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  #61   ^
Old Fri, Oct-09-09, 18:25
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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Oh my god yes! I figured something out today. The 45-1 hour is minimum cooking time for an 1" piece of meat, frozen, in the 130' bath. But for a tougher cut like a piece of sirloin, you really need to go longer. This time I went two hours and it was more tender than a rib eye and the flavor was terrific!

One could pay the cost of their equipment pretty quickly if they were able to save $2-$3 a pound on their meat.
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  #62   ^
Old Fri, Oct-09-09, 20:26
cnmLisa's Avatar
cnmLisa cnmLisa is offline
Every day is day one
Posts: 7,776
 
Plan: AtkinsMaintenance/IF
Stats: 185/145/155 Female 5'5
BF:
Progress: 133%
Location: Oregon Coast
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Nancy--next time you sou vide, will you take a picture of your whole "get-up".

I'd like to see it in action.
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  #63   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 09:22
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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I will, Lisa!

I think you can get started cheaper than I did. There's another controller out there called "Sous Vide Magic" that sells for about $75. And you can do this without the foodsaver by using certain ziploc freezer bags and cooking no higher than 175'. They don't have the bad sort of plastic in them. Then you just need a decent water bath sort of thing. I've now heard of people using hot plates with a pot of water on top, although the place I bought my controller from doesn't recommend that. But basically you need something with a manual switch. Large rice cookers seem the best bet.

Actually, my set-up is identical to this, except I got the Auberdin controller:
http://chadzilla.typepad.com/chadzi...ing-the-ho.html


Apparently the way they use the ziploc freezer bags is to put the food in it, submerge it partly underwater to get a lot of the air out, and seal it. I think you might need to weight it down with a heavy bowl or something so it doesn't float, but sometimes I have to do that with my foodsaver bags anyway.
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  #64   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 09:56
cnmLisa's Avatar
cnmLisa cnmLisa is offline
Every day is day one
Posts: 7,776
 
Plan: AtkinsMaintenance/IF
Stats: 185/145/155 Female 5'5
BF:
Progress: 133%
Location: Oregon Coast
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I have a food saver. I've never been without one for the past 15 years.

Rice cooker with manual switch--check!

PID--will obtain. (Tell me again how much it was?? and which model #)


An extra big rice cooker might be in my future. Now after doing the reading from the websites you listed--I think I'm going to get the black and decker because it has the hole in the top. I'm off to see if I can get a free one by cashing in some american express points.
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  #65   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 10:18
cnmLisa's Avatar
cnmLisa cnmLisa is offline
Every day is day one
Posts: 7,776
 
Plan: AtkinsMaintenance/IF
Stats: 185/145/155 Female 5'5
BF:
Progress: 133%
Location: Oregon Coast
Default

If this hasn't already been posted, I found this by Douglas Baldwin re: safety and temps and time. If it's already been posted sorry for the repeat.



http://amath.colorado.edu/~baldwind/sous-vide.html



I came across it when looking for sous vide cookbooks--I swear there was one on Amazon for $229??!!!! I thought at first it was $29.

I already downloaded the Douglas Baldwin PDF. It will give me something to read today.
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  #66   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 10:19
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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The sous vide magic looks exactly like the one I have and when I've googled it's around 139 too... so not sure where that person got it for $75.

The one I bought is here: http://www.auberins.com/index.php?m...&products_id=44
Sous Vide Cooking Controller, 1800 Watts
$139.50

Oh goody! Glad someone else is jumping into the 130 degree water.
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  #67   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 10:24
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cnmLisa
If this hasn't already been posted, I found this by Douglas Baldwin re: safety and temps and time. If it's already been posted sorry for the repeat.



http://amath.colorado.edu/~baldwind/sous-vide.html



I came across it when looking for sous vide cookbooks--I swear there was one on Amazon for $229??!!!! I thought at first it was $29.

I already downloaded the Douglas Baldwin PDF. It will give me something to read today.

Yeah, we have links to the Baldwin document and it seems like the books are written for professionals. The one from the French Laundry (a place you have to make reservations like a year in advance) is much cheaper but the recipes are very complex. I think the best option right now is just googling.

Maybe we can come up with a nice compendium of links. I'm socking away everything I find.
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  #68   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 11:01
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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Here's a really good overview, although the equipment mentioned is aimed towards restaurants, but the times and temperatures are useful:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php...19&#entry693219
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  #69   ^
Old Sat, Oct-10-09, 13:37
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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Ok, my first attempt at making lemon curd in the SV failed but my... a delicious failure it turned out to be. It came out slightly coddled but it's like the softest, most creamy scrambled eggs ever. I know! It's like the texture of a really creamy ricotta cheese but all lemony and lovely. I tried cooking my lemon curd at 155, which must be too hot. Next time I'll go with 148, which is where it seems eggs just start turning to custard.

Happily all my failures have been quite delicious!
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  #70   ^
Old Sun, Oct-11-09, 10:14
cnmLisa's Avatar
cnmLisa cnmLisa is offline
Every day is day one
Posts: 7,776
 
Plan: AtkinsMaintenance/IF
Stats: 185/145/155 Female 5'5
BF:
Progress: 133%
Location: Oregon Coast
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Nancy--

I hate crockpot meat--I hate the texture, blah, blah, blah so I'm thinking sous vide would be a good alternative--I can put my meat in ahead of time, it will be done when I get home and all's it will need is a quick sear to finish. Without the yucky crockpot texture, but the reall tender texture of real meat (I know that sounds stupid). Is this true? Because your steaks looked like the bomb!

Have you done veg yet?
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  #71   ^
Old Sun, Oct-11-09, 15:52
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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I'm not sure but I think you can overcook the meat. It might get so tender it falls into mush, just depending on what you're cooking. Some of the meats go for 24 hours though, like briskets and roasts. So I'm thinking it's not really 100% a crockpot replacement. You might not want to let a steak cook for 8-10 hours while you're working. But you CAN cook it to doneness, freeze then reheat in the water bath and it shouldn't lose anything as long as it stays vacuum wrapped. It seems like a huge time saver to me.

I did little tiny tomatoes today. I cooked them at 185 for about 20 minutes with butter, salt and marjoram and red pepper flakes. I meant to add garlic powder and onion powder but for them. They taste great! They had a sharper flavor than tomatoes I've cooked on the stove top, more like they taste when they're raw.

I got a bunch of accessories for my Foodsaver today. That thing is really neat!
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  #72   ^
Old Mon, Oct-12-09, 10:09
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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I'm thinking my custard mistake might be really good made into a savory dish. Delete the lemon and sweetener, add some bacon, some onion powder maybe some cooked veggies and I think it'd be amazing. Maybe add a touch of fish sauce.

I tried making custard in a jar. Didn't really work. It just never seemed to set up, even at higher temperatures.
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  #73   ^
Old Mon, Oct-12-09, 13:17
Merpig's Avatar
Merpig Merpig is offline
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Posts: 7,582
 
Plan: EF/Fung IDM/keto
Stats: 375/225.4/175 Female 66.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 75%
Location: NE Florida
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bike2work
Once I get a new job, sous vide equipment will be my first purchase. I've been fantasizing about those steaks since I read the first review of Keller's book.

I'm really lusting after that sous vide equipment myself. If I'm not laid off yet when Christmas time rolls around maybe I'll have to buy myself a present.
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  #74   ^
Old Tue, Oct-13-09, 08:55
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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This was my belated birthday present to myself! Oh good! I hope some more people get the equipment so we can share stories and learn from one another.

This morning I am making savory egg custard sous vide. Eggs, some cooked tomatoes (onion, garlic, evo, red pepper flakes) and a touch of fish sauce. It should cook into a really slightly coddled custard... if things work out correctly. I'm cooking to 155' which is where my slightly coddled lemon curd was cooked.

I'd have put some bacon in it, but my bacon was all frozen! Oh well, next time.

I have a turkey breast I need to sous vide, to practice for thanksgiving. I think I will use onion/garlic powder, lemon juice (frozen into a cube so I can vacuum pack the bag), some bacon fat and some fresh herbs (rosemary, perhaps sage). Just need to figure out a good cooking temperature... I think 145 is what I saw somewhere. And what I read they had deboned the breast but maybe I'll leave it in for the extra flavor.

I'm also thinking about how to make gravy. In one of the articles I read they made fish stock from sous vide salmon by cooking it at 180-185 and putting a lot of water into the ziploc bag. Then to get the stock, they punch a whole in the bag and let the salmon water drain out. So maybe I could buy some turkey drumsticks and do that and get a nice turkey broth.
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  #75   ^
Old Tue, Oct-13-09, 09:52
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
Default

Oh my...

The savory egg custard is fantastic! 155 is the right temperature, just not in a jar. Also, the stuff that was on the bottom got more done, so next time I'll have it resting on an inverted ceramic bowl to cook.

Also, I won't use fish sauce next time, or use much, much less. The flavor is extremely concentrated in this. It's weird because I normally don't taste fish in fish sauce but I can like this. Still, it isn't bad at all.

Next time I will use bacon, onion powder. I can imagine if one used dairy products that parmesean would be fabulous.

The texture is to die for. Hot, smooth, pudding like. Wow!
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