I got my Anova today!

[Kaido]

Just helped my buddy setup a brand-new sous vide kit. He got everything on Amazon for under $120 shipped, amazing price for a full setup:

• 750w Anova Nano
• 12-quart Rubbermaid food-grade container
• Corner-mount silicone lid
• Silicone magnets

I'm a bit jealous, that's a slick setup! Supposedly the newer silicone lid design also lets you snap bags onto the edges of the tub, so they don't float. Curious to see how that works. I've had the best luck with the silicone magnets so far. I'd prefer just putting a sous vide weight (food-grade silicone wrapped around metal) in each bag, so they sink, but it's like $22 for three weights, and I vac-seal almost all of my meat these days for cooking SV later, so I'd need like a zillion of them lol. They also make some woven insulation wraps for the Rubbermaid & other containers these days, which might be worth looking into.

 

[kstu]

I'm thinking about doing a christmas rib roast sous vide, probably 6 or 7 lbs boneless (haven't actually gotten it yet, don't let me down costco!). Would you recommend this method or just stick to oven roasting? From a quick search looks like it will be about 6 hours in the bath at ~132 or so.

Anybody done this before and had good results? Suggestions or can't-miss instructions? Thanks!

 

[PJFrylar]

I haven't done prime rib, but I've done other cuts of beef like ribs, flank, and skirt. The results have always been good other than the ribs taking 36 hours. Next time I make ribs I'm going to go with Kaido's suggestion and use the instapot.

Edit: For instructions I always just go to a place like Serious Eats and follow what they do.

 

[Kaido]

I've been on a shrimp kick lately. Yes, I know it's easy to cook using normal methods, but you know - sous vide all the things! Here's the procedure I've been using:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/01/the-food-labs-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-shrimp.html

135F for thawed shrimp for 30 to 40 minutes has been working well for me - has that nice snap to it & tastes good. Super easy to do & can be used in a variety of recipes. This week I'm focusing on fried & baked shrimp dishes, including coconut shrimp, tempura shrimp, shrimp toast, panko shrimp, etc.

I've learned to always buy de-veined & de-shelled shrimp, because my first 2-pound bag was NOT de-shelled and boy was that a pain lol. Shrimp is surprisingly expensive too...I've kept an eye on it when I've walked past the seafood area at my local grocery store, and it finally went on a really good sale, so I've been stocking up on the frozen kind.

Next projects include mastering more shrimp dishes & figuring out what the optimum time is for sous-viding from frozen, as well as seeing if I can meal-prep shrimp for later use (shrimp has a tendency to get mushy easily...gotta do some experiments!).

I can see myself adding SV shrimp to my regular menu rotation, once I get the SV-from-frozen timing figured out & get a few favorite recipes nailed down. I think a really good, flash-fried coconut shrimp is at the top of my list right now!

 

[JEDI]

what do you think of this sous vide for $40 shipped?
https://ship.kroger.com/p/859716007311/instant-pot-accu-slim-sous-vide

 

[Kaido]

what do you think of this sous vide for $40 shipped?
https://ship.kroger.com/p/859716007311/instant-pot-accu-slim-sous-vide

That's the sous vide model from Instant Pot. Pretty good reviews on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-SSV800-Accu-Circulator/dp/B07898VZN9

$40? That's a no-brainer. Some ideas for things to try:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/a7wkwb/_/ec6on5h

 

[JEDI]

That's the sous vide model from Instant Pot. Pretty good reviews on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-SSV800-Accu-Circulator/dp/B07898VZN9

$40? That's a no-brainer. Some ideas for things to try:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/a7wkwb/_/ec6on5h

k,buying it

 

[JEDI]

delete

 

[pete6032]

I bought my wife one of these newfangled contraptions for Christmas (Anova nano). We haven't had time to use it that much. I will have some time this weekend when she is out of town. Is there a recipe anyone would recommend starting with?

 

[nutxo]

I'd hoped when I got mine I'd use it more. It was the main reason I debated buying one. I didn't want to get one and have it sit like my giant ass mixer and a few other appliances. I find I use it a lot more in the spring and summer when I grill and hardly at all in the winter.

I do have to say that it is fantastic for defrosting though.

 

[Kaido]

I bought my wife one of these newfangled contraptions for Christmas (Anova nano). We haven't had time to use it that much. I will have some time this weekend when she is out of town. Is there a recipe anyone would recommend starting with?

Steak is pretty much the go-to suggestion for starting out. I'd recommend a boneless NY strip steak, at least 1" thick. If you have a vacuum-sealer, great, if not, then use the immersion technique to push the air out. Try 130F for 2 hours. Nothing in the bag but the meat itself. Make sure it's fully submerged & doesn't float up. Then remove from the water bath, cut open the bag, pat dry, and sear.

I like to sear in a cast-iron pan on High (smoke warning). I spread mayo on it (gives it a nice, crispy crust), then salt & pepper when done searing (about a minute per side). I probably make this once a week, on average. It's stupid easy & a freshly-cooked steak sous vide is not only delicious but makes you feel wonderful, haha!

 

[Kaido]

I'd hoped when I got mine I'd use it more. It was the main reason I debated buying one. I didn't want to get one and have it sit like my giant mixer and a few other appliances. I find I use it a lot more in the spring and summer when I grill and hardly at all in the winter.

I do have to say that it is fantastic for defrosting though.

I've found that having a solid meal-planning system in place is the best way to maximize your use of a sous vide machine. I use an Instant Pot, sous vide, and vacuum-sealer as my primary weapons religiously, but I really only do so because I make a menu once a week & then go shopping for all of the stuff I need, rather than just winging it.

I had all three of those machines for many years & didn't use them as much as I do now because I didn't have a system in place to enable me to easily use them. Not having to scrounge up ingredients or meal ideas during the week makes the actual cooking processing like 100x easier, because then all you have to do is follow the recipe checklist to be successful, because you already know what you're going to make & have all the stuff for it.

That may sound obvious, but in practice, I've found it to be the difference between occasionally playing with stuff & regularly using the equipment. So pretty much, just come up with seven meal ideas (Pinterest etc.), go shopping for them, and then make whichever recipe you're in the mood for that day.

Regarding grilling, I do 90% of my grilling sous vide now (bath then grill to finish), especially if I'm having people over & need to cook in "bulk". I can sous-vide the steaks up to a few days ahead of time & just toss them on the grill to heat & sear. Same for burgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, etc. Really quick to finish on a high-heat grill & consistent output...no raw stuff & no over-cooked stuff!

 

[Kaido]

k,buying it

Didja get it?

 

[PJFrylar]

I would also recommend starting with steak, the first thing I made with my Anova was some Carne Asada for a big taco spread. It was a hit. I went with the instructions here finishing with a cast iron pan: https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/food-lab-carne-asada-best.html.

 

[pete6032]

Steak is pretty much the go-to suggestion for starting out. I'd recommend a boneless NY strip steak, at least 1" thick. If you have a vacuum-sealer, great, if not, then use the immersion technique to push the air out. Try 130F for 2 hours. Nothing in the bag but the meat itself. Make sure it's fully submerged & doesn't float up. Then remove from the water bath, cut open the bag, pat dry, and sear.

I like to sear in a cast-iron pan on High (smoke warning). I spread mayo on it (gives it a nice, crispy crust), then salt & pepper when done searing (about a minute per side). I probably make this once a week, on average. It's stupid easy & a freshly-cooked steak sous vide is not only delicious but makes you feel wonderful, haha!

No seasoning in the bag? Have you ever tried marinating the steak before putting in the Sous Vide?

 

[Kaido]

No seasoning in the bag? Have you ever tried marinating the steak before putting in the Sous Vide?

They've done some extensive studies on it. The current knowledge is that you're mostly just seasoning the bag, not the food. It doesn't hurt, but it's a bit of a waste of supplies.

As far as marinades go, same deal. The ONLY thing that penetrates meat is salt, as illustrated here with the dye tests:

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/marinades-and-brinerades/marinade-for-seafood-and-veggies

The confusion typically happens in one of two cases:

1. The aromatics fool you nose (taste is 80% smell)

2. Biting into food causes the outside marinade to hit your teeth & tongue, as well as the meat as you sink your teeth into it, fooling your brain into thinking that the food is soaked through with sauce and/or spices, when in fact it is not.

So we get seduced because it looks nice & smells nice to have aromatics, seasonings, and sauces in the bag, but in terms of actual usefulness, for 99% of SV projects, it's best just to put the meat or vegetable in naked. At least, that's how all of the serious SV'ers are doing it these days! There's a lot of old knowledge floating around still, however, so a lot of people are still doing things that technically don't really matter.

I do make exceptions from time to time for certain things. Like for SV mashed potatoes, I'll just throw a stick of butter & some heavy cream into the bag with cubed, peeled potatoes, and then all I have to do is mash it together in a bowl after I pull it out of the bath. Same with whole carrots, where I'll add a knob of butter to the vac-seal bag...I pan-fry them out of the bath real fast, and the butter acts as a quick sauce. So not necessary, just nice for laziness, haha.

 

[Kaido]

Somebody turned sous-vide meal-prep into a great business idea:

https://www.realeats.com/

Do I need special “sous-vide” equipment?

No, all you need is a pot and boiling water, that’s it! Your meals are fully-cooked to temperature and perfection in our state-of-the-art licensed and food safe facility, located in Geneva, NY. Each meal is then quickly cooled down, vacuum-sealed in the “sous-vide” pouches and then kept on ice until you receive your shipment. All you have to do is re-heat in boiling water for the designated time on each package, no additional cooking needed. (Note: meals are delivered fully cooked and do not contain any raw ingredients, using a sous vide machine will overcook your meals.)

In a nutshell:

1. They design the meal & vacuum-pack it
2. They cook it sous-vide
3. They shock it to bring the temperature down
4. They deliver it chilled in a thermoregulated box, not frozen
5. You simply boil it for the required time; can also be microwaved (remove from plastic first)

Advertised max storage time is 7 days in the fridge. I'm still learning HACCP & going through Douglas Baldwin's stuff, so I'm very curious about how they handle their timetables for fridge-based longevity.

 

[slag]

I really like to use my anova, but after the thermostat failed on me 2 separate times, I'm hesitant to rely on it. Sure, it has been flawless the past 4-5 times I've used it, but those have only been under 3 hours.

 

[Kaido]

I really like to use my anova, but after the thermostat failed on me 2 separate times, I'm hesitant to rely on it. Sure, it has been flawless the past 4-5 times I've used it, but those have only been under 3 hours.

Can you send it back for repair? I have a pair of Anova's & they have been very reliable, but like anything else, there are duds once in awhile!

 

[JEDI]

ok, im finally using my sous vide by 'instant pot.'

the instructions says 133F is medium for steak and 140 is well done.
but this website says 140f is medium and 160F is well done: https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak.html

which one to use?

also, how long to cook it for?
instant pot just says 1-4 hrs.
so it's done in 1 hr? if so, why leave it for 4hrs?


edit:
140F is a little too rare for me. I like a pink center, not red.
going to up it to 145f next.

also, the meat is only luke warm when I eat it.
im used to hot steaks, like off the grill

 

[Kaido]

ok, im finally using my sous vide by 'instant pot.'

the instructions says 133F is medium for steak and 140 is well done.
but this website says 140f is medium and 160F is well done: https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak.html

which one to use?

also, how long to cook it for?
instant pot just says 1-4 hrs.
so it's done in 1 hr? if so, why leave it for 4hrs?

Do you have the wand (stick) sous vide circulator? Or the pressure-cooker that also functions as a sous-vide?

You can basically sterilize food if you heat at at 130F for a few hours. Lower than that & you risk the bacteria not dying.

I cook all of my steaks at 130F for an hour minimum, then sear it. You can hold a steak in a water bath all day if you want to, it won't hurt it. Think of it as suspended animation...let's say you invite people over for dinner but they're going to be a couple hours late, you can just let the steak sit there until they arrive, then sear them when you're ready.

My suggestion:

1. Get a boneless NY strip steak, at least 1" thick
2. Preheat the water bath to 130F
3. Vacuum-seal the steak, or use the displacement method to get the air out
4. Cook for at least one hour
5. Remove, cut open, pat dry on paper towels (no resting time is required with sous-vide FYI)
6. Preheat a cast-iron skillet on high
7. Smear mayo on the steak & sear for a minute or so per side, until you get the crust you like (the fat from the oil does a great job creating a well-seared crust, and adds a tiny bit of zip to the flavor), and add salt & pepper

Tip: don't add anything to the bag. They've done tests, and mostly all you're doing is seasoning the bag lol.

 

[Kaido]

The Mellow V1 is on sale for $99:

https://shop.cookmellow.com/products/mellow-last-units

Apparently there's a V2 coming out. I have two V1 units that I use multiple times a week. They are really, really useful. I only use my Anova for either really large stuff that can't fit in the Mellow's bin or for bulk cooks of a certain item (ex. like 20 chicken breasts).

 

[PJFrylar]

The Mellow V1 is on sale for $99:

https://shop.cookmellow.com/products/mellow-last-units

Apparently there's a V2 coming out. I have two V1 units that I use multiple times a week. They are really, really useful. I only use my Anova for either really large stuff that can't fit in the Mellow's bin or for bulk cooks of a certain item (ex. like 20 chicken breasts).

Sigh. I didn't even know these existed, and now I'm in for one.

 

[JEDI]

Do you have the wand (stick) sous vide circulator? Or the pressure-cooker that also functions as a sous-vide?

You can basically sterilize food if you heat at at 130F for a few hours. Lower than that & you risk the bacteria not dying.

I cook all of my steaks at 130F for an hour minimum, then sear it. You can hold a steak in a water bath all day if you want to, it won't hurt it. Think of it as suspended animation...let's say you invite people over for dinner but they're going to be a couple hours late, you can just let the steak sit there until they arrive, then sear them when you're ready.

My suggestion:

1. Get a boneless NY strip steak, at least 1" thick
2. Preheat the water bath to 130F
3. Vacuum-seal the steak, or use the displacement method to get the air out
4. Cook for at least one hour
5. Remove, cut open, pat dry on paper towels (no resting time is required with sous-vide FYI)
6. Preheat a cast-iron skillet on high
7. Smear mayo on the steak & sear for a minute or so per side, until you get the crust you like (the fat from the oil does a great job creating a well-seared crust, and adds a tiny bit of zip to the flavor), and add salt & pepper

Tip: don't add anything to the bag. They've done tests, and mostly all you're doing is seasoning the bag lol.

it's a stick.
whats the point of seering? I view it as 1 more item to clean

 

[Kaido]

it's a stick.
whats the point of seering? I view it as 1 more item to clean

1. The steak is just kind of soft mush. This adds a crust. It's a texture thing. Go ahead & try eating it without a sear lol.

2. Because of the surface bacteria, the surface kind of turns to a gray-ish color, not super appetizing. The bacteria is dead, but the color is a bit funky on steaks. Searing gives you that beautiful crust on the exterior.