Anova Precision Cooker

[Mare749]

It does sounds like a superb product.

Here is a link to the igrill2. This is a newer version than the one that our girls bought for Ron a few years ago. His version was just called an igrill but the newer version is basically the same.

http://store.idevicesinc.com/igrill2/

[cjs]

Nice device, but I think I'll keep the Anova at the top of my list.

[Mare749]

I probably would too, Jean. The price alone for the igrill gadget is ridiculous even if it is helpful.

Labs, sorry for side-tracking your thread. My mind wanders sometimes. Hope you will keep us posted on what else you are cooking with the Anova.

[labradors]

Actually, it's Jean's thread, so you'll have to answer to her.

Still deciding what I'll do next with the Anova, but I wouldn't have gotten it to leave it just sitting around.

If you all hear of any interesting applications of sous vide, let me know. I shan't be trying it with foie gras anytime soon, but I'm definitely interested in ideas.

Hmm... Just as I was typing that last sentence, I remembered that I have some swai in the freezer and it already comes with each fillet individually vacuum packed. That sounds like a good candidate for the short list.

[Gourmet_Mom]

I agree on the price of the probe, Maryann. The one I was looking at was much cheaper, and likely less affective. The one you posted makes the Anova a more enticing choice. My one concern is how often I would use it. Thankfully, it looks small enough to not take up so much storage space. I'll be anxious to see how ofTen other users claim to use theirs.

[Cubangirl]

Labs, fish and seafood are wonderful sous vide. A couple of my favorites are carrots and poached pears. Remember you can cook and then freeze. We do that with steaks all the time, cook several and the sear to finish the day we want them. Turkey breast was also excellent. You can also make yogurt and lemon curd. I compiled the list below from the sous vide thread on the Cookaholics forum and the Culinary group on Facebook. Hope folks find it useful:

SOUS VIDE TIME AND TEMPS

Most charts and tables assume fridge temperature. Temp is the determinant of the finished doneness, and time is dependent on the thickness. Cook until the core temperature of your steak reaches the temperature of the water bath. How long this will takes depends on the size and shape of your steak, the starting temperature, and the desired core temperature. The good news is that your steak won't overcook if you leave it in too long

DUCK CONFIT

180° F for 8 hours. Cure first for anywhere between 12 and 24 hours. Directly into freezer after ice bath to cool, then fridge.

SWORDFISH

132° F for 1 hour . In olive oil, Lemon pepper, and salt. Broil for color.

LOBSTER

145° F for 15 minutes. Bagged six medallions to a bag with a bit of Kerrygold butter and a pinch of kosher salt .

140°F for 15-40 minutes. 5-6 ounces. I can leave them in from15-40 minutes at 140F, and they are perfect at either end of the scale.

DIVER SCALLOPS (FROZEN-THAWED)

123.8° F for 35 minutes. Then seared for just a quick moment in a rockin' hot pan. They were incredible. I had dusted them with ground peri-peri and Penzy's Florida Seasoned pepper and added a couple of drops of orange oil to the bag. I only got the flavors of the hot and black peppers at the end so I think the searing was too much for the more delicate orange flavors (unsurprisingly).

HALIBUT

132° F for 20 minutes.

SIRLOIN TIP STEAK

For rare: 129 °F / 54 °C For medium-rare: 135 °F / 57 °C For medium: 140 °F / 60 °C For medium-well: 147 °F / 64 For a 0.5"/1.25 cm =15 minutes. For a 1"/2.5 cm = 45 minutes For a 1.5"/3.8 cm = 90 minutes. For a 2"/5 cm = 2 hours.

PORK TENDERLOIN

135° F for 3 hours, up to 8 in water bath.

Recipe Type: Sous Vide

Source: Cookaholics Board
Web Pages: http://cookaholics.org/viewtopic.php?f=3...2&start=20
https://d3awvtnmmsvyot.cloudfront.net/ap...Gwg7TY6gal

[Gourmet_Mom]

That's an awesome chart. What I can't wrap my brain around is that food won't overlook if you leave it in too long. Especially a medium rare steak.

[cjs]

Daphne, I think I see one of these in our future...very near future!

[karyn]

One of the really interesting things about sous vide is how you season in the bag. One thing I've learned is that if you are adding herbs as seasoning, you don't want to add fat to the pouch as well. Most of the flavors in herbs are oil-based, so the flavor will go into the fat rather than the protein you are trying to flavor. That one's been hard for me to remember. I tend to add fat as a way to boost flavor almost as often as I add salt or lemon....

Also, fattier fish do well either with a quick, salty brine before you put it in the sous vide pouch, or a salty (miso or soy based) marinade in the pouch. If you avoid the salt you get a lot of that icky white stuff (albumin?) in the bag. Some oil in the bag also seems to solve the problem. I'm not a scientist, so I don't know why!

[Gourmet_Mom]

I do have a birthday soon, but since I got all kitchen stuff for Christmas, I may have to settle for clothes. So mine may be a little further down the road. But Jean, if you find one on sale for a good price, let me know.