Sous Vide Meals on A Budget

So I love cooking sous vide. I've made some great things with my Anova, like NY Strip, Ribeye, etc. However, some of the recipes online and on the website can be a bit costly for someone like myself not too far removed from university. NY Strip is a luxury, some of the nicer vegetables can stretch a budget, and there are some garnishes that can put a meal over the top (for example, the romesco in the pork chop recipe is a PITA and pricey.)

Can anyone recommend some budget friendly proteins, veggies, or full meals in general that could work well for someone like myself who enjoys cooking a nice meal but is not in a position to spend "lavishly?" Additionally, I'm typically very busy so the meals should be easily prepped and not too time consuming to execute.

Recipes like the chicken with warm potato salad or NY strip with mash are of up my alley (aside from the price of NY strip) in terms of ease or prep.

A few caveats;

1. It should store or freeze well, or components should be easily prepared ahead.

2. The ingredients should be easily found and affordable.

3. It should portion out to create the least amount of waste possible.

4. I would prefer the proteins cook sous vide in a relatively short amount of time. For example, I'm not too fond of short ribs cooking for 48 hours.

I'm thinking cuts like top-round when I crave steak, affordable pork and chicken, vegetables like potatoes or carrots, etc.

Any and all input welcome!

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HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

A couple of thoughts:

Chicken roulades with boneless thighs stuffed with almost anything (stovetop stuffing, bacon, ham, cheese, sausage etc). Same with chicken breasts butterflied, pounded, stuffed and rolled. The most expensive part would be the Activa RM ($12), but it makes a lot of roulades.

super fast and easy is the little pre-flavored pork roast in the cryo-vac packages. Just toss them in the Anova in the original package and the come out amazing (I like the garlic roast flavor) Everything I have mentioned freezes very well

Samuel_68313

Why are you not a fan of proteins cooking for a long time? To be honest, the best thing about sous vide cooking, in my opinion anyway, is the transformation of cheap cuts of meat over a long period of time. That being said, if you purchase the sous vide class there is a great section about cooking times for tough peices of meat and how to adjust it for your own preferences. Then you could just buy a cheap pork shoulder or beef chuck or whatever, cook it, portion it, and then reheat when you need it.

As for not spending lavishly on vegetables, just make sure you shop in the right places, some markets and stores are incredibly cheap. I always pickle the extra vegetables as well, because it's often impossible to buy a small amount, and pickled anything is amazing and gives you loads of quick options.

tshewman

The tougher cuts "in general" will require longer cooking times for the "special" textures (e.g. oxtail for 100 hours or short rib for 72 hours), but one can cook these tougher cuts for 5 hours or so at about 190F and still get decent results. Chicken legs etc benefit from slightly higher temps than breast but also generally require longer cooking times. One easy way around it for example is to slightly raise the temperature and shorten the cooking time (e.g. pork shoulder over night). Easy to do, chill in the morning (or take apart and pull, or cut into steaks) and portion according to whatever recipes you want to line them up for (carnitas, soup etc etc). Regardless of the cut, it's a matter of a few simple calculations and planning in advance (but very simple). Like Samuel indicated, if you buy a large cut, you are set to go once it is portioned and chilled or frozen. When you reheat (or before) you decide what you want to do with it. Vegetables, carrots are dirt cheap and "in-season" veggies are typically the least expensive (carrots, beets, potatoes, celery root-a few cheap here). assuming you've taken the advanced sous vide class and have the time/temperature chart, it's a matter of being mentally creative. Try not to get mentally stuck in what you've always done or liked. I've made that mistake and it gets boring pretty quick. :-) We can always have those fall backs. Ask yourself "what do I want to make" and plan it. We all have the budget limitations and empathize with having to work within those constraints.

DiggingDogFarm_65362

There are many possibilities..pork shoulder and beef chuck have been mentioned...you can cut "steaks" out of the collar portion of the pork shoulder....they're tasty and cheap. Beef chuck eye...or regular chuck steak cooked for an appropriate amount of time. Chicken leg confit is nice...and dirt cheap. Smoked pork jowl is cheap and a great alternative to belly. Pork loin or even tenderloin isn't a bad deal since there's little if any waste.

tshewman

Hi Lou, thought of this thread early this morning. One additional idea as a possible benefit not just about preparation, but about sourcing. I would highly recommend searching for relatively local (within a couple hours) farms that you may be able to get some better pricing and still have your choice of less expensive but good cuts and the other more expensive cuts may cost you less. About 8 months ago, I found one close by (about 45 minutes outside the city). This morning I went out and got a little over 8 pounds of short ribs for $30. A 6lb standing rib roast for $33 (yes a steel). Oxtail at $2.00 per pound and a couple of nice size NY strip steaks for $20 (less than $10 per lb). This is all organic practiced (no certification) all grass fed (no grain at all) beef. But to get those types of prices, I have to go there when they get a cow/steer processed. If I buy it at the local market, add ~35-50% (at least) to those prices. So, it may be helpful to get online and do a bit of homework so you can save a little $$ and get some good quality protein. The same can be done for pork, lamb, chicken and vegetables. Easiest is to ask the first person you do business with for who they would recommend. Just have to find the first one. Now this will require a bit of time investment up front, but worth it IMHO. The first time I went out, I looked at the area online (they don't have a website), took the kids and met with the supplier/farmer. So, kids got to see another farm (which they love), I got to learn what they do, how they treat their animals (the moving chicken coup was kinda cool) and try a small quantity. We liked it, so I went back for more. Some food for thought.

Lou_34544

@Samuel It's difficult to plan meals a day, two days in advance with my work schedule. Additionally, if I feel like short ribs tonight I may not feel like them 2 nights from now. @ Todd I like your idea about sourcing, but I live in NYC. Trains don't go to the farms!