How many of you guys here really, really enjoy cooking and planning meals?

[IslandTractor]

One more thing on this sous vide topic: there are apps that calculate the appropriate time and temperature for cooking depending on the food and the exact thickness of the meat. One is called SousVide Dash and costs about $5. It allows incredibly precise calculations and allows you to modify all sorts of parameters to insure that cooking time and pasteurization time (for longer hold times) are appropriate. It's really just a very fancy calculator but one that is well designed and user adjustable. The other app, Anova Culinary, is free from Anova but useful mostly as the controller and recipe source for the Anova Precision cooker. It allows you to choose a recipe, enter a few details about thickness and preferred degree of cooking and then the iphone via bluetooth sets the cooker, starts it, begins cook timing only after it reaches set temperature and then alerts you when it is done. I haven't tried that app as I don't have the cooker yet and it appears that there are some teething problems with version 1.0 based on feedback but it does seem like it will eventually be a simply way to keep your recipes organized and repeat exact cooking instructions to the Precision cooker.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Darn it! Cooking is supposed to be an art...make it a science and food begins to lean toward being fuel as opposed to cuisine.

 

[GolfAddict]

A very strange thing happened yesterday. Our credit card company called to ask about some charges on our card. Going through them, there were four fraudulent charges, all made within the day. They were to a crazy variety of places - some skin and hair place in GA for almost $800, Craigslist in SF for $25, Match.com of all things, and a Toyota dealership.

I wanted to mention it, as there were only two uses of our card recently that were unusual, one being the online purchase of the Anova. I really don't think it's likely that was the cause, (I'd suspect the other would be more likely) but wouldn't hurt you recent buyers just to do a check...

 

[GolfAddict]

One more thing on this sous vide topic: there are apps that calculate the appropriate time and temperature for cooking depending on the food and the exact thickness of the meat. One is called SousVide Dash and costs about $5. It allows incredibly precise calculations and allows you to modify all sorts of parameters to insure that cooking time and pasteurization time (for longer hold times) are appropriate. It's really just a very fancy calculator but one that is well designed and user adjustable. The other app, Anova Culinary, is free from Anova but useful mostly as the controller and recipe source for the Anova Precision cooker. It allows you to choose a recipe, enter a few details about thickness and preferred degree of cooking and then the iphone via bluetooth sets the cooker, starts it, begins cook timing only after it reaches set temperature and then alerts you when it is done. I haven't tried that app as I don't have the cooker yet and it appears that there are some teething problems with version 1.0 based on feedback but it does seem like it will eventually be a simply way to keep your recipes organized and repeat exact cooking instructions to the Precision cooker.

Thanks for that - going to look at downloading that app.

 

[IslandTractor]

Darn it! Cooking is supposed to be an art...make it a science and food begins to lean toward being fuel as opposed to cuisine.

The art is in the sear. Two minutes of intense artistry! The rest of grilling is just waiting around drinking beer. You don't need to tell your guests precisely how you prepared perfect steaks. Just announce that you are the Michelangelo of steak.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I can see the attraction for a commercial operation. Improved replicability to a specific standard, a more easily managed and probably safer production process, cheap machines replace semi-skilled labor.

 

[GolfAddict]

Darn it! Cooking is supposed to be an art...make it a science and food begins to lean toward being fuel as opposed to cuisine.

My "cuisine" results suck way too often. I'm ready for some exquisite fuel!

 

[polo1665]

Darn it! Cooking is supposed to be an art...make it a science and food begins to lean toward being fuel as opposed to cuisine.

I agree with you, but knowing the science behind the art can certainly smooth out the learning curve. It sure helped me to establish a healthy and active sourdough starter on the first try.

I always enjoy watching "Good Eats" with Alton Brown. He mixes the science in nicely.

 

[GolfAddict]

The art is in the sear. Two minutes of intense artistry! The rest of grilling is just waiting around drinking beer. You don't need to tell your guests precisely how you prepared perfect steaks. Just announce that you are the Michelangelo of steak.

:thumbsup: :drink:

 

[IslandTractor]

I can see the attraction for a commercial operation. Improved replicability to a specific standard, a more easily managed and probably safer production process, cheap machines replace semi-skilled labor.

Exactly. Man, if I were a caterer I'd buy into this technology big time. Given all the jokes about rubber chicken dinners, the ability to serve large quantities of accurately cooked fresh food would be a huge advantage. And, as you point out, instead of a line of $30/hr cooks who cook food an hour in advance to store in a steam oven, you could literally get better results with one guy feeding the sous vide steaks into the searing apparatus and another guy on the other end plating the seared food as quickly as the waiters could deliver it, still piping hot.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

The art is in the sear. Two minutes of intense artistry! The rest of grilling is just waiting around drinking beer. You don't need to tell your guests precisely how you prepared perfect steaks. Just announce that you are the Michelangelo of steak.

:laughing::licking:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

A very strange thing happened yesterday. Our credit card company called to ask about some charges on our card. Going through them, there were four fraudulent charges, all made within the day. They were to a crazy variety of places - some skin and hair place in GA for almost $800, Craigslist in SF for $25, Match.com of all things, and a Toyota dealership.

I wanted to mention it, as there were only two uses of our card recently that were unusual, one being the online purchase of the Anova. I really don't think it's likely that was the cause, (I'd suspect the other would be more likely) but wouldn't hurt you recent buyers just to do a check...

A couple years ago, we used our card at a motel in Eureka Springs Arkansas, and it wasn't long before we got charges at about 3 motels in other states we had never been to. We're pretty sure the two are related...

 

[Parkanzky]

I can see the attraction for a commercial operation. Improved replicability to a specific standard, a more easily managed and probably safer production process, cheap machines replace semi-skilled labor.

You're missing the other major advantage to the Sous Vide process, which is that you vacuum-pack the protein and seasoning together and cook it in that sealed system. So the flavor will permeate the meat and you don't lose a drop of moisture until you open the bag.

The other bonus is that the stuff you're cooking is very quickly brought to a uniform temperature and stays there. There's no concern about balancing over-cooking the thin parts and under-cooking thick stuff.

 

[polo1665]

Exactly. Man, if I were a caterer I'd buy into this technology big time. Given all the jokes about rubber chicken dinners, the ability to serve large quantities of accurately cooked fresh food would be a huge advantage. And, as you point out, instead of a line of $30/hr cooks who cook food an hour in advance to store in a steam oven, you could literally get better results with one guy feeding the sous vide steaks into the searing apparatus and another guy on the other end plating the seared food as quickly as the waiters could deliver it, still piping hot.

I would think that health department regulations might make the Sous Vide process a little less attractive to caterers in certain areas. Granted that it is perfectly safe if done correctly, holding meats at those lower temperatures for extended times can raise some eyeborws at the Health Department.

 

[GolfAddict]

FedEx says my Anova will be delivered tomorrow. I can't wait.

My first test, out of the freezer and into the refrig to thaw for tomorrow:

 

[IslandTractor]

I would think that health department regulations might make the Sous Vide process a little less attractive to caterers in certain areas. Granted that it is perfectly safe if done correctly, holding meats at those lower temperatures for extended times can raise some eyeborws at the Health Department.

Yes, there are specific guidelines for what temperature food can be held at and for how long. Sous vide can literally pasteurize food however as part of the cooking process and the required time and temperature is easy to calculate. It is more of an issue for very delicate foods like fish than for meat as I am pretty sure that a temp of say 135, which would be on the rare side of medium rare, is above any pasteurization limit so that food could be kept there safely for days without overcooking.

Interestingly, one of the "problems" with extended sous vide time is that some cuts of meat become too tender. Keeping the meat in the bath longer than necessary for cooking and pasteurization does help continue to break down collagen and fibrous tissue which makes the meat more tender. An already tender filet for example doesn't benefit from more than a few hours of such tenderization however before risking becoming rather mushy. A flat iron steak on the other hand will benefit from 24 hours of "cooking" sous vide and be as tender as the filet after that time.

 

[IslandTractor]

FedEx says my Anova will be delivered tomorrow. I can't wait.

My first test, out of the freezer and into the refrig to thaw for tomorrow:
View attachment 417123

I have read that you can go direct from freezer to sous vide. Just add 30 minutes to calculated cooking time from normal calculations based on refrigerator temp.

 

[GolfAddict]

I have read that you can go direct from freezer to sous vide. Just add 30 minutes to calculated cooking time from normal calculations based on refrigerator temp.

I did find a couple places where they said you could do it, and just adjust the time. I never saw what adjustments to make?? I haven't done enough googling yet though - I'm going to have to do more reading up on this whole new (for me) world.

 

[IslandTractor]

I did find a couple places where they said you could do it, and just adjust the time. I never saw what adjustments to make?? I haven't done enough googling yet though - I'm going to have to do more reading up on this whole new (for me) world.

Actually, you could do the experiment yourself. After all, the only critical issue is how long it takes a frozen item to warm up to 40F (refrigerator temp) when placed in a 135F water bath. As it is pretty easy to "feel" the difference between frozen and thawed, just giving the package a squeeze every ten minutes should give you the answer. If you wanted to be certain, just leave it in for 30 minutes then take it out, open the package, use a meat thermometer to see if it is refrig temp and then reseal it and put it back to cook.

I asked the people at Anova the same question about going directly from freezer to sous vide and they said it was often done using that simple 30 minute rule. I presume that is only for individual steaks, chicken breasts, fish etc as something like a Boston Butt would certainly take longer to thaw.

 

[sodamo]

Why do I have this nagging feeling that the more I read you guys the closer I am to getting in trouble?

Am curious about the electricity usage as I'm completely off grid, but I'm thinking it probably about same as a crock pot.

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