Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 3)

[DanM]

[Host's note: this topic forms part of an extended discussion that grew too big for our servers to handle efficiently.  The discussion continues from here.]

 

 

I am thinking about an Anova for a slightly different purpose. Can I use this in a home brewing environment to manage the grain mash temperature? 

 

Maybe I can use this for a HERMS brewing setup? I would use the Anova to maintain the temperature of a hot water tank. I would then use my pump to circulate the wort from the mash tun through a heat exchanger (copper coil) that is immersed in the hot water tank.

 

Thanks. 

 

Dan

Edited April 28, 2016 by lesliec
Added host's note (log)

[SleeperService]

3 hours ago, DanM said:

I am thinking about an Anova for a slightly different purpose. Can I use this in a home brewing environment to manage the grain mash temperature?

 

I don't see why not.  though most poeple use a heater element and a PID controller,

 

might be cheaper.

[rotuts]

a sure way to do this is that your mash be in a food-safe container that would be in the water bath that the Anova manages in the usual

 

circulatory maner.

 

if you have a lot of mash, then more than one container so the water bathes them all .

 

If you choose to put the Anova in the mash itself  :

 

consider the granularity of the mash re circulatory issues,  and consider the pH of the mash re possible damage to the Anova.

 

good Idea you have Id say.

 

let us know how you might proceed

[paulraphael]

I've been trying to find a simple way to use the circulator to proof bread dough and starters. Something like what Rotus describes for mash seams reasonable. Might be kind of clunky in practice though.

[haresfur]

10 hours ago, DanM said:

I am thinking about an Anova for a slightly different purpose. Can I use this in a home brewing environment to manage the grain mash temperature? 

 

Maybe I can use this for a HERMS brewing setup? I would use the Anova to maintain the temperature of a hot water tank. I would then use my pump to circulate the wort from the mash tun through a heat exchanger (copper coil) that is immersed in the hot water tank.

 

Thanks. 

 

Dan

 

 

That should work and be more efficient than trying to maintain the temperature of the whole mash tun

 

ETA: you probably would want to monitor the temperature in the mash, though.

Edited April 28, 2016 by haresfur (log)

[DanM]

I will probably build it like this... 

[pbear]

On 4/27/2016 at 1:42 PM, paulraphael said:

I've been trying to find a simple way to use the circulator to proof bread dough and starters..

 

I've not done exactly this, but I've done similar stuff and have a few pointers/suggestions.  For starters, I like to work in canning jars, either 12 oz jelly or 24 oz wide mouth, both of which are relatively tall for volume (helps with water level issues) and have straight sides (easy to scrape out).  Both are stock Ball jars, but may require a little hunting to track down; the latter are called pints-and-a-half.  The 12 oz jars also are great for working with custards in a water bath and the 24 oz end up being useful for all sorts of things, so these aren't one purpose acquisitions.  As for dough, the first rise is relatively easy.  Again, you want something tall for volume.  I like steam table inserts; soup inserts also could be used, if you'd prefer round.  No good way to do the second rise comes to mind, especially if you're using a proofing basket.  Maybe float in an insert and rely mostly on latent heat?

 

BTW, if you have one of the old Auber/FMS controllers hanging around, that plus a countertop roaster makes a wizard proofing box.  That's what I do for starters, actually, dry rather than wet.  For dough, I use a fairly conventional heat-source-in-a-box strategy, currently a coffee mug warmer on a lamp dimmer.

[rotuts]

i just noticed I had an email from Anova

 

code is 

 

anova-8b9fbs82

 

i just got a wifi so maybe this code still works

 

they also mentioned they will be in all the Target stores this fall  w demo's

 

guess they are mainstream now

[kayb]

Going to SV some baby back ribs for the Fourth and finish them under the broiler, as I'm not ambitious enough to finish them on the grill. Any critiques of Kenji's method of 165F for 12 hours?

[rotuts]

I think that at that temp, you are going to get Fall Off the Bone Ribs.

 

nice if that's what you are looking at.

 

but a lot of Jus dans le Bag.  you can reduce that jus, add some flavoring and baste the ribs for the broiler

 

Or   ....

 

pick a lower temp, 150  and keep some of that just and flavor in the meat.

 

it will be toothsome, but moist.

 

Id take longer and use a lower temp to maximize the flavor in the meat itself.

 

but try it, keep track of your results, and then do it again at a lower temp and see.

 

BTW, you are going to remove the 'membrane' on the concave side of the ribs ?

 

a crucial step.

[Dave the Cook]

I'm with rotuts. Maybe 145°F for 24 hours. Nothing wrong with fall-off-the-bone doneness, if that's what you like. But 165°/12 hours doesn't make the technique shine; it's just an easy way to get traditional results (again, nothing wrong with that).

[IndyRob]

Last night I did spare ribs at 167 for five hours (4 hours was suggested by ChefSteps, but I went a bit long).  These were very good, but didn't come cleanly off the bone.  I've previously done 12 hours at 165 and it may have been a bit long.  Perhaps 6-8 hours would be the Goldilocks zone.

[kayb]

4 hours ago, rotuts said:

I think that at that temp, you are going to get Fall Off the Bone Ribs.

 

nice if that's what you are looking at.

 

but a lot of Jus dans le Bag.  you can reduce that jus, add some flavoring and baste the ribs for the broiler

 

Or   ....

 

pick a lower temp, 150  and keep some of that just and flavor in the meat.

 

it will be toothsome, but moist.

 

Id take longer and use a lower temp to maximize the flavor in the meat itself.

 

but try it, keep track of your results, and then do it again at a lower temp and see.

 

BTW, you are going to remove the 'membrane' on the concave side of the ribs ?

 

a crucial step.

Kenji gives a choice of 165 for 12 hours for "traditional" ribs, or something lower (145, I think?) for 36 hours for meatier, more toothsome ribs. He contends the 165 at 12 will still have some "chew."

 

Looks now as though I may not do them after all; I still have thawed pork chops to do, as we opted for hot dogs today. Ribs may wait a day or so.

[rotuts]

does Kenji mention the extruded fund in the bag at the higher temp ?   if you want that, fine.

 

but SV at lower temps  ( then longer times ) keeps a lot of that in the meat, flavor and moisture

 

its one of its many features.

[Barrytm]

Whatever you do, it is helpful to keep a log of what you did and how you liked it.  For babybacks,  I have tried various times and temps, 24 hours at 155 was fall off the bone, which is overcooked for me,  24 hours at 142 was pretty tender.   I have settled in around 36 hours at 142 for St Louis Style ribs, then on the grill or under the broiler with some sauce..   

 

[MelissaH]

I was rather amused to get an email from Anova last night with the subject line "Celebrate The 4th Like A True American BBQ Hero." The timestamp was 7:07 PM yesterday (that was 3 July). Why is this relevant? The recipe in the email was for "the ultimate BBQ pulled pork shoulder," which cooks SV for 18 to 24 hours and then gets finished on a grill for another 1.5 hours.

 

Assuming I actually had a boneless pork shoulder in my fridge and a sealable bag large enough to hold it, as well as all the other ingredients for the rub in my pantry, and if I'd gotten started at 7:07 PM when the email arrived, using the minimum 18 hours of SV, the soonest I'd be eating would be nearly 4 PM today (the holiday). And if my pork shoulder were large enough and shaped such that it actually needed a full 24 hours to precook, dinner wouldn't be served until well after any fireworks display.

 

I'm sure the recipe is wonderful—I believe the rub is Kenji's rib rub previously published in The Food Lab. I just find the timing of the email from Anova a little off, to say the least!

 

MelissaH

[blue_dolphin]

Another Anova amusement:  The Anova made an appearance in an NYTimes tech column from last month, "Devices That Deserve to Go Along on Vacation"

I laughed to see a piece of kitchen gear pictured in the suitcase illustration along with the usual collection of phones/tablets/drives/sticks.

[rotuts]

yep.

 

I saw that.

 

this fall, in every Target store, with demo's !

 

vis their email.

[IndyRob]

I just got mine from the Target website.  I've previously prided my self on using a $25 Presto Kitchen Kettle, or an oven hack, but for $170, the convenience factor won.

 

I think I'd take mine on vacation.  I already have a butane burner in the car, and would certainly bring a cooler.  It would be a low risk move.

[rotuts]

sometime the Search Fx donsnt seem to work very well ,

 

I could not find the Anova circulator thread

 

I was looking into the Oven  , which seems to be delayed one year

 

 

and saw these :

 

https://www.engadget.com/gallery/anovas-precision-cooker-and-oven-at-ces-2017/

 

does anyone know more about the new circulators ?

 

editors ;  please feel free to move this to the Anova thread

 

maybe you can find it ?   I could not

Edited May 18, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

I guess the Anova Nano will be here soon :

 

https://anovaculinary.com/nano/

 

700 W    

 

smaller

 

$ 89 USD preorder

 

the Anova App now or soon seems to be capable of controlling more than one Anova

 

good for Anova !

 

now , why their oven is being delayed a year is a completely different matter .

[Porthos]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

...  now , why their oven is being delayed a year is a completely different matter .

 

I would rather they get it right than be rushed into something that isn't ready on the market. Engineering can be tricky and frustrating at times.

[rotuts]

good points

 

@Porthos

 

you are correct.

 

but I still think they are Skinny Dipping in Tahiti 

 

based on their WindFall   ......  well deserved .

 

and good for them

[daveb]

The thought that Shermie may today be a millionaire......

 

 Worst customer service rep ever.

[paulraphael]

Has anyone seen or heard anything about these?

 

I've read in a bunch of Amazon reviews that people have reliability problems with Anova's later generation circulators. This one's for lab use, looks totally butch, and the price just came down by 50%, to $450. Anova scientific seems to do zero marketing. 

 

It looks bulkier than most of the consumer circulators, although it's not so easy to get an exact sense from the pictures. It might be less of a monster than the Polyscience circulators. And it now costs around half as much.