OT - I’m done with Sous Vide

JohnInCarolina

Legume said:

I have found that my Anova is much faster and more reliable for boiling water than using the egg.  I’ve never had much luck boiling water on the egg, maybe I’ve got the wrong lump.

Cowboy?

DoubleEgger

Slummin’ it 

Hntnhrd

I have thought about this thread the past couple days. Got a sousvide for Christmas and love the thing. But, what I have found that it really excells with cheaper tougher cuts of meat. Tri tip , eye of round, country style ribs.  pork chops and sirloin are about the cutting point. The better quality cuts are way better cooked on the egg either reverse sear or direct grilling. 
If you have stated here you don’t like the texture of the meat buy a cheap cut vacuum seal it and give it a short 4 or 5 your bath and sear on the egg. 
I did country style ribs today. 5 hours at 165 . Bagged up some Yukon golds and threw then in the pot also. Then seared on the black stone with some blackening seasoning. Chopped up the potaoes and finished them with onions. Super tender and juicy pork.

tri tip is where this thing has shined

Now the ones that are crapping out,  that would
piss me off, and would turn me off of the tool. 

U_tarded

Hntnhrd said:

I have thought about this thread the past couple days. Got a sousvide for Christmas and love the thing. But, what I have found that it really excells with cheaper tougher cuts of meat. Tri tip , eye of round, country style ribs.  pork chops and sirloin are about the cutting point. The better quality cuts are way better cooked on the egg either reverse sear or direct grilling. 
If you have stated here you don’t like the texture of the meat buy a cheap cut vacuum seal it and give it a short 4 or 5 your bath and sear on the egg. 
I did country style ribs today. 5 hours at 165 . Bagged up some Yukon golds and threw then in the pot also. Then seared on the black stone with some blackening seasoning. Chopped up the potaoes and finished them with onions. Super tender and juicy pork.

tri tip is where this thing has shined

Now the ones that are crapping out,  that would
piss me off, and would turn me off of the tool. 

Agreed, 72hr short ribs are transcendental in the Sous vide.

RockyTopDW

call me a redneck, but cooking food in bags is too close to MREs.  I'm out.  give me fire & charcoal.  SV can't beat a good slow & low of the same thing.  btw, has anyone tried SV bacon?

DoubleEgger

Shanker1 said:

I don’t comment on here often but I had the same issue not too long ago. After some research, it turned out that the Anova will behave that way when the steam from the bath infiltrates machine.  I had mine in the corner of the counter directly below the upper cabinets and the steam couldn’t escape. Moved it into the open and after a while all was good. Poor design for a machine that heats water but hopefully this is also your problem and you can continue to get some use out of it. 

Maybe you should start posting more often @Shanker1. I left the unit out on the counter to dry for a few days. I decided to give it a test run to decide if it was going in the trash. It’s been running for about an hour now with no problem. I’m going to let it run for another 5-6 hrs. Mine was not under a cabinet but I wasn’t using the lid. I guess the moisture got to it. Thanks again for the tip @shanker1




PS - Sous vide protein still sucks 

Legume

Nobody quits SV or the forum, they just say they do.

DoubleEgger

Legume said:

Nobody quits SV or the forum, they just say they do.

Lol. There’s no chance I’m buying another SV. 

fishlessman

im sold with sousvide and canning veggies, even pickled zucchini stays crunchy

GATraveller

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

Carolina Q

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

JohnInCarolina

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

SonVolt

I use my SV quite frequently for pork and beef but the thought of using it for chicken makes me wanna gag - "wet sponge" seems about right... I must also be missing something. What's your routine? 

GATraveller

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

Yea....much easier to cook chicken with something also used as a bomb.  

DoubleEgger

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. 

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

I agree with both of these statements. Our food steamer is used 4-5x week. 

fishlessman

when sous vide chicken comes out wrong, its so wrong   im sure the advice for cooking it is better than google searches just a few years ago.  i remember some recipes that turned lamb to friggin mush, chicken into rubber balls etc

Carolina Q

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

Not sure why I'm bothering to dignify that with a reply, but "just to be clear", yeah, once. Exactly once. It sucked. Since I'm perfectly happy with egged chicken, which turns out great every time, is done in a fraction of the time and is seared already, I haven't tried again. I might try SV chicken again one day, but I'm in no rush. Golly, I sure hope that's okay. 

No idea what this has to do with the moon, but if you ever do figure out how we got there, I'm quite sure you'll let us know.  

SSQUAL612

caliking said:

Dude, you’re famous on the interwebz. 

This popped up on my Google cards/feed/whatever it’s called. 

And to think we knew you when you were just famous on the Forum 

RRP

I'm in the "still love mine" corner and even recently bought this hard shelled case to store it in.


Sign me: Have NOVA - Will Travel     

JohnInCarolina

Carolina Q said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

Not sure why I'm bothering to dignify that with a reply, but "just to be clear", yeah, once. Exactly once. It sucked. Since I'm perfectly happy with egged chicken, which turns out great every time, is done in a fraction of the time and is seared already, I haven't tried again. I might try SV chicken again one day, but I'm in no rush. Golly, I sure hope that's okay. 

No idea what this has to do with the moon, but if you ever do figure out how we got there, I'm quite sure you'll let us know.  

I'd just recommend trying any cooking approach more than once.  Most people do not get everything just right the first time.  I probably won't ever convince you to try SV chicken again, but the fact is that different temperatures and times make a pretty big difference.  That's why, with this technique in particular, one attempt really doesn't tell you what you need to know.  TIA.

The moon reference concerns the importance of learning through trial and error.  

pgprescott

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

Not sure why I'm bothering to dignify that with a reply, but "just to be clear", yeah, once. Exactly once. It sucked. Since I'm perfectly happy with egged chicken, which turns out great every time, is done in a fraction of the time and is seared already, I haven't tried again. I might try SV chicken again one day, but I'm in no rush. Golly, I sure hope that's okay. 

No idea what this has to do with the moon, but if you ever do figure out how we got there, I'm quite sure you'll let us know.  

I'd just recommend trying any cooking approach more than once.  Most people do not get everything just right the first time.  I probably won't ever convince you to try SV chicken again, but the fact is that different temperatures and times make a pretty big difference.  That's why, with this technique in particular, one attempt really doesn't tell you what you need to know.  TIA.

The moon reference concerns the importance of learning through trial and error.  

Just for future reference, since mine is still in the box, what is your recipe for great results with chicken breasts? I have seen some mixed reviews on them. 

JohnInCarolina

pgprescott said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

Not sure why I'm bothering to dignify that with a reply, but "just to be clear", yeah, once. Exactly once. It sucked. Since I'm perfectly happy with egged chicken, which turns out great every time, is done in a fraction of the time and is seared already, I haven't tried again. I might try SV chicken again one day, but I'm in no rush. Golly, I sure hope that's okay. 

No idea what this has to do with the moon, but if you ever do figure out how we got there, I'm quite sure you'll let us know.  

I'd just recommend trying any cooking approach more than once.  Most people do not get everything just right the first time.  I probably won't ever convince you to try SV chicken again, but the fact is that different temperatures and times make a pretty big difference.  That's why, with this technique in particular, one attempt really doesn't tell you what you need to know.  TIA.

The moon reference concerns the importance of learning through trial and error.  

Just for future reference, since mine is still in the box, what is your recipe for great results with chicken breasts? I have seen some mixed reviews on them. 

It really depends on how the breast is going to be used.  Here's a pretty good guide:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/07/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast.html

But different people prefer different textures when it comes to chicken.  What I do isn't necessarily what everyone else will like.  That's why there's a lot of value in exploring on your own.  

Then some people just like dry chicken, because that's what they grew up eating, and the added value of SV is probably minimal.  Nothing wrong with that either.  Certain tastes are acquired.  

Carolina Q

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

Not sure why I'm bothering to dignify that with a reply, but "just to be clear", yeah, once. Exactly once. It sucked. Since I'm perfectly happy with egged chicken, which turns out great every time, is done in a fraction of the time and is seared already, I haven't tried again. I might try SV chicken again one day, but I'm in no rush. Golly, I sure hope that's okay. 

No idea what this has to do with the moon, but if you ever do figure out how we got there, I'm quite sure you'll let us know.  

I'd just recommend trying any cooking approach more than once.  Most people do not get everything just right the first time.  I probably won't ever convince you to try SV chicken again, but the fact is that different temperatures and times make a pretty big difference.  That's why, with this technique in particular, one attempt really doesn't tell you what you need to know.  TIA.

The moon reference concerns the importance of learning through trial and error.  

I understand that, with chicken especially, if at first you don't succeed... I will probably give it another try, but the first attempt was so bad, I'm not in any hurry. I read Kenji and he recommended 140-145°. I thought that ridiculously low, so I bumped it to 150°... and chewed on a cold wet sponge. 

I'll probably try again some day, but I eat a LOT of chicken and am more than happy with my egged version. 

pgprescott

JohnInCarolina said:

pgprescott said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Carolina Q said:

GATraveller said:

1. Pots
2. Chicken Breasts - great shredded for tacos or casseroles
3. Wings
4. Veggies

I haven't paid any attention to the pots thing and I never cook wings... but...

Tried SV chicken. No thanks. Like chewing on a cool, wet sponge. I'm sure I could improve that, but it was so disappointing, I haven't bothered to try. Want shredded chicken? Use a pressure cooker. Takes about 20 min. SV is what, an hour and a half or more?

I prefer steamed veggies. Much quicker to cooking temp (far less water to heat) and a fraction of the cook time. No wasted plastic bag either.

So just to be clear here, you tried SV chicken exactly one time and... punted based on that one experience alone?  Is that a fair characterization of what happened?  

At times I really do wonder how we managed to put men on the moon.  

Not sure why I'm bothering to dignify that with a reply, but "just to be clear", yeah, once. Exactly once. It sucked. Since I'm perfectly happy with egged chicken, which turns out great every time, is done in a fraction of the time and is seared already, I haven't tried again. I might try SV chicken again one day, but I'm in no rush. Golly, I sure hope that's okay. 

No idea what this has to do with the moon, but if you ever do figure out how we got there, I'm quite sure you'll let us know.  

I'd just recommend trying any cooking approach more than once.  Most people do not get everything just right the first time.  I probably won't ever convince you to try SV chicken again, but the fact is that different temperatures and times make a pretty big difference.  That's why, with this technique in particular, one attempt really doesn't tell you what you need to know.  TIA.

The moon reference concerns the importance of learning through trial and error.  

Just for future reference, since mine is still in the box, what is your recipe for great results with chicken breasts? I have seen some mixed reviews on them. 

It really depends on how the breast is going to be used.  Here's a pretty good guide:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/07/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast.html

But different people prefer different textures when it comes to chicken.  What I do isn't necessarily what everyone else will like.  That's why there's a lot of value in exploring on your own.  

Then some people just like dry chicken, because that's what they grew up eating, and the added value of SV is probably minimal.  Nothing wrong with that either.  Certain tastes are acquired.  

Well yeah, I’ve read a bunch of articles and watched some videos too. I was
just wondering about your personal method. I put more weight on peoples
personal experiences. I do believe you are a pretty good cook with a better than average pallet. I put stock in that. 

Hans61

my SV is collecting dust 

JRWhitee

Sorry Michael. 

bgebrent

It’s another arrow in the quiver that is appropriate in some settings. With the pots de Creme, no brainer. Thick cut pork chops (double cut), it’s as worthy as reverse sear. Not any better. I think where it kinda shines is with veggies. You do of course have to know what you’re doing. 

Shanker1

DoubleEgger said:

Shanker1 said:

I don’t comment on here often but I had the same issue not too long ago. After some research, it turned out that the Anova will behave that way when the steam from the bath infiltrates machine.  I had mine in the corner of the counter directly below the upper cabinets and the steam couldn’t escape. Moved it into the open and after a while all was good. Poor design for a machine that heats water but hopefully this is also your problem and you can continue to get some use out of it. 

Maybe you should start posting more often @Shanker1. I left the unit out on the counter to dry for a few days. I decided to give it a test run to decide if it was going in the trash. It’s been running for about an hour now with no problem. I’m going to let it run for another 5-6 hrs. Mine was not under a cabinet but I wasn’t using the lid. I guess the moisture got to it. Thanks again for the tip @shanker1




PS - Sous vide protein still sucks 

More than happy to help out when I can. The way I see it, the more tools egging and cooking experts can keep in their toolbox, the more I can learn from veterans like you. Hopefully it is “fixed” now. 

blind99

Glad it's working again.  I'm surprised mine hasn't done the same thing - I use plastic wrap or AF and moisture always escapes right around the anova.

Yeah, chicken cooked at 140 is gross.  I also can't stand sous vide salmon "cooked" at low temps even though people tell me that's the right way to do it.  Also haven't bothered with vegetables much- wasn't worth it for me.

Things I like SV for: 
steak, pork loin, pork chops - makes timing super easy.  can toss a vacuum packed piece of flank steak in the SV and give it a sear an hour or three later. 

fried chicken: precook the chicken, coat, fry..... best fried chicken i've ever made

yogurt - yeah i'm probably alone on this one

NorthPilot06

SV has its applications - particularly for desserts (for me). Pots, Creme brûlée, etc...delectable. I just made 36 pots for my office today, I wouldn’t do that without the convenience of SV (and @JohnInCarolina’s recipe). 

I think a huge misconception with SV is that you can’t overcook since you’re at your desired temp. You can, and the results are pretty gross. 

But done well, things can be quite tasty. With that being said, I typically use the grill for protein.