Can I add water to the bath after cooking starts

This is a terribly newbie question. I've branched out from eggs to steak to (now) 3-day short ribs. Will it matter if I have to add extra water 48 hours or more into the process? I'm thinking not, since it seems to heat back to temp fairly quickly and I'm also thinking I've got to get over thinking about cooking entirely in terms of time and time frames. What I mean is, I'm guessing that if I add water and it takes 10-15 minutes to come back to temp that's not a deal killer. Since it's a 3-day process I don't know how much will evaporate, although I did get those eyeballs as recommended.

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prince_of_porcelain

I did the three day shortribs and didn't have any issue with evaporation. I do have the lid with cutout for the circulator, and there was lots of condensation on it, but I would just give it a tap a couple times a day and the water would fall back into the bath. I didn't notice any significant water loss during the cook, though I didn't mark the start level either. It certainly wasn't enough loss that I felt I needed to add more water. That said, I think if you were to add a modest amount of additional water to a large bath, it wouldn't be much of a problem I'd try to heat the water to somewhat close to your set temp - i.e. don't add ice cold water or boiling water - but I don't think it would be a big concern. That's just an opinion though, I'm no expert.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Yes, you have to more or less if you don't have a sealing lid, add small amounts and heated water.

I tend to like (with DIY stuff) to know that I have enough water before going to bed....

susan_fox_33805

Thanks to you both. I do have the lid with the cutout and I was careful to make sure I had a healthy amount of bath to start. I think I'll be OK. Thanks for the speedy response.

Mason_Perry_34060

I add water all the time to whatever I cook, with no issues, sometimes I will boil water (only gets to 203F at altittude) on the stove then pour it in the bath to help it reach 185F for veggies instead of waiting 30 min. I also do the opposite and take the 185F water and scoop it out with a small sauce pan and add it to my ice chest that is filled with heated water for holding food while I cook something else that requires a different temperature in the water bath. I have a probe thermo in the ice chest to help regulate temperature.

Chris_Young_80640

@Susan Have no fear of adding water, even cold, to the bath. Short excursions from the cooking temperature will have no effect on the result. Indeed, adding or subtracting from the total cooking time by around 5 percent will have no noticeable difference on the end result. Said another way, on a 48 hour cook, you could have the pull the product nearly 3 hours early or late and you would be hard pressed to detect a difference. So cooling the bath for 10 or 20 minutes isn't going to cause you a problem.

Susann_95366

When I made the short ribs, I did add water to it. Too much evaporation. It was necessary. They were deliscious!