Considering a Sous Vide machine


(Marianne) #61

How many quarts is your tub?


(Jane) #62

12 qts. It’s large enough to cook a good-sized piece of meat or 4 qts and 1 pt jar of milk with yogurt starter in it.


(Jane) #63

I usually just use a ziplock baggie and displace as much air before sealing it. Vacuum bags are spendy.

If the meat still floats a bit above the water I just fill a bowl with the sous vide water and weight it down.


(Bob M) #64

We have heavy trivets that we use to weight things down.

I also have modified a cooler for longer sous vide sessions with larger pieces of meat.


#65

Sous vide and cast iron are the most natural partnership in the world. Bring up the internal temperature to the desired doneness with sous vide, then sear the surface with cast iron. And in a sense, there’s really no cleanup. The sous vide circulator and the water container never touch food. They only need to be dried, and for that I often rely on the miracle of evaporation. Seasoned cast iron is really more wiped than washed, especially after a quick sear that doesn’t leave much time for sticky spots for develop.


(Doug) #66

Right on - it’s something to see the inside perfectly done and then that delectable, thin seared/charred layer on the outside.

I’ve also used a torch, very easy and controllable to get the nooks and crannies, do the outer fat as you like, etc. Propane does well, hotter-burning MAPP gas is better.

An oven broiler is another method, though IMO it’s going to cook the inner meat a little more, and if we have 550/600 F or ~300 C it leaves me wishing for higher temperatures. Had dinner a couple nights ago at a place that chars the outside at 1700 F / ~930 C. No problem charring with that… :smile:


(Bob M) #67

They have 2000 degree searing systems for home use. Very pricey though.