lamb can also be done for a few hours - you just need to use more tender cuts. The typical stewing/braising cuts all require long cooking to break down collagen.

If you want it pink I would work a lot closer to 55C - but still for 36-48 hours (depending on how tender you want it)

Spare ribs. If they're still attached it makes a bone-in pork belly.

I picked up a VP-215 and couldn't be happier. I can't imagine it ever wearing out with home use and an oil pump - and given that the cheapest price I can see for the MVS31 is almost double what I paid I'm quite happy with the decision .

A quick note for anyone with a Polyscience Sous Vide Professional: I've had mine since November 2010 and always thought it was extremely loud. There's no way I could fall asleep in the next room with a closed door while it was running - this wasn't a big deal for relatively short cooking, but it was almost prohibitive for 48+ LTLT cooking (I work from home too!). All the comments I had read suggested that it was supposed to be a reassuring, soothing sound - like a small waterfall. After seeing a recent post here on egullet from dmg, I asked how loud it was and received back a recording with a light hum and clear water circulation noise (you can't hear water circulation at all over the hum with mine). Based on that, I called Polyscience this morning and they agreed it should not be anywhere near as loud as I was describing - and also didn't seem surprised (they suggested an issue with the motor). I'll be sending it back shortly and will update with the outcome. Bottom Line: If your SVP is louder than you think it should be, you might be right - give Polyscience a call.

Interestingly, I've recently gone the other direction. I removed most carbs from my diet after reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. Other than occasional exceptions I've limited carbohydrates to green vegetables, some low-sugar fruit, some dairy (and the occasioanl beer) for the last month. I'm feeling much better, and I'm losing weight rapidly, despite eating to fullness 3 times/day. (I should add that my exercise level is the same - moderate - as it's been for the past 6 months, during which I couldn't lose a single pound!)

Why is putting raw meat in the deep fryer a sin? It seems like a perfectly normal thing to do?

[quote name='DouglasBaldwin' date='05 January 2010 - 05:51 PM' timestamp='1262739060' post='1721972' It depends on two things: how cold is your refrigerator and did cooking reduce non-proteolytic C. botulinum to a safe level? To quote my guide:

I asked this question in the Confit Myth thread but it was a little off-topic so I thought I would try here: Both Keller (in Under Pressure) and Paula Wolfert have noted that if you plan to keep sous vide duck confit more than a week or so that it should be repackaged. I'm not quite sure I understand why keeping it in contact with the "duck jelly" is problematic but I'm obviously quite concerned about botulism. I have some confit that's about 4 months old, was chilled rapidly after sous vide confit, and has been refrigerated ever since (the bag is still tightly vacuumed). Would people here eat this? Or throw it away?

My jowls are always far more fat than meat also. Definitely not leaner than bacon. I've made a couple of batches following the recipe in Ruhlman's Charcuterie and they have been phenomenal. Speaking of which, what's going on with the recipe missing in some copies of the book? I have the recipe but my friend doesn't and we both have "First Edition" books...

This is somewhat tangential but I noticed that both Keller (in Under Pressure) and Paula Wolfert have noted that if you plan to keep sous vide duck confit more than a week or so that it should be repackaged. I'm not quite sure I understand why keeping it in contact with the "duck jelly" is problematic but I'm obviously quite concerned about botulism. I have some confit that's about 4 months old, was chilled rapidly after sous vide confit, and has been refrigerated ever since (the bag is still tightly vacuumed). Would people here eat this? Or throw it away?

Uhm...yes. I would be. I would deep freeze it before using it for however long the FDA recommends freezing it. ← Actually, the USDA says it's fine! http://www.foodsafety.gov/~lrd/9cf318.html Look for section 318.10 and then scroll down a bunch until you reach the part about hams. It's quite involved but essentially you can *either* freeze the meat, or just follow a relatively normal curing schedule (although to meet their regulations, you need 1.5days/lb rather than the 1 day/lb that ruhlman suggests).

I have a hind leg from a wild boar (i love marin sun farms!) in my fridge. I'm about to pack it in salt and make a salted air-dried ham but I'm a little concerned about trichinosis. Also, there's no nitrite/nitrate in this cure? Should I be worried due to the wild nature of the beast?

By far the cheapest way that I know of to get a water bath is to use a rice cooker with a temperature controller. Auber sells a controller here: http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=pr...6cb8cdd688a04fa and this is the cheapest mechanical-switch (required) 25-cup rice cooker I could find (I have one and it's great): http://www.katom.com/018-CPRC25.html

I'm comfortable with leaving the confit in a bag vs packing in a jar (due to confidence in the way I seal my bags. I do, however, have another question: Why is this (or the traditional jar method) OK from a botulism standpoint? I'm probably missing something simple but I thought I'd ask! Thanks! Edit: Actually, is it just that we store it in a cool enough place?

Many thanks Douglas - this is a great reference!

Wow! And the beans are as advertised? No issues?

Bump? Still looking for a meyer marmalade recipe

I'm reading into what you said a little here, but I assume you love big piles of sea foam on top? That's actually *not* a cappucino. A cappucino is simply equal parts espresso, milk, and foam. The foam should consist of as small bubbles as possible, and be mixed into the milk with the foaming action so that it can just be poured into the cup without any of this spooning on top stuff. Sorry, but I'm a huge stickler on this one!

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but Suvir's marmalade sounds fantastic and I have a pile of meyers just aching to become marmalade right now. I emailed Suvir but haven't heard anything back - does anyone else have this recipe? Many thanks!