Sous-vide. Finally going mainstream?

[Anna N]

I am posting this because I think it's interesting not because I agree or disagree with anything in it. 

 

Click.

 

"Still, every kitchen gadget has its disadvantages. Cooking sous vide requires menu planning way in advance since a steak that otherwise takes a few minutes to cook needs about two hours. Also, as someone who tries to reduce waste when cooking, it pains me to use plastic bags every time I want to sous vide something. 

 

“The obvious limitation is that you can’t tell what’s going on in the bag,” says McDonald. “You can’t prod it like a roast in the oven. You have to have a set time and temperature and stick to it.”

But for now I’m happy with the new kitchen gadget. Considering how its making its way into home kitchens (and also the new season of Top Chef Canada) it looks like it’s on its way to becoming a fixture on the counter like the slow cooker and the microwave."

[gfweb]

As though prodding a roast is productive.  

But yes, SV is like baking in that the die is cast once you bung the bag into the water. 

[Anna N]

I think the next innovation that Sous Vide needs is some sort of replacement for plastic bags.   Something sturdy enough to be reusable and be dishwasher safe at sterilizing temperatures.  I know I'm asking a lot but if we can put a man on the moon as they say…

[dcarch]

23 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I think the next innovation that Sous Vide needs is some sort of replacement for plastic bags.   Something sturdy enough to be reusable and be dishwasher safe at sterilizing temperatures.  I know I'm asking a lot but if we can put a man on the moon as they say…

May be I am doing something wrong.

 

I don't seal my bags. So once in a while I can check what's doing inside the bags or add more seasonings.

 

I reuse my bags. I wash them in my clothes washer when I have an accumulation.

 

dcarch

 

 

[ElsieD]

11 minutes ago, dcarch said:

May be I am doing something wrong.

 

I don't seal my bags. So once in a while I can check what's doing inside the bags or add more seasonings.

 

I reuse my bags. I wash them in my clothes washer when I have an accumulation.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

When you say you don't seal your bags, are you using zip locks and you leave them unzipped?  If so, you attach them to the side of the pot with clips or something to hold them in place?  And how do you keep them from floating?  Pie weights or marbles or some such thing in the bags?  

[dcarch]

Something like this, with a metal weight clipped at the bottom, outside the bag.

 

dcarch

[ElsieD]

12 minutes ago, dcarch said:

Something like this, with a metal weight clipped at the bottom, outside the bag.

 

dcarch

 

Genius.  Thank you.  I assume the tops of the bags are folded over to contain the heat?

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, dcarch said:

Something like this, with a metal weight clipped at the bottom, outside the bag.

 

dcarch

 

Ive done this and it works well for shorter cooks where evap isn't such an issue. 

 

But ziplocs are so easy.....

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Sealed plastic bags for me.  They keep protein for weeks and weeks in the refrigerator.  For dry material where pasteurization is not an issue I open and reseal bags after removing some of the contents.  Hard to think how the process could get much less wasteful or more convenient.

 

[quiet1]

For some reason it has only just occurred to me that my dad might find Sous vide useful. He can cook but generally finds it too much work. He could probably handle sticking a chicken breast in a plastic bag in a water bath and ignoring it for a few hours, though...

[rotuts]

""  SV is like baking in that the die is cast once you bung the bag into the water  ""

 

yes.  but much more predictable .   

 

""   you can’t tell what’s going on in the bag ""

 

no need to , none at all .

 

""  You have to have a set time and temperature and stick to it. ""

 

nonsense   this person has not done much SV.   except for eggs  ( esp yolks ) and fish and very rare meat 

 

temp does not have to be very precise . easily 5 degrees either way won't make a big difference.  same with time

 

anyway , it does what it does , with ease  and Reproducibility.

 

whoever wrote that article did not study the eG threads on the subject.