Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment (Part 2)

[pounce]

On Dec 12 2006, 08:09 PM, s_sevilla said:

Any experiences on Duck Confit done Sous Vide? 

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Try this link to one of NathanM's posts in the Confit thread. Edited December 13, 2006 by pounce (log)

[s_sevilla]

thanks, if it turns out ok I'll post the results. I'll definitely say I'm expecting the whole operation to be a lot cleaner than doing it the traditional way....but I need a backup since the confit will be for a formal dinner I'm cooking this weekend.....In part of the prep leading up to the event I'm doing a lot of the components Sous Vide so I can free up as much time as possible studying for finals, if only for this I've found Sous Vide to be one of the nicest innovations to the way I cook

[BryanZ]

Dude, I feel so bad for you. A big formal dinner and finals is clearly what SV was made for.

[qrn]

I just did some S/V duck legs (finished up last night at 10..) They were in about 11hrs at 177 to 184º then put them in the bags in the fridge...Tasted them this a.m. and were perfect....

Bud

[Qwerty]

I'm sorry if this question has been answered in an earlier thread, but are all of you guys who are doing sous vide cooking at home using home-model cryovac machines, then just using a pot of water and keeping the temperature stable...or did you guys go the thermal immersion circulator route?

Just curious. I've seen and done a little sous vide professionally, and liked the results enough to try it at home in the near future.

[qrn]

Yes, I dried the legs well , semi froze the fat and vac packed with a Foodsaver.

Then used a big sauce pan on the gas range, and monitored the water temp with a wireless insertable meat thermometer. Weighted down the bag with a big spoon to keep it covered.

Since I was not using the 141º temps it wasnt critical to keep the super tight temp regulation .

I could have used the oven, but the thing has fans that run all the time when it's on, and the burner was easier.

Bud

[s_sevilla]

I bid on ebay for a few months before I landed my hands on a waterbath that was in my price-range. It's not a circulating model and doesn't have ramping controls, but it works like a charm and holds temperatures within .2 degree(F). If you have a little knowledge about simple circuits, then it is possible to set up a fairly accurate system using an off-the-shelf PID (Proportional-integral-derivative) controller, electric hob, and if you want better uniformity, then a heat-tolerant immersible pump. Going this route should cost around 150-200$, and the used baths on ebay can be found in the same price-range.

[ChefCrash]

Yes. Kind of like this.

[BRM]

I'm sorry if this question has been answered in an earlier thread, but are all of you guys who are doing sous vide cooking at home using home-model cryovac machines, then just using a pot of water and keeping the temperature stable...or did you guys go the thermal immersion circulator route?

Just curious. I've seen and done a little sous vide professionally, and liked the results enough to try it at home in the near future.

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I got a Haake immersion circulator on e-bay for $100 and a vaccuum sealer from Target. Another route you cold go might be to modify your stove or a hot plate as in this post. The stove mod is also intriguing because it woudl also allow constant temp for things like deep frying.

[Pielle]

I guess you wanted to link to my previous thread but you added an http: too much!

So here is the actual link I am actualy VERY happy with this stove mod and use it frequently. My only regret was not the get the 0.1 degrees precision thermistor for very little more money. Its cost is low, it takes no space at all and is polyvalent (sous vide, slow cooking, deep frying) and precice.

I have tried a lot of sous-vide recipies, taking a long time, or short time, precision or not and all came out wonderfly.

One very nice "security feature" is that the PID will automaticly adapt itself to the setting of the knob. So you can heat up your pot at full blast (240V so 2200 Watt) and then once the temps is reached, you can bring and down to 2 or 3. So for long time cooking (few days or overnight) even if the PID breaks on the ON position (unprobable) it will only bring the pot of water to a gentle boil that will last forever (I alaways leave the lid of my pot on it).

[coffeekev]

...

One very nice "security feature" is that the PID will automaticly adapt itself to the setting of the knob.  So you can heat up your pot at full blast (240V so 2200 Watt) and then once the temps is reached, you can bring and down to 2 or 3.  So for long time cooking (few days or overnight) even if the PID breaks on the ON position (unprobable) it will only bring the pot of water to a gentle boil that will last forever (I alaways leave the lid of my pot on it).

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Very nice mod indeed Pielle, a true inspiration and being in Australia, where almost everything cost 2-3X as much (and 2ndhand equipment is definitely more scarce), I think DIY is the way to go for me. Also, working in the medical field, I REALLY cant bear the thought of using 2ndhand water baths that could have had biological agents thawing in them

I had 2 questions re: your mod,

First question was answered in that thread of yours, namely whether auto-tuning needs to be repeated when using different amounts of water - it is necessary it seemed, however given u always keep a lid on, is evaporation a factor at all? I can imagine myself marking the inside of the pot to make sure the same quanity of water is being heated, in long marathon sous vides i reckon...

Question no. 2, you said above that you can actually use the knob to adjust the power, now, wouldn't that affect the tuning process too? and therefore needs to be auto-tuned again?

I am planning to modify a slow-cooker (or a rice cooker, because it has greater wattage) in the next 1-2 months. Will definitely post my results!

-coffeekev

[Pielle]

I have answered to this post on the thread concerning the PIDed stovetop.

Link

Edited December 18, 2006 by Pielle (log)

[andiesenji]

A vendor on ebay has some current auctions for several scientific/laboratory water bath units.

If anyone is interested, click here then click on the "visit seller's store" link.

I am not sure if these are the types of units desired but I purchased a mixer from this vendor and noticed the lab equipment on the auction list.

[woodburner]

So after months of following this thread, I've yet to invest in a water bath circulator, or for that fact cooked anything sous vide yet. Pitiful me.

But alas something has now suddenly appeared locally to me, skate wing. Ok previously frozen but it looks good in the market and my trusted food friend headed right out that first morning made available and procured a few pounds only to gave it his thumbs up.

Now I stumble over the following:

For the Laminated Skate Wing:

Stack a large skate fillet with one of the smaller fillets so that the thinner side of the small fillet is on top of the thicker side of the large fillet, forming one fillet of uniform thickness. Layer another small fillet and top with the remaining large fillet in a similar fashion. Lightly season with salt and thyme. Place the stack of skate into a large sous-vide bag and cover with fumet. Seal the bag with significant pressure according to the sous-vide machine's instructions.

Bring a large pot of water to 165ºF, using a thermometer to maintain this temperature. Cook the skate for approximately 25 minutes. Remove the bagged skate carefully, cool at room temperature, then chill in an ice bath. Once the skate is chilled, lightly press the bagged skate between 2 sheet pans with approximately 3 pounds of weight on top. Press and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Remove the laminated skate from the bags, peel off the thyme, and gently scrape off any jellied fumet. Trim the skate and cut into 5-ounce rectangular portions. Refrigerate the skate until ready to finish the dish.

Laminated Skate Sous Vide

I'm more than certain I can keep a pot of water on my stove at 165ºf for about 25 minutes as the recipe suggests. Does anyone with some experience with sous vide have any comments regarding the stated time and temperature stated here?

woodburner

[Ruth]

The temperature sounds far too high to me. I would never cook fish at more than 140°F

[Michaeltheonion]

We poach lobster in beurre monte at my restaurant. This requires emulsifying about 4 pounds of butter into itself everynight over a double boiler. This takes loads of time but the result is fantastic. Generally we keep the Butter in the steam table but this ends up raising the cost on the lobster quite abit. Were getting a sous vide machine to cut down on labour. Now we can put a couple tablespoons of butter into the bag with a lobster tail and seal it shut. Drop it in the circulator and it bascially takes care of itself. It also has the added effect of cutting down on prepping lobster because the butter generally preserves them longer than if they were sitting in the botton of a reach in. I also encountered a chef who makes his rattatoullie sous vide, the result was lso tender...

[Chef Rich G]

Hey Michaeltheonion-

Time temperature? What are you doing with the tail after you remove from the bag? You're not placing the "lobster in shell" within the bag are you?

[Chef Rich G]

What's the status of your approvals by your local health department. I started a whole thread to discuss the legality of MAP cooking here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=entry1335882

I would be interested, as I am sure most other professional sous vide proponents would be, for some insight as to how local health departments are reacting to uncovering vacuum chamber or foodsaver machines alongside thermal circulators.

[alwang]

Thinking about dipping a tentative, vacuum-packed toe into the world of sous vide, but like many others, I'm trying to experiment on a budget. I'm curious whether anyone has had any experience using this product?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000Z4WV...d=324PZK555R091

Essentially a crockpot, but one with a thermostat-regulated temperature control that goes pretty low. Obviously no PID and non-circulating, so I'm not expecting the world, but I'm wondering whether it can hold a steady temperature well enough for at least some sous vide applications (seafood for relatively short times?).

Hey, it's 35 bucks, I'll probably just buy one and test it for myself. Even if it doesn't work for sous vide, I could use a good crock pot.

-a

[Michaeltheonion]

Hey Michaeltheonion-

Time temperature?  What are you doing with the tail after you remove from the bag?  You're not placing the "lobster in shell" within the bag are you?

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Sorry sometimes I leave out the importnat stuff. The temperature is 140 exactly, I suppose because this is standard poaching temperature. It takes around 5 minutes to poach it properly. Its better to have it be just underdone, because it begins to fall appart after 6 minutes in the butter. And nope, I use the shells to make oils and the like.

[Pielle]

I want to serve some eggs tonight with a confit salade I am doing. I want to cook the eggs in a thermostated bath in order to get a special texture. What temperature do you recommend cooking this and what are the textures expected?

Thanks!

[Ruth]

Several chefs cook eggs this way, usually at about 147° (the temperature at which the whites are supposed to congeal) for 45-50 minutes. The texture is very unusual and difficult to describe. The whites are barely congealed and the yolks runny. They say this will only work with very fresh eggs. Some people go crazy about them. I can take them or leave them.

[BryanZ]

I think they're delicious. I go 62-63ish C for at least 45 minutes.

[s_sevilla]

on the studio kitchen thread shola did them at exactly 63.8 Celsius for about an hour. See here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...0entry1152300

[cookingkid]

While not new to sous vide cooking and storage, I am new to having to put together a system for my kitchen. In essence, I've worked for others who already had the machines to make sous vide work well. Now, I need help tracking down some items and not recreate the wheel.

The restaurant recently bought a vacuum chamber sealer that feels ancient as far as the control panel is concerned. The machine came from Machine World USA, with the brand name as Ding Li. Anyone who has or currently uses this machine, please reply as to how to efficiently use it for cooking purposes. I'm having problems getting a full vacuum, which seems to be related to the size of the bags.

Speaking of bags, I'm in Missouri and I have found one purveyor for the supply of 8x10 bags. I'd like to know if there are any other local purveyors of these bags in the state, with different sizes and functions. Also, if there is a better source on-line, I'm up for that info as well.

I feel like I'm putting together the sous vide program on a whim and on a shoestring budget. The recipes that we use are ones that I have done before, but are now forced to adapt them to less than ideal circumstances (i.e. foodsaver bags and induction burners). Basically, I could use a mentor. Thanks for any help that can be given.