What Are You Cooking Sous Vide Today? (Part 1)

[paulraphael]

I'm leading a more domesticated life this year. Cooking has shifted from experiments in art / science / decadence to a means of feeding people. I'm still trying to figure it out!

The possibly cruel irony is that this coincides with the new availability of cheap immersion circulators. I've had to borrow circulators for special occasions in the past.

How many of you find sous-vide cooking useful for your daily meals?

And how many of you like sous-vide for cooking things besides meat? I've always used it for fantastic pieces of meat, but this isn't what I'm cooking every day.

If you have sources on techniques / approaches for sous-viding things like green vegetables, root vegetables, and god knows what else, I'd love to check them out.

[rotuts]

Ive found the SV is extremely useful for everyday meals.  as you mentioned, meats.

 

you get them on sale, you batch them out, you rapid chill and freeze .  you then work from that stock for your everyday meals

 

I use a small beer cooler for the reheat.  your time in the kitchen can be used to concentrate on other things: the salad, the veg etc.

 

Ive done very little SV veg, as I get interested in that at the wrong time of the season.

 

SV will give you perfect Asparagus, and green beens every time which you can also freeze and reheat.

 

Asp. and GB's for me are the most difficult veg to cook just right, a bit too much time and they are ruined.  the same goes for too little time.

 

Really fresh 'garden carrots' also shine, the kind you find in a farmers market w nice fresh tops.

 

alas i cant sent you to a fine SV veg ref.

 

hopefully others will.

Edited March 9, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[Chris Hennes]

I regularly make the vegetable stock from Modernist Cuisine, it's the best I've ever tasted, by far. I've tried it using the same ingredients but cooked conventionally, and the sous vide version is much superior, particularly in aroma. It's also pretty quick to make and can be batched and frozen.

[KennethT]

I use SV on a weekly basis for making salmon - with no effort, I get the salmon exactly how I like it (just at the point of flaking - about 100degF) every time.  While it cooks unattended (I use a gradient with bath set to 115 and use the sous vide app Sous Vide Dash, then torch the top), I can spend the rest of the time working on the sides, veg and sauce so everything is done at the same time, and I can have dinner on the table during the week in about 20-25 minutes.

 

As rotuts mentioned, SV is great for asparagus.  What's great is the flexibility - different combinations yield a completely different product.  My wife loves the green, vegetal asparagus flavor, so I find that cooking it around 150degF for about 10 min. yields a barely cooked asparagus that is tender yet crisp, and retains the those flavors my wife is crazy for.  Some people like it more cooked, so I've read that 185 for 8-10 min. works well.

[rotuts]

Thanks.  

KennethT

 

Ill be stealing borrowing that time and temp setting, next time Asp. goes on sale

 

Ive always had high hopes for SV several batches of Asp. at their peak then freezing and reheating in the winter as a treat

 

have you frozen SV Asp.?

 

BTW do you peel the Asp?  I do for the large ones as they seem to have more Asp. flavor than the little whips.

Edited March 9, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[Simon Lewinson]

Yep, sous vide is an integrated part of how I now cook. From pork belly and beef cheeks to rhubarb or eggs, my sous vide supreme gets regular exercise. Buy when good, cheap and plentiful then bag, cook and freeze for quick meals works well.

The asparagus times sound worthy of further investigation.

Simon

[rotuts]

Forgot all about the SV eggs:  takes me 30 sec to have a SV egg any morning I want.

 

i SV at least a doz or 2 at a time, just the way I like them, rapid chill, dry, place back in the egg container and refrig.

 

ready and waiting. no plastic trees lost either.

[KennethT]

Thanks.  

KennethT

 

Ill be stealing borrowing that time and temp setting, next time Asp. goes on sale

 

Ive always had high hopes for SV several batches of Asp. at their peak then freezing and reheating in the winter as a treat

 

have you frozen SV Asp.?

 

BTW do you peel the Asp?  I do for the large ones as they seem to have more Asp. flavor than the little whips.

I've never frozen asp. - I'd imagine it would turn to mush upon defrosting.  I have cooked/chilled though, and kept in the frigerator for a few days.  That worked out fine.  I also prefer the large asp. - and yes, I'll snap off the bottoms, then peel because I find the outer green part to be tough and fibrous.  Just had a thought - in the past, I had cooked the peeled asp in the bag with a bit of butter or oo... but I wonder if you could put a bit of liquid in the bag, as well as the peel (similar to the procedure when prepping MC potatoes for puree).  I wonder if you'd get even more asp. flavor.

[jayt90]

 

 

How many of you find sous-vide cooking useful for your daily meals?

 

 

I don't.  Too expensive for the large apparatus and it demands more planning than I am up for.

 

However  I like the idea of preparing some soft foods sv, such as salmon. I may try with a canning jar and my counter top oven, as in this description   http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/01/why-cook-sous-vide/

 

Those of us who are closeted non sv'rs  can still use Dutch ovens, braziers, tagines, pc's, and bamboo steamers to cope with collagen, fibres and sinew.

Edited March 10, 2014 by jayt90 (log)

[gfweb]

I do.

Though I don't use it daily.

Mostly for meats eg pork shoulder, corned beef, smoked turkey

I still like braises for short rib because you get the veg and the jus

[rotuts]

SV might be a problem for some.  It can bring out the Inner Pack-Rat.

 

some time back I posted a pic of my basement stand-up freezer innards.  

 

I had a delicious turkey sandwich last night w some soup.  Feb SV.  2013.

 

it was delicious.  I usually get 4 - 5 thankgiving turkeys and deconstruct them for turkey dinners, sandwiches, cooked meat add-ins.

 

$ 0.49 cents / lbs

 

Last year I didnt.  I had enough from previous batch SV.

 

 

hoping to get 6 - 10 CB's in there for the summer and now.

 

then Ill take a sabbatical .

 

The Siren Sings ...  " $ 1.77 lbs - Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts"  these I stuff.

 

Ill be all chained up !

Edited March 10, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[KennethT]

That's why it's good to have a freezer inventory spreadsheet or database... I don't have nearly the freezer space you have, but without my spreadsheet, I'd be constantly buying things not realizing I already had it ready to go.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I am almost too inebriated to report, but must get the word out, God help me. I have never had better meat than marinated, vacuum sealed sous vide pork browned in sage and butter. I am very thankful.

[lesliec]

Great to hear, Jo. The Mai Tai must surely have helped!

Now you should look out for a nice lamb rack. Couple of hours around 58°C then blasted in hot oil. Fantastically pink, juicy and ... fantastic.

[nickrey]

I don't use sous vide daily just as I don't grill daily or fry daily or... 

 

If you are going to decide to use a process on daily use, check out the toaster sub-thread.

 

Use what works for what you want that day. Sous vide is something that is part of the cooking pantheon, not something you would worship on a regular basis.

[Paul Bacino]

This week I had..a boneless pork butt. We were going to eat it at 5 pm Sunday, and it hadn't thawed out completely. So I removed it from the cryovac..seasoned with flake salt and a garlic pepper season...into my sous vide bag..into A. 190 f water bath for 5.5 hr. Wow...it turned out awesome.

Was so easy

[paulraphael]

I don't use sous vide daily just as I don't grill daily or fry daily or... 

Ha. I don't even cook daily. I mean "everyday" in the sense of routine, ordinary, quotidian ...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Great to hear, Jo. The Mai Tai must surely have helped!

Now you should look out for a nice lamb rack. Couple of hours around 58°C then blasted in hot oil. Fantastically pink, juicy and ... fantastic.

 

I'm still working on the lovely leftovers of lamb with medjul dates that was my very first sous vide experiment from this past weekend, before I got the vacuum sealer.  Significant problems are that I am buying more food than I can store and cooking more food than I can eat.

 

Not sure how much the mai tai helped.  The meat was wonderful as was the pressure cooked potato, but I burned the lima beans.

[rotuts]

"""   Significant problems are that I am buying more food than I can store and cooking more food than I can eat.  """

 

its a form of addiction :  ive posted pics of my freezer downstairs a while ago.  good luck finding that pic.

 

had a delicious ( Feb ) turkey breast for a fine sandwich the other day.  Soooo good money couldn't buy it anywhere.

 

not making that up either. It was from 2013.  in perfect shape.  $ 0.49 cents an lbs  w 'bone loss' came to about 88 cents an lbs.

 

might still have some '12 maturing in there.  probably not.

 

you will know youve got the 'jones' going when you buy a freezer for the basement / rec. room/ garage.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I live in a small apartment, but, yes, last summer I was looking into a dedicated freezer for ice cream.

 

My question tonight is about leftovers sous vide.  I have half a pork chop from last night that has been cooked but not yet seared.  If I sear it from refrigerator temperature the inside will be cold.  Can I reseal the leftover chop and heat it up sous vide?

 

And how about mashed potatoes?

[rotuts]

remember, that chop is no longer pasteurized.  treat it just like refrigerated food that has not gone bad.

 

for only one chop, Id sear each side from cold to you liking, and then put the pan in a very low oven to reward.

 

you can microwave the MP's  they might enjoy a little hot milk and butter after heated

[KennethT]

I live in a small apartment, but, yes, last summer I was looking into a dedicated freezer for ice cream.

 

My question tonight is about leftovers sous vide.  I have half a pork chop from last night that has been cooked but not yet seared.  If I sear it from refrigerator temperature the inside will be cold.  Can I reseal the leftover chop and heat it up sous vide?

 

And how about mashed potatoes?

You can seal practically anything in a bag and reheat in the water bath. I do it all the time. It's great when you have a dinner party - everything can be precooked, then 10-20 min. before each course, just drop the bags in a 120-130degF bath to reheat. Works great for mashed potatoes, sauces, etc. - especially for those of us with very limited stove-top space! Like rotuts said, just keep in mind that it's no longer pasteurized, so treat it like you would any normal non-SV food - no longer than a week in a cold refrigerator, etc...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

remember, that chop is no longer pasteurized.  treat it just like refrigerated food that has not gone bad.

 

for only one chop, Id sear each side from cold to you liking, and then put the pan in a very low oven to reward.

 

you can microwave the MP's  they might enjoy a little hot milk and butter after heated

 

It's late, and I'm saving the pork chop for another day.  Meanwhile I have the leftover mashed potato in a low oven heating up for dinner.  A microwave is one of those fancy devices I do not have.

 

I think I'll reseal the pork chop and reheat sous vide when the time comes.

 

Any thoughts on doing meat and plants sous vide together for the same meal?  Could I, say, cook carrots at high heat, then lower the bath temperature and reheat my pork chop with the carrots still in the bath?  The obvious solution is to get two Anovas but I'm not to that point yet.

[lesliec]

Two Anovas doesn't sound like a bad plan ...

 

There are logistical problems around vegetables and meat in the same bath, but they're probably not insurmountable - especially since your pork is a reheat.

 

The juggling you'll have to do reflects the very different temperatures the two need - carrots around 85°C, reheating pork probably more like 56°C.  I think I'd give the carrots their full hour at the high temp then chill them to stop them cooking further while you (first) get the bath temp down and (second) warm up the pork.  Then drop the carrots back in for  maybe 15 minutes at the end.  That will probably cause the bath temp to drop a few degrees, but I don't think there are any safety issues there for already-cooked pig.

 

I'll add a disclaimer that I've never actually tried doing this.  Somebody else probably has and can firm up on the details.

 

In the meantime, my Anova has been working on some 72 hour short ribs.  I'll head home shortly and whip up some mashed spuds to accompany, with a splash of truffle oil.  Luxury!

[nickrey]

It's late, and I'm saving the pork chop for another day.  Meanwhile I have the leftover mashed potato in a low oven heating up for dinner.  A microwave is one of those fancy devices I do not have.

 

I think I'll reseal the pork chop and reheat sous vide when the time comes.

 

Any thoughts on doing meat and plants sous vide together for the same meal?  Could I, say, cook carrots at high heat, then lower the bath temperature and reheat my pork chop with the carrots still in the bath?  The obvious solution is to get two Anovas but I'm not to that point yet.

It works well.