pep.

Gelatin clarification should do that for you: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/dining/05curi.html

That, and with the H2O sensor it costs even more than the Boxer 35, but doesn't support vacuuming external containers. Furthermore, it seems like you may only use pre-programmed settings, which may be a bit awkward in home cooking. I think it is mainly designed to be operated by semi-trained who have got no clue about vacuum packing, but are able to select a program by name.

How would you use those to anchor a weight to the SV bag?

I'm still looking for an affordable chamber vacuum machine. I like to cook sous-vide a lot, but it's mostly a weekend thing. About once a month, I've got > 10 guests, but outside of dinner parties, it's a 1-person household with a second person on most weekends. Occasionally, I like to buy meat in bulk at a farmer's market and I've got a large freezer. So while I will be using the vacuum machine frequently, heavy usage will be sporadic. I'd like to be able to the various recipes from MC, though. Currently, I'm looking at the following machines: Besser Vacuum EOS (large chamber, no sensor or soft-air, ~1800 Euros) Henkelman Jumbo Plus (smallish, no sensor, automatic soft-air that can't be disabled, ~1800 Euros) Henkelman Boxer 35 (a bit large, with all features ~3000 Euros) Komet Vacuboy (lighter than Boxer, a bit cheaper without the external container option, ~2400 Euros) Vac-Star S-210 SX (smaller & lighter than Boxer, most sophisticated controls, ~3000 Euros) Honestly, I think the Boxer 35 was a bit too large for my kitchen area (the physical machine that is). All the machine have Busch pumps, though with the exception of the Boxer 35 all have 8 or 10 m2 pumps. While I could afford the 3000 Euros, it seems like could get a lot of other useful stuff (like a high-powered blender) on the price difference. On the other hand, I'd hate to buy a machine for quite a bit of money only to find out that it's not the same without one of the more advanced features. BTW, how useful is the external container (GreenVac) feature? Anybody using it? With my current edge sealer, I mostly use external sealing for vacuum marinating/compression. With a chamber machine, that could be done in a bag. But there might be other uses I'm not envisioning?

Which is why I would recommend buying at http://www.allpax.de/product_info.php/info/p9937_Sous-Vide-Geraet.html. It's the same circulator, but much cheaper (and inside the common EU customs area, whereas Vac-Star's seat is in Switzerland).

PSI doesn't make much sense in relation to vacuum levels. 1300 psi would be 89 bar - that would be more of a pressure chamber

@BlackP: Have you got the cut-off/sealer with a combined time setting or with two separate time settings? Either way, it seems to be a very useful feature. @all: Has anyone got or heard of the brand "Besser Vacuum"? It's an Italian company and they use Busch pumps. Their smallest machine seems to be in the sweet range size-wise and the price is also quite reasonable. However, it doesn't seem very widespread ...

I've sent back the Boxer 35 today - it just wasn't working right. I'm now again looking for an affordable chamber vacuum option, but I want a new machine. The Vac-Star Mini is definitely to small, but the Henkelman Jumbo Plus with the domed top might be large enough (and the 8 m3 pump will be strong enough for home use with the relatively small chamber). Of course, sensor control would be preferable (not an option with the Jumbo series and the Boxer 35 is the smallest in the Boxer series). The new Henkelman Lynx models are smaller than the Boxer series, but they don't have a port for an external vacuum container and they are even more expensive. I don't think I need a MAP option. Has anyone got a VacStar with the SX sensor control? Or a Komet Vacuboy? I'd like to know how their controls work, as those two companies don't have their manuals online. And for the people with H2O sensors on their Henkelmans: How useful is the feature in reality? Does anyone not use it?

A high RPM motor generates a huge amount of heat. In general, all universal and PM motors have internal turbines to evacuate the heat quickly. That create a problem for a hand blender design. To avoid electric shock, the hand blender needs to be completely sealed. There are no air vents to vent the heat. To avoid overheating, they just slow down the RPM. Well, you are not supposed to run the thing for more than 5 minutes (doing so would void the warranty) and it does get very hot quite quickly. However, I'm not an electrical or mechanical engineer, so it is possible that the 19000 RPM is just a theoretical maximum that is not reached in practice.

The 250 watts Bamix has 19000 RPM (the 200 watts model only 17000).

Have a look at http://www.allpax.de/product_info.php/info/p9937_Sous-Vide-Geraet.html. It's the same circulator, but a lot cheaper. Shipping to the UK is 17.85 Euros.

Inspired by an article in the local paper (German language), I'll be making foie gras au torchon for New Year's Eve. It's actual goose foie gras, not duck (we get them from Hungary as foie gras production - but not sale - has been outlawed in Austria for a number of years). Naturally, I'll be cooking it sous vide. I had a look at the index earlier, and the postings by NathanM implied that it would be OK to actually pasteurize the foie gras. On the other hand, most recipes are using hotter than core water with precise timing. Will fat loss be excessive at pasteurization times?

It's the basic model. No gas flush, no vacuum sensor. I've increased the time to 99 seconds, but the resulting vacuum doesn't vary much after the first 30 or 40 seconds (the vacuum does get a bit stronger, but by a miniscule amount).

The percentage is from the vacuum gauge, but I have experimented with water at various temperatures. Water didn't even boil at 38 °C!

OK, so now I have changed the oil and the lid gasket, however the maximum vacuum didn't get any better. I have also cleaned the oil exhaust filter with petroleum ether according to the instructions of the seller (it was not dirty at all, but there was an oil spill from the transport on the bottom side). This was actually the first measure I took. Since it didn't change the vacuum level at all, I'm inclined to think that replacing the filter wouldn't help either. I don't know what the problem is, but it seems there is something wrong with the machine after all

I had a look at the exhaust filter and it appears to be completely soaked on the bottom side (no idea if that's a normal wear pattern or if it happened during transport). Unfortunately, I somehow can't put it back in, the tensioner is way to tight. Or am I missing a secret trick? I will be ordering a replacement filter, but until then I'd like the machine closed up properly. OK, I got it. The filter wasn't plugged in quite correctly. So now I'll have to wait for the replacement. *sighs*

I modified the panade to use only the yolks (three yolks instead of the two whole eggs from the recipe). Since I also forgot to buy cream, I replaced it with 30 g of butter and 100 ml of the soaking liquid from the porcini mushrooms. I also added some cassia buds to the spice mixture. Since it got a bit late, cooked the pâté overnight (at 65 °C), then chilled and pressed it in an ice bath. It turned out fabulous!

It sounded to high for me, too, that's why I asked. But 60 °C might not denature the egg proteins in the panade enough to keep the finished pâté together. Or at least that's the one thing keeping me from going 60 °C I don't think that the duck/lamb combo is that gamey, but I guess that depends on one's meat preference. I've noted the livery note once with beef shanks that were cooked 72 hours at 54.5 °C, but that might have just been intense beef smell (they were cooked without any seasoning, which I don'T do anymore). I will let you know how the pâté turns out. I've got some silicon molds I'd like to use - I hope they are not crushed to badly by the vacuuming process.

I finally got GTH 175Pt-K (i.e. with the heat-resistant penetration probe) with an ISO calibration by Testo. However, I've got some difficulty reading the calibration certificate. They give separate values for actual deviation at the measurement points, allowed deviation according to the manufacturer's specification and for total uncertainty of measuring. So what's my actual accuracy when using this thermometer? The "total uncertainty of measurement"? So why is that given as an absolute value instead of ± like the allowed deviation? BTW, the GTH 175/Pt doesn't have a min/max function.

Has anyone got some experience with sous-vide pâtés? I'll be making the duck and lamb pâté from http://www.chilefire.com/blog/2011/5/9/pte-de-campagne-de-canard-et-dagneau-a-campagne-styled-pte-of-du/ tonight, but I'd like to do it sous-vide instead of in the oven. Is the temperature necessary for the pâté to keep together, or would a lower temperature (60 or 65 °C) with pasteurization times be even better? I've got some extra duck breast that I plan to grind with the 1 cm plate to add some chunky bits to the texture of the pâté.

Get a sous-vide rig and a torch. Of course, this won't help much with baking/pastry. But for that, one of those counter-top microwave/oven combos should work fine. Not good for bread, though. I've got a really tiny kitchen (~ 6 m2) with a crappy old gas oven that is unusable for anything but bread baking (no light, no convection, heat only from below), but since getting a Polyscience immersion circulator and a good microwave/convection oven combination, I have not had cause for complaint. Of course, the equipment spills out into the hallway, so maybe I should say that my kitchen has started to expand ;-)

I just bought two small copper sauce pans made by Bourgeat on eBay. Can any information on the thickness be gleaned from the style of the makers mark? I've included a photo below. The number indicates the diameter in centimeters (16 cm for the small pan, 20 for the larger one). The illegible part writing below says "Made in France" ;-) Both pans have cast-iron handles, so judging by weight is difficult (small one: ~3.5 lbs., larger one: slightly more than 5 lbs.), and the rims are flared.

After running the pump conditioning program the air smells like hot oil, so I suspect that you are right and the oil filter is saturated. I've had a look on the most accessible spare parts dealer. The filter costs more than EUR 93,- (about US$ 125,-) *sighs*

If you read German, I would recommend "Klassische Österreichische Küche" (TBFKA "Das Große Sacher-Kochbuch") by Franz Maier-Bruck. It's not a specialized pastry book, but it includes a large pastry section with extensive notes on the history of each dish. Beware however, the preparations are indeed classical - no modern shortcuts or convenience products are used.

So what usable vacuum level should I expect? I only have the time control (up to 99 seconds) and I have not been able to bring jar of water to boil yet (up to 38 °C - there were bubbles, but not a rolling boil). I know that the 99.8 % vacuum advertised is the theoretical limit of the pump, but the pressure decrease from my little water experiment seems a bit low. Initially, I just wanted to test how fast I would have to be if anything boiled - but apparently it doesn't at the moment. I suspect that the silicon gasket needs to be replaced, but I'll ask the seller when he last did these things (the teflon strip for the sealing wire seems to be fine on the other hand).