Sous Vide Supreme and other home options: 2009-10

[OliverB]

The Demi is certainly interesting! I was considering the fresh meals setup, but would I need the flexibility in size? I usually just cook for my family, with guests it's usually done outside on the Big Green Egg. I wish I could look at the machines somewhere, compare the size. That I can cook 12 4oz portions is of little use to me, but I would guess it's easily big enough for two large steaks? I don't thin I ever cooked some 4oz portions, but then, it certainly seems large enough for a small dinner party?

Did anybody buy the Demi yet and use it? With Christmas coming up, I need to find something to give myself, it's either some cooking equipment or camera equipment...

[peebee]

From an article by Alex Renton in the Guardian Newspaper (guardian.co.uk) on the 2nd September 2010

'Sous-vide's failure to penetrate the home kitchen is in part because of expense – even

the Supreme I have borrowed, which is the first water-bath pitched at the domestic

cook, will cost £499.'

However:-

'Blumenthal is currently working with a manufacturer on a

sous-vide system for home cooks next year – vacuum sealer and bath will retail for less

than £300, he says.'

[&roid]

Link to the full sized SVS at just £349 in John Lewis: http://www.johnlewis.com/231061708/Product.aspx

have to say I'm quite interested in one of these...

[OliverB]

'Blumenthal is currently working with a manufacturer on a

sous-vide system for home cooks next year – vacuum sealer and bath will retail for less

than £300, he says.'

I'm liking that! Worth waiting for, I'm in no rush and have other things on my x-mas list

[Teddy Devico]

Does the sous vide supreme demi come with a vacuum sealer and sealable bags?

[Merridith]

No, I don't think so. They offered the big one for a short time only with the sealer.

[dougal]

'Blumenthal is currently working with a manufacturer on a

sous-vide system for home cooks next year – vacuum sealer and bath will retail for less

than £300, he says.'

I'm liking that! Worth waiting for, I'm in no rush and have other things on my x-mas list

Really?

1/ Its vapourware. A rumour. (And when did Blumenthal do anything cheap or down-market?)

2/ £300 is about US $450 as a straight conversion -- which is a Demi in the US today, while still leaving $150 (one third of the budget) to find the sealer ...

3/ Did anyone say anything about a version for US electricity and with US regulatory approvals?

You might wait a very long time.

I've read posts on here about how Keller is going to bring out budget home sv equipment to accompany his forthcoming sv book 'Under Pressure'. By now, the book's been out for years, its not about home sv and there is still no sign whatsoever of the equipment...

The more I think about it, the more that the $300 Demi looks like a game-changer.

BTW, I note that John Lewis (UK retailer, link above) is now showing the SVS as "out of stock" ...

And that the "matching" £99 vacpacker seems to lack the full manual control that makes sealing liquids and sauces so much simpler.

Edited November 3, 2010 by dougal (log)

[OliverB]

well, worth the wait for me, if there are multiple new machines on the horizon. I'm in no rush to cook sou vide, I'm actually not even sure what I'd want to cook that way (or if I've ever eaten anything cooked that way actually, including our once in a lifetime dinner at the French Laundry).

I generally prefer my meats and fish cooked over fire on in the pan. I'd like to play with SV, but I doubt it would ever be used more than my crock pot. Of course, I might be wrong once I try it, but if there are some new models in the works I'd hate to spend $300 now and then find one with nicer/better/other features half a year later. Though I'm actually not quite sure what other features there could be, after all, it's just a fancy hot water bath.

The Demi seems like a very nice self contained unit of a size that's perfectly fine for a family of 4 and I'd like to see one in person somewhere. I like the flexibility of the Freshmeals set, as you can use any size pot. But is that necessary in home use? No idea. Still, a nice immersion circulator that doesn't look like some mad science experiment, but allows me to use a pot I already have, instead of having yet an other relatively large machine on the shelf, that's interesting to me. And maybe that's what Keller or Blumenthal or somebody else is working on?

But for someone that's been dieing to get into SV, the Demi might just be what the doctor ordered, no doubt.

[johnder]

While I think the market will be seeing more and more SV machines over the next year, my real want is a sub 500 buck chamber sealer. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the vacuum type sealers and having a small chamber sealer (mini-pak type) would open a number of other things I can cook efficiently at home.

[Miranda]

I generally prefer my meats and fish cooked over fire on in the pan.

I've had my Sous-Vide for about six weeks and I am becoming addicted to it! Cook many servings of meat at once which are there ready to eat each night, sitting there in the fridge, all neatly packaged in their vacuum pouches. Flash the meat in the pan and you have what you prefer, Oliver.

It's so very forgiving about time. one hour? six hours? whatever?

throw in a dozen or two eggs so that hard boiled eggs are always on hand, or simply pasteurise them.

I've even taken to just cooking the meat in its original packaging if it's the correct type if I'm too tired to do something fancy [or if I'm sharing it with my Airedale Terrier, like Kangaroo mince].

And then there is the fantastic taste, of course.

[tony h]

Note to self: next time tell people about JL bargains - buy one first... (now out of stock) ;-)

[dougal]

Note to self: next time tell people about JL bargains - buy one first... (now out of stock) ;-)

I'm not sure they had many in stock. It only showed 1 anytime I looked ... and it wasn't me that eventually snaffled it.

I hope that it wasn't just market testing.

But if they have the Demi soon, at close to £200, I think I might be very tempted.

[dougal]

Note to self: next time tell people about JL bargains - buy one first... (now out of stock) ;-)

Cheer up! Right now John Lewis's website is showing 10 in stock.

But no sign of the Demi, yet.

[PedroG]

SousVideSupreme Demi for 199$ Promo Code DEMI199

[weinoo]

Today I got an email from SVS - since I was one of the first customers, I have the opportunity to buy a Demi at $199. That sure is a lot less than I thought it would get to.

Edit: Hah - see the post above!

[dougal]

Has anyone got/used or even seen a real Demi yet?

Any 'hands-on' reports?

The SVS website infuriatingly automagically redirects me away from their US pages ...

[DaleJ]

"DEMI199" fine. Where does one enter this code?

[PedroG]

"DEMI199" fine. Where does one enter this code?

The original e-mail says:

To our valued SousVide Supreme customers,

As you have probably heard, we recently launched the SousVide Supreme Demi - the newest addition to our product line. The Demi is the smaller-sized version of the SousVide Supreme, making it the perfect holiday gift for friends and family.

As one of our earliest customers, we would like thank you for your support and extend this very special exclusive offer...

For 1 week only, you can purchase the SousVide Supreme Demi for only $199 using promo code DEMI199 during checkout at sousvidesupreme.com.

[OliverB]

ok, no matter what Keller and Blumenthal may come up with, at $199 I simply had to jump at this, thanks for posting that info! For red and white units only, in case that matters.

I'm thinking this will be plenty good in size for my family.

I shall report....

figure if I don't like it, I can always sell it for the same price :-)

EDIT: we'll see if they honor my order, as I'm not a prior customer, but so far I've gotten my confirmation and all seems fine.

Edited November 12, 2010 by OliverB (log)

[Chris Birkett]

I've been thinking of getting into sous vide for several years, and I finally managed to convince myself to buy some equipment. I'm definitely set on the SousVide Supreme line, so the question of a DIY PID or immersion circulator is out of the way already. I was ready to order their holiday special SVS and vac sealer package, but the Demi at $200 kind of threw me.

I don't have a vac sealer, so the $200 Demi with a decent cheap Foodsaver unit purchased locally works out to about $440 after shipping and tax. The regular Supreme package I mentioned above comes out to about $610.

The Demi and regular Supreme seem to be basically the same other than their cooking capacity. I normally cook for just two people, but I also like to cook for lots of people, and I'd like room to cook larger items. I'm worried that I'll be annoyed down the line that I didn't get the larger model. $170 isn't a huge amount of money, but it's not insignificant. It was certainly an easier decision with the Demi at the normal price.

Also – per the question your posted on your blog' date=' I wanted to get back to you about the size/volume of the Demi. Space-wise it is 80% the volume of the regular SousVide Supreme, but depending on what you’re cooking, actual cooking volume could be as low as 60% capacity. It would be accurate to say that depending upon on the size of food portions being cooked, the SousVide Supreme Demi has a cooking capacity of between 60% and 80% of the SousVide Supreme. The SousVide Supreme holds 20 four- to six-ounce portions of food. While the SousVide Supreme Demi holds up to 12 four-ounce portions of food; 12/20 = 60%.[/quote']

I did notice the $200 Demi coupon applies to multiple machines in the cart, although the e-mail indicates it's only intended for single purchases. Two Demis and a Foodsaver would be about $665... Probably best not to go there

[ojisan]

Supreme: 20 x 6 oz. = 120 oz.

Demi: 12 x 4 oz. = 48 oz.

So, the cooking capacity of the Demi is 40% of the Supreme.

Other than the cooking capacities and the teflon-coated aluminum water container vs. stainless steel, what other differences are there between the Supreme and the Demi?

[OliverB]

I'll report once I get mine, though I have to say that the capacities in numberr of oz of meat are not all that useful to me. I'm much more interested in the size of meat etc I can put in there, does a "regular size" piece of steak fit? Do 4 fit? Thought that's an odd way of showing capacity. I'll find out I guess.

I'll most likely use this for family cooking only, though who knows. I just prefer to cook on fire for a crowd, but the above mentioned packages of ready made meats in the fridge are certainly enticing and part of what made me jump on the Demi now. Having several dinners at the ready sure sounds helpful and handy.

[Chris Birkett]

As far as I can tell, the only difference is the internal volume. The Demi is 80% the volume of the regular model, but they seem to be indicating the difference in actual use for typical pieces of meat is larger. It's hard to visualize the difference.

I wonder if having a larger one with more space between the pieces would be better anyway, since it circulates entirely by convection.

[ermintrude]

After purchasing my SVS last Thursday ate the Ox Cheeks after 72 hours.

I made a compound butter from thyme, chopped bay leaf, crushed garlic, pepper and Dijon mustard and covered the cheeks with this. Then sealed 1 per bag at left in the SVS at 60 degrees Centigrade for 72 hours.

After 72 hours, the bag was now full of dark fluid and did not look that appetising, de-bagged and tasted the liquid and way low on seasoning, tried a tiny piece of the meat and very tender so got a pan v hot, pored in the liquid and reduced by 1/2 whisking to make sure the butter fat was incorporated added the cheeks a good seasoning of salt and basted for 30 secs, then served with some boiled potatoes.

I must say the cheeks were meltingly tender and the reduced juices made an amazing sauce and overall it was stunning. I am making these again.

[syoung68]

I did it. Like others have said, $199 was just to good to pass up. Given how dirty my white stand mixer always looks, I went with red. I will happily report back on my first cook.