Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: triplebq on March 05, 2020, 06:44:08 PM
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I'm thinking of purchasing Sous Vide cooker. Anyone have any recommendations on what to purchase? I already own a vac sealer so I assume all I need is the cooker?
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I have several, my go-to unit is the Anova Precision.
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I got this Anova Precision for $70 on Amazon Prime day in July in 2018. If you can wait, I am pretty sure the newest model will be on sale for this years Amazon prime day.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HHWSV1S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Thanks I will try to grab one on prime day.
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I have an Anova, Gramercy, and a Sous Vide Supreme. I use the Sous Vide Supreme way more than the other 2. More money but I like it better and no noise.
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I have the Instant Pot brand Version. I bought it on sale for around $60 and it has worked well. It’s quiet and according to my temp probes pretty accurate.
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I got the "Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano" for $64 in late 2018. I really like it, but I don't use it enough, time to change that.
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I got the "Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano" for $64 in late 2018. I really like it, but I don't use it enough, time to change that.
I got in on that deal but when the development got so far behind, Anova offered to either refund my money or sent a full sized Precision cooker instead. I opted for the Precision cooker (that made my third Anova, one on the boat and two at home).
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Thanks I will try to grab one on prime day.
You might also want to use a price tracking site (say camel three times fast).
First find the unit you like, copy and paste the Amazon full URL into the tracker. It will show a graph of the product's price history.
You can also sign up (free) and they will send an email when it falls below your purchase threshold. If you do go that way, act fast as the low price window can be very short.
I purchased the 900 Watt WI-FI Anova (now discontinued) for $75, and the average price was $127.
The updated version 1000 Watt price history:
Current $173.99 Mar 07, 2020
Highest $199.99 Dec 06, 2019
Lowest $109.99 Dec 25, 2019
Average + $161.86
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Thanks will give the tracker app a try.
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Use sale code ANOVA20 to get 20% off on their website now
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Thanks for the code.
I see they have a beginner model : Anova Precision® Cooker Nano for $99 list and the next level model : Anova Precision® Cooker. Should I bite the bullet and get the next level model? It is more powerful, 1000 to 750 Watts, and has WiFi.
It seems the Anova is the primo brand. Is the smartphone app worth it? Here is a 1000 Watt model without a phone app. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08296K1WT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1AUA47KFKVDW2&psc=1
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I think it all depends on how you intend to use the device. If you see yourself wanting to put food in water when you leave for work and want to turn it on later in the day from your phone to get it started so food is ready when you get home, then the wifi unit would be worth getting. If you are going to be cooking large pieces of meat in a big container or using very often, you may want to get the one with more BTU so it heats up your water faster.
This is pretty useful too. I did it with a 24 can and 48 can unit.
https://anovaculinary.com/sous-vide-cooler-guide/
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FWIW, I have 800, 900 and 1000W Anova units with blue tooth. Have never used blue tooth or timer. I find that when using sous vide, I do not put the bags in until the water is at set temperature nor I do not want my product sitting in the water after the time runs out, therefore remote control is of no benefit to me. I always fill the sous container with hot water from the tap, 130-140° , so time to heat up is not an issue and all of my units will keep my 33 quart Frankencooler at temperature without a problem.
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I bought this. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano | Bluetooth (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QK2H5C7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) But I got it reconditioned for $79, then added a 4 yr warranty for $10. I can't seem to find the reconditioned ones. I have only used it twice, so was not going to comment. I have the bluetooth, not wifi, I will never use it. I see no need to change temp or time nor monitor it with my cooks.
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I did it with a 24 can and 48 can unit.
Did you cut the lid in half for food access without taking the sous vide machine out of the water? I saw this done somewhere and am toying with the idea of doing mine.
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No, just use a hole saw to cut a circle so the unit can go into the cooler.
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I went ahead and cut mine about 1/3-2/3 with the 1/3 holding the sous vide gadget. I filled the end gaps with a sealer. Now I thinking of hinging it.
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I went ahead and cut mine about 1/3-2/3 with the 1/3 holding the sous vide gadget. I filled the end gaps with a sealer. Now I thinking of hinging it.
The hinges are handy. I did that on mine that I cut in the center. Did need to cut a V in the side so it would open and fold back. Pretty easy to do.
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Might we get a pic of that? I have not jumped into the Sous Vide tub yet. Sounds interesting.
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I tried to post pics but no luck so far.
If you PM me you email I can send them that way.
I will keep trying to figure it out.
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Easy Peasy!
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Here's the pics. Just used a couple of inexpensive hinges and SS screws. Needed to notch one side of the lid so it would fold back. The other side was molded so that it did not interfere. Made a spacer from a PVC coupler to keep the Anova off the bottom of the cooler. Needed to use the Dremel to remove a small spacer lip from the inside of the coupler and cut the length of it down to 1.75"
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Now I remember why I bought that little Coleman cooler. Nice work on yours. :clap:
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I didn't try it yet, but just read that you can use your Google Home Hub to give commands to your wifi enabled Anova. Sorta like something from The Jetsons.
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Is that like the Alexa or Siri thing? Never used it, saw this clip and was busting up. Did not know SNL could be funny anymore!
Amazon Echo (https://youtu.be/YvT_gqs5ETk)
I didn't try it yet, but just read that you can use your Google Home Hub to give commands to your wifi enabled Anova. Sorta like something from The Jetsons.
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Yes, but made by Google and has a screen on it.
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OK I received an early birthday gift. I received a LOVISIDA WiFi Sous Vide Cooker so that made my decision on which cooker to purchase easy. I put it to use yesterday for my first cook. I did some Pork Chops that I got from Snake River Farms as a gift.
(https://i.imgur.com/Oefn4j9.jpg?1)
Chops seasoned and sealed ready for the bath
(https://i.imgur.com/wQexbI9.jpg?1)
I cooked them for 2:30 at 140 degrees. I should have gone longer as the chops were thick and was about 120 degrees when I pulled them out
(https://i.imgur.com/vtH0V7l.jpg?1)
Porterhouse Chop seared and ready to eat
(https://i.imgur.com/rwwNzyE.jpg?1)
Frenched Chop seared and ready to eat
(https://i.imgur.com/7dexGx8.jpg?1)
Chops came out very nice. I had to cook them longer in the pan to get to 140 degrees but they were good
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OK smart people. After one cook in the books, my question is how do you know how long to cook something for? The chart I used said 1 - 4 hours. I know its trail and error but should I have just gone the longest time?
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No I did not test with a thermometer but will. The water I added was about 140 degrees (my tankless is set to this) and when I fired up the unit it read 140 after a few mins. During the cook it kept saying 140 do I "assumed" it was 140.
Thanks for the suggestion.
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OK smart people. After one cook in the books, my question is how do you know how long to cook something for? The chart I used said 1 - 4 hours. I know its trail and error but should I have just gone the longest time?
The cooking time really depends on the thickness of the product being cooked and the cooking temperature. The minimum time is the minimum time it takes to get the entire product (including the center of the product) to the cooking temperature and maintain that temperature for a long enough time to pasteurize (eliminate pathogens) in the entire the product. The maximum amount of time is the total time the product can be cooked/held with minimal degradation of the product. Anything in the middle is fully cooked (meaning pathogens are sufficiently eliminated) and the consistency of the product should be pretty much the same. I personally choose the middle ground. If the chart says 1-4 hours, I plan for 2.5 hours so that gives me the most leeway should anything happen that would move meal time forward or back. Cooking the full 4-hours should not have a significant change in the food compared to cooking it 1 hour.
As to your other note about cooking at 140 and the food came out at 120. That should never happen. The food will come out of the water bath at whatever temperature the water bath is, if the time and temperature chart (and the chart was properly based on the correct thickness of the product being cooked) was used correctly. That said, I have noticed when I cook sous vide, the food seems to cool much quicker because the exterior is not overcooked like cooking on a grill. You do not need to tent meats cooked sous vide, at least I do not, because you do not have the overcooked exterior that the juices from the interior flow back into and everything evens out temperature wise from one side to the other. It is already the same temperature throughout.
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I tested my SV machine at 140*, 150*, and 160* and the temp was spot on based on my Thermapen. The only thing I can think is given the thickness and quantity of chops I was cooking I need more time. Oh well I will see how it does moving forward.
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The food should be surrounded by water on all sides too, even the bottom. It should not sit on the bottom of the water vessel or along the side. I have a "steamer rack trivet" that sits nicely in the bottom of my stockpot to keep food from touching the bottom, or I use clothes pins to suspend the product in the vacuum sealed bag above the bottom of the stockpot.
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I cannot tell from your pic of the tub with rack in it whether there is a divider between each bag. I can see the rack provides space between the bottom and sides. I presume it does, but just covering all the bases as I still cannot figure how the chop would drop from 140* to 120* just pulling from the bag and then testing the temp - unless it took 10-20 minutes before temp probing. Maybe 5*, but 20*?
Yes I have a rack which allows water to flow around the food.
I don't believe the chops ever got to 140*. When I pulled them out I took the temp and they were in the range of 120* - 127*. That is why I was wondering how to determine how long to leave food in the CV. The chart I looked at said 1 - 4 hours.
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Where is the picture of the tub with the food in it? I looked through this entire thread and cannot find one.
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Thank you. It appears my work has a firewall that blocks all imgur photos I guess. I cannot see them with my computer, although I can see other pictures in the thread like the post with the hinged top cooler. I can see triplebq's pictures on my phone though. I see it now.
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So how long does it normally take you all to get a 3/4 inch 12oz Rib Eye tender @ 135°?
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IMHO, a choice/prime rib eye should be tender virtually out of the package. If you want it medium rare, sous vide it for about 2 hours at 130°, let it cool a bit then sear by a method of your choice. :lick:
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IMHO, a choice/prime rib eye should be tender virtually out of the package. If you want it medium rare, sous vide it for about 2 hours at 130°, let it cool a bit then sear by a method of your choice. :lick:
That's a good plan.
The most difficult thing for me is getting a good smoke flavor and Maillard reaction combined with SV's uniform precise cooking. I want the best of all three.
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I want the best of all three.
To get all three, I season, smoke at 160° to an IT of 115-120°, sous vide, cool, then sear. My better half does not care for heavy smoke flavor so I quit this method a while back.
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This was not a well marbled cut. But at 30 hours, no wonder it was to much like stew meat. I will get it one of these days.
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This was not a well marbled cut. But at 30 hours, no wonder it was to much like stew meat. I will get it one of these days.
This may have been posted, and please if it is not okay to do so, Admins can remove and I understand.
This may help out with some times and temps. Although much of it can be adjusted to your liking once you figure out what you like.
When doing SV think Temp=Doneness and Time=Tenderness/Texture
https://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html
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To get all three, I season, smoke at 160° to an IT of 115-120°, sous vide, cool, then sear.
Hugh, you smoked to 115-120° IT and SVd. Did you vacuum seal the steak immediately after removing it from the smoker?
Did you SV it immediately after sealing?
If you were looking for a Medium-rare steak, at what temperature and for how long would you SV it?
After SVing, you cooled it before searing. Please provide some details of the cooling process and time and/or IT.
The last step was the sear. How did you do that? On a blazing hot pan or griddle or on a medium hot (which takes longer, consequently raising the IT)?
I apologize for being a pain by digging so deep on this, but I've been fooling around with various SV steak methods until I have myself confused. So I often revert to charcoal hot and fast.
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"Did you vacuum seal the steak immediately after removing it from the smoker?
Did you SV it immediately after sealing?"
Yes and yes. I dry any moisture with a paper towel before sealing.
"If you were looking for a Medium-rare steak, at what temperature and for how long would you SV it?"
I sous vide at 130° for 2 hours to insure pasteurization.
"After SVing, you cooled it before searing. Please provide some details of the cooling process and time and/or IT."
I cool while it is still sealed so measuring IT is not possible, it's sort of a xxxx shoot. If I'm in a hurry, I dunk it in cold water for a minute or two. If not, I just leave it on the counter for a while.
"The last step was the sear. How did you do that? On a blazing hot pan or griddle or on a medium hot (which takes longer, consequently raising the IT)?"
My preferred method is to dry and fire up the gasser to 600°+ and do ~ a minute on each side. I do use the thermo-pen to verify. a lot depends on the IT when you start the sear and the degree of sear that you prefer. My next best method is a smoking hot cast iron pan using the same technique. I normally start sear with an IT below 110°.
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Gee, thanks, Hugh. I copied your instructions and filed them for my next steak cook.
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How long and what temperature to get drumstick tender? I want to get the meat cooked and tender, then dredge and deep fry for about 3-5 minutes. Anyone have any date forme on this one? I mean fork tender!
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I do both thighs and drumsticks at 165° for about two hours.
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And they will be pulled/shredded chicken consistency?
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I never shred chicken so I can't answer that question. What I do know is that if you start at room temperature they will be very eatable. If you are in doubt, let them go for 3-4 hours, it can't hurt.
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If you have the time, put single drumsticks in separate bags and cook them for different lengths of time until you get what you desire. Throw them all in at once and pull them out an hour apart from each other - one at 2hrs, another at 3hrs, etc.
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Hey, this aint an MIT lab, I want someone else to do all the work and I benefit from it! :pig: I am having eggs and CB hash for dinner, so I may just do the old 2, 4 & 6 hours and see how it works tomorrow.
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If you go too long they will get mushy.
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Hey, this aint an MIT lab, I want someone else to do all the work and I benefit from it! :pig: I am having eggs and CB hash for dinner, so I may just do the old 2, 4 & 6 hours and see how it works tomorrow.
I will stick to sandwiches then ;)
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I'm sure this is not what you want to hear. https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/info/modernist-recipes/more/sous-vide-shredded-chicken-thigh-enchiladas :(
160°F for 8 hours? Gee, IDK about that. When I make chicken burritos from breasts, I SV them (seasoned) at 140°F for an hour and a half. They shred just fine.
I don't see why a drumstick won't be shreddable after two hours.
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I may try the 8 to 12 hour thighs, just because.
I did bone in ones at 150 for 4 or 5 hours then shocked and finished on the grill. They were very good. I don't remember if they were shredable , it has been a while.
I know I will do boneless skinless breasts and have also done thighs at 140 to 142 for 4 to 6 hours and they come out moist and easily shredable, provided you do a little preprep before putting in the bag. on the breast I usually just make sure there is no cartilage left along the keel bone side. I think it is keel bone, breast bone, I don't know.I just know a little sliver off that edge makes for easier work later on.
I don't think I have ever done legs/drumsticks S but have done wings several times, I have come to like 162 for 60 to 90 minutes. These are split wings, then ice or cold water shock for a few and finished on the grill and even did them on the blackstone to finish. I have tried 158 to 160 for loner time and 165 for shorted but found my liking at 162. I have not tried deep frying them afterwards. I don't deep fry much. Thinking of getting one of those little Gas One camp stoves, I see they have 12K BTU one and a 4 to 6 qt SS pot and just set it up in the garage to give it a go.
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I am doing 2, 4 & 6 hours at 147°. 2 is done and in fridge, 4 is 40 minutes away and then the 6. Will dredge and deep fry and report after dinner. My concerns are will going from sous vide to fridge for the 2 & 4 hour make any difference in texture when they are deep fried? Guess we will find out in about 4 hours!
160°F for 8 hours? Gee, IDK about that. When I make chicken burritos from breasts, I SV them (seasoned) at 140°F for an hour and a half. They shred just fine.
I don't see why a drumstick won't be shreddable after two hours.
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I've stayed out of every other sous vide thread, but wading in here. Shredded chicken? That is a crock pot classic. Never been a problem shredding or dry. chicken breast works best IMO. If sous vide takes just as long, what's the benefit?
DK
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I am not looking for shredded chicken, I am looking for a shredded chicken texture on the drumstick so I know it is tender before I Deep Fry the drumsticks. The link is to someone who is sous viding for shredded chicken I guess, it has nothing to do with my posts or request for data!
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If sous vide takes just as long, what's the benefit?
Vis-à-vis shredded chicken breasts, I don't see a benefit over crock pot.
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Vis-à-vis shredded chicken breasts, I don't see a benefit over crock pot.
It's all about temperature control.
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It's all about temperature control.
Do you think that crock pot temperature control doesn't match a SV unit?
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I think the temp control on a crock pot is closer to that of an oven but have nothing to prove that.
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My Hamilton Beach is very stable. Only problem is I only have 3 settings. When I was trying to see if I could use it for sous vide it stayed at 140° on warm and 180° on low. I mean like spot Anova on!. Never tried high cuz I knew I was never gonna sous vide anything at 180° so why did it matter
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I have three crock pots (one manual and two electronic), on low, they all seem to boil (simmer) the liquid. I've never measured the temperature nor stability of any of them. I sometimes use the manual one (the high-low-warm version) for sous vide. I set it to high and use a home made temperature control contraption to turn the power on and off to maintain a constant temperature, it works pretty good. The electronic ones reset to warm every time you remove power and therefore don't work for sous vide.
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(I realize that Bentley really wasn't planning to shred his drumsticks, he was just looking for that consistency, but the thread "turned" a bit when I reasoned that seasoned breasts shred just fine when SVd at 140°F for an hour and a half causing me to wonder why 160°F for 8 hours would be necessary for the desired drumstick texture.)
Here’s what I was thinking when I wrote, "Vis-à-vis shredded chicken breasts, I don't see a benefit over a crock pot."
If the desired result is a chicken breast that shreds, what matter the device or the temperature accuracy, as long as the finished product is properly seasoned, cooked and shreds?
As I think about it, I've decided to use our slow cooker the next time I need to prepare breasts for shredding.
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I have three crock pots (one manual and two electronic), on low, they all seem to boil (simmer) the liquid. I've never measured the temperature nor stability of any of them. I sometimes use the manual one (the high-low-warm version) for sous vide. I set it to high and use a home made temperature control contraption to turn the power on and off to maintain a constant temperature, it works pretty good. The electronic ones reset to warm every time you remove power and therefore don't work for sous vide.
That is how I started out many years ago, a $15 controller from Ebay and my old slowcooker. Used it for a a year or so before I decied to buy the sous vide supreme.
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Along with the Dry Aged Rib Roast, I am cooking Salmon in Texas. Trying a 2 hour, 6% salt n sugar brine. It is now in the Anova @ 135° for 2.5 hours. Since Kristin thinks 135-140° is just about right for Salmon, I will grill on Memphis Pro for 2 minutes for grill marks and call it quits. I am only grilling one side as I am fearful that after Sous Vide the filets are going to be hard to turn. This is all for experience as I have no idea if the numbers are right!
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I see that Anova now has their 3rd version of their sous vide machines out now.
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Along with the Dry Aged Rib Roast, I am cooking Salmon in Texas. Trying a 2 hour, 6% salt n sugar brine. It is now in the Anova @ 135° for 2.5 hours. Since Kristin thinks 135-140° is just about right for Salmon, I will grill on Memphis Pro for 2 minutes for grill marks and call it quits. I am only grilling one side as I am fearful that after Sous Vide the filets are going to be hard to turn. This is all for experience as I have no idea if the numbers are right!
As I've mentioned before, for my taste 130° is the sweet spot for salmon. Some professional chefs swear by 125° as the perfect temperature. To each his own. I use a two-piece hinged basket to flip salmon.
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Just to hard to grill after sous vide, and since I am gonna have about 5-6lbs. to grill, will just start raw! Kristin is not a big fan of texture after sous vide, so another reason to just straight up grill!
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Just to hard to grill after sous vide, and since I am gonna have about 5-6lbs. to grill, will just start raw! Kristin is not a big fan of texture after sous vide, so another reason to just straight up grill!
I have never tried to SV salmon, I am like you, for all the longer it takes i just grill or pan fry usually.
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As I have so much salmon from our Alaskan fishing trip I just might have to try SVing some. If so I will let you all know how it comes out.
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I think 130° is the number too! It is not real pretty when it comes out of the sous vide, but to me, it is cooked perfectly. I just cant seem to figure out how to finish that much salmon on the grill without it being a giant mess! So will hope cooking raw is the answer!
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I've never sous vide salmon except for some frozen prepackaged seasoned filets from Costco. If I'm doing salmon with the skin on, I just gill them to 130° IT with skin down, baste with a homemade sauce and never flip. Grill set to around 200°. Lower for more smoke and higher for quicker finish.