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DIY Sous-Vide?

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

Hey guys, I've been watching Chefsteps for two years now and I have recently wondered if I could maybe use a heat-generating cable set in a waterbath (used for reptile houses and such) regulated by a thermostat to control the water temperature and a probe to measure it to maaaaybe have a DIY sous-vide machine? Is it even plausible? What do you guys think?

P.S.: We're using the same principle but without water, in a small pot to make black garlic over 30 days at 58C (hopefully).

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Comments

ejf12009

DIY sous vide is definitely possible. There are many guides online; most of them look like this one: http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/diy-sous-vide-heating-immersion-circulator-for-about-75/

That said, I'm not sure it's super worth it. If you don't have any components lying around, the cost will be ~$100; for a little more you can get a solidly built and calibrated unit like an Anova, Sansaire, etc.

I did the DIY immersion circulator and was glad I did - I hadn't built many things before, and really enjoyed it. But it was a pain to use. Once I got an Anova, I started cooking sous vide much more.

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

We already have the components. As we already said, we are already using it with a different purpose. We just want to know if it can be done the way we explained above,

richard.fine

Sounds like it would work to me, though it would be a non-circulating bath (so more like an SVS). Though maybe it matters less if the heat source is running along the length of the bath instead of just being in one corner?

Also I'm not sure how accurately you'd be able to hold a temperature, but I guess that depends on the equipment.

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

The heat generating cable is used in water tanks for hot water fish aswell, I just have a high voltage cable and a thermostat that allows us to go up to 120 celsius. Also, the cable itself is provided with small suction cups to fit at the bottom of the recipient, arranged in an 's' formation, creating a gentle circulation of water from the heat generated below. Our only question is if it will hold a steady temperature. But I think we're going to go for it!

Thanks guys.

artstype

I use a large ice chest (on wheels), a PID, a 1000 watt bucket heater, and a $4 aquarium pump (as a circulator). Works great, uses less energy (insulation!). You can even do fish in it with just warmed (and monitored) tap water. I do pre-heat the water (hot tap water) to minimize the prep time.

Also, I saw these recently, curious what anyone here knows about them.

http://www.coleparmer.com/Virtual-Catalog/en-us/371

richard.fine

Sometimes there's just no substitute for an experimental test

Let us know how it turned out!

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

Seems awesome but unfortunately I don't have the buck for more equipment ATM so I'm gonna give it a go with what I have and see how it turns out!

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

Will do! On the 25th I'll update on my black garlic and get the few pieces of gear I need to get sous-viding (hopefully)! I will post it up if it turns out any good!

artstype

You can get a PID on Amazon for $16, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KA4Y2P0/sr=1-1/qid=1430880861/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1430880861&sr=1-1#customerReviews

and a bucket heater for $36 http://www.essentialhardware.com/miller-manufacturing-742g-bucket-heater-stainless-steel-155137.html?fee=16&fep=51739&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google&gclid=CjwKEAjw1KGqBRC55bru-sa7zCcSJAAxsBf55Hj0LflTxCERfw1BYQqhWbjYaqh1wPe4tqBVIW_YQRoCyGHw_wcB

dvchang22

For anybody interested in sous vide on a budget, I purchased the DorkFood temperature controller for $75.00 on Ebay and plugged it into a Crockpot. For larger projects, you can use an Igloo ice chest and an aquarium heater (500w for $50.00) plugged into the DorkFood temperature controller. Total spent $125.00 to sous vide anything from eggs to large pieces of meat.