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Sous Vide and Fiery Foods

I figured that I would just start a sous vide thread since I've been using the immersion circulator like crazy. It's no wonder that top chefs throughout the world are using this technique. The textures and flavors are that come out are amazing. Precision temperature cooking makes for predicable and repeatable results. It's great for infusing spices and herbs into foods as they're vacuum sealed inside.
 
If you're interested in trying it and don't want to buy any expensive equipment, all you need is a thermometer, a spare cooler and a ziplock freezer bag. This method works great for fish or tender cuts of beef. For fish heat the water to 125-130 degrees F and pour into the cooler. Place your fish in a ziplock bag and using the water immersion technique leave the top of the bag open while you submerge the fish so that the water pressure forces the air out of the bag. Once the air is out and you're nearing the top of the bag, close it up and clip it or tape it down to the side of the cooler and close the lid. For beef try water at 129 F (rare), 136 F(med rare), 140-150 F (medium to well). Sear in a very hot pan, or finish under a very hot broiler or grill.
 
Here's a few things I've done with it and I welcome anyone else's experiences, opinions, or ideas. 
 
Jamaican Jerk Turkey Breast with 'Rice and Peas' and Fried Plantains
 
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Miso Tilefish with Baby Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms
 
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Ribeye with the Perfect Egg Yolk
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First go.  91% happy.
 
Not sure yet what needs to change re technique temps whatever.  Will sort that out very quickly.
 
Bar marked
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Inside
 
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It's so tender that the weight of the small piece on top deforms the bottom pieces muscle fibre integrity.
 
Deathtosnails said:
It's so tender that the weight of the small piece on top deforms the bottom pieces muscle fibre integrity.
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So ... it's been a long time for me, since I 1st had sous vide (5+ yrs) and there was almost no data available for cooking temps/times when I got started ... just Baldwin's epic blog post and the Keller/McGhee coffee-table book (which I didn't have), Under Pressure ...
 
Can you add to our discussion any ways that it's the same or different from a pan-fried steak, or an broiled steak, or a grilled steak? ...
 
I have always had a lot of difficulty elaborating or going into detail for people, and I'm wondering if you might be able to compare/contrast it better while it's a fresh experience ...
 
Booma said he felt it was "very tasty, the meat is so much more rich in beef and fatty goodness" and then went on to describe it as being a sure thing, or predictably good sex ...
 
I have a somewhat critical approach, even when I enjoy something ... I'll tend to describe things I enjoy as having the smallest set of things that I don't like ... so while I don't remember how good anything was the 1st times I made steak, I recall very clearly the 1st times I ordered steak around town - and how far short my previous favorite steaks fell versus the sous vide steaks I was making at home.
 
I was making Ruth's Chris or Fleming's level filet mignon's at home for 1/4 - 1/3 the cost.
 
Sous vide reunited me w/ my favorite steak from my childhood too, filet mignon. When I was a kid, dealing w/ too much fat ruined the steak experience for me - from the fact that the steak would cool down while trimming it, to the unsightly pile on the plate for the entire meal ...
 
I agree that filet isn't the richest beef flavor, but the sous vide cook seems to be flavor sparing - perhaps even slightly concentrating/enhancing? ... even if you haven't been a filet person, I highly recommend some filet from the sous vide.
 
Maybe that's it ... maybe it's flavor-concentrating, and that's what I haven't been able to elucidate along the way ...
 
 
 
I know in my case, the next steps are 1) vac marinades, and 2) making sauces and working more effectively with the bag juices ...
 
CHEERS!
 
BigB said:
i think i know what i'm going to ask for my birthday. of all the people here, do you have a recommendation of what to or what not to get? Don't want it to be entirely expensive 
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I recommend an Anova or Sansaire immersion circulator. Both of them can be had for $160 when they are on sale.
 
The next gen Anova will have WiFi (as opposed to Bluetooth), which will open it up to being able to be programmed from afar via smartphone, but that seems unnecessary even to me - and I pretty much live for unnecessary shiny ...
 
I was recently saying how I like the zip-loc bags ... I'll reiterate that. While you should aspire to a real vacuum sealer in the long run, you can have loads of fun w/ just an $4 hand-powered vac:
http://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Vacuum-Starter-3-Quart-1-Pump/dp/B003UEMFUG
 
Coupled with:
http://amzn.com/B00363PRFG
 
and:
http://amzn.com/B00LGLITS2
 
... and you are cooking a couple of chicken breasts, some fish, eggs, or seafood, or a steak on the small (and cheap) ...
 
I think you can get a good cook going for under $50 that way, and honestly, having it will open up a lot more possibilities for when you do have an immersion circulator, because invariably you want to be able to hold two temp's to cook two items for a meal ...
 
Rediscovering my own passion for sous vide came w/ adding the Sansaire, and being able to use it at the same time as the SVS (Sous Vide Supreme) ...
 
I actually can sous vide in my beer brewing gear, too ... so I could go all cray and perform dinner service for a house full of people using 3-4 devices, I guess ... haha.
 
I have a Sansaire, Booma got a Sansaire, and I think bierz and TPRV1 use Anova's ... and from what I can tell, the Anova and Sansaire are more similar than different ...
 
If you are thinking about brewing beer, the Sansaire can be repurposed as a killer temp-controllled sparging system ... 3/8" tube fits in the outflow hole and you can therefor pump temp-controlled water to sparge your grains ... which is cool.
 
I have the details for that in my original brewing thread in the brewing area here.
 
grantmichaels said:
 
I was already fat ... it's (brewing) not making anything worst (yet), but I can understand your point because I do feel that way about baking ...
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i feel the same about baking, and now i'm having the dilemma of whether or not to make key lime mango pie with this bag of mangos i got, or dehydrate them with the rest of the mangos. But i want that pie haha
 
That's going to be the low point for at least the rest of the year,  I'm sure ... in case anyone is trying to find the right time to get into one ...
 
They were affordable for Black Friday (150-170), and full retail for Christmas last year ($180-200) ...
 
It has been ordered! Can't wait to contribute to this thread

grantmichaels said:
It's thrilling to think about how much new stuff will be shared here in the coming months, relative to the past years ...
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we joined your bandwagon. bitches ride the wagon but i'd rather give her cholera 
 
excited to have another use for señor benton's bacon fat
 
Glad to see more people trying this stuff out! One of the biggest advantages to having a circulator is that you're able to hold temperatures for long periods of time. It's amazing what can be done with cheaper cuts like a chuck roast. I've pulled them out after 24 hours and they're still med-rare, with the texture of a filet, and all the flavor of chuck. 

grantmichaels said:
Have you explored vac marinade much?
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Not too much. I always add a little fat into my bags before a cook and fresh herbs to infuse some flavor. I typically avoid anything with salt because I think it makes for an undesirable texture with a lot of meats. As a general rule I don't salt things until they come out of the bath. Often I'll separate the fat off from the meat juices left in the bag and use it to make a pan sauce. Especially with a tougher cut that's been cooking for a day or two. I did vac marinade and cook the miso tilefish pictured at the beginning of this thread in mirin, white miso paste, sake and ginger and it came out really well. 
 
i didn't learn about the salt until this year, and that's been a welcome improvement ...

i be pulling out the vacmaster for preserving portions of hops and grains here soon, so i'm sure that will urge me into some experiments otherwise too ...

for vac marinade wet things, these work w/ the canisters that you connect by a tube ...

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I haven't used it yet, but I bet it works well, because there's a surprising amount of pressure in running water ...

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Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh man I really want to get into this!!! Grant after you did those amazing sliders I've been going crazy to try this. Never really realized the amount of great uses for this device. Definitely will be purchasing in the future. Looking forward to seeing a lot more pics and recipes go guys go!! :)
 
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