Do's and don'ts of Sous Vide

The team at Chefsteps is working on new content that will surface common mistakes and problems that arise with sous vide cooking. We would love to hear feedback from anyone who has helpful tips or tricks for cooking sous vide, or who has examples of specific problems. Here are some simple examples of "don'ts" we might include:

Don't:

- Mishandle bags that contain products with sharp edges. (When working with products that contain sharp edges, you need to be careful not to puncture the bag.)

- Just drop proteins in a water bath to cook and simply walk away. (Proteins will have a tendency to bond together when they are cooking in contact with each other. This may not pose a problem when cooking firmer cuts such as chicken, but when working with delicate cuts such as portioned fish, you can ruin the shape of the meat.)

- Just place eggs directly in a water bath, not in a bag, to cook. (Eggs placed in a water bath without a bag run the risk of cracking and spilling egg or shell in the bath. Instead, use a zip-lock bag filled with water to help the flow of heat around the surface of the egg. The water should come directly from the water bath just before cooking. Using water right from the tap will affect the temperature of the entire water bath.)

These are just a few of hundreds of examples we want to surface, in order to help home cooks improve their skills, and feel confident with sous vide cooking. Any ideas or stories would be very helpful.

Thank you!

Find more posts tagged with

Announcements

Comments

Brendan_Lee_56950

Put food in when the water has come up to temp, too often I see people mess up the timing of things because of this.

Set the temp 1C higher than target temp, that one I always recommend

Try to keep foods in a uniform shape and size

Dry foods before doing any post-treatments, I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone complain that they couldn't get a good sear but never bothered to thoroughly dry the food.

Using different vacuum strengths for different foods (i.e. zippy bags for fish and delicate foods).

Do pre-sear or blanch for cook times over 24h, I just don't see the point in risking spoilage when an extra 2-3 minutes of time spent before hand can guarantee you better results

mike.minasian

The egg one is great, I had that problem this first time I tried.

Related to that: point your circulator toward the back wall when doing the eggs to prevent them from smashing together.

2. Specifics about when to sear / not sear. When to add salt to the meat versus not. Common temps table for a range of meats. Effects of things like brine on long term sous vide cooks.

I approach it like this: I was a fairly talented home cook, versed pretty well in traditional means of cooking, and I did things according to the "right way of doing them." With sous vide and some modernist techniques, things just don't always react the same way. it would be helpful to have some insight into things that are specifically different from traditional methods, i.e. don't season the meat before it goes in, do sear it.

Other interesting things would be why certain things are certain temps sous vide (outside of protein doneness). For instance, why is the ice cream base from the egg free vanilla ice cream, heated to 95 degrees for 30 minutes? Why are eggs better at coagulating for mayo when heated? I think the more you understand the why, the easier it is for it to become intuitive.

Lastly and most importantly, impact of time on sous vide cooking. I think many people (myself included at first) thought the great part about sous vide was that you could just leave food in for hours to hold it without it changing. While this may be partially true, it doesn't seem to be universally true. Some explanation, and as many examples as possible would be awesome.

This sounds like a great initiative, looking forward to it!

Edit: Also - sauce making from bagged juices! Why it doesn't work for long term, how to make it work for short term, etc.

Pepijn_31744

Don'ts:

Holding products at temperature which can't be held at temperature. Rabbit for example, unless you like rabbit porridge it is hardly advisable to hold that for longer than needed.
Overcrowding the bath which impedes circulations

Do:

Get a lid, especially with long cooking time this will help with the evaporation

Tim_Sutherland_52834

Random stuff on SV:

How to hold bags down - weight in the bag; steamer insert over the top; etc.
Methods of changing the water temp - hot water from the tap; ice in the bath.
When to season.
Eggs can be placed in strainer/pasta baskets to stop them moving during the bath time, it also makes it easy to put all the eggs in and out at the same time.
How to chill food (1:1 water and ice) and how long food takes to chill. I see some people pull a thick steak from the bath and think it will be chilled in 5 mins because the surface is cool to touch.
After bagging product you can move it about to correct the shape and ensure they are not touching.
How to put herbs in the bag. Some herbs directly on the protein can discolour and cause uneven flavouring.
How and when to sear protein. Why you need to chill the protein prior to bagging in a vac chamber. Side bar on the boiling temp of liquids with pressure changes.
How to set up a SV station. Cambro not directly on counter tops but on wire racks as the heat can mar some stone tops. Hot water baths have water vapor, don't place under a wooden cabinet. Twenty litres of water is 20kg - put the bath near a drain or have the ability to easily move it to a drain (on a trolley) when you need to empty it.
A set of long saute tongs (tweezers not grill) make it easy to do the displacement method and remove product from the bath so fingers stay cool and dry.
Things not to season/flavour with, or to be careful with - acid, alcohol, etc. A little bit of seasoning/flavouring goes a long way in the bag.
Wrap bones with plastic wrap to limit punctures.
How to retherm; at what temp and the time taken for the core to reach that temp.
How often to change the water bath water - you don't need to do it after every cook (assuming you SV more than once a month).
How to time work flow. Six hour cooks are hard for people who work 9-5 during the week. Do the cook on the weekend and chill. The product will hold in the fridge for you to eat during the week. 8 to 12 hour cooks can be done overnight while you sleep. Time long cooks (24+hr) to end an hour or two before you plan to eat. This give you time to finish/sear/plate without having to chill.
Bag product in meal size portions prior to cooking. This means you need to only open one bag for a meal while the rest are in the fridge or freezer.
Sauces made from the liquid in the bag are not always the best. Make separate sauces and freeze in portion sizes. Heat the sauce while preparing the meal.
Some product requires to be cooked above a minimum temp. You can cook potatoes all week at 60°C and they will not get soft. Cook at required temp, chill and retherm in the 56°C water when the steak is cooking - assuming you only have one bath.
When and why cook to pasturise to core. Remember cheap tender meat may have been mechanically tenderised are there is no legal requirement for it to be labeled as such in the US or Canada (currently).
The impact SV has on poultry skin. If you want crispy skin either cook the skin separate or cook the bird a different way.
SV is just another technique for cooking. Depending on your time and the end result you are after, it may or may not be the preferred way.

Jack_Mayer_85396

This is gonna be a great thread! Some great input already ...

Mauro_Daniel_Rossi_73211

robert.c.brown15

This thread could get dangerous. Someone at Chefsteps will be compiling only the good information right?

ejf12009

Things that should have been obvious to me:

- Things can bond together in the bag as you cook. (Tried to make sous vide French toast, the custard soaked bread bonded)

- Consider that your proteins might get a bit more done when searing, that is, you might want to cook a degree or two cooler than your goal temperature

- When lifting heavy bags with saute tweezers, the tweezers can puncture the bag.

- Don't worry too much if (liquid) smoke smell diffuses through the bag.

Tom_Champion_14732

Helpful thread times two. Even stating the obvious is helpful cause this old brain may not have caught the necessary care the first time. The egg comment comes to mind as I have not been putting the eggs in a bag. Out of six I get one with a small crack.

At first I was using too many herbs and I put them in too soon. Great comments and keep them coming.

tchamp5

Irene_236736

Do: Keep a close eye on the water level if doing a long cook. Don't risk spoilage because your unit shut off because the water level was too low. Don't ask me how I know...