Got a Sous Vide

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
Been thinking about one for a long time. Happened to see Cook's Country on PBS today, and they did a NY strip steak and perfect poached eggs. They even had a segment on the best sous vide heaters, which made my choice easy. Ran to Target.

Got an Anova, 750watts, bluetooth. Target had a bigger Anova, 1000watts and WiFi enabled, but it was almost twice as much. I figured I'd be fine with the lower wattage and didn't need WiFi if it had bluetooth, if I even use that at all. I put frozen meat in a pot of water and heat it on the stove to about 100 degrees to thaw it, but you have to check it and warm it up every so often. The sous vide will do it without any intervention.

Looking forward to trying it out. I've got a nice t-bone in the freezer, and poached eggs for bfast tomorrow sounds great.
 

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
I can't imagine a sous vide t bone, travesty I tell ya !
:lol: Ya know, I used to think that too.... might as well boil it. But then I watched how it was prepared and served. The huge advantage is that the entire piece of meat is cooked to exactly the same temp. No variation because of uneven thickness, uneven grill temps, etc. A perfect 125 degrees (if you're like me and like it mooing...) throughout. At the same time, it's marinating. Great if you're having a party, because the steak can sit in the hot bath for up to 3 hours with no change in temp or texture, then when you're ready, onto a hot grill to finish in 5 minutes.

All those chefs can't be wrong....
 

Grumpy

Well-Known Member
I don't know about others, but to me, the perfect way to ruin a nice piece of cow is to freeze it. Pork or fowl, not so much.
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
I don't know about others, but to me, the perfect way to ruin a nice piece of cow is to freeze it. Pork or fowl, not so much.

I wrap everything tightly in saranwrap then into a freezer bag. But that's mostly chicky and pork. I usually grill my steaks fresh from the market.
 

Merlin99

Visualize whirled peas
PREMO Member
I don't know about others, but to me, the perfect way to ruin a nice piece of cow is to freeze it. Pork or fowl, not so much.
As long as it's frozen fast enough it won't change the texture at all.
 

Clem72

Well-Known Member
I like to buy a freezer full of steaks when they are on a good sale. On the thicker ones I will sous vide them from frozen with no seasoning for around 2 hours at 122 degrees, then throw them on a hot as hell cast iron with some butter, a sprig of thyme, and a little Montreal steak seasoning to put a good crust on them and bring them right up to the line between medium/medium rare.

I used to use a torch, but it's too much of a hassle and I always get a hint of the map gas smell when eating it.
 

Clem72

Well-Known Member
As long as it's frozen fast enough it won't change the texture at all.

Yes, and no. You want to freeze it quick, but you want to do it from an already cold point and try to remove the excess moisture. So rather than straight from the grocers into a bag, stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours uncovered first, then toss it in a vacuum bag and stick in the freezer.
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
That's what I did with steaks. As long as they don't have exposed surface area they won't get freezer burnt.
Exactly. I bought a 7 lb. tenderloin for Christmas dinner and only needed half of it. I cut up 6 steaks out of the rest. Did the wrapping and use when I don't feel like going to the store. I did one in a black diamond marinade a week or so ago. TODIEFOR! I may do the last two that way. 😂
 

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
Well, first creation was mostly a success, poached eggs. Recipe calls for 12 min at 167 degrees, then into an ice bath for a minute, then crack open. They could have used another minute or two for a firmer white, but the yolks were perfect.

Took a while to get up to temp, and it was struggling after 140 degrees. Lots of lost heat thru the pot sidewalls, so I dropped the entire thing into a styrofoam cooler. Later, I'll cut a hole for the cooker so the cooler lid will fit over the whole thing and try that tonight. Also makes sense to pre-heat the water on the stove, or even hot tap water if it's near the target temp.

Prepped the t-bone for tonight.
 

Bonehead

Well-Known Member
Up until now, I have never heard of a Sous Vide and I am still uncertain what it is. Martha Stewart, I am not!
It is basically a thermostatically controlled immersion heater that circulates water in a pot. It cooks things in a sealed bag at at low temperature for a long time. Hopefully Sneakers will correct my statement if it is incorrect.
 
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