Slow Cooker vs. Sous Vide

Possibly a stupid question with an obvious answer but I can't think of it:

What are the main differences between using a slow cooker like a Crock-Pot on low for 8 hours vs a Joule or another sous vide appliance and cooking for 8 hours at a low temperature?

I feel like the results could be very similar. I know a slow cooker can be used as either a moist heat or a more dry heat cooking method; and sous vide is definitely more on the moist heat side, considering any moisture in the food has no way to escape the bag. So both are/can be moist heat cooking methods, correct?

So, how would results very?

I know a slow cooker can handle more liquid dishes like stews, but I've also it for a roast. How would a roast cooked in a crockpot on low for 8hr differ from a roast cooked sous vide with joule?

Though right now looking at the app, I do not see a recipe/guide for a roast but I'd imagine one can still do it, right?

I was trying to explain sous vide to a non-cooking friend earlier and thought of a crock-pot/slow cooker as yielding similar results. Now I am trying to figure out how different they really are

Just a curious wanna-be-Chef, Thanks.

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Comments

meyer8863

This is not a stupid question at all, and I'm sure others on this forum will be able to give a more in depth answer than I can. There are really 2 words that define the advantages of cooking sous vide: consistency and precision.

A slow cooker offers you consistency as well. It will maintain that roast (or strew or whatever) at 195 F (guessing) for as long as a sous vide can. But you always end up with the same texture... Stewed/braised in its own juices, along with some aromatics. That tastes great, and there is nothing better at getting that result.

But with the addition of precision, you can radically get different results. What if instead of braising that pot roast in the crock pot, you cooked it to medium rare (131F)? Well it would be super tough and gross...unless you cooked it for 24 hours (for instance). You would end up with a piece of beef as tender and fat-melting tender as an expensive ribeye, at 1/4 of the price.

Similarly, you can choose within a degree, how you like a steak cooked. The app that comes with the joule has pictures to help you get started, but you may decide that you like your steak somewhere in the 4 degree window chefsteps suggests between rare and medium rare. One you have that dialed in (through trying out the temperatures) you will have the same preferred doneness every time you cook a steak. No more guessing with timing, depending on how thick your steak is.

Eggs change from raw to overdone in about 12 degrees. With the ability to choose a specific degree, you can have a perfectly cooked egg every time. @Nancy_Byrd_47779 is currently doing the test for the forum, to figure out the perfect egg.

The two things I discussed above (precision and consistency) correlates into a more versital tool.

Scott_Hysmith_251824

I'd like to add that it's not an either or proposition. I have done a chicken stew where the beans and aromatics simmered all day in the slow cooker while the chicken was cooked to juicy perfection in the sous vide and added at the final moment. There's plenty of room for imaginative experimentation!

tshewman

or you can do it the other way and add the beans and aromatics to the chicken and heat longer to marry the flavors without overcooking the chicken (or whatever meat you want).

Ronald_Maher_297685

Thanks Michael, I hadn't thought about the lack of specific/precise temperature in a crock pot vs being able to set a specific temperature with joule.

Was using a crock pot for most of my meals while the last two years while I've been at University. Not allowed any other cooking implements and the kitchen was always trashed by my house mates, so I avoided it. Even the crock pot was a bit of a grey area. Now living in my own apartment and loving the freedom of having a full kitchen again

Thats an interesting idea @Scott_Hysmith_251824and @Todd_Shewman_38102 gonna have to try those later, after mine arrives tomorrow.

EDIT: correction, I hadn't thought about the difference being able to control the temperature down to a degree might make on the final product.

wolfiegirl

Good explanation! I think it would be noteworthy to add that you can cook a wider range of dishes that can't be done in a crock pot. For example, you can't do a Crème brûlée in a crock pot but you can in a sous vide water bath. Eggs are another perfect example. As Scott said there's room for both the crock pot/slow cooker and a Joule in a well equipped kitchen. And once you start cooking sous vide, I'm betting you'll be plugging the crock pot i a whole lot less!

@Ronald_Maher_297685 check out the 'egg-speriment'....lots of information there and I think perhaps a good time & temp for soft 'boiled' eggs!!

https://www.chefsteps.com/forum/posts/eniggmatic

Alex74874_626622

Slow cookers provide some significant advantages over other traditional cooking methods:

- Due to how a slower cooker works, leaving food for cook longer than necessary runs less of a risk of overcooking or burning.

- Food can be cooked overnight or while at work.

- In most cases, slow cookers tend to use a low amount of electricity.

However, there are a few disadvantages that must be considered:

- They are not suitable for all kinds of food.

- Foods that require boiling for proper preparation may need to be boiled first before being cooked in a slow cooker.

Here you can find more detailed information.

Marie_Ziniti_816750

Beef cooked in a crockpot always tastes like pot roast. I DON'T want my steak tasting like that. PLEASE, tell me that the Sous Vide isn’t going to change my delicious strip steak into a large hunk of pot roast! I just bought my Sous Vide, but haven’t used it yet. Do I need to return it?

Pawan_1131494

Slow cooker has more popularity than Sous Vide and so I will like to go with a slow cooker. I think there is also a difference in price however it all depends on the quality, size and your preference.