Hello! I’m a 19-year old university goer from the Philipppines and I only recently received my Joule from an aunt who was kind enough to ship it from LA to here. I’ve long been wanting to cook sous vide, and I must say, it has yet to disappoint. Hoping of course that that day never comes. So far, I’ve made eggs benedict, yogurt (twice), pork loins, tilapia fillets, buttermilk fried chicken, barbecued chicken (twice), and a local fare of chicken marinated in coconut vinegar, onions, garlic, anatto seeds, and lemongrass which is then grilled and basted in the marinade it sat in (cooked vigorously, of course,before using). I really am loving my new sous vide tool, no doubt. It’s just that where I live, I don’t really have easy access to a good butchery shop. To be honest, meats and poultry are what got me so hooked on SV. I just fell completely bonkers over the idea that you can transform what would often be a great-tasting but tough piece of meat into an even better tasting and steak-like mouthfeel to it. I mean, the butcher’s trade here in the Philippines is vastly industrialized and mostly monopolized by vast companies and it just takes the soul out of the animal. Meat here just hasn’t got that same unctuousness and meatiness to it. If you want to get good piece of brisket slightly over 2 kg, you have to be willing to set yourself back at least PHP 1200.00, which in today’s forex rates would be about USD 20.00. I understand that doesn’t sound as much to a USD-earner but to put it into perspective, a decently piece of supermarket meat here in the Phils. would cost only very slightly upwards of PHP 350.00/kg; a far cry from that PHP 500.00++/kg brisket, which really just brings me to my question: have you got any SV ideas for affordable, easy, and delicious recipes that a college student can do?
