jmasur

Postscript: Left 'em in for 68h. Delicious. Next time I make sv baby back ribs, though, I might break from my ordinary preference for dusting with rub, then cooking, then searing. I think that it might work well to do the rub, then torch the ribs before packaging in bbq sauce and cooking -- the "bark" on the ribs would be subtle, but should work. Anyone else have any experience comparing the two? Also, thinking about things I can do with meat glue. Specifically, about putting cheese or butter in the center of a chicken breast before gluing it closed, then cooking sv. Anyone have experience with this and tips or recipes to share, or any concerns about food safety that wouldn't be handled by the normal approach to cooking chicken sv? Thanks.

Brain (and gut) trust: Baby back ribs -- any concern about cooking them for more like 64h at 144F, instead of 48h? Am I better off cooling in an ice bath after 45h, then reheating for 3-4h? Thanks.

I guess I'm still not sure what you're concerned about with the stainless scratching - health or aesthetics? I don't know of any issue with the former, and scratching the bottom of the device wouldn't concern me aesthetically.

I'm pretty anal about this stuff, but, ummm, no. Honestly, if you're worried about BPAs leaching through plastic bags, you probably shouldn't be cooking in plastic bags.

Thanks for the feedback, all. Does anyone have suggestions for how long to cook prawns at 130F/55C? That way, I can use a single bath for steak and prawns (my wife doesn't eat red meat). Worst case, I suppose I'll have to experiment and report back.

Shrimp time and temp suggestions, anyone? I thought that 136F for 30 minutes would be too much, so I tried 130F for 40 minutes. Still came out a little rubbery. On the plus side, the flavors of this recipe, with chipotle substituted for esplette, were terrific. http://blog.sousvidesupreme.com/2012/06/sous-vide-vanilla-butter-shrimp/

I have never seared prior to cooking, because I don't see any benefit. Any texture development would be lost in the subsequent cook, so you'd have to sear again anyway, and you'd be starting further in the doneness process than I'd want. (I find one of the biggest challenges with sv to be putting a final sear on with high enough heat to avoid further cooking the interior.) But in your second scenario - sear, but don't cook, before freezing - I would have food safety concerns. You would have raised the temperature of a portion of the meat to the danger zone without cooking long enough to pasteurize. It may be that the chill and freeze would address that adequately. But again, since I see no upside, I can't imagine doing it. I have prepped and frozen raw meats (beef, and poultry, and fish), then cooked and seared; and I have prepped, cooked, fast chilled in an ice bath, frozen, and reheated/recorded, then seared. I couldn't tell you that it has made a difference in taste or safety, just convenience.

I can't imagine that it will become mushy after 24h. If you are concerned, portion it into individual steaks first and then cook for 8h or so. (Coincidentally, I am currently cooking 3cm-thick rib eye/entrecote steaks for 8-9 hours at 130F/54.5C for tonight's dinner.)

It's got a lot more requirements than that, obviously. I was simply noting that it does not appear that Polyscience could read this on the Anova.

And at least for fish, I find that portioning cold portions (either before cooking or after chilling) gives a much cleaner cut.

That's not their only response. Just before Thanksgiving, they sued Sansaire, asserting infringement of U.S. Pat. No. 8469678. The patent requires molded housings, suggesting that Anova is not a likely next target.

It fits a 12x18x9 without having to make a notch I had tried it in the corner on the shirt side without luck. I'll try your positioning. Worst case scenario, I'll make a little shim or something. Fwiw, for the top, I'm using a piece of Reflectix, cut about an inch larger than the rim, with a cutout for the circulator. Easy as hell, and works lie a charm.

I just used my Anova in a 12x18x9 Cambros for the first time tonight. 2.5 lbs of Mahi Mahi in 4 bags. No rack, no problem.

Well, found one fairly significant (IMHO) design flaw: The clamp doesn't fit properly on a 12x18x9 Cambro. Guess I'll have to notch the rim.

I've occasionally experienced it, but mainly with eggplants, and thought it was primarily due to them losing solid volume and condensing. When making eggplant, I therefore use larger bags, and if there's a lot of air in the bag partway through the cook, I slice the end off and revacuum and seal.