I got my Anova today!

[echo4747]

I only have the vacuum bags that come on a roll, so yes, I have to size and seal before I can do anything with them. I suppose if you had pre-made vacuum bags, there wouldn't be any difference in time or convenience.

The big leg up that the immersion seal has over the vacuum seal is that you can safely seal liquids in the bag without having to resort to freezing them or buying an expensive chamber vacuum.

agree with you there, with something like marinated chix breast even though my food saver has a moist dry setting it will suck a little bit of marinade up into a drip tray in the machine and you will need to clean/wash out the tray

 

[Kyle]

Not sure if it's on all models, but w/ mine I can hit a button to kill the suction and seal it when I start to see the marinade/liquid getting close - I use the moist setting but usually stop it early- still plenty to get the air out. I also do that w/ fish so it's not smashed by the suction.

I haven't tried using ziplocs yet but might give it a shot- maybe burgers this weekend.

 

[brainhulk]

Didn't read the thread. But cooking in plastic? D:

 

[slayer202]

Made a pork chop last night @ 138 degrees. Seared for maybe a minute on each side and I was disappointed/surprised with how dry it was. It was ~medium

 

[Kaido]

Made a pork chop last night @ 138 degrees. Seared for maybe a minute on each side and I was disappointed/surprised with how dry it was. It was ~medium

How many minutes/hours did you sous vide it for?

 

[slayer202]

a little over an hour

 

[notposting]

a little over an hour

Been doing roughly the same (around 140, 141 I think) with some cheapo thin cut boneless varieties from Kroger. Going to let them sit in there a bit longer next time. Maybe throw in around 2 or 3 pm and get another few hours and see if that does the trick.

 

[slayer202]

I'm gonna go down to 135 and see if that helps.
https://anovaculinary.com/pages/sous-vide-precision-cooking/

There's a picture in here comparing 140 sous vide to 145 traditional and mine looked closer to the 145 but not quite. I don't think my sear was that long. eh

 

[yuchai]

I'm gonna go down to 135 and see if that helps.
https://anovaculinary.com/pages/sous-vide-precision-cooking/

There's a picture in here comparing 140 sous vide to 145 traditional and mine looked closer to the 145 but not quite. I don't think my sear was that long. eh

Did you check to see if the water temp was correct using another device? Could there be a calibration issue?

 

[slayer202]

Did you check to see if the water temp was correct using another device? Could there be a calibration issue?

I'll have to check, thanks for the tip

 

[Howard]

I'll have to check, thanks for the tip

If you have a Thermapen (which you should), it's good for +/- 0.5C.

Pork is a pretty lean meat. I'm not surprised it came out dry at 138F. My favorite pork chop was actually undercooked (I think), somewhere between 125-128F. Of course, I'm not going to intentionally do that again, but the flavour and tenderness came out to the forefront much more so than with a typical medium rare job.

 

[Ns1]

I'll have to check, thanks for the tip

Using the reverse sear method I pulled my pork out around 110...130+ sounds way too high?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=37290490

 

[Howard]

Using the reverse sear method I pulled my pork out around 110...130+ sounds way too high?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=37290490

It is. I wouldn't do pork chops over 132F personally (as cool as possible while still being able to pasteurize).

 

[Kaido]

It is. I wouldn't do pork chops over 132F personally (as cool as possible while still being able to pasteurize).

I agree. I did my first pork chops with the Anova tonight at 140F tonight for about an hour (per a Serious Eats article) and they were pretty dry & a bit tough. Edible, but nothing special. Pork chops are my Achilles heel, so I'll definitely try them lower next go-around.

 

[slayer202]

hmm, interesting. I googled a bunch of recipes and didn't see many recommending under 140

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/09/sous-vide-101-double-cut-pork-chops.html
even this says 135-140 and I'm not sure my extra 3 degrees made that big of a difference. those pictures seem like they must be much lower? that's basically what I'm aiming for, a true medium rare

oh, and also that anova link that claims their photo shows a chop cooked to 140 and it looks quite pink.

 

[kn51]

Makes me curious if brining the chops would help.

 

[slayer202]

also wondering if salt draws out too much liquid during the cooking process. though it seems like all recipes mention salt and pepper before cooking, as opposed to after/before searing

I'm guessing temperature is more important and I'll give it another shot soon

 

[Kaido]

hmm, interesting. I googled a bunch of recipes and didn't see many recommending under 140

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/09/sous-vide-101-double-cut-pork-chops.html
even this says 135-140 and I'm not sure my extra 3 degrees made that big of a difference. those pictures seem like they must be much lower? that's basically what I'm aiming for, a true medium rare

oh, and also that anova link that claims their photo shows a chop cooked to 140 and it looks quite pink.

Mine were kinda pink. But dry. Not horribly dry, but enough to be like "yup, that's a dry porkchop". Had the other one with breakfast, even more dry after microwaving! :awe:

Upcoming plans include mastering the porkchop, then doing chicken, burgers, and lamb. I'd be willing to give duck a try at some point if I can find a good piece; my local grocery store just barely started carrying lamb ($$$). A local Vietnamese Pho place makes amazing lamb ribs (very small, but incredibly incredibly good) that I'd love to replicate because (1) they're amazing, and (2) they're $30 a plate, so doing it at home for 1/3 the cost is very appealing :thumbsup:

 

[Ns1]

Upcoming plans include mastering the porkchop, then doing chicken, burgers, and lamb. I'd be willing to give duck a try at some point if I can find a good piece; my local grocery store just barely started carrying lamb ($$$). A local Vietnamese Pho place makes amazing lamb ribs (very small, but incredibly incredibly good) that I'd love to replicate because (1) they're amazing, and (2) they're $30 a plate, so doing it at home for 1/3 the cost is very appealing

Costco has excellent pricing on lamb; lamb is actually cheaper than steak right now D:

 

[slayer202]

does anyone else find that there are many different websites that give contradictory information on a lot of sous vide "facts"?

for example I'm seeing a few places that say 165 degrees + for dark chicken, ex. thighs.

then I see plenty of recipes saying 150

I have a few leftover from the other day. went 150 last time and was thinking of trying slightly lower

 

[Kaido]

does anyone else find that there are many different websites that give contradictory information on a lot of sous vide "facts"?

for example I'm seeing a few places that say 165 degrees + for dark chicken, ex. thighs.

then I see plenty of recipes saying 150

I have a few leftover from the other day. went 150 last time and was thinking of trying slightly lower

Yeah, but you also have to factor in different machines, volumes of water, mass of the food being cooked, elevation, etc., which I think explains why you have to kind of make your own rulebook about what works & what doesn't for your machine, your setup, where you live, and your personal tastes. So just kind of the variability of real life.

I expect to have a learning curve on any new food that I cook; I have steak down pretty good now, and it's really nice because I can drop it in a bag & auto-cook it and have a guaranteed great dinner now with minimal effort :thumbsup:

 

[Howard]

does anyone else find that there are many different websites that give contradictory information on a lot of sous vide "facts"?

for example I'm seeing a few places that say 165 degrees + for dark chicken, ex. thighs.

then I see plenty of recipes saying 150

I have a few leftover from the other day. went 150 last time and was thinking of trying slightly lower

Dark chicken can be cooked at ~130F, but it usually ends up a little "too juicy" with an odd, if still tasty, mouth feel. Off the top of my head you can do 140-145F for 24 hours for a confit-type preparation, with a ~2% w/w salt, or you can do 160F at a bare minimum time if you just want to eat it quickly. It would still come out decently tender at 160F simply heated through.

 

[notposting]

Dark chicken can be cooked at ~130F, but it usually ends up a little "too juicy" with an odd, if still tasty, mouth feel. Off the top of my head you can do 140-145F for 24 hours for a confit-type preparation, with a ~2% w/w salt, or you can do 160F at a bare minimum time if you just want to eat it quickly. It would still come out decently tender at 160F simply heated through.

I think one reason is because you can pasteurize at such a lower temp. You also don't suffer conventional overcooking but can still dry out, things can still breakdown over extended cooks, seasoning can act strangely.

It can be more forgiving but is still a science and an art in its own right.

 

[Kaido]

This is interesting...Grill of the Month club with vacuum-sealed high-quality meat delivery:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lxE8Pv4MYM

I tweeted them to see if their plastic bags are meat-friendly. One less trip to the grocery store? :awe:

 

[Kaido]

Pair of chicken breasts in the bin right now. 149F for an hour (ChefSteps). Any tips on finishing?