Sous vide for a newbie?

[Smithy]

Yes, that's a nice writeup, @paulraphael.  Finding my way through the forest of sous vide information - here and elsewhere - is quite a job.  It's nice to get succinct pointers along the way.

[scubadoo97]

On June 8, 2016 at 7:10 AM, EnriqueB said:

 

Changed the color, and removed all equipment brands except Polyscience ones. Still there are generic circulating and non-circulating though, which should do the job.

 

For a while both versions were available in the App Store, but SousVideDash was removed about a couple of months ago, which is a pity.

Glad I have the original one which appears to still work

[Porthos]

Based on something I read in an SV recipe I wonder if I am overdoing something. I am suspending my bag or bags in the water bath off of a wooden spoon. If I am doing just one bag can I just drop FoodSaver-sealed bag in the bath.

[Smithy]

2 minutes ago, Porthos said:

Based on something I read in an SV recipe I wonder if I am overdoing something. I am suspending my bag or bags in the water bath off of a wooden spoon. If I am doing just one bag can I just drop FoodSaver-sealed bag in the bath.

 

That's what I have been doing, but I am the newest of the newbies and may have been doing it wrong.  As long as the temperature is constant (water circulating), why would it matter?

[rotuts]

I just drop the sealed bags into the water.

 

I , however, do not use Zip-Locks w the displacement method.

 

If you are confident that your bags are sealed 'to your satisfaction'

 

just drop them into the water and see what happens.

 

if there is enough air in the bags, you will see them float a bit.

 

if they just swim around, you're good.

 

if you chose to do longer SV, and use the Zips or water displacement, its been mentioned in the past that you take another clean bag,

 

seal in a few stiainless steel bots, el cheapo  from Home Depo into that same bag and it won't float

 

SS  ? just in case.  those Id bet you can use over and over again.   you don't need much, just enough to counter a little air left in the bag if you use

 

displacement.   you do need to 'displace' those bolts !

[Porthos]

19 minutes ago, rotuts said:

I just drop the sealed bags into the water.

 

I , however, do not use Zip-Locks w the displacement method.

 

If you are confident that your bags are sealed 'to your satisfaction'

 

just drop them into the water and see what happens

I have been favoring the FoodSaver-sealed bags so I will give a bag the drop-it-in method a try.

 

I have an old, no-longer-used 28 qt cooler that I am going to re-purpose into a large SV bath for a larger SV project I have in mind. I will set that up for suspending multiple bags.

[rotuts]

you only need toy suspect the bags is you feel you circulator does not have the Energy to circulate the mass of bags.

 

try it w and w/o the suspension and you will see the results right then.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

49 minutes ago, rotuts said:

I just drop the sealed bags into the water.

 

I , however, do not use Zip-Locks w the displacement method.

 

If you are confident that your bags are sealed 'to your satisfaction'

 

just drop them into the water and see what happens.

 

if there is enough air in the bags, you will see them float a bit.

 

if they just swim around, you're good.

 

if you chose to do longer SV, and use the Zips or water displacement, its been mentioned in the past that you take another clean bag,

 

seal in a few stiainless steel bots, el cheapo  from Home Depo into that same bag and it won't float

 

SS  ? just in case.  those Id bet you can use over and over again.   you don't need much, just enough to counter a little air left in the bag if you use

 

displacement.   you do need to 'displace' those bolts !

 

I just had a thought -- if floating is a problem, take PTFE coated magnetic stir bars and seal them in the same bag as the food.  No need for double bagging.  Not something I have tested though.

[rotuts]

good idea

 

but if you do not have them, motor on down to HomeDepot.

[pbear]

11 hours ago, Porthos said:

Based on something I read in an SV recipe I wonder if I am overdoing something. I am suspending my bag or bags in the water bath off of a wooden spoon. If I am doing just one bag can I just drop FoodSaver-sealed bag in the bath.

 

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

That's what I have been doing, but I am the newest of the newbies and may have been doing it wrong.  As long as the temperature is constant (water circulating), why would it matter?

 

Suspension became common practice for two reasons.  First was to deal with noncirculators, e.g., PID controlled crockpots and rice cookers, which was the state-of-the-art consumer rig until the SVS was introduced in late 2009.  The SVS uses a rack rather than clips.  Anyhoo, there's no need to suspend the bags in a circulator for purposes of heat transfer.  Jo demonstrated this a couple years ago (ETA: see here) by measuring the temp between bags touching each other and finding no difference from the bath temp.

 

OTOH, suspension (or a rack) is a good idea with a circulator if you're using zip-top bags, as the seal on those isn't sturdy.  Also, it serves the same function as Jo and rotuts are discussing by putting weight in the bottom of the bags, i.e., keeps the bags oriented vertically.  Further, I use a rack in a circulator even with a vacuum sealer, but that's because my seals aren't entirely reliable (and I have a couple extra racks handy).  With reliable seals, a vacuumed bag doesn't need to be suspended.  This would include a FoodSaver.

Edited June 28, 2016 by pbear
insert link (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I often use a rack for weighting down bags, even though I have a Polyscience chamber vacuum sealer.  Dave Arnald has demonstrated the beneficial effect of lower vacuum when cooking tender meat sous vide.  Not that I have tried the side by side comparison myself.

 

Using a rack in the bath works OK for me but adding extra weight sounds promising.  I've been looking around and there are glass coated stir bars available if Teflon is an issue.

 

I've not mentioned this previously, but my current sous vide technique for eggs is to take a simple plastic sandwich bag (not one of the fancy zip lock ones) and tie the bag in a knot around the egg,  This is so very simple.  But for more well done eggs I use the @pazzaglia pressure cooked technique:

 

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/cracked-soft-medium-and-hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-pressure-cooker/

 

@Jazz has reported a problem with the @pazzaglia method, but it sure works well for me.  What has been a problem is reheating the @pazzaglia pressure steamed eggs sous vide.  They turn rubbery and tough.  I suggest just pressure steam the eggs as @pazzaglia suggests, chill in an ice bath, and reheat in the finished dish.  I've not had any egg bits stick to the shell.  Ever.

[scubadoo97]

On 6/27/2016 at 3:40 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I just had a thought -- if floating is a problem, take PTFE coated magnetic stir bars and seal them in the same bag as the food.  No need for double bagging.  Not something I have tested though.

I use a rack but before I bought one I would vacuum seal heavy small objects and add that to the bag.   I was given a couple of boxes of whiskey stones which I found utterly useless but then found a use for them.

[dscheidt]

On 7/8/2016 at 2:34 PM, scubadoo97 said:

I use a rack but before I bought one I would vacuum seal heavy small objects and add that to the bag.   I was given a couple of boxes of whiskey stones which I found utterly useless but then found a use for them.

Spoons work well, and most people have some around the kitchen. I also use a spring clamp attached to the bag.  Usually, just the clamp is enough to hold it down, but you can attach things with it if you need to.

[gfweb]

On 6/27/2016 at 3:41 PM, rotuts said:

good idea

 

but if you do not have them, motor on down to HomeDepot.

Home Depot has mag stirrers?

[Smithy]

After a couple of weeks' hiatus I was set to try another sous vide test today.  I pulled my Anova out of its box, set it up in a pot full of hot water (at appropriate level, between minimum and maximum), plugged it in and turned it on.  The temperature of the water has been dropping steadily.  Water is circulating, but apparently not heating.  The controls LOOK normal: measured temperature, temperature set point, wifi emblem lit.  When the pump is off the "go" button is red; when the pump is running the "go" button light disappears but the pump is circulating.  Question about that "go" button light: didn't it turn blue or maybe white before, when the circulator was running?  Is that a clue that the heating element isn't working?

 

Is there a switch someplace that I've forgotten about, or an interlock, or even a good test to confirm that the unit has failed?  I have a call and email in to Anova, but being impatient I'm looking here for help as well. The manual doesn't seem to have troubleshooting info for this.

 

eta this update: I've heard back from Anova, and the circulator will be going back to them.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Smithy
updated info (log)

[scubadoo97]

No heat sounds like an electrical problem.  I would certainly contact them

[Smithy]

7 hours ago, scubadoo97 said:

No heat sounds like an electrical problem.  I would certainly contact them

 

It's on its way back at their expense, and they said they'd be sending a new one as soon as the FedEx tracking showed the old one to be enroute. 

[kayb]

I love their customer service department. I thought I'd lost my bracket that holds it on the side of a vessel, and when I called to buy a new one, they told me they didn't sell them separately, but if I wished to send them back the circulator sans bracket, they'd replace it with a new one with a bracket. Can't beat that.

 

Fortunately, I found the bracket.

 

 

[Porthos]

I made Sesame Ginger chicken breasts last night. I pounded them to 20 mm thick, 1 1/2 hours at 142 F.  I was happy with the flavor and texture but my DW thought they were too mushy. I told her I would bump the temp to 143.5 then next time I made them, but I did remind her that I am trying to make them to be still moist enough for her. She is have trouble accepting that the meat is thoroughly cooked.

 

Thoughts?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Do the 143.5 experiment and see how she likes them.

 

[haresfur]

4 hours ago, Porthos said:

I made Sesame Ginger chicken breasts last night. I pounded them to 20 mm thick, 1 1/2 hours at 142 F.  I was happy with the flavor and texture but my DW thought they were too mushy. I told her I would bump the temp to 143.5 then next time I made them, but I did remind her that I am trying to make them to be still moist enough for her. She is have trouble accepting that the meat is thoroughly cooked.

 

Thoughts?

 

SV chicken breast is interesting in that you are trying to balance moisture and texture in a different way from red meat. There is a difference between soft and mush. I think of mush as what you get from meat in the SV too long but soft is one aspect of undercooked. IMO chicken breast at 56 C is moist but too soft. I do my Parma at 60 C (140 F). 30 min should be plenty to pasteurize a breast after you wail on it and any additional time will just make it trend towards mush so I aim for 45 min and no more than an hour. Any longer does nothing to being sure it is 'thoroughly cooked'. So the first thing I'd try is shortening the time, then adjust the temperature.

[Porthos]

For a 20 mmm thickness Baldwin calls for  1 1/4 hours at 142 F. I went 1 1/2 hours. It was not mushy. I am trying to balance perception of being done versus moistness for my DW. Neither my daughter or SIL found it to be mushy.

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, Porthos said:

For a 20 mmm thickness Baldwin calls for  1 1/4 hours at 142 F. I went 1 1/2 hours. It was not mushy. I am trying to balance perception of being done versus moistness for my DW. Neither my daughter or SIL found it to be mushy.

I am with @haresfur.   One and a half hours seems like an awfully long time at 142°F for chicken breast that is not even an inch thick.  I would reduce the time before messing with the temperature.  

[Kerry Beal]

8 hours ago, Porthos said:

For a 20 mmm thickness Baldwin calls for  1 1/4 hours at 142 F. I went 1 1/2 hours. It was not mushy. I am trying to balance perception of being done versus moistness for my DW. Neither my daughter or SIL found it to be mushy.

My hubby also has issues with the perception of meat being done - for him I put things in the microwave, covered, for just a few seconds at a time until all that 'awful pink colour' is gone - meat remains moist if I don't overdo it - hubby is happy. 

[gfweb]

I have problems with the texture at a given doneness of some SV meats eg hamburger or strip steak.  eg MR hamburger has the texture of rare and MR strip has no 'bite' to it.   I find that a harder sear ie overcooking the outside somewhat fixes this.