Anonymous Modernist 7891

This may be too late for the original poster, but I have a couple of handy recipes designed to get one's feet wet and let the ingredients shine: 1. Sous Vide Roast Beef - 2.5 - 3.0 lb cut of beef - thick like a roast is best. You can use premium cuts, but even top sirloin works well. - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - 1.0 - 1.5 Tbsp. of freshly ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp. of dried thyme - 1.0 - 1.5 tsp. salt Combine the garlic, black pepper and thyme and rub the beef thoroughly. Sprinkle salt *lightly* (saltiness tends to build as the roast cooks). Seal and put in a water bath at 59.5 C. for 2.5 - 3.25 hours, depending on thickness. Check periodically after two hours by feeling the bag with your hand. If the meat feels "squishy" keep cooking. The meat should have a light firmness when cooked through. When finished, rest the meat in the bag for 5 min. Then sear in a pan with oil (pref. peanut) over high heat. Slice & serve. 2. Rosemary Dijon Chicken Breast Sous Vide - 2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts - 3 Tbsp. dijon mustard - 3 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 1.0 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper - 2 tsp. salt Combine the mustard and all seasonings and rub the chicken breasts, coating thoroughly. Seal the breasts (two halves per bag) with only a little excess rub. Put in a water bath at 65 C. for 20 minutes. Remove the breasts from the bag, wiping off the excess rub. Take care to remove the rosemary, as it is still relatively raw and will otherwise overpower the flavor. Sear for 1-2 min. on high heat with olive oil. Be careful not to cook the breasts while searing. Hope this helps the OP and future readers...

Hello folks, I have been offered the chance to purchase a larger centrifuge at what could be a great price. I am trying to figure out whether this purchase is a great opportunity to get a high-end centrifuge for little cost, or if I am setting myself up for headaches. The unit in question is a Beckman J2-21. It's an older model with analog dials and was previously used in a university lab. The asking price is a few hundred dollars, however the unit has no rotor. A JA-10 (6 x 500ml bottles) runs about $1500 used, while a JA-14 (6 x 250 ml bottles) runs about $500 used. Then there is the matter of calibration. Beckman posts no product or information on their web site, and they do not handle random calls well. After much hoop-jumping I spoke to a Beckman service tech who quoted a minimum $680 for service - one hour of visual inspection plus one hour for travel. They are "not allowed" to give price quote for using instruments to measure balance nor for the actual adjustments - not even a rough estimate for a would-be buyer! I understand there are third party service providers; however Beckman is "not allowed" to tell you who these are. I know Beckman centrifuges are supposed to be good quality, but this is not a company that I would care to do business with. Then there is the matter of safety. The warning in Modernist put my wife off completely; the recent forum post mentioning "catastrophic" and "possibly fatal" did nothing to help. So bottom line: I'm intrigued at the prospect of spinning large quantities at 27,000 x g, but would first have to convince my wife that catastrophic destruction and possible death could be taken off the table with proper precautions. Second, if there were a way to lower the cost of the rotor. Third, if there were a lower cost option for service than Beckman, who are clearly not set up for helping a home cook and will charge exorbitant rates for the privilege. Any thoughts or ideas (or rotors)? Any chance there's a centrifuge tech in Western WA who would like to partner up? Much thanks, --Scott