plenzmd1 Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 (edited) Okay, y'all convinced me to buy one of these Anova rigs. Firing er up today. Bought a $40 vacuum sealer on Amazon that seems to work great and be very easy, went to the local restaurant supply for a 4.5-gallon plastic container with lid for $20. So all ready equipment wise! BTW, if you go direct to the Anova site they have $50 off, free shipping and no tax right now. Thanks to Augie for the help and suggestions on equipment! I have a 5 lb rib roast ready to go. Some sites say use fresh herbs, other suggest dried much better in sous vide. Would love to hear from folks what they like best and how they prep a roast like that. Looks like a 6-7 hour bath would be perfect for this piece of meat. If that sounds off, please let me know. Also, if you all have any favorite recipes be great if you could share here, looking forward to using this piece of equipment this winter. Edited December 4, 2016 by plenzmd1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Okay, first of all, I would not start with a roast, but rather individual steaks...preferably the thickest filet mignon you can find (think Costco), or ribeye. Put a slab of butter on top of meat before vacuum sealing. That's all. Leave it for 2-3 hours at 130 degrees. Cast iron skillet in the middle of an oven at 500 degrees. Put the skillet in before you start up the oven, and leave it in at least 15 minutes after oven reaches peak heat. Remove the steaks and pat them as dry, then press heavy salt and pepper on each side. Open stove, slide out shelf holding skillet, drop a slab of butter in the middle per steak, and as soon as it's melted, put steaks on butter, push in shelf, close oven. Wait 1 minute, open oven (it will be very smokey, so be ready to be quick), flip steaks, close oven for 1 more minute. Remove skillet from oven, remove steaks to set and redistribute juices about 15 minutes, then put another slab of butter top of each steak before you serve them. Good steak doesn't need anything but butter, salt and pepper. However I like mushrooms, so use this recipe. Best simple mushroom recipe I've found. You can use the skillet as is while the steaks set. Welcome to sous vide. It changes your cooking habits completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 4, 2016 Author Share Posted December 4, 2016 Thx LA, that sound's awesome, but a roast it is today! Already thawed and ready to go...aint getting frozen a 2nd time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Don't let it burn if you get distracted by the game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 (edited) Thanks for the reminder! I'll buy my son's Anova for Christmas today. A 5 pound roast it is. I'd check several web sites to confirm the appropriate cooking time and temp. It's strange how they sometimes vary widely on suggested times. That sounds like a long time, but the nice thing is you can often be off by an hour or two and still get perfection. I still use a digital thermometer to be sure I nailed it. I usually just go salt, pepper, butter and fresh rosemary on beef tenderloin (though thyme would be good too I think). Be sure you have a large enough pan or griddle for the sear. I have a heavy gauge griddle that covers 2 gas burners and get is as hot as I can for the sear. I re-season the meat and smear room temp butter all over the meat for less splatter than butter in the pan. I did a 5 lb beef tenderloin the Friday after Thansgiving for the family cooked at 134 degrees. That's between medium rare and medium according to many sites. A couple nieces had funny looks at the red/pinkness, but it was a piece of cake to drop a couple pieces in the griddle to quickly get it to thier liking. That's the best way to overcome different people with different preferences, I think. (OR, just eat the damn meat!) I also start with hot water in the cambro. It starts at my house about 125 degrees, so it's less wait time to heat so much water. I'm curious what you got for a vacuum sealer. I went all out on the Weston, but I'm sure i can get my son something less than the $199 version I got. As I mentioned, zip lock bags can be a pain to get all the air out and they'll float to the top and bunch up. Plus, they don't have the variety of size a long roll will give you. Edited December 4, 2016 by Augie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Thanks for the reminder! I'll buy my son's Anova for Christmas today. A 5 pound roast it is. I'd check several web sites to confirm the appropriate cooking time and temp. It's strange how they sometimes vary widely on suggested times. That sounds like a long time, but the nice thing is you can often be off by an hour or two and still get perfection. I still use a digital thermometer to be sure I nailed it. I usually just go salt, pepper, butter and fresh rosemary on beef tenderloin (though thyme would be good too I think). Be sure you have a large enough pan or griddle for the sear. I have a heavy gauge griddle that covers 2 gas burners and get is as hot as I can for the sear. I re-season the meat and smear room temp butter all over the meat for less splatter than butter in the pan. I did a 5 lb beef tenderloin the Friday after Thansgiving for the family cooked at 134 degrees. That's between medium rare and medium according to many sites. A couple nieces had funny looks at the red/pinkness, but it was a piece of cake to drop a couple pieces in the griddle to quickly get it to thier liking. That's the best way to overcome different people with different preferences, I think. (OR, just eat the damn meat!) I also start with hot water in the cambro. It starts at my house about 125 degrees, so it's less wait time to heat so much water. I'm curious what you got for a vacuum sealer. I went all out on the Weston, but I'm sure i can get my son something less than the $199 version I got. As I mentioned, zip lock bags can be a pain to get all the air out and they'll float to the top and bunch up. Plus, they don't have the variety of size a long roll will give you. This is the one I bought, works great: https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealing-System-Starter/dp/B0044XDA3S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 This is the one I bought, works great: https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealing-System-Starter/dp/B0044XDA3S Thanks, and OUCH! I just paid a lot more on line. At least I got him what I have so I'll know how to work it. Unfortunately, he came in as I had the 50' roll of vacuum bags out to be sure I ordered the right thing. He didn't say anything, but the little jerk picks up on everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 (edited) With a big roast like that you have a wide window of time essentially once it hits temp you'd just be holding it there. Longer will just tender it up more. I've done 72 hr short ribs in there before even. Herbs- I've done both fresh and dried. I tend to go fresh when I have both options but I wouldnt stress either way. Really, you might find your own preferences for PERFECT but unlike most gadgets, you'll be hard pressed to really mess it up Thanks, and OUCH! I just paid a lot more on line. At least I got him what I have so I'll know how to work it. Unfortunately, he came in as I had the 50' roll of vacuum bags out to be sure I ordered the right thing. He didn't say anything, but the little jerk picks up on everything! The link is the one I ordered too -- used to use ziplock with no issue but it was a prime day special back in July for like $49 or something easy to stomach so I caved and jumped on it Edited December 4, 2016 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 I asked for a sous vide for xmas. Was watching shark tank this week, and a couple who sells their own sous vide got a deal. They made it sound like theirs was the first non-commercial one that is for the home cook; not sure about that? Was it a 5 year old replay? It was a commercial product which was cost prohibitive for a long time for the home user, then things changed quickly. I hope Santa brings you the Anova! (I'm sure there are others that are fine, but I love my Anova!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 Thanks for the replies everyone ! Turned out great..so freaking easy. Put it in at 2, took it out right after Tyrod's fumble. Put a paste of fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic and olive on, put in under the broiler...awesome. Augie here is the vacuum sealer i bought. Looks like it is $10 more now, but worked great fo rme this weekend. https://www.amazon.com/Gourmia-GVS425-Function-Customizable-Preserve/dp/B01M6217V1 Any other recipes you all really like greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Where have you guys been talking about these things previously? I've got a neighbor who swears by his. I'd be curious to see what you're cooking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 I've never seen/heard about sous vide, so I have one question (for now). In order to cook via this method, all I would need is a vacuum sealer and an anova? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 (edited) I've never seen/heard about sous vide, so I have one question (for now). In order to cook via this method, all I would need is a vacuum sealer and an anova? You don't really even need the vacuum sealer, but it helps. You can use ziplock bags but it's hard to get all the air out and they may float a bit. I used to just put the Anova in a large pasta pot, but when I graduated to larger items (like a 5 Lb beef tenderloin) I got a 4 gallon clear cambro with a lid for about $20. With large items it's again helpful to have the vacuum sealer, since you can buy bags in a 50' roll allowing you to customize the size. You cook it then sear it. VERY easy to get it just the way you like it....every time. Edited December 5, 2016 by Augie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 (edited) Where have you guys been talking about these things previously? I've got a neighbor who swears by his. I'd be curious to see what you're cooking.its bounced around and fallen into unrelated threads (the SEAR thread ended up turning into a cooking at home thread for a few pages for example) but i think we have just found our new spot to discuss it. Pork tenderloins have been a winner for me (all kinds of different seasonings) eggs -- scrambled are ok, but ive liked the poached creme brulee is awesome (ended up getting a torch on amazon that was essentially free after a rebate) fish -- good, but not GREAT in my experience. still grill fish instead. any kind of steak or roast has been knockout veggies have been good - asparagus is a semiregular one in the rotation octopus was really good the lifehacker/deadspin crew have a weekly "will it sous vide" column where they pick different ideas (some reasonable, some ridiculous) and try a few different ways to do it. honestly, reading that has given ideas (or squashed them) by giving me some out of the ordinary feedback on the process. a steak is super easy and you only learn so much. feedback on doing a protein, with the veggies in the bag like 3 different ways or a variety of pies can get you thinking about experimenting with stuff more instead of strict recipes. Edited December 5, 2016 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 (edited) We've done mostly beef tenderloin. A tougher cut of meat like skirt steak becomes absolutely delicious when cooked slowly to just the right temp. Make tough (cheap) cuts great with sous vide. I have not done chicken yet, but they say it's fabulous as you don't have to cook it to the point of getting dry and tough. Making it safe to eat is not just a matter of temp. Temp AND time allow you to cook below the suggested 165 degrees (155-160) and keep it moist. Salmon is a totally different texture, which scared my with who threw it back on the stove top. Sometimes you win, and then..... Edited December 5, 2016 by Augie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 You don't really even need the vacuum sealer, but it helps. You can use ziplock bags but it's hard to get all the air out and they may float a bit. I used to just put the Anova in a large pasta pot, but when I graduated to larger items (like a 5 Lb beef tenderloin) I got a 4 gallon clear cambro with a lid for about $20. With large items it's again helpful to have the vacuum sealer, since you can buy bags in a 50' roll allowing you to customize the size. You cook it then sear it. VERY easy to get it just the way you like it....every time. Thanks, Augie. So the container in which you place the food with the Anoya, isn't important at all, correct? Or should it be cookware in order to keep the heat consistent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanNC Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Here's a good sous vide primer along with some suggested first recipes. Steak has to be first. http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/01/first-thing-to-cook-with-sous-vide-immersion-circulator-essential-recipes.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Thanks, Augie. So the container in which you place the food with the Anoya, isn't important at all, correct? Or should it be cookware in order to keep the heat consistent? As they say, you can do it in a beer cooler if you want. Each device will have a certain capacity. Mine is about 4-5 gallons. It won't be able to keep a swimming pool warm, but you can cook almost anything you want in a 4 gallon cambro. It has to be deep enough to hold the Anova and get the water to the right level. A pasta pot will handle most day to day cooking. It has a clamp to attach it to the side of your cooking vessel, so if it's too wide it might not handle the clamp, but that's not a likely problem. They recommend a lid for large containers (my 4 gallon cambro has a lid) to help maintain temp, but I'm not sure that's even needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 It was a new episode, and I was surprised that they presented it as cutting edge. Here it is--nobiku https://www.google.com/amp/heavy.com/news/2016/12/nomiku-shark-tank-cooker-wifi-products-episodes-new-season-8/amp/ I know that dude. He's from Rochester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HereComesTheReignAgain Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 I just got myself the Anova a couple weeks ago. I love it and have made some amazing steaks and good chicken and pork chops. I'm still working on mastering the sear techniques. So far I have just used my cast iron pan and peanut oil. I purchased a torch and will be trying that out soon. Has anyone else used a torch to sear their meats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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