boilsover

Well, the ChefSteps chart I used could use a little more experimenting--my soft-boiled egg yesterday was still completely pourable. I could have failed at the old way 9 times while waiting for that fail. Counting the time for the circulator to bring up the bath temp (I used hot water to "save time"!), it was probably more like an hour, so I could've SB'd a full dozen. This taught me the "Food Processor Lesson"--for many things, especially small batches, SV is not worth the effort.

I think a Lacanche Rully or Cormatin would be great in this space if your building has gas. Treat yourself!

And they'll all soft-boil an egg in 45 minutes. How did anyone manage without sous vide?

Maybe I'm odd, but I've always found these beaters to be no less work than a whisk. Yet more awkward to use...

Agree. If it's a tastevin, it's an exceedingly poorly-designed one. It is too deep, ill-suited to holding while looking and tasting, and lacks the prismatic features necessary to judge wines' clarity and brilliance.

Yes, the vacuum blender, Luddites. http://www.gadgetreview.com/what-is-a-vacuum-blender I am waiting for the WiFi version, so I can turn my smoothie into soup from Mars.

Extremely easy and pleasant. Replacement was sent the next day, even before I got the bad one on a truck. It may have helped that I sent a photo of the misbehaving display. Hopefully you won't have any problem. It's the same 1-year warranty as with new units, so I wouldn't worry.

That's the deal I bit on... However, these are refurbished units at that price. I had to return my first one because the display was malfunctioning after the first use. We'll see how #2 does.

Thanks. Gosh, the whole shebang is only 11". From the photos, it looks like the cord would be <8" off the deck. Is the cord connection also submersible?

OK, I had a friend pick me up 4, 125g pouches of this Voatsiperifery at G. Detou. What's the best way to store it? I know "sealed, dark and airtight", but can I/should I also freeze it? Thanks!

Maybe. In pretty much every other choice I've ever made between SS and plastic, plastic has been less durable, long-lived and gotten more beat up over time. Parts change dimension over time, get brittle, discolored, tabs break off, etc., etc. I guess I'm a Luddite, because I almost always choose corded over battery, and manual over electronic, glass over polycarb when I have a meaningful choice. If you use the magnet, how high off the pan floor is the "Max" mark on the Joule? IOW, what is the maximum bath depth when it sits on the bottom? I guess from what you said above, there is a very small minimum fill, but why would anyone want a really shallow bath?

Thanks. I had seen this before. Those guys are a stitch.

OK, that's your vote, and all you've said makes sense. I just have a preference for SS over plastic.

Isn't anyone else put off by the plastic housing on the Joule? I also wonder about putting a 1100W element and small impeller into that housing. But the small size would be better for storage.

Yep, that's the one. At $7, better than $43 for the LIPVAI-- https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Sous-Vide-Rack-Collapsible/dp/B00PKGBMBA Here's a pic of the IKEA rack in a Cambro.

Thanks. As I covered in another thread, I went with a medium-sized Igloo cooler, and I made a well-fitted cover out of a scrap piece of plexiglass. Just cut a 2.5" hole near one edge for the circulator, so it should have very little evaporation. And the Anova sits high enough that the bath will have a large, stable thermal mass; the water from the first steaks I did was still warm 24 hours after I put the cooler outside. I also just ordered the IKEA SS accordion-type pot lid holder for a rack.

Thanks, good advice. I went with the Anova because it has manual control, and that's all I'm likely to use. The first unit developed a bad display, so I'm waiting for its replacement to arrive.

Solid intermediate cook, here. Not especially intimidated by elaborate preps. But I'm new to SV, and would like a recommendation for a cookbook for guidance and exploration. I was thinking of Tom Keller's Under Pressure, but I'm wondering if the preps he includes may not be the most generally useful. What do you all like, and why? Thanks!

Yes, very true. I pimped my 2-hob "camp stove" for wokking with a variable pressure regulator/gauge that will also win this race at 180K Btu. Do not try this indoors without a suppression hood! Now we wait for the reductio ad absurdum of an aluminum smelting induction heater hacked for culinary use...

The value for Btus for the gas is meaningless in this "study". I don't think anyone has ever claimed gas is as efficient as induction measured at the point of use. It's that bothersome little detail of having to generate the electricity that brings efficiencies closer. And the relative prevailing prices for gas and electricity can easily be such that cooking with gas is cheaper. Likewise, I don't think anyone has claimed gas will win a speed-boil race against induction. But such a race isn't a very realistic way to assess overall efficiency. The CenturyLife tests show that, the longer the cooking task, the less efficient induction is--to the point that it's slightly LESS efficient than electric coil.

Nice hack. Have you measured how much it lowers the temp in the insert?

Not according to the most recent DOE analysis.

Well, induction is advantageous for water boiling and (in better models) at extremely low-temp cooking, that is certain. But it doesn't save much energy, and has its own drawbacks. If cooking on glass and not being able to use all pan constructions don't bother you, you might be happy. Their longevity has also been an issue. What I recommend is that people first buy an induction hotplate to see if they like the fly-by-instrument feel. That way, even if you decide against an induction cooktop, you have a portable speed demon boiler to take to the in-laws' cabin.

This is a very viable theory. Unfortunately, (a) most SC owners do not use them this way; and (b) the temperature settings on the vast majority of SCs are too high (set that way for liability reasons). If you look up your model and investigate, I think you'll be shocked at how high "Low" is.

Au contraire. For those in legalized states, slow cookers make excellent cannabutter. Just sayin'...