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

[OldMcDonald]

GolfAddict, @ #331. I would guess a few other folks would be like me and waiting to hear about a few trials before posting again. Is it necessary to sear the meat, or is that just so it looks the way you expect (say) a steak to look? Do you still get the nice aromas of cooking? If not, I think I would miss them.

 

[IslandTractor]

GolfAddict, @ #331. I would guess a few other folks would be like me and waiting to hear about a few trials before posting again. Is it necessary to sear the meat, or is that just so it looks the way you expect (say) a steak to look? Do you still get the nice aromas of cooking? If not, I think I would miss them.

From all I've read, the sear is necessary. It would be perfectly safe to eat without but we all have grown accustomed to the taste, texture and smell of seared meat so it might be weird without it. If you like food poached then the sear is not necessary so fish could be done without. Veggies and eggs don't require it either.

Here is a good article that discusses it and goes through the options for searing at home. Be careful, it will make you hungry.
The Food Lab: 61-Day Dry-Aged, Sous-Vide, Torched-and-Seared Bone-in Ribeyes (AKA The Ultimate Steak) | Serious Eats

 

[GolfAddict]

GolfAddict, @ #331. I would guess a few other folks would be like me and waiting to hear about a few trials before posting again. Is it necessary to sear the meat, or is that just so it looks the way you expect (say) a steak to look? Do you still get the nice aromas of cooking? If not, I think I would miss them.

As IT mentions, it is not necessary to sear as it is done cooking, but it doesn't look right or appetizing for some things, like steak, pork, etc. When I did the long slow cook of the roast it came out with a nicely browned surface all around and didn't need to be seared. It looked just right.

You are correct in that you will miss any delightful aromas while cooking, being it's sealed up in its bag.

On the subject of missing things - if you cook medium rare, the juices stay in the meat. The marbling starts its rendering and stays with the meat. That's the same for everything, and is a good thing for keepng all the favors in, and easy to achieve cooking sous vide. However, for cuts you may normally make gravy with, with all the drippings and crispy bit pan scrapings, you won't have that. For roasts you get the wonderful beef flavor having kept it mostly all in the meat, but you don't have much of anything to make gravy with.

For my roast, I made a basic brown gravy sauce, then when I cut open the roast bag added the little bit of juice that was there. It was good, but certainly not the same as pan gravy.

 

[GolfAddict]

Looks like spare parts from the I.C.U.!

:laughing: Kind of does!

This is a good example of the "need" for searing. After 7 hours, these ribs have long since been fully cooked to medium rare. They can be taken out and enjoyed at this point, or even way earlier, but they just don't look appetizing to me. I would sear these to better enjoy eating them.

After reading the link from IT, I see that there is some pretty good flavoring and texture reasons for searing, beyond just how it looks...

 

[IslandTractor]

Google "Maillard reaction" to understand why we like seared food.

 

[GolfAddict]

Google "Maillard reaction" to understand why we like seared food.

Well, that's really interesting IT. I sort of thought it "tasted better" mostly due to how it looked. But it actually does taste better - no quote marks!

I liked this link from my google search: Why does Food Brown when Cooked

 

[IslandTractor]

Well, that's really interesting IT. I sort of thought it "tasted better" mostly due to how it looked. But it actually does taste better - no quote marks! I liked this link from my google search: Why does Food Brown when Cooked

Chemistry counts in cooking.

 

[MossRoad]

From all I've read, the sear is necessary. It would be perfectly safe to eat without but we all have grown accustomed to the taste, texture and smell of seared meat so it might be weird without it. If you like food poached then the sear is not necessary so fish could be done without. Veggies and eggs don't require it either.

Here is a good article that discusses it and goes through the options for searing at home. Be careful, it will make you hungry.
The Food Lab: 61-Day Dry-Aged, Sous-Vide, Torched-and-Seared Bone-in Ribeyes (AKA The Ultimate Steak) | Serious Eats

We will ignite our new flame pit and char some mammal flesh for you....

 

[IslandTractor]

Someone at Anova is definitely stealing CC numbers. I had the same thing happen to me this week. Charge went through on 3/30 for my machine then three charges for total of over $600, all to businesses within an hour of Anova's corporate office. One to a clinic, one to a horseback riding academy, one to a kids dance studio.

I've reported it to my bank. I'll be calling their investigation department. EVERYONE if you bought online from this company CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENT.

If you want to purchase this product, do it on Amazon, not the company's website.

I just checked my credit card statement. No unauthorized activity in the three weeks since I gave them my number and codes, just the expected purchase price. I did mine all electronically, no direct human contact when I placed my order.

 

[tractorgp]

I had additional fraud transactions come in to my card. Everything is pointing to buying from Anova.

Not only credit card issues but also identity theft. I've spent today tracking down bad transactions that stem directly from ordering from this company online.

To all, take this seriously if you purchased directly from this company.

I bought directly from Anova but paid through Paypal. Nothing unusual showing up on my statement so far. Guessing that the Paypal route gives extra security in this kind of transaction ??