Through 5/7 the bluetooth version is $129. Might just have to pull the trigger finally.
https://store.anovaculinary.com/products/anova-precision-cooker
What are some of the better beef recipes/dishes you guys make with this sous vide tool?
Steak, chicken breasts, pork chops. Mine is primarily a chicken machine. I've been finding more & more uses for sous video BSCB. For example:
1. Sliced into medallions with gravy
2. Sliced into rectangles for paninis
3. Sliced into rectangles for pizza topping
4. Sliced into cubes for chunky chicken salad
5. Sliced into rectangles for cold salad topping
6. Sliced in half length-wise to throw on some pasta with red or white sauce
You can also do slightly healthier fried chicken by cooking the chicken sous-vide first, then deep-frying for a minute:
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/can-t-f-it-up-fried-chicken
Pork chops:
http://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-pork-chops
Steak:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak.html
I'd recommend investing in a cast-iron pan so you can sear stuff up. Also, two things to note about sous vide:
1. Keep in mind that stuff stays pink, whether it's the inside of a steak or some of blood in a chicken. Some people get weirded out from bloody chicken veins or slightly pink chicken.
2. Plain meat is generally
completely flavorless. This is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what your intended use is. Some people add flavorings into the bag before cooking. I usually do it after, with searing or sauces or both. Compound butter is pretty easy to make (roll in herbs, salts, and so on into butter & turn into a log) & goes great on steaks and stuff. I'm working through this book on sauces right now, which is excellent:
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Sauces-More-Recipes-Every/dp/0811878384/
I have a FoodSaver (vacuum-sealing machine), but I mostly just use ziploc bags for convenience. You can buy meat on sale & seal it up and then sous vide it later if you have the freezer space. Pretty neat little tool if you like to experiment in the kitchen, definitely worth $129!