Sous Vide

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Looks awesome.. glad you like the process..

J

 

[JohnVee]

I just saw an episode of NOVA Science Now on PBS. They had a story on a food scientist - can't remember his name. His 'perfect steak' was sous vide and finished with a torch instead of a grill sear. Same guy has a GIANT book explaining the science of everything food.

--john

 

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A thin cut 3/4"ish strip with ground pepper and some generously gifted habanero smoked salt..

The salt was dynamite Dan.. thanks

J

 

[myquestoyota]

Had to try

Just before your first post about kitchen toys I ran across an article about the sous vida thing. Then you came along with your gadget. Very interesting. Last night I took my big water bathing canner and filled it about half full with water. Started playing with the temp until I found a spot that would hold at 130 deg. Put two rib steaks in for an hour or so while I got dinner ready.
The results were pretty good but I should have shot for 120. No pics of the finished product but the inside was pink which is what I was shooting for. I will try again. Thanks.

 

[KLF]

My wife & I went out to a really amazing place for Valentines day, she works with the wife of the owner/exec chef. He has won many awards for his innovative and progressive cooking techniques.

She was running the front of the house when we got there, so she gave us a tour of the kitchen. He does almost all of his cooking with immersion cookers (sous vide), holds everything there until just before plating. Then the protein comes out of the bath, onto a grille pan for a few minutes for final sear, then out to the customer. We had pork bellies and ribeyes cooked this way, it was fantastic. He doesn't even have a gas stove, does everything with induction burner units.

We got to sit kitchen-side and observe everything, very cool. The highlight was the chocolate meringue flash frozen with liquid nitrogen, he called them "chocolate rocks".

Now I really wanna get one of those temp units...

 

[KLF]

Jason (reevsci) is the MAN!! I'm in, gotta try it this weekend.

What are you guys using for vacuum sealing? I have a pile of those ZipLok Vacuum Seal bags and the pump...

I have been using them for freezing stuff with mixed results. Some stay sealed, some seem to "lose" the vacuum. I'm just not sure I trust them in a cooking application, I'd hate to lose a batch of food.

 

[spressomon]

Whatever bags you use just make sure they are rated/recommended for sous vide water temp.

A friend sent me a Waring sealer and bags for sous vide. I've owned and used numerous vac sealers and various bags at home but this is the first experience I have with the Waring zip/seal bags and they're GREAT! Extra mil thickness and they hold vacuum. They are also washable, which we've done repeatably without apparent degradation and a better investment long term than the non-zip closure bags (FoodSaver, etc., style) that don't wash very well and also lose minimum of an inch of bag each time they're opened. Like all strip seal/non-chamber style vac systems you need to be sure liquid doesn't get sucked up. So that's what I've been using for the sous vide.

http://www.amazon.com/Waring-PVS1000-Pistol-Professional-Vacuum/dp/B008LW73UY

As you probably know the larger commercial sous vide machines have much larger water volume than typical home crock pot capacity. And they use a circulator to insure accurate water temperature top to bottom and side to side within the water column. I think, again relative to the small vessel size of my crockpot, a temp controller sans circulator gets the job done reliably and predictably.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Whatever bags you use just make sure they are rated/recommended for sous vide water temp.

A friend sent me a Waring sealer and bags for sous vide. I've owned and used numerous vac sealers and various bags at home but this is the first experience I have with the Waring zip/seal bags and they're GREAT! Extra mil thickness and they hold vacuum. They are also washable, which we've done repeatably without apparent degradation and a better investment long term than the non-zip closure bags (FoodSaver, etc., style) that don't wash very well and also lose minimum of an inch of bag each time they're opened. Like all strip seal/non-chamber style vac systems you need to be sure liquid doesn't get sucked up. So that's what I've been using for the sous vide.

http://www.amazon.com/Waring-PVS1000-Pistol-Professional-Vacuum/dp/B008LW73UY

As you probably know the larger commercial sous vide machines have much larger water volume than typical home crock pot capacity. And they use a circulator to insure accurate water temperature top to bottom and side to side within the water column. I think, again relative to the small vessel size of my crockpot, a temp controller sans circulator gets the job done reliably and predictably.

X2 ^^ the Waring bags are what I use as well . Even at the 180-190F temp for veggies, they work great and can be reused as D stated... glad you guys are having fun with the controllers.



J

 

[KLF]

What's funny is the Ziploc bags actually say "Sous Vide" right on the bags. I will probably just order the Waring unit, but I wanna try a Ziploc this weekend with a chicken breast, just for the heck of it, since I have a few in the freezer.

We're making terrines and galantines next week in Garde Manger class, I guess a vacuum unit is also really useful for these as well.

 

[spressomon]

On the Ziploc site a question is asked "...can I boil food in Ziploc bags...". And they respond "Ziploc bags are not safe for boiling food...".

But it would be even more helpful if they told us what cooking temp Ziploc bags are good/safe to use.

http://www.ziploc.com/Pages/Safety.aspx

 

[KLF]

This is what it says on the bag (along with the pump)



Nothing on the box about maximum temp either. Hmmm...

 

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I have some Ziploc vacuum seal bags that say safe for simmer.. Which by my research is approx. 195F. I also have some FoodSaver vac bags. I prefer the ease of the Waring bags by far.

Also, in my research, I found that if the bag is "BPA" free they are acceptable for sous vide under 195F. Polyethylene doesn't "soften" until after 195F, which is when it leaches into the food itself.

Here is a quick read on the safety of bags:

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/12463202060/cooking-sous-vide-plastic-safety

J

 

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FYI, the Waring bags are boil safe, BPA free and microwave safe..

J

 

[KLF]

So I tried a test tonight. Pulled a brick of frozen lasagna out of the freezer (homemade, wrapped in foil), put it in a Ziploc vacuum bag, pulled all the air out with the pump, and dropped it into a big bowl of hot water to defrost. Checked on it ~20 mins later, the bag was inflated with water. Now my lasagna is soggy.

Verdict: these bags are crap. Ordering the Waring pump and some bags.

 

[spressomon]

KLF, sorry for some reason I was thinking the pedestrian Ziploc food storage bags when I commented about heatability...and didn't realize they had a heavier duty version aimed at sous vide.

Good 411 on the bag material J!

Coincidentally we had homemade lasagne from the freezer last night. Although the servings were contained in 3.5 mil embossed vac bags (similar to Foodsaver...buy them from Dougcare Equipment) I just tossed them into boiling water for 20-minutes and dinner was served.

Although I haven't used the Waring in boiling water they've held tight at 165 no problem. I suspect J has a ton more time with them so his word better be gold

 

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KLF, sorry for some reason I was thinking the pedestrian Ziploc food storage bags when I commented about heatability...and didn't realize they had a heavier duty version aimed at sous vide.

Good 411 on the bag material J!

Coincidentally we had homemade lasagne from the freezer last night. Although the servings were contained in 3.5 mil embossed vac bags (similar to Foodsaver...buy them from Dougcare Equipment) I just tossed them into boiling water for 20-minutes and dinner was served.

Although I haven't used the Waring in boiling water they've held tight at 165 no problem. I suspect J has a ton more time with them so his word better be gold

Sorry guys, been busy texturing drywall and laying tile...

The bags (Waring) hold tight at 200F + temps.. here's a couple proof pics. No issues with air or water getting into bag at boiling temps... Boiled for over 20 minutes to test.

J

 

[Callahan Offroad]

Heres some protips:
You want to hold the temp under 120 degrees. What makes sous vide work is the same mechanisms that make dried aged steaks so good. There are enzymes in the meat that help with the break down of the protein. This breaking down is what makes it so tasty and tender. The enzymes shut down completely stop working. The other thing to remember is the longer the better. 45 min is good, but 12 hours at 110* will change your world.
Now the next thing to remember is what searing a steak does. When the surface temperature exceeds 350 degrees there is a chemical reaction that happens called the Maillard Reaction. This reaction is what makes a grilled steak taste grilled. The trick to this is to not over cook the inside while still keeping the inside moist. Sous Vide allows you to bring the inside close to temp without overcooking.
In addition to all this great food science, you must let a steak rest. At least 5 min. I encourage ten. What happens during cooking is the protein strands contract and expel the water from the cells. Allowing the steak to rest lets the juice soak back in becoming even more delicious.



If you couldn't tell I have cooked once or twice

 

[KLF]

Thanks for the tips, I remember some of that science from my culinary skills classes.

I got my Waring vacuum kit the other day but I have been getting home too late to use it. Tomorrow night will be my first attempt with some boneless chicken breasts.

 

[KLF]

How are you guys washing the bags? I've done a couple of batches of chicken breasts, came out great. Tried putting the bags in the dishwasher, stretched over the tines of the bottom rack. They're still yucky inside.

Not sure I trust hand washing.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

How are you guys washing the bags? I've done a couple of batches of chicken breasts, came out great. Tried putting the bags in the dishwasher, stretched over the tines of the bottom rack. They're still yucky inside.

Not sure I trust hand washing.

K, I tried dishwasher on the top rack with decent results. I throw chicken bags away, but wash the rest with Dawn and hot water. The washes them as above and then boils the bags in vinegar water..

J