Sous Vide - Virgin Journey Today! Advice?

[BillsFanNC]

i have two 12 inch Lodge and 1 10 inch Lodge Cast Iron....all between 12 and 6 years of use. Problem is they are now almost non-stick, so if i want to get fond from the chicken when i do the skin, the cast iron won't work as well as a regular metal skillet!

 

Do you have a self cleaning setting on your oven? If so it's simple to strip off what's remaining of the old seasoning and re-season the cast iron perfectly.

Edited December 7, 2016 by BillsFanNC

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

that is an idea, especially if i am going things sous vide but where i still want a pan sauce. But damn, i am so freaking happy and proud of cast irons...always joke with my kids that the one i like better will get them in the will!

 

Buy a new lodge pan for $20. It is a perfect excuse to get another one!

[plenzmd1]

 

Buy a new lodge pan for $20. It is a perfect excuse to get another one!

[Augie]

The cost of a Lodge cast iron pan is a steal for what it does for you in the kitchen. I use it a lot, as well as a large 2 burner grill pan for bigger jobs. Just like a carpenter, you must have the right tool for the job! (My wife has a cousin with all the ones in the world, but she works at a Sur La Table for the discounts.) I've never used on to the point of having it go non-stick, so I don't know what to tell you. I did have to re-season one after a helpful guest washed it thoroughly for me. Oops!

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I tried pork tenderloin in the sous vide for the first time last night. I poked holes and stuffed garlic into one of the loins and just salted and peppered it. the other loin was rubbed with dinosaur bbq Cajun foreplay. Both came out perfectly cooked and slightly pink. (I cooked at 140 for 1 hour) The only complaint is that the garlic was still raw when the meat was done. Next time I will roast the garlic a little before inserting it into the loin. Has anyone tried any of those pre-marinated pork tenderloins? I know they aren't ideal as far as quality and ingredients, but it would make it really simple to just grab one at the grocery store and throw it in the tank. They are already vacuum sealed too.

Those pre-marinated ones are okay; I've thrown a few on the grill before.

 

Do you think you could just sous vide it in the package?

[Augie]

Those pre-marinated ones are okay; I've thrown a few on the grill before.

Do you think you could just sous vide it in the package?

I wondered that too....is the package BPA and whatever free? It would be handy if it was ready for the dunk!

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

I wondered that too....is the package BPA and whatever free? It would be handy if it was ready for the dunk!

I read up on this today and the fact that most of the seals are glued instead of heat sealed makes it a bad idea. Most glued seals will not survive.

[NoSaint]

Those pre-marinated ones are okay; I've thrown a few on the grill before.

 

Do you think you could just sous vide it in the package?

I've made them too but would advocate that it sprobably way tastier and noticably healthier with pretty minimal extra work to do your own seasoning.

[Simon]

I've been swearing I'm going to do this for over a year now so I finally just put an Anova on my Christmas list. Can't wait!

 

Couple questions:

 

Can you put something like a wet jerk marinade in vacuum sealed bag and drop it in or are you just asking for a big messy pain in the arse?

 

I like injecting chicken with rich cajun sauces; does injecting meats before sealing them and dropping them create any problems?

 

I see one of the Anova's selling points is Wifi/Bluetooth feature. I'm not real big on the "internet of things" and as a Luddite, I refuse to own a cellphone. Is this going to make my Anova any less functional or can I just use the manual features for full functionality?

 

If I order from Anova's site will it come with any type of cooking guide with appropriate times/temps for various foods?

 

Thanks for any help!

[BillsFanNC]

I've been swearing I'm going to do this for over a year now so I finally just put an Anova on my Christmas list. Can't wait!

 

Couple questions:

 

Can you put something like a wet jerk marinade in vacuum sealed bag and drop it in or are you just asking for a big messy pain in the arse?

 

I like injecting chicken with rich cajun sauces; does injecting meats before sealing them and dropping them create any problems?

 

I see one of the Anova's selling points is Wifi/Bluetooth feature. I'm not real big on the "internet of things" and as a Luddite, I refuse to own a cellphone. Is this going to make my Anova any less functional or can I just use the manual features for full functionality?

 

If I order from Anova's site will it come with any type of cooking guide with appropriate times/temps for various foods?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

 

I've done some london broils with wet marinades in sous vide no problem.

 

I've never done injecting, but I don't think it should be an issue.

 

I have the anova with bluetooth and I've never used it, so it's no less functional.

 

I can't remember if the unit came with any reference material. Of course there is plenty on the internet, I'm partial to Serious Eats..

 

 

Sous Vide 101

[plenzmd1]

Simon, I have only used the maual control so far and no worries at all.I have not bothered to connect the unit to my phone via bluetooth, and my unit does not have wifi. Wifi only really important if you want to start the unit remotely, which i honestly can't ever see really using.

 

In terms of recipes, ANOVA has an app that contains all the recipes etc...but being sans cellphone may make that difficult!!! Sure the same info available online. No useful printed info comes with the unit.

 

Made the chicken last night, texture and juiciness was spot on..perfect! Put in bag with fresh thyme and a slice of lemon, but still lacked in flavor. I did make a sage vermouth pan sauce with the bit of fond left from the sear and the juice in the bag, and that helped tremendously.

[Simon]

'Preciate the responses!

 

Apologies in advance to NC as my boss is probably going to come to your house and ask why I just spent an hour of work time reading Souse Vide 101

 

Plenz, can you get enough fond from just doing that quick of a sear on chicken? I'm assuming you only leave it in the pan for a minute or two?

[plenzmd1]

'Preciate the responses!

 

Apologies in advance to NC as my boss is probably going to come to your house and ask why I just spent an hour of work time reading Souse Vide 101

 

Plenz, can you get enough fond from just doing that quick of a sear on chicken? I'm assuming you only leave it in the pan for a minute or two?

Was not ideal, but was better than no sauce at all. I am one who eats a ton of chicken, but only cause you can do so much with the sauces, rubs, marinades etc. Plain chicken is pretty flavourless to me out side of the skin...so will continue to search for ways to do sous vide but interject more flavor in the finished product.

I tried pork tenderloin in the sous vide for the first time last night. I poked holes and stuffed garlic into one of the loins and just salted and peppered it. the other loin was rubbed with dinosaur bbq Cajun foreplay. Both came out perfectly cooked and slightly pink. (I cooked at 140 for 1 hour) The only complaint is that the garlic was still raw when the meat was done. Next time I will roast the garlic a little before inserting it into the loin. Has anyone tried any of those pre-marinated pork tenderloins? I know they aren't ideal as far as quality and ingredients, but it would make it really simple to just grab one at the grocery store and throw it in the tank. They are already vacuum sealed too.

one of the sites i visited..think"Not t so Ancient Chinese Secrets" specifically said is sous vide powdered garlic is 100% preferable to fresh/raw.

[Jauronimo]

I've been swearing I'm going to do this for over a year now so I finally just put an Anova on my Christmas list. Can't wait!

 

Couple questions:

 

Can you put something like a wet jerk marinade in vacuum sealed bag and drop it in or are you just asking for a big messy pain in the arse?

 

I like injecting chicken with rich cajun sauces; does injecting meats before sealing them and dropping them create any problems?

 

I see one of the Anova's selling points is Wifi/Bluetooth feature. I'm not real big on the "internet of things" and as a Luddite, I refuse to own a cellphone. Is this going to make my Anova any less functional or can I just use the manual features for full functionality?

 

If I order from Anova's site will it come with any type of cooking guide with appropriate times/temps for various foods?

 

Thanks for any help!

1. Depends on your vacuum sealer. There are chamber sealers designed to seal wet items or even liquids. You can sous vide soup with a chamber sealer. Problem is they are quite pricey relative to your standard vacuum sealer. Some newer vacuum sealers claim to work well with wet items but I hear they do not take all the air out during the seal. The quick fix is to freeze the liquid you want to portion into your bags.

 

2. You don't need to use the wifi/blue tooth but its nice when you want to hang outside or get away from the kitchen and check on temp and time remaining. The anova app is also a helpful guide for cook temps and times and basic recipes but you don't need to use wifi/Bluetooth at all.

 

3. Your best bet for times/temps is to search online. Seriouseats.com is my go to. Modernist Cuisine is another invaluable resource. Pretty pictures too if you've got $500 laying around.

[Pete]

I tried pork tenderloin in the sous vide for the first time last night. I poked holes and stuffed garlic into one of the loins and just salted and peppered it. the other loin was rubbed with dinosaur bbq Cajun foreplay. Both came out perfectly cooked and slightly pink. (I cooked at 140 for 1 hour) The only complaint is that the garlic was still raw when the meat was done. Next time I will roast the garlic a little before inserting it into the loin. Has anyone tried any of those pre-marinated pork tenderloins? I know they aren't ideal as far as quality and ingredients, but it would make it really simple to just grab one at the grocery store and throw it in the tank. They are already vacuum sealed too.

be very careful with garlic in a sous vide. Botulism grows in a vacuum, and sous vide garlic is sketchy to store leftovers. I never sous vide garlic. Today I am doing sous vide asparagus- amazing!

[IDBillzFan]

1. Depends on your vacuum sealer.

 

Some models of the Foodsavers have a "marinate" button that allows you to pump air out of bag with meat and marinade, but then stop it at the right moment to seal it.

 

This is the one I got. It's expensive, but WELL worth the extra dough. I use these Foodsaver Zipper bags because I'm constantly prepping meals for the freezer, and these bags make work VERY quick and clean.

 

The biggest benefit of the sous vide, to me, is being able to put frozen pouches in of prepared meals, and to that end, these tools are worth their cost.

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

be very careful with garlic in a sous vide. Botulism grows in a vacuum, and sous vide garlic is sketchy to store leftovers. I never sous vide garlic. Today I am doing sous vide asparagus- amazing!

 

Wow. Thanks for pointing that out. I just did a little googling and found some good info on raw garlic and sous vide. I didn't realize it could be an issue. I think I am OK with what I prepared, as I ate some right away and the leftovers were not stored in a vacuum and were reheated before consuming. I won't take that chance again though. Garlic powder from now on!

[Simon]

1. Depends on your vacuum sealer. There are chamber sealers designed to seal wet items or even liquids. You can sous vide soup with a chamber sealer. Problem is they are quite pricey relative to your standard vacuum sealer. Some newer vacuum sealers claim to work well with wet items but I hear they do not take all the air out during the seal. The quick fix is to freeze the liquid you want to portion into your bags.

 

 

So maybe pour some marinade into an ice cube tray and then take the frozen half-cubes and seal them up with the meat like some sort of frozen bullion cubes?

That sound workable.

And many gracias' for the additional links to check out....

Edited December 8, 2016 by Simon

[Augie]

I ordered my son's Xmas Weston vacuum sealer, then mine died. So I ordered a Food Saver linked above. Food Saver is cheap enough (1/3 of Weston) that it doesn't concern me if one goes bad eventually. It's curious how little info there is regarding servicing the Weston. It's only about 10 months old and it seals, but the vacuum is getting damn near impossible to achieve. Not sure if I filled out the warranty card and of course I don't have reciept from 10 months ago. Suggestions?

[plenzmd1]

I ordered my son's Xmas Weston vacuum sealer, then mine died. So I ordered a Food Saver linked above. Food Saver is cheap enough (1/3 of Weston) that it doesn't concern me if one goes bad eventually. It's curious how little info there is regarding servicing the Weston. It's only about 10 months old and it seals, but the vacuum is getting damn near impossible to achieve. Not sure if I filled out the warranty card and of course I don't have reciept from 10 months ago. Suggestions?

Call them and tell them situation, and let them know you will open 15 accounts to let everyone on Amazon know how ****ty the product is unless they send new one