Souse Vide

I just signed up & would appreciate not being thrown out of the community for my uninformed question.

Can Souse Vide cooking be accomplished without purchasing the machine? Say using a large pot & thermometer over gas heat?

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michaelnatkin

Hey @Tom - welcome! Sign up for this free class: https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/sous-vide-cooking/landing#/

and your questions will be answered in the first few syllabus items. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.

Jack_Mayer_85396

@Tom, welcome! The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. You're among friends here ...

tshewman

@Tom, To answer your question in brief, yes. Is having a circulator better? Yes. I've done and do it both ways (I have a ciculator but sometimes wish I had two because of different temps and simple testing I'll sometimes just do it stove top). The course will answer your questions and likely create a few more. :-) Ones you can play with. Lots of answers in the course and on the forum. We're all learning here and welcome your questions AND answers (I have mmore questions than answers FWIW).

Tom_Champion_14732

Thanks, folks. Glad I can ask questions. Will do the suggestions. Need to explore the community in more depth.

We have a space problem & it really is new to me.

Thanks again,

Tom

Chris_Young_80640

@Tom_Champion — Welcome to ChefSteps Tom. Look forward to answering those questions that I can.

Tom_Champion_14732

Well I have played with veggies carrots, asparagus and following your lead they have tasted great. As pointed out the texture is soo much better.

There has to be some type of formula for heat & time when doing sous vide. Any suggestions where I might find it? I was on a site Fusion Chef it had a lot of suggested times & heat. Seemed higher heat & time then your class. Tried both will stick to yours.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Tom, there are quite a few if you dig around a little here -

My personal preferences are

Red meats - 54C.

Tender pork - 57C. (Especially if I finish it for a while)

Poultry - 60-65, depending on piece and time (It can get a bit of a weird texture at too low a heat).

Seafood - the 42C Salmon recipe really is an eye opener.

Veggies 83.5C - works for a lot of applications.

Those are just general rule of thumb - you can calculate this somewhat, but in the end of

the day it boils down to what you like and enjoy.

The ultimate reference is MC - but there are a lot of resources out there,

http://blog.khymos.org/2009/04/09/towards-the-perfect-soft-boiled-egg/

https://www.cuisinetechnology.com/blog/time-and-temperature-reference/

http://www.sousvidesupreme.com/en-us/sousvide_cookingtemperatures.htm

Those are higher than what I use, but they provide

more stringent food safety. -

t.stanoulis

Poultry definitely gets weird below 60°C, I must agree. The recommendations in Modernist Cuisine are probably the best references available for great starting points. Obviously, it's not exactly an accessible book to all, though…

Tom_Champion_14732

Wow! Thanks. As a home cook who spent 6 months as a line cook at a new restaurant in a new mall. at 70 years old.this is great help. Did cod (first time) sous vide temp a little high 126 @ 26 minutes. Our pieces were a little thin. Would try 110 at 15 minutes next time then pan fry a minute a side.

As usual better than pan fry guessing. Amazing texture. Not contibuting much; but learning a lot!

Tom_Champion_14732

Johan Edstrom & Thomas Stanoulis:

So, I accidently made hard boiled eggs (not as hard as the boil in a pan); but firm with nice texture. Guess I have to get over the textures sous vide cooks.

With your help I have a lot of fun to do in the kitchen. I have enough info to keep this cook busy

Thanks.

Matt_67991

@Tom what temperature did you cook it at and for how long? Eggs are one of the most sensitive things to cook.

Tom_Champion_14732

Henri:

I did the eggs in a pot with a candy thermometer. The first time they were fine. This last time I got confident & I beleive I did miss-read the temp. Maybe impatience was more the problem cause I did not let the water adjust.

Tom

Matt_67991

OK Tom, was your thermometer digital? Accuracy is pretty important with eggs. Even a single degree can make a big difference to the texture of the yolks, as this video demonstrates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMp8HPAM0mY

Time can also play a factor. There is a lot of good information on the Khymos website, so just look around

http://blog.khymos.org/tag/boiling-eggs/

Tom_Champion_14732

Henri:

Thanks. I did better the third time. Problem more 'lack' of patience? I think so.

Tom

Tom_Champion_14732

Thanks, folks:

So much information and so many things to try. My relatives want to know if I'm as excited over anything else besides sous vide. Veggies, potatoes, steak, eggs, and fish have all turned well if I exercise care. I even have tries plating which I must admit is not my cup of tea. Don't seem to have an eye for it.

Eggs are tricky using a pot & a candy thermometer. But the hard-boiled (lack of attention) are so good compared to the old fashion methods I learned that we love the mistakes.

The 104c salmon was delightful as an appetizer. I like searing our 21 day aged steaks (nice butcher), then sous vide to 126 / 128 F, and eating them with a fork. So tender & flavorful.

Some of the suggested tools will be beyond our budget; but we can get close sometimes if we pay attention and understand the process.

My hats off to the community & to ChefSteps for making it easy to understand the technique & the how to get the results.

Thanks,

tchamp5