Sous Vide cooking

Interesting comments..... I like to experiment and try different things. This is just another one. Can't eat the same stuff prepared the same ways all the time ....

;)

Go Dogs wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
and is there really any difference in boiling a steak at 125, 130, or 135? in any event you must slap it on a skillet/grill/etc. to make it palatable. I think instead of water it would be tastier to just marinate it for the same length of time.
bumpy

You better look up the temp of boiling water. Sous Vide is not about 'boiling'. The water is a source of gentle heat, the food does not come in contact with it. However, if you know more about this subject than the people that have actual experience with it- we will have to bow to you.

some interesting tidbits from a web search.

Safety

Food safety is a function of both time and temperature; a temperature usually considered insufficient to render food safe may be perfectly safe if maintained for long enough. Some sous-vide recipes such as fish are cooked below 55 °C (131 °F). However, pasteurization of the food to be eaten by people with compromised immunity is highly desirable. Women eating food cooked sous-vide while pregnant may expose risk to themselves and/or their fetus and thus may choose to avoid unpasteurized recipes.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow in food in the absence of oxygen and produce the deadly botulinum toxin, so sous-vide cooking must be performed under carefully controlled conditions to avoid botulism poisoning. Generally speaking, food that is heated and served within four hours is considered safe, but meat that is cooked for longer to tenderize must reach a temperature of at least 55 °C (131 °F) within four hours and then be kept there for sufficient time, in order to pasteurize the meat.

Pasteurization kills the botulism bacteria, but the possibility of hardy botulism spores surviving and reactivating once cool remains a concern as with many preserved foods, however processed. For that reason, Baldwin's treatise specifies precise chilling requirements for "cook-chill", so that the botulism spores do not have the opportunity to grow or propagate. Pasteurised food can then be stored for up to two weeks at around 3 °C (37 °F) sealed within the vacuum pack.

The plastic used must not leach endocrine disruptors. Many plasticizers used in plastics have these properties.[13][14]
that document also pointed out that steak cooked in this fashion sucked.

I note elsewhere in the web that the temperatures for meat should be 145-165 or thereabouts.
also that the temperature is not all that critical for this method of food preparation.

Of course this isn't the only place where the French have messed up cooking food.
liked your other post/thread incidentally.

regards,
bumpy

Bumpyroad wrote:
and is there really any difference in boiling a steak at 125, 130, or 135? in any event you must slap it on a skillet/grill/etc. to make it palatable. I think instead of water it would be tastier to just marinate it for the same length of time.
bumpy

You better look up the temp of boiling water. Sous Vide is not about 'boiling'. The water is a source of gentle heat, the food does not come in contact with it. However, if you know more about this subject than the people that have actual experience with it- we will have to bow to you.

and is there really any difference in boiling a steak at 125, 130, or 135? in any event you must slap it on a skillet/grill/etc. to make it palatable. I think instead of water it would be tastier to just marinate it for the same length of time.
bumpy

Big Katuna wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

Big Katuna wrote:
Such positive feedback for a great idea. The controller is under $40 BTW.
A Sous Vide cooker off the shelf starts at $400.

I'm going to have mine built by Christmas.

that link showed $99
can't you do the same thing with an induction cooktop?
bumpy

The title at the top of the article is

"Sous Vide cooker for less than $40"

You might be able to use an induction cooker with temp control but I don't think it would be as precise. Not to mention you can't get one for less than $40.

It's easy to dry out fish on the grill. Can't wait to try Salmon cooked in my Sous Vide.

I had thought about trying my induction cooker, but the temperature settings aren't as precise. My controller cost under $20.... the controller I got off ebay from China, was $12. The box was from Home Depot, I think it was $6 or $7. I used a cord I salvaged off an old appliance and I was good to go.
I seal the food in bags with a Food Saver vacuum device.

Here's a site that goes into some of the more scientific aspects of the process of sous vide. Sous Vide

Time will tell if I'll use it a lot of not, but so far, I like the results and the ease of doing it.

Most of the top restaurants in the world use them.

my son and DIL use this cooking method. First they rigged it up in a cooler and maintained the constant water temp, and once they decided they like the process, they bought a sous vide machine. It's pretty interesting, and pretty tasty. Once the steak is ready they put a quick sear on the outside in a frying pan or bbq grill. I believe you can hold the steak (or whatever) at the intended temp for a long time because it doesn't exceed the desired temp. So you could drop your steak in in the morning before work and sear it when you get home.

There seems to be some confusion about the process. It is not boiling because the the water and food are separated. The water is a better medium then air to heat with. By closely controlling the water temperature you eventually bring the food to an exact temperature, no more, no less. The fact that the food is sealed keeps it from drying out.

Big Katuna wrote:
That was an ad for something. Actually, I think I can build it for about $30 if I buy from China.

yep you're right, I'm bad. :)
bumpy