Ruth

e_monster what goes into the bag with your short ribs? Just dry seasoning or do you add some liquid?

If you have a good five spice powder (preferably one you made yourself) there should be no problem. There are some that have a chemical taste. As for the timing they will definitely be cooked but possibly not quite as tender as Daniel's version

On that small point I beg to differ. When vacuuming liquids in a FS canister I have frequently seen bubbles coming to the surface. That said, of course it could be stronger. I am not sure if the strength on all models is the same. I use the Professional III and have to go through all kinds of conniptions to prevent juices from being sucked out of the bags.

I have had a lot of success with beef cooked sous-vide but I think that a 5lb roast is a bit too large to do in one package. Why not divide it into two bags? If you use a stock pot with your circulator two or even three packages will cook perfectly. I find 52°C for about four hours for a three inch thick piece of beef produces perfect rare meat for sandwiches or salad. It can also be seared and served as a steak

I love the texture when I cook it for 1 hour at 68°C. I wonder if there is any difference in our results. My stalks were cooked but firm and retained their shape.

Why so long? Lamb chops are already very tender

Definitely mix the old into the new. If it turns out well you will have a great sourdough bread

I have cooked those very same chops at 135°F for two hours and was happy with the result although I think another hour would not have hurt. Recently I have been doing grass fed beef (both sirloin steaks and strip steaks 1" - 1/2") at 125° for four hours followed by a quick sear. So good it would be difficult to tell them apart from a prime aged steak. If you set the temperature for meat at the temperature at which you want to serve it an extra hour should do no harm

I was just watching the Cacao-Barry video. The Mycro sounds like a fascinating product. Is it possible to buy it in a small quantity? I am reluctant to buy a kilo of the stuff without trying it first. Where can one find a sample?

Yes it works very well - gives a great flavor and texture. However, if you are using a Foodsaver the easiest way is to freeze the buttermilk in the bag before you vacuum it. Alternatively, if you are using only a tablespoonful or so of buttermilk enclose all the ingredients in saran wrap before putting them in the vacuum bag. You should then be able to get a vacuum without pulling out the liquid.

I had problems with a leg of lamb which I boned and rolled and then cooked at 56C for 12 hours. But this was a really young animal and the texture was just not right. Perhaps you will have better luck with an older animal at a higher temperature

I did have a problem with mushy meat when I had wine in the bag. This was a couple of years ago and one of my earliest ventures into sous-vide. We thought the alcohol might have denatured the protein. Perhaps I used too much but I have not used wine in the bag since then.

Liquid smoke was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned the problem with the stove-top smoker. Thank you for sharing your "faux smoke technique". Probably smoked salt along with the liquid smoke would not hurt either. I plan to use your method for my next chicken breast

Ditto. In fact I prefer mine at 130F for 45 minutes

How hot was your kitchen? If it was not heated I wouldn't worry too much. If it's off you will be able to tell. Just sniff it!

Pounce that's a great idea. Did your method work for sealing liquids in the FS bag? If so where does one find check valves and how did you attach them? I have been freezing liquids in order to vacuum the bags but that is far from being a perfect solution.

The heating element will never be hot enough to melt the foodsaver bags and I do not think the cage is essential. I used to get nervous when I saw a bag staying close to the heating unit, afraid that the food closest to the unit might overcook but, in practice, I have never seen that happening. Everything I have cooked sous-vide has emerged evenly cooked. If you need something wider why don't you get a large plastic container for when you are using more than one pouch. It will be easier to stash away than a 20 quart stockpot. I crisped a duck skin last week - using foil rather than silpat and keeping it flat with a bacon press. It really does not need to be hot when you serve it. It remains crisp at room temperature.

I do have a Centigrade-Fahrenheit sheet stuck on my refrigerator door - I must have printed it out from the internet but it's been there for so long.... Very useful when cooking sous-vide for the first time with a waterproof thermometer stuck through the bag (I have not yet found a reasonably priced waterproof thermometer that measures in centigrade). I hate with a passion volume measurements for dry ingredients. Even weights in ounces as opposed to grams are irritating. A few years ago I was given a Kitchen Calc which will do all the conversions in an instant and now I can keep my scale permanently set to metric.

I always put a pig's foot in my stocks - makes a huge difference. A few months ago I was cooking a couple of pig's feet prior to grilling them. I simmered them,with aromatics, just in water for about an hour. When I tasted the broth I immediately realised that it was far too good to discard - more flavor and mouth feel than a simple white chicken stock. Since then I have been making it regularly and use it as a soup medium and in place of chicken stock in many dishes. The best pigs' feet are in the Chinese markets where they are always fresh and available.

Moulard or mallard?

One aspect of the thermometer question that we have not yet touched on - oven thermometers. Although I have an excellent, fairly new Wolf electric oven which appears to reach the set temperature without problem I do not feel comfortable if I do not have a separate oven thermometer. The classic Taylor is 100% reliable but almost impossible to read without opening the oven door. I also have a digital oven thermometer which carries the Williams Sonoma label. This sits outside the oven and the sensor clips onto an oven rack. It is perfectly reliable except when I am using convection when it goes totally crazy. Does anyone know of an oven thermometer that is both easy to read and works as well with convection as with conventional heat?

I agree. 60° max. In fact I prefer to keep it at 57°. It is still a little pink in the center. That is the only way I can eat a chicken (or pheasant or partridge) breast.

I definitely do. This applies to any well-marbled steak. I plan to do a lamb shoulder later this week. Alain Ducasse recommends 36 hours at 143° F. Does either of you have any experience with lamb fat sous-vide?

Chicken breast seasoned with miso paste - sounds excellent. I always buy whole birds and break them down. Neither of us is fond of the white meat and the breasts tend to accumulate in the freezer. I imagine that the seasoning will flavor the meat perfectly in the time it takes to cook it sous-vide. Edward, do you use a white or red miso?

How else would you be able to remove the meat from the shell?