Sous Vide Equipment from Labs

[kryptos1]

Auction websites frequently have immersion circulators that have come from scientific labs......are these bad idea to buy? Thinking its possible these had exposure to materials that would be harmful and not sure if they can be cleaned enough to fully sterilize. Anyone have an experience with this? Some of this equipment clearly is used and not a good idea but have seem some that look very clean.

Sorry if this is a repeat topic, did a search on sous vide and didn't see another topic titled this way but I could have missed it.

[gfweb]

Its hard to know how clean they would be. There's just no way to know.

Everything can be cleaned with solvents and disinfectants of course.

If immersion cirvulators are your thing you might consider the sous vide controllers for crock pots. They are cheap and No worries about contamination.

Centrifuges are a different thing...can't home build one of them.

[dcarch]

Also, I would assume all you food will be inside food-safe bags.

dcarch

[runwestierun]

I should preface this by saying I think I am a very cautious person. I have a degree in biochemistry and worked in that field for the federal government for years. I would never use a piece of used lab equipment for food, ever. So much of what we used our equipment for was so toxic and/or radioactive in such minute amounts.

I read the argument above that the food would be sealed in bags. Two things: 1) I've had my food bags break in my Sous Vide Supreme and 2) the bags are sealed, but your hands handle the outside of the bags.

I always think you have to weigh benefits vs. consequences. You save $50 vs. small chance of cancer, death or mystery poisoning. Used equipment does not come with a trustworthy provenance.

[Deus Mortus]

Centrifuges are a different thing...can't home build one of them.

Nonsense, all you need is a precisely controlled (and powerful) motor and access to a CNC machine, I have build about 7 of them in my lifetime and while I never used them for cooking purposes, they have all functioned brilliantly. While a homemade centrifuge may not have as much spinning hours before breakdown as a professionally build one, I don't see that being a problem with casual kitchen use.

Back on topic, I am not an expert in US law, but out here equipment that has been in contact with dangerous chemicals cannot be sold without the vendor explicitly telling the customer and anything that doesn't fall in the list of those chemicals can usually be cleaned off with cleaning agents meant for sterilizing. I would suggest using that and then boiling it in water, to be completely sure.

Personally however I wouldn't do it, the ability to sue someone isn't much comfort when illness strikes and especially seeing how cheap you can build your own.

Edited June 8, 2011 by Deus Mortus (log)

[gfweb]

OK. If you are a skilled machinist with a home machine shop you could build a 'fuge at home.

[OliverB]

lots of people went that way, personally I'd not have a problem with it, once you give it a good cleaning and I'd not buy a really crummy dirty one anyway. Ask the seller what it was used for as well, aren't many of them just used to keep a waterbath at temperature?

I did not go that way since I don't want my kitchen to look like a laboratory :-)

One SV company makes a version of immersion circ with controls that I might get sometime if I think I need more flexibility in bath size or vessel.

[Deus Mortus]

Oh and if you do go with a secondhand lab one, make sure it's made of food grade stainless steel, most of the circulators aren't and are meant to be used with distilled/deionized water and will corrode if you don't.

[kryptos1]

Thanks for the responses.....think I will stay away from them for now. the DIY ones look interesting, but I will want as much temperature accuracy as possible.

[Deus Mortus]

Thanks for the responses.....think I will stay away from them for now. the DIY ones look interesting, but I will want as much temperature accuracy as possible.

You need very little experience to make your own waterbath and remember, the beauty of these kinds of projects is that you can keep improving them!

[kryptos1]

You need very little experience to make your own waterbath and remember, the beauty of these kinds of projects is that you can keep improving them!

Very good point! I built up a Jeep Wrangler for offroading...wow was that a money pit improving that thing This won't be nearly that bad! It is interesting researching this stuff...efficiency of heating elements and using insulation, power management, accuracy, etc....

Have you built one?

[Deus Mortus]

You need very little experience to make your own waterbath and remember, the beauty of these kinds of projects is that you can keep improving them!

Very good point! I built up a Jeep Wrangler for offroading...wow was that a money pit improving that thing This won't be nearly that bad! It is interesting researching this stuff...efficiency of heating elements and using insulation, power management, accuracy, etc....

Have you built one?

Well homemade lab equipment is one of many obsessions and while I have never made one with the idea of cooking with it, I have made several for home chemistry and even melting various materials for casting.

Building a heated one is ridiculously easy, I believe there is a rather good how to on instructables, though personally if I would use it for cooking, I wouldn't use an acrylic water tank, but simply repurpose a cooler, to save on energy.

The only way waterbaths get harder to make, is when you want them able to also cool, though even that is rather easy with a peltier cooler kit.

If you have the tool skills to build a jeep, either version is a breeze!