Simple circulation mode

wondering if a firmware update could enable a simple circulation mode. Helpful for circulating cold water if doing a cold water defrost.

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Comments

nasv

Can you set a temperature like 40F or 60F in manual mode?

brian_martin2001

Do you mean turning off the heating element altogether, and just have the circulator going?

tshewman

Possibly the lowest I have tried is 40c

AngelArs_240456

A just circulate feature would be nice, but keep in mind that your cold water will most likely just be room temperature (60 - 70). With that in mind setting your Joule to 60 degrees should have the same effect as ‘circulate only’. Plus the fact that the Joule app compensates for frozen food anyway.

fisher23

Currently 68° F is the lowest Joule can be set.

fisher23

Currently the lowest you can set Joule is 68°F. In the app you can make requests for new features, it is listed under support.

nathans1

I would not think you could. The joule is made for cooking, not cooling. As far as I know it does not have any ability to cool down except to stop cooking and then probably just get to room temp. You can always start with large amounts of ice and let the ice melt at room temp until you are ready to start your cook.

meyer8863

The issue with the current minimum temperature being 68F, is the circulator would detect that the water is below 68F and kick on the heater... Melting all of the ice, and putting the food in the danger zone.

AngelArs_240456

The only way to really do this correctly would be to get a Mellow Sous Vide which has a cooler built-in.

nathans1

Not if you satart cooking remotely. If I understand this correctly. You could turn Joule on but not set a temp. Fill your cooking container with ice and some water. Add your food and allow it to sit until your ready to cook it. Then remotely you can set your temp and start your cook.

rdj_245907

Seems to me that you are not going to stop the water from reaching room temperature eventually

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Thawing thinner cuts, like steaks or chops, is most effectively achieved in either a room-temperature bath or a hot water bath. Cold water thawing doesn't offer a substantial advantage for these cuts, and it's often easier (and better) to simply cook them SV directly from frozen. These methods aren't acceptable for thawing large cuts of meat because the surface will linger in the microbial danger zone before the core is thawed. Mellow isn't a great option for these cuts (even though it has refrigeration and circulation) because of its limited capacity. The best method for thawing large items is a cold-water thaw in the refrigerator.

It would still be nice to have a simple circulation mode (or a way of setting temperatures below 68F) for other purposes. Dave Arnold uses circulators, for example, to chill batched cocktails in bottles that are held in a 0F bath of cheap vodka chilled with dry ice.

AngelArs_240456

"Mellow isn't a great option for these cuts (even though it has refrigeration and circulation) because of its limited capacity."

Mellow isn't designed to cook a full Thanksgiving meal, however it will cook 6 regular sized portions, which is big enough for most people. I would get one, I just wish it came in a different color other than white.

Mustgustus_228349

Great idea for a future Joule1 A design that could go down to 30ºF would eliminate the need for an ice bath after cooking things that are not going to be eaten right away. Not to mention being able to make frozen desserts,

Emmett_Barton_12803

If you're simply doing a cold water defrost, the lowest setting of 68 °F is perfect for this. You don't really need to go much lower. As for the other use cases of circulating an ice bath, Joule isn't set up for this. However, as others have pointed out, you can still set up Joule and food in an ice bath and then turn on Joule remotely when you're ready to start cooking. Several folks here (Looking at you @John_Fisher_218893) have some good info on ice baths. I've never done it myself.

Additionally, as long as Joule is plugged in and connected, you can check the temperature of your bath from afar by tapping the Power button in the app.

brian_martin2001

An interesting idea, to be sure, just not so sir how practical or feasible a unit that would cool things would be

Dat_Phan_279256

I quickly chill food with my Anova and it works fine. The Anova allows temperature setting down to 32 F / 0 C so with ice water the heater stays off while the impeller spins. This method is a lot more efficient for cooling food for storage than stagnant ice water. This is what Dave Arnold of Cooking Issues recommends too.

brian_martin2001

Yes, but that's not using the Anova to chill the water. That's just using the circulator to move around the ice water. What Mustgustus wrote was "Great idea for a future Joule1 A design that could go down to 30ºF would eliminate the need for an ice bath after cooking things that are not going to be eaten right away." Just because you are using your Anova to circulate the water, doesn't eliminate the need for the ice bath. The way the comment I replied to reads is the unit itself would do the cooling.

Steve_Dunham_145440

The firmware accepts temperatures down to 0.1C (but not 0C) - it's the app that has the restriction. This could be used to circulate an ice bath to chill stuff. But for a cold water defrost, I'd think it'd be hard to hold the water at an effective but safe temperature without some means of cooling it. (Ice only works if you want the water to be held at 0 C.)

But your request does remind me of the magnet stirrers from chemistry class. Maybe something like this would do the trick for you:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Cheap-Portable-Magnetic-Stirrer/

doug_ruth_860329

Adding a chiller to the Joule most likely would not make sense, but it does make sense for the Joule to have a circulate-only mode where the heater is not running. This would accommodate ice bath circulation. This would also be a simple firmware update. Additionally it would allow the Joule to be used as a beverage cooler, which would enhance its marketability. I have an Anova in addition to the joule and only use the Anova for non-heat circulation