Thunderbird Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 A friend has been using sous vide for a few years now and absolutely swears by it, and what I've tasted from it (beef cheeks, shin, most 'cheap' cuts rendered absolutely sublime) has made me interested too. Anyone got the kit at home and willing to share experiences, or make recommendations? I'm not the sort of person who buys kit then chucks in in the back of a cupboard, so if I'm getting this I'm using it. I'm thinking I might pick something up in the January sales. Ideally I'd be after something balancing a decent capacity with a modest footprint. Space is a bit of a premium at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twistedsanity Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Yep, the cheapy ones are a bit pants as they take up counter space and aren't insulated. I brought a polyscience unit which from memory was around the £400 ish price. It's independent and clips onto the side of a container, saucepans work but I use one of those insulated plastic cool boxes for camping to hook it to, it doesn't take up any counter space and can be fitted to a large container for large joints of meat etc. you will need a vacuum sealer as well . Although I do use mine fairly often remember any joint of meat will soften and be nice if you leave it in a £20 slow cooker, sous vide is more about consistency and are well suited to restraunts or real foodie perfectionists. You are also cooking at low temps and some people get a bit contraversial about pathogens where this is concerned, do your homework on it before you dive in head first. There is a polyscience app for the iPad that is worth a look at before you buy one, also unless you have a few grand to spend on a vaccum chamber type sealer you will have to freeze anything that is runny or contains liquids and oils before you can vac seal it properly, many folk don't vac seal and rely on Archimedes methods and zip bags which defeats the object a little as "sous vide" means " under vacuum " the point being that there is no air to mess with timings and the meat is almost in direct contact with the water temperature apart from the plastic bag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Seen a thermostatic controller with probe you can plug your slow cooker into and put the probe in the liquid in the cooker as a cheap version of the cooker. I have got a bag sealer with an air extraction already which cost about £25 when I bought it. Might have a go at this, it looks interesting. Don't think I would trust the low temp cooking with poultry though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twistedsanity Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I made one using an old slow cooker first, you don't get the same temp tolerance levels and when you drop a bit of meat at 5degC Into a slow cooker it takes forever get back to temp which defeats the object a bit, but even a cheapy frozen chicken breast from costco's comes out tasting amazing and soft as butter :-) as I mentioned check out the iPad app and it tells you times, temps and at exactly which temp pathogens are destroyed in what quantity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Food for thought so far, thanks. I'm fairly sure the standalone one my mate has is this one, plus the vac packer of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 http://www.ecateringonline.co.uk/vac-tec-sous-vide-water-bath-125-ltr-ideal-tool-for-sous-vide-cooking-2046-p.asp Been doing some looking around at various systems and found the company above. You have to add vat to their prices, but delivery is free over £95. Got to make my mind up now weather to try the bath type or the attach to any vessel type. These do both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted November 11, 2014 Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 http://www.ecateringonline.co.uk/vac-tec-portable-sous-vide-thermal-circulator-1500w-ideal-for-sous-vide-cooking--best-value-in-the-uk-2208-p.asp Had a look at what was available and checked some reviews out. As I didn't want a unit taking up worktop space permanently I opted for a slot on the side one as above link. The same company had it on ebay for £139 inc P&P so was even cheaper than on their website as Vat is added to orders on there website. Made a tank from a RUB from Hobbycraft as they state they are Ok to 80OC on the base. I cut a rectangular piece out of the lid to accomodate the Vac-Tec as I didn't want water evaporating out into the kitchen. Found the bags for my food sealer aren't suitable for heating so I used some microwave/steamer bags from Sainsburies that are £2 for 10 so quite economic. The seal bags worked reasonably well by sealing them part way then putting everything in and gradually immersing it in the tank water as the air was forced out as they were pushed down and the seal seamed to stop air or water going back in. I allowed the steaks to come to room temp before putting them in and they didn't drop the water temperature. Will have a look at getting some heatable bags for my bag sealer as it does evacuate air. Steaks Serves 2 INGREDIENTS § 2 (8 ounces/240 g each) top sirloin steaks § salt and pepper to taste § 6 garlic cloves, peeled § 2 sprigs rosemary § 2 sprigs thyme § 2 tablespoons butter INSTRUCTIONS 1. Fill and preheat to your preferred degree of doneness (120F/49C rare; 134F/56.5C medium rare; 140F/60C medium; 150F/65.5C medium well) 2. Season the steaks lightly on either side with salt and pepper and put each into a small (quart/0.9 liter) cooking pouch. 3. Add half the garlic, herbs, and butter to each pouch and vacuum seal. 4. Submerge in the water oven and cook for at least 45 minutes and up to 8 hours. Remove steaks from the pouch and quickly sear them in a hot pan or grill or with a kitchen torch for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side to caramelize and add flavor. I put the steaks in at 56.5OC for 3.5hrs hours as that fitted in with fetching the grandchildren from school and waiting for my daughter to get home. I put the juice out of the bags into a pan and thickened with a little flour and served it as a sauce over the steaks. Served them with roast potatoes and one of my favourite veg mixes. The steaks were really juicy and nice and pink all the way through, with the flavour from the garlic, butter and herbs as a subtle background taste. Very pleased with it from the first meal. Veg mix for 2 Finely Chop 1/3 of a Savoy Cabbage. Finely slice large leek or one medium onion Slice up 2 sticks celery Rinse and put in microwave dish without thoroughly drying so some water stays Sprinkle with ground black pepper and a knob of butter Put lid on dish and microwave on full power till done how you like. Shake up in dish to mix in butter and serve. Lots of Sous Vide recipes on this site to try. http://blog.sousvidesupreme.com/category/featured-sous-vide-recipes/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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