Electric oven?

We are too poor for a Joule or any other fancy equipment and we only have an electric range which is hard to keep at a constant temp on the stove top? Could we cook sous vide in the oven?

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Brendan_Lee_56950

Your internal oven temp probably swings more widely than the stovetop control.

brian_martin2001

The simple answer is no. Sous vide works because the water is a better conductor than air, and because the temperature is very closely controlled.

Here are a couple methods they have listed on their website for cooking this way without an immersion circulator.

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/cook-sous-vide-tonight-insulated-cooler-method

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/cook-sous-vide-tonight-stovetop-method

Good Luck!

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

My first reaction is along the lines of Brendan's, however, a couple of questions:

how low a temp does your oven go? Most recipes call for a sub 150F/65C most electric ovens start at 200F.

If your oven can go down to 125F I would put a big pot of water with a thermometer and see what happens. the bigger the pot (more water) the less swing you should temperature wise.

I have actually used the cooler method below and it works well..

Rob

fisher23

Sorry but I just don't get it. Joule and other sous vide equipment is not that expensive. You call it fancy equipment, I now consider it essential equipment. My vacuum sealer alone has saved me a lot of money just in food that would of either gotten freezer burn or other wise wasted from improper storage. I currently only have an edge sealer, sure would like a VP215 but what I have works. Once you get into the techniques, the quality of the food you can produce by properly being cooked goes up exponentially. I now wonder how I ever did without it. I can now consistently produce food that tastes better than a lot of restaurants, that is another cost savings. I don't know your financial situation but the basic equipment can actually save you money. The cost of this equipment has reduced a lot and has made it available to the general public. If you're really interested there are other ways to get even less expensive equipment that can work, an induction burner or a retrofitted crock pot for example or even a cheap cooler as Rob mentioned.

hairyotter_273859

I'd have to say YES!!!

It's all about having fun and experimenting. When I was first leaning about sous vide cooking I tried using my warming drawer and my oven. I did not try using my stove top but I see no reason why you could not. Just fill a pot with water and try too keep an eye on your temperature. When I was experimenting I didn't have good control over temperature but I was able to have some really good outcomes, actually had no bad results. Made some great ribeye steaks and chicken thighs. The only negative other than difficulty controlling the heat was that you'll have to baby sit the food, keep a close eye on the water temperature. I used zip lock bags and water filled glass baking dish. When the heat would start to get too high I'd turn the oven off, just keep an eye on the temperature and don't worry to much about being perfect. So give it a try, all you need is water in a glass or metal container, a heat source, some zip lock freezer bags and a thermometer. Now I'm hooked on sous vide, and have several containers and water heaters. This equipment can get very expensive but you can still do it on the cheap and have fun making delicious food.

Bill_319686

My first-ever attempt at sous vide was just last week with the ChefSteps pork-chop recipe, using a pot on the large burner of my electric range. It only took a couple of adjustments to find a low-to-med-low setting that held at 144°, and the result was one of the best pork chops I've ever had – the kind I'd expect to pay $30 for in a restaurant. Have you tried it on your stovetop? Maybe a cheaper initial investment might be a remote thermometer that can monitor the temp continuously.

Steve_Luce_271940

In the USA, I think the lowest oven temp. is usually 170F. Also, as mentioned in another response, the oven temp varies greatly. My gas oven varies about 50 degrees! I've used the stovetop with good success but I had to babysit even with a remote thermometer.

Luke_Clum_170065

I'd recommend giving the stovetop method a try: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/cook-sous-vide-tonight-stovetop-method

Sometimes you can reduce the variation in your stove top temperature by just using a larger pot of water. The first time I cooked sous vide was with a big stock pot and a few cuts of salmon on an older electric range (with an even older meat thermometer) and it turned out just fine. If nothing else, it'll just help you get your feet wet.