Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2012

[rotuts]

cant say. i only have a Weston sealer and would be unable to seal the CkBr with the liquid C.M.

you would be able to do it with a high end vacuum sealer, about 1.5K.

after adding the CM on the re-heat I fold over the plastic bag where I cut it for the addition and staple it so water doesnt get into it.

it works fine for the 20 min reheat.

Edited February 24, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[pep.]

cant say. i only have a Weston sealer and would be unable to seal the CkBr with the liquid C.M.

you would be able to do it with a high end vacuum sealer, about 1.5K.

after adding the CM on the re-heat I fold over the plastic bag where I cut it for the addition and staple it so water doesnt get into it.

it works fine for the 20 min reheat.

Ah, OK, that makes sense. Since I'll probably get completely different curry pastes over here, how much is "half a can" by weight? I'd like to try that, "instant thai curry in the freezer" sounds like a great idea for weekday dinners.

[rotuts]

the Maesri cans are 4 oz. some are quite hot (Kaeng for one ... have two more to go that Im betting will be 'hot')

there is another brand Mai Ploy that afficionados here say is better. it comes in plastic cups. havent found that here.

I bet you can find those little cans. after all its from Thailand and i bet they just dont make it for her.

I made up on CkBr / 1/2 can for my initial trial to see the taste differences. the coconut milk give it a great taste.

good luck. would lilke to hear your results and a pic of the various cans/cups you can find.

Im back to the Chinese Megalomart to restock up. next set Ill add some veg potatoes, sweet potatoes green beans baby corn etc.

Ill have to take a gander at some Thai restaurant menus to see what they add in.

love SV for the fact that for little work you can have a lot of stuff ready to reheat!

Ive also done this with Patak (jars) indian 'curries' Tika and Vindaloo are very good. No Coco for the indian!

Edited February 25, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[Shalmanese]

cant say. i only have a Weston sealer and would be unable to seal the CkBr with the liquid C.M.

You can just seal liquids in ziplocks. Unless you need a vacuum for some reason, there's no difference between ziplocks and vacuums when you're SVing.

[rotuts]

correct. however i got the weston system as the bags are thicker and when frozen do not let in air through damage from ice crystals.

thinner bags do. the great thing of SV for me besides the flavors is that i can do a dozen bags at a time and quick chill and keep in a very cold refrig or freeze indefinitely.

thiner bags seem to hold up for a month at best.

if I were SV for current use the heavier zip bags would work.

[rotuts]

Shalmanese gave me a great idea: if I really wanted to SV something with liquid I could put the stuff in an inexpensive Zip get all the air out with the underwater trick

then put that bag in the thicker SV bags and seal. this would freeze fine!

next time I set up my small rig Ill SV some coconut milk at 145 for 3 - 4 hours and see what happens!

[pep.]

I'm experimenting with SV custards. I just noticed that immediately after blending the mixture, I couldn't draw more than approximately 85 % vacuum before the incorporated air caused too much bubbling. I know it would start at some point, but I wouldn't want to get custard into the vacuum pump (one of the few drawbacks of my machine - the vacuum port is located underneath the sealing bar).

What does everyone else do? Do you degas your custards in a hard container before sealing them in a bag?

[rotuts]

Zip-Loc for SV:

any issues with the various plastics out there for SV? up to say 165 F?

some 'safer' than others?

thanks

[rotuts]

here is how Im currently doing the "SV Thai Curry" :

out of the refrig i make a small snip in the corner and with a funnel i add the CocoM, then fold down and staple. its like they do for lung surgery:

[m61376]

Zip-Loc for SV:

any issues with the various plastics out there for SV? up to say 165 F?

some 'safer' than others?

thanks

Ziploc brand freezer bags are safe. Glad does not recommend their bags for microwave use.

[rotuts]

I scored some decent Chuck. not the 2 buck, but the beefier version.

Id like to continue with my 'Thai Curry' studies with this Chunk.

Id like to separate it into muscle groups first, so then I can be sure of cutting thin ( how thin?) slices off against the grain and then add the 'maesri' various to each and SV

I like beef rare: 131. Id like to try this here. in the past for decent sized Chuck id SV at 131 for 48 - 72.

If I take the trouble to remove visible tendon, and slice 'thin' what do experienced users think of 24 (or more?) at 131 ?

im looking at rare and tender.

many thanks for your thoughts.

Im off to Chinatown tomorrow. Maybe with luck I can score some Mae Ploy !

eventually Im going to try Chu Chee duck: breast and leg! a favorite of mine in Real Restaurants.

have to find some of that Baby Corn.

[rotuts]

is there a consensus here with the SV crowd re:

browning before or after SV?

im assuming that the 'after' group enjoys the volatile aromas and that slight 'crunch'

Im looking more for the flavor:

on my list of experiments with Beef will be:

Roulade: thin beef, mustard, bacon rolled up. these I used to make 'braised' after browning

and

Braciole: Beef, maybe flank, thin not pounded with spinach, Italian cold cuts, provolone tied up and braised.

note Beef Not Rare !

[m61376]

Anyone have experience cooking a silver tip roast sous vide? How does t come out, and what is the recommended timing?

[Robert Jueneman]

What the heck is a silver tip roast? Sounds expensive!

What part of the country/world do you live in?

Edited February 28, 2012 by Robert Jueneman (log)

[e_monster]

Double-blind tests seem to consistently point to pre-browning having little impact on the flavor if there is going to be post-searing. Pre-searing with no post-searing has minimal impact compared to post-cook searing (also based on double-blind tests). If you want to maximize the flavor, you might brown some bits and stick them in the bag. I periodically have done that with chicken. I will carmelize a few chicken wings (which I eat) and save the drippings and bits that stick to the pan and put them in the bag when I do a sous-vide cooking of boneless breasts or thighs.

is there a consensus here with the SV crowd re:

browning before or after SV?

im assuming that the 'after' group enjoys the volatile aromas and that slight 'crunch'

Im looking more for the flavor:

on my list of experiments with Beef will be:

Roulade: thin beef, mustard, bacon rolled up. these I used to make 'braised' after browning

and

Braciole: Beef, maybe flank, thin not pounded with spinach, Italian cold cuts, provolone tied up and braised.

note Beef Not Rare !

[m61376]

What the heck is a silver tip roast? Sounds expensive!

What part of the country/world do you live in?

It is a shoulder roast, lean and without connective tissue.

I live in NY, btw

[rotuts]

SV Meat:

can one taste the difference between SV meat that has sat sealed in the refrig for 12 - 24 hrs with seasonings and that which is SV'd right after bagging?

Im doing a chuck which i cut into smaller pieces and removed all the tendon/connective tissue with in reason. I generously coated with my favorite rub: Sauers Prime Rib.

sealed in bags and put in the refrig for 12 - 24. then Ill SV at 131 for 48 hrs and test. this cut seems on the tougher side.

I noticed immediately the salt brings out the juices which then are said to re-equilibrate later. does this 'brining' happen at 131?

i do the 12 - 24 hr initially for scheduling issues but I also pick up a rare bag failure pre SV and rebag.

If i was doing CkBr or Turkey Br. they would be in the SV at 145 for only 4 hours. maybe the brining effect for 12 - 24 would be more pronounced with foul.

of course true brining involves a salt solution so water from the solution might pass into the meat. This is more a 'dry brine'

Your thoughts and experience?

Edited March 2, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[slkinsey]

Assuming your rub contains salt, I'd say you're probably not doing yourself any favors.

See: To Salt or Not To Salt –That’s the Searing Question from the Cooking Issues blog.

[rotuts]

what an excellent article, thanks for pointing it out.

Ill keep this in mind for the future. Ill have to re-invent the rub without salt, or next time do an approximation each way.

i do wonder if 1.5 hours is different than 48 - 72. the chuck ive done at 131 for 48 - 72 was not even remotely tough or firm. very much like roast prime rib.

what i do notice is that some chuck has more intra-muscular fat and that adds a lot to the final dish. I try to remove fart thats not in the muscle fibers, ie lumps here and there.

that allows a little butter on the meat after the final pre plate sear!

[blackp]

Sous Vide Baby Food?

A friend who I converted to Sous Vide cookery about a year ago has recently had an addition to his family. Given that the son is about to start eating solid food he asked me about using SV to make baby food with 100% vegetables and/or fruit rather than the store-bought versions in cans and bottles which have all kinds of other ingredients and additives.

On the surface this sounds like a good idea. Pureeing could be achieved in the bag just by mashing it up and there is no chance that any nutrients would escape into the boiling water as for conventionally prepared mush.

Has any of the SV community made baby food? If so are there any tips or tricks or things to avoid? Are there better time/temp charts for different foods to become "mushable" but still nutritious?

Please excuse my ignorance here as SWMBO and I have no children so I have zero clue about the best way to feed miniature humans.

As a total aside I read today that Marion Mathie who played Rumpole of the Bailey's "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (The original SWMBO) passed away this week at the ripe old age of 87. Leo McKern who played Rumpole who incidentally was an Aussie passed away around 10 years ago.

Cheers,

PB

[rotuts]

St. P's day is coming up and corned beef is on sale. The SV 'cooler' is talking to me again ...

last year i tried this and it was OK, but way to salty for me as ive chosen to cut down on salt (NaCl) voluntarily. it takes a few weeks but after that ... all the commercial stuff tastes way to salty.

this year i may try to soak the CB in smaller SV pouch sizes in ice water for a while and try again

that brings me to my most serious question:

is there such a thing as Rare (131) CB? say 48 - 72 hrs or is that idea delusional as the corning process must denature some of the proteins

what temp and times have been successful for you?

[KennethT]

My memory of CB is that it's cured in a brine using, among other things, Instacure #1, which results in a pink color (like pastrami, but it's not rubbed and smoked), and also "sets" the texture... I don't know what value it would be to cook at 131 for a long time...

[Charcuterer]

Rotuts,

I found this page which I thought was very helpful and discusses time/temps for sousvide CB.

Serious eats.

[ojisan]

Jacques Pépin had a recipe in one of his books for cooking a store bought cured CB - the unopened bag is cooked in a pot of water at 180℉ for several hours. I would think it would turn out very very salty, but have not read a review from anyone who's tried it. Anyone here?

[rotuts]

many thanks for the CB refs. and that article Char. was excellent. i do bet the bagged CB will be to salty. I do an ice soak first.

will report. thin

nking 145 or so.