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derekslager

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Posts posted by derekslager

  1. I think that selling the KM without the rest of the book would encourage people to just buy the KM which is not something that I support - I think that the knowledge in the main book is very useful. One could try to have a KM exchange program but that requires lots of logistic hassle which we are not staffed to do.

    As one of the unlucky few who still has _only_ the kitchen manual, I can say with some confidence that anybody buying it alone expecting to get a distillation of all that Modernist Cuisine has to offer would be gravely disappointed. It's fun to look through, and certainly useful by itself -- I've used some of the techniques already. However, reading the "how" for a certain recipe or technique without being able to access the "why" is actually quite frustrating. In isolation, the kitchen manual is at best a teaser for the real content.

  2. Well, I finally caught up with DHL today. Pictured below is my copy of Modernist Cuisine, at least according to Amazon.ca. I haven't even bothered to open it, because I already know what's inside. Yes, they charged me full price, and yes, this is the only shipment listed as part of my "closed" order. Question for others who received $400 kitchen manuals -- has Amazon.ca managed to find the missing portions of our orders yet? Trying to understand my options here.

    modernistfail.jpg

  3. On Rick Bayless' SV carnitas, this is all I have found: Rick shares his own state-of-the-carnitas concept: sous vide pork (cooked very slowly in a vacuum-sealed packet), shredded, formed into a loaf, chilled, sliced and pan-seared in a stunning modern presentation. (here) Interesting, but no details.

    I happened to have this recorded, here's a brief rundown from the show.

    • Generously season a pork shoulder
    • Bag with a healthy amount of fresh rendered lard
    • Cook sous vide for 50 hours at 143f
    • Remove from bag, shred into pan
    • Cover with plastic wrap, layer another tray on top
    • Add weights, transfer to refrigerator
    • Once cooled/pressed, slice into cubes and brown
    • Serve with oaxacan black beans, roasted tomato sauce, guac, lime, pickled red onions, microarugula

    Looks delicious! Some pics:

    Pressed:

    gallery_57638_5663_618551.png

    Searing:

    gallery_57638_5663_1118118.png

    Plated:

    gallery_57638_5663_1095281.png

  4. Keller does not seem to like strong flavors - notice how he wraps his aromatics in plastic when cooking sous vide - and he may feel that the flavor of the aromatics in the juices is too strong.

    The herb sashes are not designed to suppress flavor, but to prevent the herbs from overwhelming the portion of the food they are in contact with. The sides are left open so the flavors can mix freely with other liquid in the bag. It's simply a technique for distributing the flavors evenly.

  5. Amazon.com recently posted the description from Thomas Keller's forthcoming (October) sous vide book, "Under Pressure". It sounds promising. With the Alinea (October) and Fat Duck (November) books releasing around the same time, we're all sure to be very busy later on this year.

    A revolution in cooking. A new era in gastronomy: sous vide is nothing more than cooking food in plastic bags in water at low temperatures--but the results are extraordinary. Sous vide is the culinary innovation that has everyone in the food world talking. In this revolutionary new cookbook, Thomas Keller, America's most respected chef, explains why this foolproof technique, which involves cooking at precise temperatures below simmering, yields results that other culinary methods cannot. The secret to sous vide is in discovering the precise amount of heat required to achieve the most sublime results. Through years of trial and error, Keller and his chefs de cuisine have blazed the trail to perfection--and they show the way in this collection of never-before-published recipes from his landmark restaurants--The French Laundry in Napa Valley and per se in New York. With an introduction by the eminent food-science writer Harold McGee, and artful photography by Deborah Jones, who photographed Keller's best-selling "The French Laundry Cookbook", this book will be a must for every culinary professional and anyone who wants to up the ante and experience food at the highest level.
  6. Somebody recently asked me for a URL to the tables I posted here.  So I went back and looked, and the formatting has changed.  They are in HTML, and this used to work fine and look great, but now it doesn't and raw HTML code is displayed.  This must be some setting with eGullet

    Here is a link to the posts

    I am not sure who handles technical issues like this, but somebody at eGullet must...

    Here's the linked table in a text format.

    Bath C  Bath F  mm      inch    Cook time       Rest time       Core C  Core F  Early -1C       Late +1C
    61      141.8   5       0.2     0:01:30         0:00:03         59.9    139.9   0:00:15         ∞
    62      143.6   5       0.2     0:01:16         0:00:03         59.9    139.8   0:00:10         0:00:14
    65      149     5       0.2     0:00:57         0:00:03         59.5    139.2   0:00:04         0:00:04
    61      141.8   10      0.39    0:06:00         0:00:10         59.9    139.9   0:01:01         ∞
    62      143.6   10      0.39    0:05:01         0:00:10         59.8    139.7   0:00:34         0:00:56
    65      149     10      0.39    0:03:46         0:00:11         59.5    139.2   0:00:16         0:00:17
    61      141.8   15      0.59    0:13:23         0:00:20         59.9    139.8   0:02:09         ∞
    62      143.6   15      0.59    0:11:17         0:00:23         59.8    139.7   0:01:16         0:02:08
    65      149     15      0.59    0:08:29         0:00:26         59.5    139.2   0:00:36         0:00:43
    61      141.8   20      0.79    0:23:47         0:00:37         59.9    139.8   0:03:49         ∞
    62      143.6   20      0.79    0:20:03         0:00:42         59.8    139.7   0:02:15         0:03:48
    65      149     20      0.79    0:15:06         0:00:45         59.5    139.2   0:01:04         0:01:12
    61      141.8   25      0.98    0:37:07         0:00:55         59.9    139.8   0:05:57         ∞
    62      143.6   25      0.98    0:31:19         0:01:01         59.8    139.7   0:03:30         0:05:56
    65      149     25      0.98    0:23:35         0:01:12         59.5    139.2   0:01:41         0:01:53
    61      141.8   30      1.18    0:54:29         0:54:28         60      140     0:08:41         ∞
    62      143.6   30      1.18    0:46:02         0:46:01         60      140     0:06:03         0:08:40
    65      149     30      1.18    0:33:56         0:01:47         59.5    139.2   0:02:34         0:02:42
    61      141.8   35      1.38    1:11:27         0:01:52         59.9    139.8   0:09:40         ∞
    62      143.6   35      1.38    1:02:04         1:02:03         60      140     0:06:47         0:09:38
    65      149     35      1.38    0:47:30         0:47:29         60      140     0:04:58         0:03:47
    61      141.8   40      1.57    1:31:28         0:02:34         59.9    139.8   0:13:56         ∞
    62      143.6   40      1.57    1:17:53         0:02:44         59.8    139.7   0:08:17         0:15:04
    65      149     40      1.57    1:01:22         1:01:21         60      140     0:03:56         0:02:55
    61      141.8   45      1.77    1:52:44         0:03:13         59.9    139.8   0:16:54         ∞
    62      143.6   45      1.77    1:36:16         0:03:23         59.8    139.7   0:10:31         0:16:52
    65      149     45      1.77    1:13:29         0:04:03         59.4    139     0:04:55         0:05:56
    61      141.8   50      1.97    2:14:52         0:04:02         59.9    139.8   0:19:58         ∞
    62      143.6   50      1.97    1:55:24         0:04:22         59.8    139.7   0:12:59         0:19:57
    65      149     50      1.97    1:28:32         0:05:01         59.4    139     0:05:48         0:07:00
    61      141.8   55      2.17    2:37:32         0:05:05         59.9    139.8   0:23:07         ∞
    62      143.6   55      2.17    2:15:01         0:05:25         59.8    139.7   0:15:01         0:23:06
    65      149     55      2.17    1:43:25         0:06:14         59.3    138.8   0:06:38         0:08:38
    61      141.8   60      2.36    3:02:38         0:06:07         59.9    139.9   0:28:29         ∞
    62      143.6   60      2.36    2:34:50         0:06:37         59.8    139.7   0:17:04         0:26:18
    65      149     60      2.36    1:58:58         0:07:36         59.3    138.8   0:07:31         0:09:06
    61      141.8   65      2.56    3:25:50         0:07:28         59.9    139.9   0:31:57         ∞
    62      143.6   65      2.56    2:54:37         0:07:59         59.8    139.7   0:19:07         0:31:57
    65      149     65      2.56    2:14:29         0:09:08         59.3    138.8   0:09:01         0:10:10
    61      141.8   70      2.76    3:48:51         0:09:00         59.9    139.9   0:35:26         ∞
    62      143.6   70      2.76    3:14:16         0:09:31         59.8    139.7   0:21:10         0:35:24
    65      149     70      2.76    2:29:05         0:10:50         59.3    138.7   0:09:12         0:11:10
    61      141.8   75      2.95    4:11:29         0:10:32         59.9    139.9   0:38:52         ∞
    62      143.6   75      2.95    3:33:33         0:11:12         59.8    139.7   0:23:11         0:38:51
    65      149     75      2.95    2:43:16         0:12:48         59.2    138.5   0:09:59         0:13:03
    61      141.8   80      3.15    4:33:52         0:12:24         59.9    139.9   0:42:28         ∞
    62      143.6   80      3.15    3:52:25         0:13:14         59.8    139.7   0:25:10         0:42:13
    65      149     80      3.15    2:57:51         0:15:08         59.2    138.5   0:11:38         0:14:09
    61      141.8   85      3.35    4:56:48         0:14:36         60      140     0:47:10         ∞
    62      143.6   85      3.35    4:10:44         0:15:18         59.8    139.7   0:27:06         0:47:10
    65      149     85      3.35    3:12:03         0:17:28         59.2    138.5   0:12:32         0:15:10
    61      141.8   90      3.54    5:18:37         0:16:49         60      140     0:51:20         ∞
    62      143.6   90      3.54    4:28:27         0:17:49         59.8    139.7   0:28:58         0:51:20
    65      149     90      3.54    3:25:42         0:20:19         59.2    138.5   0:13:21         0:16:15
    61      141.8   95      3.74    5:39:49         5:39:48         60      140     0:55:33         ∞
    62      143.6   95      3.74    4:45:29         0:20:29         59.8    139.7   0:30:46         0:55:33
    65      149     95      3.74    3:37:46         0:23:09         59.1    138.4   0:14:05         0:17:08
    61      141.8   100     3.94    5:59:15         5:59:14         60      140     0:58:41         ∞
    62      143.6   100     3.94    5:01:51         0:23:20         59.8    139.7   0:32:31         0:57:32
    65      149     100     3.94    3:49:11         0:26:20         59      138.2   0:14:45         0:19:13

  7. That seemed to work well enough, here are the fish tables in the same format.

    Bath C  Bath F  mm      inch    Cook time       Rest time       Core C  Core F  Early -1C       Late +1C 
    46      114.8   5       0.2     0:01:23         0:00:03         44.9    112.8   0:00:15         ∞
    47      116.6   5       0.2     0:01:08         0:00:03         44.8    112.6   0:00:09         0:00:15
    50      122     5       0.2     0:00:50         0:00:03         44.5    112     0:00:04         0:00:04
    46      114.8   10      0.39    0:05:31         0:00:10         44.9    112.8   0:00:58         ∞
    47      116.6   10      0.39    0:04:36         0:00:11         44.8    112.7   0:00:36         0:00:57
    50      122     10      0.39    0:03:21         0:00:13         44.5    112     0:00:17         0:00:19
    46      114.8   15      0.59    0:12:25         0:00:24         44.9    112.8   0:02:09         ∞
    47      116.6   15      0.59    0:10:20         0:00:26         44.8    112.7   0:01:22         0:02:08
    50      122     15      0.59    0:07:32         0:00:29         44.5    112     0:00:38         0:00:45
    46      114.8   20      0.79    0:22:04         0:00:43         44.9    112.8   0:03:50         ∞
    47      116.6   20      0.79    0:18:22         0:00:43         44.8    112.7   0:02:26         0:03:49
    50      122     20      0.79    0:13:23         0:00:51         44.5    112     0:01:07         0:01:21
    46      114.8   25      0.98    0:34:27         0:01:04         44.9    112.8   0:05:58         ∞
    47      116.6   25      0.98    0:28:42         0:01:10         44.8    112.7   0:03:47         0:05:57
    50      122     25      0.98    0:20:54         0:01:23         44.5    112     0:01:44         0:02:00
    46      114.8   30      1.18    0:50:37         0:50:36         45      113     0:09:42         ∞
    47      116.6   30      1.18    0:41:13         0:01:37         44.8    112.7   0:05:24         0:09:41
    50      122     30      1.18    0:30:05         0:02:04         44.5    112     0:02:30         0:03:02
    46      114.8   35      1.38    1:06:30         0:02:07         44.9    112.8   0:09:55         ∞
    47      116.6   35      1.38    0:56:59         0:56:58         45      113     0:06:51         0:09:41
    50      122     35      1.38    0:40:50         0:02:45         44.5    112     0:03:22         0:05:34
    46      114.8   40      1.57    1:25:15         0:02:48         44.9    112.8   0:14:05         ∞
    47      116.6   40      1.57    1:11:40         0:02:58         44.8    112.7   0:07:22         0:14:03
    50      122     40      1.57    0:55:09         0:55:08         45      113     0:03:59         0:04:50
    46      114.8   45      1.77    1:45:11         0:03:36         44.9    112.8   0:17:03         ∞
    47      116.6   45      1.77    1:28:44         0:03:56         44.8    112.7   0:11:01         0:17:02
    50      122     45      1.77    1:05:35         0:04:35         44.4    111.9   0:01:42         0:05:53
    46      114.8   50      1.97    2:05:58         0:04:34         44.9    112.8   0:20:08         ∞
    47      116.6   50      1.97    1:46:32         0:05:04         44.8    112.7   0:12:59         0:20:06
    50      122     50      1.97    1:19:14         0:05:54         44.4    111.9   0:05:44         0:06:57
    46      114.8   55      2.17    2:27:13         0:05:46         44.9    112.8   0:23:17         ∞
    47      116.6   55      2.17    2:04:45         0:06:16         44.8    112.7   0:14:59         0:24:16
    50      122     55      2.17    1:32:47         0:07:16         44.3    111.7   0:06:34         0:08:29
    46      114.8   60      2.36    2:48:44         0:07:09         44.9    112.8   0:26:30         ∞
    47      116.6   60      2.36    2:23:10         0:07:39         44.8    112.7   0:18:21         0:28:27
    50      122     60      2.36    1:46:55         0:08:58         44.3    111.7   0:07:55         0:09:36
    46      114.8   65      2.56    3:12:27         0:08:41         44.9    112.9   0:31:56         ∞
    47      116.6   65      2.56    2:41:33         0:09:21         44.8    112.7   0:20:32         0:31:54
    50      122     65      2.56    2:01:02         0:11:00         44.3    111.7   0:08:50         0:10:44

  8. I was looking for the "tables" and found some about #180. Except they were not formatted properly so I could not make heads or tails of them...I looked at them a few months ago and they were easy to read, but I unfortunatly did not print them out..any ideas would be appreciated....

    Bud

    The forum isn't rendering the HTML, probably because of security concerns with script injection or something similar. The easiest option is to copy the HTML text and use "paste special" in Microsoft Excel (other spreadsheet programs probably have similar features). If you don't have such a program, just save it to a file with an HTML extension (via notepad or similar) and open it with your favorite web browser.

    I'll try to post the meat table here in a monospaced font, but I'm not confident it will render perfectly:

    Bath C  Bath F  mm      inch    Cook time       Rest time       Core C  Core F  Early -1C       Late +1C 
    55      131     5       0.2     0:01:41         0:00:02         54.4    129.9   0:00:23         ∞
    56      132.8   5       0.2     0:01:19         0:00:03         54.3    129.7   0:00:11         0:00:20
    60      140     5       0.2     0:00:53         0:00:03         53.8    128.9   0:00:03         0:00:04
    65      149     5       0.2     0:00:41         0:00:03         53.1    127.7   0:00:02         0:00:01
    55      131     10      0.39    0:06:39         0:00:09         54.4    129.9   0:01:25         ∞
    56      132.8   10      0.39    0:05:16         0:00:10         54.3    129.7   0:00:41         0:01:24
    60      140     10      0.39    0:03:32         0:00:13         53.9    129     0:00:15         0:00:16
    65      149     10      0.39    0:02:43         0:00:14         53.1    127.7   0:00:08         0:00:08
    55      131     15      0.59    0:14:58         0:00:21         54.4    129.9   0:03:11         ∞
    56      132.8   15      0.59    0:11:50         0:00:23         54.3    129.7   0:01:33         0:03:10
    60      140     15      0.59    0:07:58         0:00:28         53.9    129     0:00:33         0:00:38
    65      149     15      0.59    0:06:06         0:00:31         53.1    127.7   0:00:18         0:00:19
    55      131     20      0.79    0:26:57         0:00:38         54.4    129.9   0:06:00         ∞
    56      132.8   20      0.79    0:21:02         0:00:38         54.3    129.7   0:02:45         0:06:00
    60      140     20      0.79    0:14:10         0:00:50         53.9    129     0:00:58         0:01:09
    65      149     20      0.79    0:10:51         0:00:57         53.1    127.7   0:00:32         0:00:34
    55      131     25      0.98    0:41:29         0:00:56         54.4    129.9   0:08:48         ∞
    56      132.8   25      0.98    0:32:52         0:01:02         54.3    129.7   0:04:17         0:08:46
    60      140     25      0.98    0:22:08         0:01:18         53.9    129     0:01:31         0:01:48
    65      149     25      0.98    0:16:57         0:01:27         53.1    127.7   0:00:50         0:00:54
    55      131     30      1.18    1:00:51         1:00:50         54.4    130     0:12:48         ∞
    56      132.8   30      1.18    0:48:17         0:48:16         54.4    130     0:07:13         0:12:38
    60      140     30      1.18    0:31:40         0:01:50         53.8    128.9   0:02:00         0:02:45
    65      149     30      1.18    0:24:25         0:02:09         53.1    127.7   0:01:11         0:01:17
    55      131     35      1.38    1:19:33         0:01:54         54.4    129.9   0:15:15         ∞
    56      132.8   35      1.38    1:04:20         0:02:03         54.4    129.9   0:07:34         0:15:30
    60      140     35      1.38    0:42:57         0:02:32         53.8    128.8   0:02:54         0:05:15
    65      149     35      1.38    0:33:11         0:02:51         53.1    127.7   0:01:36         0:01:45
    55      131     40      1.57    1:41:38         0:02:26         54.4    129.9   0:20:31         ∞
    56      132.8   40      1.57    1:21:30         0:02:46         54.3    129.7   0:10:06         0:20:17
    60      140     40      1.57    0:57:59         0:57:58         54.4    130     0:03:36         0:04:16
    65      149     40      1.57    0:45:46         0:45:45         54.4    130     0:04:41         0:02:11
    55      131     45      1.77    2:05:05         0:03:14         54.4    129.9   0:24:54         ∞
    56      132.8   45      1.77    1:40:39         0:03:34         54.3    129.7   0:12:14         0:26:28
    60      140     45      1.77    1:09:12         0:04:13         53.8    128.8   0:04:28         0:05:18
    65      149     45      1.77    0:57:18         0:57:17         54.4    130     0:02:28         0:02:40
    55      131     50      1.97    2:31:22         0:04:03         54.4    129.9   0:31:20         ∞
    56      132.8   50      1.97    2:00:35         0:04:23         54.3    129.7   0:14:26         0:31:18
    60      140     50      1.97    1:23:29         0:05:22         53.8    128.8   0:05:41         0:06:15
    65      149     50      1.97    1:05:16         0:06:11         53      127.3   0:00:58         0:03:14
    55      131     55      2.17    2:56:40         0:05:05         54.4    129.9   0:36:18         ∞
    56      132.8   55      2.17    2:21:01         0:05:25         54.3    129.7   0:18:05         0:36:17
    60      140     55      2.17    1:37:39         0:06:35         53.7    128.6   0:06:02         0:07:09
    65      149     55      2.17    1:16:48         0:07:35         52.8    127.1   0:03:24         0:03:42
    55      131     60      2.36    3:22:16         0:06:17         54.4    129.9   0:41:21         ∞
    56      132.8   60      2.36    2:41:38         0:06:47         54.3    129.7   0:20:33         0:41:21
    60      140     60      2.36    1:52:26         0:08:07         53.7    128.6   0:06:50         0:08:06
    65      149     60      2.36    1:28:24         0:09:27         52.7    126.8   0:03:49         0:04:37
    55      131     65      2.56    3:48:32         0:07:39         54.4    129.9   0:47:04         ∞
    56      132.8   65      2.56    3:02:15         0:08:09         54.3    129.7   0:23:02         0:46:26
    60      140     65      2.56    2:06:32         0:09:49         53.6    128.4   0:07:34         0:09:42
    65      149     65      2.56    1:40:10         0:11:18         52.6    126.7   0:04:28         0:04:53
    55      131     70      2.76    4:14:54         0:09:11         54.4    130     0:53:04         ∞
    56      132.8   70      2.76    3:22:44         0:09:41         54.3    129.7   0:25:31         0:53:03
    60      140     70      2.76    2:21:04         0:11:41         53.6    128.5   0:09:00         0:10:43
    65      149     70      2.76    1:51:14         0:13:40         52.4    126.4   0:04:37         0:05:35
    55      131     75      2.95    4:41:42         4:41:41         54.4    130     0:59:53         ∞
    56      132.8   75      2.95    3:42:51         0:11:33         54.3    129.7   0:27:57         0:59:28
    60      140     75      2.95    2:34:35         0:13:53         53.5    128.3   0:09:03         0:11:37
    65      149     75      2.95    2:02:14         0:16:18         52.3    126.1   0:05:00         0:06:04
    55      131     80      3.15    5:06:33         5:06:32         54.4    130     1:05:06         ∞
    56      132.8   80      3.15    4:02:31         0:13:35         54.3    129.7   0:30:22         1:05:02
    60      140     80      3.15    2:48:27         0:16:25         53.5    128.3   0:10:34         0:11:41
    65      149     80      3.15    2:12:51         0:19:18         52.2    125.9   0:05:56         0:06:31
    55      131     90      3.54    5:53:50         5:53:49         54.4    130     1:11:56         ∞
    56      132.8   90      3.54    4:43:10         0:18:29         54.4    129.9   0:38:03         1:11:54
    60      140     90      3.54    3:13:59         0:22:08         53.4    128.2   0:12:05         0:14:19
    65      149     90      3.54    2:32:05         0:26:09         51.8    125.3   0:06:39         0:07:18
    55      131     100     3.94    6:37:46         6:37:45         54.4    130     1:19:06         ∞
    56      132.8   100     3.94    5:20:05         0:24:13         54.4    129.9   0:41:31         1:19:03
    60      140     100     3.94    3:36:12         0:28:50         53.2    127.8   0:13:19         0:17:02
    65      149     100     3.94    2:50:01         0:33:10         51.6    124.8   0:08:03         0:08:03
    55      131     150     5.91    9:23:30         9:23:29         54.4    130     1:49:35         ∞
    56      132.8   150     5.91    7:35:58         7:35:57         54.4    130     1:01:10         1:48:09
    60      140     150     5.91    5:02:25         0:52:34         53      127.4   0:19:42         0:25:11
    65      149     150     5.91    3:53:28         0:58:03         50.5    122.9   0:10:43         0:12:58

  9. Get over to Amazon.com and get yourself a copy of TIme-Life Good Cook Series Variety Meats.  That ought to tell you absolutely everything you'll ever want to know about cooking virtually any variety of offal.

    This is a good recommendation. While Amazon doesn't sell the book directly (it's out of print), I picked up an old version in decent condition for a couple bucks via an Amazon Marketplace seller. You can probably also find it at your local library.

  10. Based on the advice in this thread, I purchased a new water bath on eBay for cooking sous vide. It's an enclosed circulating bath, as advised for minimizing water loss with long cooking times.

    The particular model I purchased has a 13L tank (about 3.5 gallons), just above nathanm's 10L recommendation. This ends up being a very nice size for home use, but would probably be too small for turning out restaurant quantities of food. Even being on the lower end of the capacity range, it takes quite some time (30-60 minutes) to reach temperature. A larger bath would likely take even longer, and its additional capacity would rarely be taken advantage of in my kitchen.

    This is a mid-range digital model, with a two line display showing the target temperature alongside the current temperature. Unit conversions and various other settings are accessible via the buttons on the front panel. An RS-232 control port enables more sophisticated programming and/or monitoring. More useful in a lab setting than in a kitchen, but nice to have nonetheless.

    Here's a photo of the unit heating up with the lid removed:

    gallery_57638_5663_487117.jpg

    The unit consists of two major pieces, connected with four screws. To get a good look at the heating element / pump, you need to take it apart. Here are some pictures of the individual pieces:

    Bath:

    gallery_57638_5663_840452.jpg

    Where'd the water go?

    gallery_57638_5663_424369.jpg

    "Guts", side view:

    gallery_57638_5663_260232.jpg

    "Guts", bottom view:

    gallery_57638_5663_484282.jpg

    The heating unit hovers in the bath directly, so you end up with less capacity than the photo of the empty container would suggest. There is, however, enough clearance under the element to place food (for example, you could line the entire bottom of the bath container with eggs).

    The "guts" don't look much different from an immersion style circulator. In fact, this could probably be used as an immersion circulator by positioning the top portion of the unit in a large hotel pan. I probably won't need that much capacity in my home kitchen, but it's certainly a nice option to have.

    Overall, I would recommend a unit of this style for home use. It's reasonably compact (just a bit bigger than a rice cooker or deep fryer designed for home use), and it doesn't make a ton of noise (a low-to-moderate amount of vibration noise depending on its surface, and a rather pleasant babbling brook sound as the water circulates). The sous vide cooking process is so "hands off" that you could keep it in a bedroom closet if you were short on space.

    These do tend to be a bit more expensive than immersion style units (the unit shown here retails for $2,600), but with some patience you can find one on eBay without breaking the bank. Mine was new (with some relatively minor cosmetic damage), and I paid less than $400 for it.

  11. But the most interesting thing he told me was that a new French Laundry cookbook was coming out some time next year and that it would be all sous-vide recipes. He also said Ad Hoc's cookbook was coming out in 2009, which will likely feature a good dose of sous vide recipes. So in addition to this amazing thread, it looks like we're finally going to get another source of sous vide information from one of its biggest proponents.

    The Alinea book is coming out this year as well. If you frequently pause the preview video on the book's home page, you'll find three recipes using sous vide in there (seems like a pretty good hint that the book itself will contain more).

    Interestingly, two of the recipes (Cured bison leg, Baby beets) have no temperature guidance, simply recommending a bare simmer. The Bison tenderloin recipe, however, gives 57c/135f.

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