chriswrightcycles

Used Minipack MVS31X sealer for sale. Seal bar upgraded to seal thicker retort bags in addition to the standard 3 mil pouches. Like new, only used in a home environment. Oil drained for shipping and will need to be added back to the pump once the machine reaches its destination. $1500 + actual shipping costs. I can get you an estimate if you provide the following info: Street address Business or residential? Loading dock available? Please reach out via email if you are interested. -Chris chriswrightcycles@gmail.com

Good afternoon everyone! I currently own a MiniPack MVS31x chamber style vacuum sealer and am wondering if a Polycience vacuum canister will work in my machine? The intended use is for making a larger batch of aerated mousse.

I'm not sure if this counts as a modernist ingredient but I'll ask anyway. I'm awaiting the arrival of my thermoworks meter and probe and am looking for the adhesive foam tape for checking temp on my sous vide packaging. Does anyone have a few feet they could spare? -Chris

Hey all, I'm looking for some guidance. I am interested in smoking meats but unfortunately have no outdoor space to build/install a smoker. I am trying to figure out how to smoke things in my apartment. I live in an old factory with a bunch of windows and am not the least bit concerned about ventilation. Should I be...? I recently acquired some equipment for cooking sous vide and am wondering if I can use low and slow sous vide cooking beside stovetop smoking to obtain an acceptable alternative to traditional smoking outdoors..? Here are some questions I would love to have answered... When building a stovetop smoker, what are some aspects of the design that are of utmost importance? Precise temp control? Humidity control? Should the smoker be air tight or is oxygen necessary to keep the chips smouldering? Let's say I wanted to smoke a pork shoulder, could I cook that sous vide in a water bath to the desired doneness and then move it to my stovetop smoker to impart a smoke flavor? Would the outcome be better if I cooked them from start to finish in the stovetop smoker? I appreciate the cumulative wisdom of this forum and thank you in advance for your comments. -Chris

~ $10 for the cord and $6 for shipping to Philly

I went ahead and ordered a replacement cord from Polyscience. For reference it is marked 13A 120V.

I'm rounding out my new sous vide setup and am on the hunt for a thermocouple for measuring protein temps. I'm under the impression that there are many variables at play when determining the doneness of a protein and the only sure way to confirm that the target temp is reached is to either leave the item in the water bath for longer than necessary or monitor it with a probe. I am a bit cautious about poking my vacuum sealed item with a sharp probe and potentially damaging the bag. I know that standard practice is to stick a piece of foam tape to the bag before inserting the probe. Does this really work without damaging the seal? Can the probe be inserted at this location multiple times? Alternatively, could I leave this probe inserted for the duration of the cook without worrying that it will find its way loose as the bag bobs freely in the water bath? Also, I am interested in the ThermoWorks Therma K meter and miniature needle probe (113-181). Is anyone here using this arrangement who can vouch for its suitability for sous vide. Thanks in advance! Chris

I'm in the market for a small quantity of 10" x 15" 3mil bags for my chamber machine. The smallest quantity I can find online is 1000 bags which is more than I would use in a lifetime. Would anyone care to part with 100 or so bags from their personal stash for a reasonable price? -Chris

Hey all, I just scored a VWR 1122S circulator off eBay and need to find a replacement power cord before I start using it. I believe this circulator is manufactured by Polyscience and modeled after their CLASSIC series. Does anyone know what I should be looking for in a replacement power cord? I have one here that is marked 10A 125V that fits the circulator perfectly. Would this work? Thoughts? -Chris

@Rob1234, yes the machine is used. @HKDave, yep I'm in Philadelphia To everyone else, thanks for the replies. This is all helpful information.

I just became the proud owner of a Vacmaster Vp215 chamber sealer. The machine is not being delivered with oil so it looks like I have to source it myself. I'd rather not order this online, so I'm soliciting suggestions for local sources. For instance, If you think I could find suitable machine oil at a local home improvement store, I'd love to know. What brands should I look out for? Thanks in advance, Chris

Hey all, I've been eyeing up an immersion circulator on ebay recently that seems to be modeled after the Polyscience Classic series unit. The ebay item doesn't seem to have a protective cage covering the heating element. My question is, how necessary is this accessory? Any arguments for or against it? Arent sous vide temps below the melting point of most of the bags I'd be putting in the bath? Thanks in advance, Chris