Is sous vide actually worth trying? It seems like kind of a waste.
>>7650710
Depends on what you want it for. For things that are easy to cook like scallops or a steak there's not much of a benefit since sous vide takes extra effort and supplies but doesn't really improve upon traditional methods.
On the other hand if you like to do different things it can produce results that no other cooking method can. 72-hour short ribs for example. It's also awesome for restaurants because it keeps portions separate and allows at least some of the cooking to be done in advance, simplifying service.
>>7650718
But what's really the benefit? Is it more tender?
No, it's just boil in the bag
>>7650710
I got some sous vide rice the other day and it was pretty good.
>>7650731
It can be cooked all the way through. Is it more tender? I suppose you can say that, the juices aren't lost in the water and as with any other cooking method, if you cook meat to a certain point, the muscle fibers breakdown and it will become tender. Still, not really worth all the hassle and cost of equipment. Vacuum bags are needed for every portion you cook.
If the whole point of a sous vide cooker is to submerge it in water and just keep the water at the right temperature, couldn't I place a steak in a bag into a pot of water on a low heat setting? Keep a thermometer into the meat and pull it off when it's at the right temperature?
I love the idea of sous vide cooking, but the cooker itself seems so expensive.
>>7650710
I made a sous vide machine for about 35 bucks and I now cook with it 90% of the time I cook meat.....
>>7651562
managing the temp in the kettle would be hard and uses a lot of energy
there are some ghetto rigged versions, like a cooler that you fill with water that's the correct temp, then adding a bit of boiling water when the temp starts dropping. The cooler's better insulated than your kettle and makes the temp and energy management better.
>>7651562
here is how to do one super cheap: https://imgur.com/gallery/c6VW2
For the vast majority of people and restaurants its a waste of money.
Sous-vide is for optimizing a dish.
For example.
Marinading a piece of fish is effective in imparting flavors, but requires a few hours.
Cooking the fish sous-vide with herbs is more effective, faster, and can be marked afterwards.
Is it significantly better? No.
Is it better if you're trying to sell high-end food and charging a few hundred dollars for dinner? Yes
Of course there are other applications for it, and if you don't mind spending the money, they can be very useful.
Ex.
- Individual cheesecakes/creme brulee/creme caramel/lemon curd cooked in small pots that seal
- Canning, you can turn your bathtub into a cannery station
- Tempering of eggs and chocolate, the controlled temperature ensures you stay in range
- slow cooked items like short rib, cheeks, garlic, consistent temp without fluctuations of an oven
Generally, if you need to ask if you should buy one. You don't need one
Not OP, but what's the cheapest way to get into sous vide that will produce decent results? I want to try it but don't want to spend multiple hundreds on a device before I know if I'd like to use it often
>>7651599
There are several perfectly good options for sub $200.
>>7651599
An anova is like 130.
The best use for sous vide is low and slow cooking that would be nearly impossible or absolutely unsanitary without it. Example: beef brisket or short rib served medium rare but tenderized by very, very long cook times. Whereas if you were to simply sear a beef brisket medium rare, the meat would still be very tough as it takes low and slow cooking to gelatinize connective tissue. The vacuum seal wards the food from airborne food contaminants. I would still blowtorch or freeze a piece of meat before a 12/24/48 hour sous vide to kill any surface bacteria, though.
It's like a rich foodie's crock pot.
Restaurants who are going for James Beard/Michelin stars sous vide already tender things like poultry breast or steak. It also makes the line cook's job a lot easier.
>>7651388
You can gheddo do it with plastic lock bags.
Place product in bag and then submerge in the water all the way to the lip. Then seal bag. It's not the best way but it does work.
