I can't believe how comprehensive that video is. She covered every single detail imaginable and even went so far as to explain subtle misinterpretations caused by different marketing techniques. She's totally unbiased and perfect.
I can't emphasize enough how remarkable it is that you very rarely cut away from speaking directly to the camera. The end result is extremely engaging and I feel like I retain knowledge better when I'm being spoken to in such a clear and direct manner. Visual aids are great but they cannot compare to the charisma of a great teacher, which you so clearly are.
0:48 What is Sous Vide 1:39 What are the most common problems (Anemic, poor sear, "dry" meat, time to cook) 2:19 History of the technique 3:57 How to use 4:58 Prepping the food parcels 6:32 Cook times 6:51 Overcooking Sous Vide? 5:26 Searing 10:44 Weekday nights 12:17 Reverse sear
You are so calm and pleasant and strictly logical. No superfluous words, no fake-youtube character stuff. I really appreciate you and what you do. No one does it like you do Helen. Thank you
This is my second sous vide cooker ruclips.net/user/postUgkxK2YRU9uBOXzuIEV660Qo3sX7dJDJLg72 and I don’t know why you would cook meat any other way. This model is more compact and quieter than our older version that this one is replacing. We have done creme brûlée, cookie dough and tons of meat. They all come out perfect every time. I recommend this to EVERYONE. The app is great and easy to use. It stays at a consistent temperature. This model is extremely quiet. I just love it. We also have the anovo sous vide cooker 16L box thing and this fits inside that which is great because I can store them together. I just love that I can set this and walk away to deal with the rest of dinner.
Been at this 4.5 years and amazing results. 2 circulators, one 18qt tub & one 44qt cooler. Latest craze is 30 day dry aged beeef tongue. Cooked 170/24 with simle seasonings... Unbelievable... Anywhere from shrimp/lobster to full racks of pork ribs... 😍😍😍😍😍😍
I learned so much. Forgive those with negative comments. If they went to you for information then they were learners. If they toot they know so much...WHY? are they looking to you for advice. I have not commented before but I am getting tired of the perfect chefs criticizing your video. Thank you for your time and sharing your expertise!!!! God bless!
I use a food saver and I have no issues with it. There are two things you can do to mitigate deforming, the best method is to put your protein in the freezer for 45-60 minutes prior to sealing. This prevents juice from entering your foodsaver and also allows the protein to hold its shape during sealing. If you do not have time to do this, use the foodsaver as normal, but manually stop the sealing process prior to the meat deforming.
I'm brand new to sous vide. It just came today but I wanted to arm myself with knowledge before possibly wrecking an expensive cut off protein so here I am. I have used a Foodsaver for years and years and was concerned when Helen said Foodsaver were less than ideal...and I have a LOT of beef cuts vac sealed! Thank you for providing me/us with the benefit of your trial and error lessons-learned. I'm confident you just saved me from wasting expensive cuts of beef while learning and most likely embarrasing myself when I cook for guests when trying to show off my new sous vide cooking 'skills'.
@@gregoryking9348 I too am new to sous vide (I believe i have done a total of six cooks to date). There are two problems with the Foodsaver (and clones): the bags are expensive, and you cannot vacuum seal liquids. The solution is an expensive one, buy a chamber vacuum sealer. The bags are a nickel each and sealing liquids for marinade is no problem at all because prior to sealing, the environment is a vacuum, not just the bag. The problem is the price. Vacuum sealers start around $300 for chinese cheapies, and around $600 for name brands. I absolutely love my Avid Armor unit. Sadly, it will take a miracle for me to recoup the $600 I spent on it.
@@millardiii there are tricks to dealing liquids in food saver bags. I freeze the liquids first in shallow square containers then vacpacking the square of frozen liquids. No more fussy than prepping other things. But I love to cook and I don't mind doing weird fussy stuff to produce an outstanding meal for my hubby. I just got my sous vide machine yesterday in middle of power outages lol but our power came back today and once im done cleaning the fridge out from left over stuff I will be getting several things to try. I'm even going to can pickles with it. Its going to be great for pasteurization canning pickles. No more limp whimsy shelf stable pickles.
I am new to it. I find the cooling step a bit discouraging. It is already a long process and having to add another one bothers me a bit. Oh well, we’ll see.
Really great video. I have been cooking Sous-Vide long before the stick units came to market. I had to invent many of the techniques you are giving people here. I do the same as you, I buy all my meats on the weekend, sous vide them all and store the bags in the fridge. I have generally not however found the need to re-warm them in the water bath unless they are unusually thick. On a weeknight I remove the bag for dinner about an hour before dinner and place it on the counter to come to room temperature before searing. I find that the heat gained from searing makes the inside warm enough from room temperature. I'm usually adding a piping hot sauce as well. Also, the best solution for searing is to use induction with cast iron. A real induction range (if you can afford it) is an absolute game changer (I can boil water for pasta in two minutes on mine). However, even a little $50 induction plate with cast iron outperforms my commercial Viking gas stove for searing sous-vide meats. Max the power just before adding the meat then turn it back down (usually) after a few seconds. The difference is there is almost no loss of temp in the pan compared to gas or electric which take time to recover after adding the relatively cold meat.
@@salamshalom Yes, the induction (with cast iron in particular) has the power to take care of the sear. now you can focus on basting. Butter, garlic, herbs... add towards the end and cut the heat way down so they don't burn. adds flavor and helps fill any "gaps" in the sear. Just keep in mind that the basting does cook the meat more than non-basting. It's almost like popping the meat in the oven after a sear so plan accordingly. Yay food!
This video is great! I just bought the Anova as a gift for my dad's 70th. Sous vide seventy! After this video, I want to try it on Moose and Squirrel, though, for some reason. 🤔
My husband bought me the “big awkward” Sous Vide Supreme when it first came out and it is still awesome. It stores easily and I love it. I also use my Foodsaver and have no issues with deformation. Simply hit the seal button before the vacuum deforms the item. I did find useful information in the video.
Thanks Helen. My steak experience reached a whole new level. My first sous vide experience was a nightmare due to beginner mistakes. Then it the magic happened. What I learnt is: trust the advice from others and don't try to take shortcuts or make adjustments based on silly assumptions
Very engagng and the imformation was presented at a comfortable pace so I never felt rushed or like was falling behind. But I decided this is not for me. Merci, Helen. Brava!
And I just bought one of those vacuum sealers too... My mind is still a bit blown by your method of just easing the bag in the water with the zip open. So much cheaper and less hassle. Thank you for the tips! :)
Chamber sealers are really easy to use and almost completely eliminate the possibility of leakage (you need to be careful with meats with sharp bone edges). But as Helen pointed out, they are generally quite expensive. The Foodmaster sealers are a real pain to use. My Vacmaster is super-easy.
I finally broke down and got one. Everyone is advocating and it’s not that expensive these days. I’ve been a big fan of reverse searing for years already so it wasn’t a big jump. Really good job on pork chops and steak. Excellent for chicken breasts. I have to say It’s worth the price for fish and seafood alone. We love haddock and have it often. It’s really easy to get perfect sous vide results every time. Ditto for shrimp. I love it!
The amount of information in this 15 minute video is hard to believe. As an amateur sous vide user I will rewatch this video several more times and save it for future reference [with Raindrop extension btw]. This woman has the spirit of a teacher, the communication ability of a grand politician [that's a compliment], the knowledge and skill of a great chef and some chemistry, she speaks multiple languages, has a wonderful accent, AND she's pretty too? It's definitely underrated.
I love that you were using a beer cooler. That's what I started using when I first started doing sous vide and still use today, even though I got an Anova Sous Vide. I just cut a hole in the top and put the food in the cooler with my Anova sticking out of the top, instead of using a Lexan, which definitely is wasting heat (energy).
@@GrzegorzDurda I've done some things at 24 hours but find it risky (you can end up with mush) and tend to cut back to 18. What are you doing for 48 that survives?
I love listening to this woman. Not so much for the content of what she’s saying but for the way she says it. If I were around her I’d be constantly pointing at things and asking her to say what it is.
Just discovered your sous vide videos, Helen, after watching many others by various supposed "experts", even pro chefs...and yours are the best, "by more than a mile". Thanks, so much!
Funny, I started watching Helen's video because I thought my meat was really under done but it looked just like the meat in the video and I could cut it with a fork. This was my very first time cooking sous vide with my Anova!
Food saver works great for the home cook. And one tip I learned from culinary school is that you really just need to add a little oil or spices. A little goes a long way with Sous vide
I found your video after my first time using sous vide, and also first time cooking steak using ATK’s recipe. My roommate, bought 2 T-bone steaks that were about 1” thick, and deboned them. After sous vide, the pan searing took longer than ATK said it would. Then the fennel, Dijon mustard & tarragon pan sauce took longer, too. By the time the sauce was done, the steaks were cool. The best part was the sauce, which had umami that I loved. Next time, I’m going to use your tips.
Wow!!! No wasted words, direct to the point. She must be a professional announcer or actress. Come-on, nobody does this on RUclips!!!! In the famous words of Arnold, "I'll be back."
Liked and subscribed. If you have a good saver but want to preserve the shape try putting the meat in the freezer in the bag for it to firm up before vacuuming the meat. This also works if your meat is wet/juicy or with a marinade. Pre freeze then vacuum. Then sous vide accordingly and just add 30 mins to the cooking time.
This is true. The vacuum sealer I have has such a powerful vacuum that it sucks any loose juices or marinade out of the end of the bag. This makes a sloppy mess on the inside of the vacuum sealer, and the bag won't seal because of the grease on the inside of the bag where it is supposed to be melted together. Better to skip marinades, add some dry herbs to the bag, and chill meat like you said before vacuuming and sealing. If people are reading this without ever having done sous vide before, it's a whole lot simpler in real life than it might seem on RUclips.
I just got my sous vide cooker. My wife doesn't eat beef and hates the smell of it cooking. This type of cooking has solved that problem, especially now that it is winter. I don't need that finished crust, so it comes out of the bag and straight to my plate to consume. She loves the house, not stinking, and I love being able to eat a perfect medium rare steak. I can not wait to crust it on my Weber grill come spring.
I was having trouble giving the meat a nice roasted flavor to the sous vide meat, so I really like the idea of cooling it first. I'll definitely try it out.
Helen - Great advice. But have you ever tried 1) drying the meat with the paper towel, 2) torching it, and 3) and ONLY then hit the sear pan with butter. I use a cheap hardware store propane (plumbers) torch - not the dainty torches you get at a cooking item store. That torch addresses the really high temp you need to get to get an initial crust on the meat without any real cooking occurring. Then go to the skillet (I also have a wok burner and wok that does a great sear, but of course most folks wont have that kind of BTUs).
It's been talked about by both Kenji at Serious Eats and tested by Sous Vide Everything here on youtube and both agree that adding fats to the sous vide bag before the bath like oil or butter dilute the flavor. A lot of the seasonings and flavors are fat soluble and by adding oils or butter, you're taking flavor away from the meat.
@@jenab8218 Not only that but I believe the cut of meat plays a large part too. Like the original commenter said, channels like Sous Vide Everything say to leave the butter out but they did some ribeye cap steaks and the steak cooked with butter in the bag was the best. But yes, There are no hard rules in cooking. All personal preference.
I use mine as an efficient dishwasher. Works shockingly well, I set it to 160°, fill the sink with water, dirty dishes, and dawn. Then let it do its thing. Dishes are clean in about an hour. Just drain and rinse.
All good information. 1. The immersion heaters are better at holding temperatures so the tap water gets a boost of boiling water to bring it up to temp. 2. A cheap Styrofoam cooler works well to help hold temp. 3. Can taste propane type torches. Put a little charcoal braisier with about four lumps of natural no lighter. Best for sear. 4. All protein.
There are 2 solutions for using a torch; technique (45% angle and such), or Searzall. A lot of us are in apartments that would store carbon monoxide from charcoal.
To use a Foodsaver with liquid and marinades, use a Gripstik (Bag sealer clip stick as is used to seal bags of chips) press out the air first, then stop the vacuum when the liquid pulls. Also for long cooks, it is best to have a covered container to prevent evaporation. I put a towel around the container to make the temperature more uniform and save energy.
Fyi, i have found most resealable freezer bags tend to leak a little when cooking above 65C (149f) or 70C (158f). It appears the seams are the weak point and the heat tends to re-melt the seams. From my own experience, Lacy’s, Reynold, Glad and Diamond tend to fail around 65C. Waitrose bags can reach 70C more consistently. Surprisingly, my local supermarket doesn’t stock Ziploc, so I haven’t tested them.
Hi, your comment is two years old, and you may have solved the problem already, but if not: I had the same experience and therefore started to seal the bags twice separated by a centimeter or two in each end. It is probably moist that makes the first seal a little weak. Double sealing works really well.
I've been using an Anova for a couple of years now and love it. Then my wife got me a Mellow. I'd never spend that much money myself, but we use in much more often than we used the Anova. It has a built in, double wall vertical tank so it only takes up about as much counter top space as a loaf of bread and what's always on the counter tends to get used more than something you have to set up each time. It has a cooling element, so it can keep food at refrigerator temperature temperature at the start of the day and be set for what time you want your dish to be ready and take care of the temperature and timing for you. A gallon size freezer bag can stand upright in it and just needs to have the very top folded over or cut off, it doesn't need to be sealed as the water keeps the air pushed out and the top of the bag stays out of the water. The double wall and lid makes multi day cooking of something like bottom round much easier. The downsides for me is it has no controls or indicators; it can only be controlled by an app, it tends to randomly detect weight and starts itself up( I like gadgets, so a wifi enabled switch not only took care of that but also tracks the power usage), it uses air bubbles to circulate the water so it sounds like a rather large aquarium, and the small tank size only works for about 4 servings.
Thank you so much for telling me about Mellow. I always thought it would be so awesome if there was a sous-vide machine with refrigeration for working people. Good to know that it exists :)
There are so many variables in cooking that I grimace at the negative comments. For instance, I use my Food Saver and you use the ziplock freezer bags, and both are fine options. Thanks for the great video and some new options to try!
Helen, thank you so much! Old cook but new to sous vide. Gonna cook a ribeye tonight. I live in the Pacific NW now and I've cooked some fish etc., but your video makes me excited. Thanks!
I sous vide a thick beef shoulder cut for two days and then grilled it for about 7 minutes ....it came out great ! like butter and the crust on the outside . ....olive oil , rosemary , garlic , salt pepper ....the best
I have a similar setup, except that I have a cover over my container with a hole cut in a corner that fits around the heater when it's installed. This provides a better temperature control and it will heat up faster.
I own the same Anova model as you and have been enjoying this cooking method for 2 years now. Not all our friends like their steak or salmon to the same degree of "doneness" but I enjoy the flexibility of starting a few steaks off at a higher temperature then lowering it to accommodate pieces I add later. I just use a Sharpie and put names on the plastic bag to keep track. Thank you for your "searing" guidance!!This will help!
Hi Nora: It just seemed logical to me and we often have friends over that like their steaks well done and rare. I tried it several times and it works well, starting with the piece of steak that required the greatest heat and longer (relatively) cooking period; then adding cold water to drop the bath temperature quickly so I could just add the steaks that were medium rare or rare. I don't have to worry about overdoing the better done pieces of meat added first because the cooler water bath doesn't cook them any more- except for time. It also allowed me to finish up crusting all the steaks together while they were still warm inside. I noticed on the ChefSteps site that there is quite a lot of variable time for each degree of doneness. For example well done steak could be on for 1 to 2 hours at 158 degrees so if I dropped the bath temp quickly after the well done steak was in for an hour, the medium rare steak would be done within an hour and the well-done one would not be in the water any longer than 2 hours.
Omg what a great video! I love the way you describe things, and you're just no-nonsense. I am all about technique at home, and videos like yours are fantastic. I think you're adorable and fun to listen to. Thank you! Xo
This is what I needed to see. I ruined my steaks and made them super dry because I didn't cool the meat after sous vide. I think next time I get better results. Thank you!
Great video. I been using my Anova for two years now. I got my first one from the Apple Store. I have three now. I going to try your chill method next time. I was eating a Steak I just finished while I watched this. I prevent my Bags for touching to bottom of my tub by placing a Stainless steel cooling rack in it. Since I vacuum seal mine I even used a stacking rack to do two levels. I cooked for our office anniversary lunch. I did 20 steaks at once with my Anovas (3 Tubs).
Nice job on the instructions. With the different types of oil, and their different smoke point, I was looking for you to throw down the top three oils you sear with.
Also... I love the sous vide for cooking various types of meats and seasonings (I call it Brazilian rodízio style) in the same bath and searing and searing/serving them perfectly in a matter of minutes. Guests usually love the entertaining component of trying different meats all perfectly done (and hot) w/o having to be running around and making them while some of the pieces that are done are getting cold! I do have a pretty mean coal searing station which helps address the crust component. So just play around and you will figure out how to make it right for you!!
In commercial kitchens, steaks are seared in large batches in an open front oven known as a Salamander. For banquets, we do large numbers of steaks to each doneness, then sear on trays and top with a puck of flavored butter *usually shallot butter.
i do find for beef the torches that have the stuff to maintain a bit of distance like the grill gun and what not or the knockoffs you don't get the propane taste when torching the meat. now if you are using one of the little torches or the usual utility torches its really easy to get to close and get propane taste but the specialized for cooking ones are pretty good.
My Ninja Foodi broke and my warranty got me a new one and the new one came with sous vide option and never heard of that and now can't wait to use that feature🤗
45 minutes in 57 C (135 F) makes for a perfect cut of veal. Searing? Ignore what she said, you want the meat warm for immediate consumption. ½ minute on both sides in a smoking hot skillet oiled with butter and rapeseed oil and you have beautiful caramelization and it's just enough to kick in the Maillard reaction, all the while keeping the internal temperature. Why 57 C? It's the optimal temperature for all veal and beef, due to protein denaturation being at a gentle pace there, but at the same time activating collagenase enzymes to decompose protein structure. At lower than 50 C/122 F temperatures, the tenderness is great, but the meat gets an unpleasant taste. At over 65C/150F the toughness increases, because protein aggregation becomes greater increasing the elastic modulus. at 55-60 C/131-140 F is ideal, because sarcoplasmic proteins aggregate and gel at a perfect rate there, while most enzymes have denatured (been destroyed by heat) some collagenases still function, increasing tenderness. 57C/135F is, by virtue of enzyme activity, the perfect temperature for any red meat. In it, almost all enzymes contributing to foul taste have been denatured, while the collagenases Calpain and Cathepsin are at peak activity, thus reducing necessary cooking time. 2 hours at that temperature and your meat will be falling apart in your hands. - Friendly RUclips Chemist
teutonieth what does a friendly RUclips chemist say to the potential health hazards resulting from eating food that has been in contact with warm plastic for an hour or more?
@@Finn959 if you use BPA free plastic you have nothing to worry about. Many companies make high temperature plastic bags specifically for use with a Sous Vide
yup. many plastics are thermotolerant, especially those which are for vaccuum packing. they don't release much in the way of microplastics, though some small amount will almost always remain behind. The quantities are much, much lower than plastics which do break up in hot conditions.
I have a pair of heat guns I use for searing, pretty fast mostly and very practical. Use butter instead of oil. Reduce power cost of longer runs by wrapping a towel around the container. I guess if you use oil you could use a bag clip to stop it from sucking oil into the machine. I have also found today that warm aging at 38C and 49C for about 4 hours (3 hours at 38, one at 49) leads to a much nicer steak, better colour, better texture, faster browning with sear.
The Sous Vide Everything channel has solved the anemic browning problem. 1) Pat the meat dry after removing it from the bag. This is really important 2) Don't use a pan to sear. There are better tools. The Searz-All is purpose-built for this. A weed-burning propane landscaper's torch works even better. So does an electric heat gun. All give a vigorous Maillard reaction. 3) The key with any kind of torch is how you use it. For the Searz-All it isn't a problem. For other propane torches just keep the meat in the invisible part of the flame where combustion is complete. The mistake novices make is holding it right up to the sooty blue part of the flame. If you have a heat gun there are no hydrocarbons and no "torched" taste. 4) The cooling or the more extreme cryo-cooling results in cold meat with no appreciable increase in crust quality. Just let it rest for a minute or two like you would an cut of meat to relax the fibers, pat dry and sear. Been using Food Savers since before they were generally used for sous vide. Never had the vacuum "deform" the food, nor do they prevent you from adding oil. If it did the vacuum chambers restaurants use would do exactly the same thing. I am afraid you are talking complete nonsense here. The book "Cooking for Geeks" has an excellent mod to turn a crockpost into a temperature-controlled water bath. A circulator is better for sous vide, of course, but I still have mine and use it for making cheese and yogurt. It didn't take serious engineering skills just a few inexpensive parts (cable, thermocouple, PID controller, high-speed switch, tape or soldering iron) and 20 minutes. You can cut about half the price off the sous vide vessel by going to a restaurant supply store and buying a polycarbonate container. The "specially designed" vessels are the same product off the same assembly line. To minimize water loss - especially important for tough cuts which take many hours to cook - just get a matching lid and cut out a slot to accommodate the circulator or spend more money and buy a lid someone else has cut. That brings up another point. Most cuts of meat do not take "an hour" at a single temperature. It depends very much on the cut. A tender filet doesn't take much time. Chuck can take a day or even two. 50C will yield a rare steak, 70C well-done.
The problem is that an unqualified statement "They're useless because they deform the food" it leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation. Right out of the gate the many kinds of food from asparagus (don't ask) to steak that work just fine with a home vacuum sealer make one skeptical of what comes after. I would certainly use water displacement for thin slices of fragile food. The equipment will work, but it takes more care and experience than a once-in-a-while user might have. Again, the blanket statement leaves an incorrect impression about the huge number of foods for which it is incorrect.
A recent development may address some of your concerns. My old Food Saver and Rival vacuum sealers just gave up after many years of yeoman service. I got a newer Food Saver V3250. It offers the choice between a regular and gentle cycle and one for dry vs. moist foods specifically for things like fish or added liquid. These seem to be becoming standard among the good brands.
You are an educated good fellow, you know Cooking for Geeks and you did your ulterior research, explaining it in a well mannered language. Here, have my internet for today :)
AMAZING video!! I can't wait to try the fridge or ice bath cooling to get better skin. I was frustrated that I couldn't get the skin just right and now I know why. Thank you.
The neoprene insulating cover (Big Koozie for SV pots) makes a huge difference for your SV vessel. I have one and it works great. For big cuts of meat (whole brisket) I used an old cooler with broken hinges etc., cut a hole in the top and let it go. I find it easier to fill a large stock pot with water, put it on the stove and in 10 minutes the water is at 140 or so and can get SV cook up and running quickly. Still working on chicken wings technique, lil rubbery. Ribs take a long time too, put em in at night and finish next day SV Tri-Tip was very easy and amazing, Brisket took 45 hours in bath. I don't eat duck (old joke: what's the worst part of a successful day duck hunting?...you end up with Ducks!) so I'm not worried about crispy skin but will apply to chicken . Thank you for all the great info
YES! Ive never seen anyone else mention cooling. I put a thick steak in the freezer on a raised cooking cooling sheet. After 15 minutes it looks like the outside of dry aged meat and takes a hard sear.
Excellent video. A word of caution though -- one shouldn't leave your bath vessel in the sink because at higher temperatures it can actually melt the putty used to seal your drain pipe to your sink, resulting in a leak beneath your sink next time you use it. If you want to keep the pot/plastic container in the sink then should put suitable trivets under it.
thanks so much for this warning. I've never encountered this issues, but I normally use my water bath at temperatures less than 141F. Will put a trivet underneath next time :)
The temperature range that could cause damage to a drain sadly depends on what product is actually used to seal the sink. Sous vide temps can be high enough to possibly soften some putties (And some really bad products can even start to shift from full temp domestic hot water, so if your hardware store offers a brand name vs something you've never seen before for half the price, maybe don't save a few bucks?) but they should firm up again without any ill effect if you're not also putting water pressure on the seal while it is soft. That said, just slipping a small wire rack under your water bath should remove any of the minimal risk, and also allow you to dump liquids down the drain beside your water bath if it doesn't take up the whole sink. Also, wrapping a bit of paper towel around your sink drain pipes and remembering to check them once a month can let you spot water damage while it is cheap to repair rather than not noticing till you have an expensive reno on your hands.
I find that the water bath cooling method tends to cause some of the juices to coagulate on the outside of the meat, which isn't exactly appetizing or easy to remove. Taking the meat out and putting it in the fridge like you recommend works a lot better.
You are wonderful to listen to. Thank you for this video. This is what I call, fun learning. Do you have a food safety guide on the cooking times? The numbers I find are all over the place. 131 - 115 for 2 hours - 48 hours. When do the harmful bacteria become safe to eat?
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I can't believe how comprehensive that video is. She covered every single detail imaginable and even went so far as to explain subtle misinterpretations caused by different marketing techniques. She's totally unbiased and perfect.
Most cooking videos are much longer than necessary but you don't waste a second sharing EVERYTHING you need to know about this cooking method. Wow!
I can't emphasize enough how remarkable it is that you very rarely cut away from speaking directly to the camera. The end result is extremely engaging and I feel like I retain knowledge better when I'm being spoken to in such a clear and direct manner. Visual aids are great but they cannot compare to the charisma of a great teacher, which you so clearly are.
She's looking at a camera, not you ;)
Someone's in love..🥰🥰😍😍
0:48 What is Sous Vide
1:39 What are the most common problems (Anemic, poor sear, "dry" meat, time to cook)
2:19 History of the technique
3:57 How to use
4:58 Prepping the food parcels
6:32 Cook times
6:51 Overcooking Sous Vide?
5:26 Searing
10:44 Weekday nights
12:17 Reverse sear
Searing 8:35
You are so calm and pleasant and strictly logical. No superfluous words, no fake-youtube character stuff. I really appreciate you and what you do. No one does it like you do Helen. Thank you
She looks quite open and honest 😍
Guga does it better
I hope that was sarcasm.
@@insaneterror94 Can we not make this a contest between Guga and Rennie? They both have a lot to teach. The question is: To torch, or not to torch? 🤣
This is my second sous vide cooker ruclips.net/user/postUgkxK2YRU9uBOXzuIEV660Qo3sX7dJDJLg72 and I don’t know why you would cook meat any other way. This model is more compact and quieter than our older version that this one is replacing. We have done creme brûlée, cookie dough and tons of meat. They all come out perfect every time. I recommend this to EVERYONE. The app is great and easy to use. It stays at a consistent temperature. This model is extremely quiet. I just love it. We also have the anovo sous vide cooker 16L box thing and this fits inside that which is great because I can store them together. I just love that I can set this and walk away to deal with the rest of dinner.
Been at this 4.5 years and amazing results. 2 circulators, one 18qt tub & one 44qt cooler. Latest craze is 30 day dry aged beeef tongue. Cooked 170/24 with simle seasonings... Unbelievable...
Anywhere from shrimp/lobster to full racks of pork ribs... 😍😍😍😍😍😍
I learned so much. Forgive those with negative comments. If they went to you for information then they were learners. If they toot they know so much...WHY? are they looking to you for advice. I have not commented before but I am getting tired of the perfect chefs criticizing your video. Thank you for your time and sharing your expertise!!!! God bless!
I use a food saver and I have no issues with it. There are two things you can do to mitigate deforming, the best method is to put your protein in the freezer for 45-60 minutes prior to sealing. This prevents juice from entering your foodsaver and also allows the protein to hold its shape during sealing.
If you do not have time to do this, use the foodsaver as normal, but manually stop the sealing process prior to the meat deforming.
Good advice, it’s what I do. With my freezer about 15 minutes enough for small amounts.
I'm brand new to sous vide. It just came today but I wanted to arm myself with knowledge before possibly wrecking an expensive cut off protein so here I am.
I have used a Foodsaver for years and years and was concerned when Helen said Foodsaver were less than ideal...and I have a LOT of beef cuts vac sealed! Thank you for providing me/us with the benefit of your trial and error lessons-learned. I'm confident you just saved me from wasting expensive cuts of beef while learning and most likely embarrasing myself when I cook for guests when trying to show off my new sous vide cooking 'skills'.
@@gregoryking9348 I too am new to sous vide (I believe i have done a total of six cooks to date). There are two problems with the Foodsaver (and clones): the bags are expensive, and you cannot vacuum seal liquids. The solution is an expensive one, buy a chamber vacuum sealer. The bags are a nickel each and sealing liquids for marinade is no problem at all because prior to sealing, the environment is a vacuum, not just the bag. The problem is the price. Vacuum sealers start around $300 for chinese cheapies, and around $600 for name brands. I absolutely love my Avid Armor unit. Sadly, it will take a miracle for me to recoup the $600 I spent on it.
Millard Mier and
@@millardiii there are tricks to dealing liquids in food saver bags.
I freeze the liquids first in shallow square containers then vacpacking the square of frozen liquids. No more fussy than prepping other things. But I love to cook and I don't mind doing weird fussy stuff to produce an outstanding meal for my hubby.
I just got my sous vide machine yesterday in middle of power outages lol but our power came back today and once im done cleaning the fridge out from left over stuff I will be getting several things to try.
I'm even going to can pickles with it. Its going to be great for pasteurization canning pickles. No more limp whimsy shelf stable pickles.
I have been Sous Viding for 6 years. I have tried flame thrower, griddle and pan searing techniques.. Helen's cooling process is brilliant.
I am new to it. I find the cooling step a bit discouraging. It is already a long process and having to add another one bothers me a bit. Oh well, we’ll see.
Skip the history lesson, 5:00 starts the food prep aspects
But then come back and watch later; it's good!
Thanks!
Thanks for the tip. I usually forward all the blah anyway until I get to the main vid.
Thank you!
i literally scrolled in hope someone added a skip timer
I've been using Sous Vide multiple times a week for the last five years and found a lot of useful information in this video! Thank you very much!
Really great video. I have been cooking Sous-Vide long before the stick units came to market. I had to invent many of the techniques you are giving people here. I do the same as you, I buy all my meats on the weekend, sous vide them all and store the bags in the fridge. I have generally not however found the need to re-warm them in the water bath unless they are unusually thick. On a weeknight I remove the bag for dinner about an hour before dinner and place it on the counter to come to room temperature before searing. I find that the heat gained from searing makes the inside warm enough from room temperature. I'm usually adding a piping hot sauce as well. Also, the best solution for searing is to use induction with cast iron. A real induction range (if you can afford it) is an absolute game changer (I can boil water for pasta in two minutes on mine). However, even a little $50 induction plate with cast iron outperforms my commercial Viking gas stove for searing sous-vide meats. Max the power just before adding the meat then turn it back down (usually) after a few seconds. The difference is there is almost no loss of temp in the pan compared to gas or electric which take time to recover after adding the relatively cold meat.
I was thinking about using an induction stove [I have a portable one!] I have been torching my steaks but I want to do butter basting.
@@salamshalom Yes, the induction (with cast iron in particular) has the power to take care of the sear. now you can focus on basting. Butter, garlic, herbs... add towards the end and cut the heat way down so they don't burn. adds flavor and helps fill any "gaps" in the sear. Just keep in mind that the basting does cook the meat more than non-basting. It's almost like popping the meat in the oven after a sear so plan accordingly. Yay food!
This video is great! I just bought the Anova as a gift for my dad's 70th. Sous vide seventy! After this video, I want to try it on Moose and Squirrel, though, for some reason. 🤔
My husband bought me the “big awkward” Sous Vide Supreme when it first came out and it is still awesome. It stores easily and I love it. I also use my Foodsaver and have no issues with deformation. Simply hit the seal button before the vacuum deforms the item. I did find useful information in the video.
I use the "Pulse" function on my Foodsaver to get exactly the amount of vacuum desired.
In addition to the fact that I always learn something from Helen, the sound of her voice is truly mesmerizing.
Thanks Helen. My steak experience reached a whole new level. My first sous vide experience was a nightmare due to beginner mistakes. Then it the magic happened. What I learnt is: trust the advice from others and don't try to take shortcuts or make adjustments based on silly assumptions
Very engagng and the imformation was presented at a comfortable pace so I never felt rushed or like was falling behind. But I decided this is not for me. Merci, Helen. Brava!
Folding the Ziplock seams over to keep them clean : excellent tip!
I've never wished I lived in Boston...until you. I'd take your class in a heartbeat. I can't believe Food Network hasn't offered you a contract.
Are you kidding? They are way to busy with their senseless game shows
And I just bought one of those vacuum sealers too... My mind is still a bit blown by your method of just easing the bag in the water with the zip open. So much cheaper and less hassle.
Thank you for the tips! :)
Chamber sealers are really easy to use and almost completely eliminate the possibility of leakage (you need to be careful with meats with sharp bone edges). But as Helen pointed out, they are generally quite expensive. The Foodmaster sealers are a real pain to use. My Vacmaster is super-easy.
Just proves that sous vide does not rely on vacuum sealing, but on being able to heat all the way around an item.
I finally broke down and got one. Everyone is advocating and it’s not that expensive these days. I’ve been a big fan of reverse searing for years already so it wasn’t a big jump. Really good job on pork chops and steak. Excellent for chicken breasts. I have to say It’s worth the price for fish and seafood alone. We love haddock and have it often. It’s really easy to get perfect sous vide results every time. Ditto for shrimp. I love it!
For a begginer, such as I, your video is exremely helpful and easy to comprehend. Thank you. You must be a good teacher
The amount of information in this 15 minute video is hard to believe. As an amateur sous vide user I will rewatch this video several more times and save it for future reference [with Raindrop extension btw].
This woman has the spirit of a teacher, the communication ability of a grand politician [that's a compliment], the knowledge and skill of a great chef and some chemistry, she speaks multiple languages, has a wonderful accent, AND she's pretty too? It's definitely underrated.
Some of this is only opinion, but it's very informed opinion. I've been sous-vide cooking for years and I find her suggestions spot-on!
I don't know why I've never commented but now I have. Your channel is amazing. I love your teaching style.
I love that you were using a beer cooler. That's what I started using when I first started doing sous vide and still use today, even though I got an Anova Sous Vide. I just cut a hole in the top and put the food in the cooler with my Anova sticking out of the top, instead of using a Lexan, which definitely is wasting heat (energy).
I did the same thing for the same reasons! Great minds think alike ;) . On long cooks like 48 hours it becomes very energy efficient.
@@GrzegorzDurda I've done some things at 24 hours but find it risky (you can end up with mush) and tend to cut back to 18. What are you doing for 48 that survives?
@@dacash8195 Brisket.
@@GrzegorzDurda I shall need to experiment. But I will catch some shade from my smoker owning friends.
@@dacash8195 You can easily then throw it on the smoker also 😁.
I love listening to this woman. Not so much for the content of what she’s saying but for the way she says it. If I were around her I’d be constantly pointing at things and asking her to say what it is.
You are DELIGHTFUL!! Your voice sounds like a smile on the inside. Thanks for all the info!
Out of all of the videos I've seen describing the sous vide method, this was the most informative explanation in the use and methods of the machine.
Awesome video! Thank you for clear instructions and all the tips and tricks.
Just discovered your sous vide videos, Helen, after watching many others by various supposed "experts", even pro chefs...and yours are the best, "by more than a mile". Thanks, so much!
Yes your right.
Excellent and without pretense, as always. She is unmatched in merit for advice.
This is really an excellent and professional explanation of how to use a sous vide. Thank you very much dear Helen!!!
Excellent descriptions of how to tackle the common issues facing most of us newcomers to the sous vide method. Thank you!!
I'm not even half way done watching this and found more useful info in six minutes than most other videos of many hours. Good job!
100% agree. Been a huge sous vide user for the past 2 years now and loved stumbling upon this. I wish I had seen this day 1.
I just Sous-Vide 2 cuts of filet mignon tonight for my wife and I and they turned out perfect! Game changer.
Funny, I started watching Helen's video because I thought my meat was really under done but it looked just like the meat in the video and I could cut it with a fork. This was my very first time cooking sous vide with my Anova!
Love my Sous-Vide. I've used it to temper and hold chocolate for deserts too
I have had my Anova for 2 years. I put my 12 quart plastic container on a wood cutting board on my granite counter top.
Thank you for the technique of exactly how to put the food into the sous vide. Awesome!
Food saver works great for the home cook. And one tip I learned from culinary school is that you really just need to add a little oil or spices. A little goes a long way with Sous vide
Cold butter works really well because the vacuum sealer won't suck the oil out of the bag like it does with oil.
I found your video after my first time using sous vide, and also first time cooking steak using ATK’s recipe. My roommate, bought 2 T-bone steaks that were about 1” thick, and deboned them. After sous vide, the pan searing took longer than ATK said it would. Then the fennel, Dijon mustard & tarragon pan sauce took longer, too. By the time the sauce was done, the steaks were cool. The best part was the sauce, which had umami that I loved. Next time, I’m going to use your tips.
Most honest Sous Vide video I've watched. Very informative . Thank You!
Fantastic advise. I am new to Sous Vide and have run into all air these problems so far. Great solutions.
I just received a sous vide for Father’s Day and really liked your video. Great information.
Father's day 2020 gift for myself just purchased! How has it been?
Wow!!! No wasted words, direct to the point. She must be a professional announcer or actress. Come-on, nobody does this on RUclips!!!!
In the famous words of Arnold, "I'll be back."
Liked and subscribed. If you have a good saver but want to preserve the shape try putting the meat in the freezer in the bag for it to firm up before vacuuming the meat. This also works if your meat is wet/juicy or with a marinade. Pre freeze then vacuum. Then sous vide accordingly and just add 30 mins to the cooking time.
This is true. The vacuum sealer I have has such a powerful vacuum that it sucks any loose juices or marinade out of the end of the bag. This makes a sloppy mess on the inside of the vacuum sealer, and the bag won't seal because of the grease on the inside of the bag where it is supposed to be melted together. Better to skip marinades, add some dry herbs to the bag, and chill meat like you said before vacuuming and sealing. If people are reading this without ever having done sous vide before, it's a whole lot simpler in real life than it might seem on RUclips.
I just got my sous vide cooker. My wife doesn't eat beef and hates the smell of it cooking. This type of cooking has solved that problem, especially now that it is winter. I don't need that finished crust, so it comes out of the bag and straight to my plate to consume. She loves the house, not stinking, and I love being able to eat a perfect medium rare steak. I can not wait to crust it on my Weber grill come spring.
I was having trouble giving the meat a nice roasted flavor to the sous vide meat, so I really like the idea of cooling it first. I'll definitely try it out.
Helen - Great advice. But have you ever tried 1) drying the meat with the paper towel, 2) torching it, and 3) and ONLY then hit the sear pan with butter. I use a cheap hardware store propane (plumbers) torch - not the dainty torches you get at a cooking item store. That torch addresses the really high temp you need to get to get an initial crust on the meat without any real cooking occurring. Then go to the skillet (I also have a wok burner and wok that does a great sear, but of course most folks wont have that kind of BTUs).
It's been talked about by both Kenji at Serious Eats and tested by Sous Vide Everything here on youtube and both agree that adding fats to the sous vide bag before the bath like oil or butter dilute the flavor. A lot of the seasonings and flavors are fat soluble and by adding oils or butter, you're taking flavor away from the meat.
Some types of protein can taste great because of the oil, most of them don't.
Okay 65 588
100%
It's one of those things that's a personal thing. Try it in the bag or not and see what you like best.
@@jenab8218 Not only that but I believe the cut of meat plays a large part too. Like the original commenter said, channels like Sous Vide Everything say to leave the butter out but they did some ribeye cap steaks and the steak cooked with butter in the bag was the best. But yes, There are no hard rules in cooking. All personal preference.
Great information and I think I could listen to you speak all day!
I've had really good results with my sous vide already, but these tips I think will help me take it to the next level. Thanks for a great video.
1st mistake is Sous-vide, I'll stick to a reverse sear. Love your channel :)
I watched this to learn things and I learned many things. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I think you did an excellent job teaching.
I use mine as an efficient dishwasher. Works shockingly well, I set it to 160°, fill the sink with water, dirty dishes, and dawn. Then let it do its thing. Dishes are clean in about an hour. Just drain and rinse.
All good information.
1. The immersion heaters are better at holding temperatures so the tap water gets a boost of boiling water to bring it up to temp.
2. A cheap Styrofoam cooler works well to help hold temp.
3. Can taste propane type torches. Put a little charcoal braisier with about four lumps of natural no lighter. Best for sear.
4. All protein.
There are 2 solutions for using a torch; technique (45% angle and such), or Searzall. A lot of us are in apartments that would store carbon monoxide from charcoal.
To use a Foodsaver with liquid and marinades, use a Gripstik (Bag sealer clip stick as is used to seal bags of chips) press out the air first, then stop the vacuum when the liquid pulls. Also for long cooks, it is best to have a covered container to prevent evaporation. I put a towel around the container to make the temperature more uniform and save energy.
How much more energy are you going to save after using sous vide?
Fyi, i have found most resealable freezer bags tend to leak a little when cooking above 65C (149f) or 70C (158f). It appears the seams are the weak point and the heat tends to re-melt the seams. From my own experience, Lacy’s, Reynold, Glad and Diamond tend to fail around 65C. Waitrose bags can reach 70C more consistently. Surprisingly, my local supermarket doesn’t stock Ziploc, so I haven’t tested them.
Hi, your comment is two years old, and you may have solved the problem already, but if not: I had the same experience and therefore started to seal the bags twice separated by a centimeter or two in each end. It is probably moist that makes the first seal a little weak. Double sealing works really well.
Sous vide is not only for proteins but does a spectacular job with vegetables too.
I've been using an Anova for a couple of years now and love it. Then my wife got me a Mellow. I'd never spend that much money myself, but we use in much more often than we used the Anova. It has a built in, double wall vertical tank so it only takes up about as much counter top space as a loaf of bread and what's always on the counter tends to get used more than something you have to set up each time. It has a cooling element, so it can keep food at refrigerator temperature temperature at the start of the day and be set for what time you want your dish to be ready and take care of the temperature and timing for you. A gallon size freezer bag can stand upright in it and just needs to have the very top folded over or cut off, it doesn't need to be sealed as the water keeps the air pushed out and the top of the bag stays out of the water. The double wall and lid makes multi day cooking of something like bottom round much easier. The downsides for me is it has no controls or indicators; it can only be controlled by an app, it tends to randomly detect weight and starts itself up( I like gadgets, so a wifi enabled switch not only took care of that but also tracks the power usage), it uses air bubbles to circulate the water so it sounds like a rather large aquarium, and the small tank size only works for about 4 servings.
Thank you so much for telling me about Mellow. I always thought it would be so awesome if there was a sous-vide machine with refrigeration for working people. Good to know that it exists :)
I love this woman and her videos! Teacher par exellance!
Just discovered sous vide. This was wicked informative.
Loved this video! You are so easy to listen to! You touched on all of my questions and concerns with regard to the sous vide method.
There are so many variables in cooking that I grimace at the negative comments. For instance, I use my Food Saver and you use the ziplock freezer bags, and both are fine options. Thanks for the great video and some new options to try!
definately the best sous vide videos i found on all of youtube.
Helen, thank you so much! Old cook but new to sous vide. Gonna cook a ribeye tonight. I live in the Pacific NW now and I've cooked some fish etc., but your video makes me excited. Thanks!
I sous vide a thick beef shoulder cut for two days and then grilled it for about 7 minutes ....it came out great ! like butter and the crust on the outside . ....olive oil , rosemary , garlic , salt pepper ....the best
I have a similar setup, except that I have a cover over my container with a hole cut in a corner that fits around the heater when it's installed. This provides a better temperature control and it will heat up faster.
I love your marinade recipe, I'm obsessed with pomegranate molasses now. Thanks so much!
Yes, I discovered pomegranate molasses a year ago and it is a wonderful ingredient to cook with! Also great with tacos and salads
Mesmerized by your accent!😊
I will guess.... and I really have not looked her up, so I am probably wrong.
My guess is either Hungary or Romania ?????
I just looked her up, and yes I was wrong (darnnit). She is from Москва, Moscow Russia.
I was way-off.....l0l.
Thanks for the cooling-before-searing method. I always struggled with the searing step.
I own the same Anova model as you and have been enjoying this cooking method for 2 years now. Not all our friends like their steak or salmon to the same degree of "doneness" but I enjoy the flexibility of starting a few steaks off at a higher temperature then lowering it to accommodate pieces I add later. I just use a Sharpie and put names on the plastic bag to keep track.
Thank you for your "searing" guidance!!This will help!
great idea to put people's names on steaks :)
I put a different colored glass marble in each bag. I hate the smell of sharpie.
Thank you for that! Excellent idea all around- no pun intended!
where did you find instructions for for cooking several steaks at different "doneness"?
Hi Nora: It just seemed logical to me and we often have friends over that like their steaks well done and rare. I tried it several times and it works well, starting with the piece of steak that required the greatest heat and longer (relatively) cooking period; then adding cold water to drop the bath temperature quickly so I could just add the steaks that were medium rare or rare. I don't have to worry about overdoing the better done pieces of meat added first because the cooler water bath doesn't cook them any more- except for time. It also allowed me to finish up crusting all the steaks together while they were still warm inside. I noticed on the ChefSteps site that there is quite a lot of variable time for each degree of doneness. For example well done steak could be on for 1 to 2 hours at 158 degrees so if I dropped the bath temp quickly after the well done steak was in for an hour, the medium rare steak would be done within an hour and the well-done one would not be in the water any longer than 2 hours.
This lady is excellent, I always learn something from her!
Omg what a great video! I love the way you describe things, and you're just no-nonsense. I am all about technique at home, and videos like yours are fantastic. I think you're adorable and fun to listen to. Thank you! Xo
This is what I needed to see. I ruined my steaks and made them super dry because I didn't cool the meat after sous vide. I think next time I get better results. Thank you!
Great video. I been using my Anova for two years now. I got my first one from the Apple Store. I have three now.
I going to try your chill method next time. I was eating a Steak I just finished while I watched this.
I prevent my Bags for touching to bottom of my tub by placing a Stainless steel cooling rack in it. Since I vacuum seal mine I even used a stacking rack to do two levels.
I cooked for our office anniversary lunch. I did 20 steaks at once with my Anovas (3 Tubs).
can I come work at your office ;) those are some lucky people if you cook them steaks for an office party.
Nice job on the instructions. With the different types of oil, and their different smoke point, I was looking for you to throw down the top three oils you sear with.
Great coverage on sous vide! Love the history and cooking techniques knowledge. Great informational video.
I got the Anova as a gift and It's the best gadget I own
Also... I love the sous vide for cooking various types of meats and seasonings (I call it Brazilian rodízio style) in the same bath and searing and searing/serving them perfectly in a matter of minutes. Guests usually love the entertaining component of trying different meats all perfectly done (and hot) w/o having to be running around and making them while some of the pieces that are done are getting cold! I do have a pretty mean coal searing station which helps address the crust component. So just play around and you will figure out how to make it right for you!!
In commercial kitchens, steaks are seared in large batches in an open front oven known as a Salamander. For banquets, we do large numbers of steaks to each doneness, then sear on trays and top with a puck of flavored butter *usually shallot butter.
This video was extremely helpful - thank you!
i do find for beef the torches that have the stuff to maintain a bit of distance like the grill gun and what not or the knockoffs you don't get the propane taste when torching the meat. now if you are using one of the little torches or the usual utility torches its really easy to get to close and get propane taste but the specialized for cooking ones are pretty good.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. So far I enjoy my Sous Vide but I can’t wait to go from good to great with your help.
My Ninja Foodi broke and my warranty got me a new one and the new one came with sous vide option and never heard of that and now can't wait to use that feature🤗
45 minutes in 57 C (135 F) makes for a perfect cut of veal. Searing? Ignore what she said, you want the meat warm for immediate consumption. ½ minute on both sides in a smoking hot skillet oiled with butter and rapeseed oil and you have beautiful caramelization and it's just enough to kick in the Maillard reaction, all the while keeping the internal temperature.
Why 57 C? It's the optimal temperature for all veal and beef, due to protein denaturation being at a gentle pace there, but at the same time activating collagenase enzymes to decompose protein structure.
At lower than 50 C/122 F temperatures, the tenderness is great, but the meat gets an unpleasant taste.
At over 65C/150F the toughness increases, because protein aggregation becomes greater increasing the elastic modulus.
at 55-60 C/131-140 F is ideal, because sarcoplasmic proteins aggregate and gel at a perfect rate there, while most enzymes have denatured (been destroyed by heat) some collagenases still function, increasing tenderness. 57C/135F is, by virtue of enzyme activity, the perfect temperature for any red meat. In it, almost all enzymes contributing to foul taste have been denatured, while the collagenases Calpain and Cathepsin are at peak activity, thus reducing necessary cooking time. 2 hours at that temperature and your meat will be falling apart in your hands.
- Friendly RUclips Chemist
WTF is "rapeseed oil"??
@@Stop_Gooning oil made from the rape plant, a yellow flowered oil plant. Sometimes known for the Canadian company that makes oil from them, "Canola".
teutonieth what does a friendly RUclips chemist say to the potential health hazards resulting from eating food that has been in contact with warm plastic for an hour or more?
@@Finn959 if you use BPA free plastic you have nothing to worry about. Many companies make high temperature plastic bags specifically for use with a Sous Vide
yup. many plastics are thermotolerant, especially those which are for vaccuum packing. they don't release much in the way of microplastics, though some small amount will almost always remain behind.
The quantities are much, much lower than plastics which do break up in hot conditions.
I have a pair of heat guns I use for searing, pretty fast mostly and very practical. Use butter instead of oil. Reduce power cost of longer runs by wrapping a towel around the container. I guess if you use oil you could use a bag clip to stop it from sucking oil into the machine. I have also found today that warm aging at 38C and 49C for about 4 hours (3 hours at 38, one at 49) leads to a much nicer steak, better colour, better texture, faster browning with sear.
The Sous Vide Everything channel has solved the anemic browning problem.
1) Pat the meat dry after removing it from the bag. This is really important
2) Don't use a pan to sear. There are better tools. The Searz-All is purpose-built for this. A weed-burning propane landscaper's torch works even better. So does an electric heat gun. All give a vigorous Maillard reaction.
3) The key with any kind of torch is how you use it. For the Searz-All it isn't a problem. For other propane torches just keep the meat in the invisible part of the flame where combustion is complete. The mistake novices make is holding it right up to the sooty blue part of the flame. If you have a heat gun there are no hydrocarbons and no "torched" taste.
4) The cooling or the more extreme cryo-cooling results in cold meat with no appreciable increase in crust quality. Just let it rest for a minute or two like you would an cut of meat to relax the fibers, pat dry and sear.
Been using Food Savers since before they were generally used for sous vide. Never had the vacuum "deform" the food, nor do they prevent you from adding oil. If it did the vacuum chambers restaurants use would do exactly the same thing. I am afraid you are talking complete nonsense here.
The book "Cooking for Geeks" has an excellent mod to turn a crockpost into a temperature-controlled water bath. A circulator is better for sous vide, of course, but I still have mine and use it for making cheese and yogurt. It didn't take serious engineering skills just a few inexpensive parts (cable, thermocouple, PID controller, high-speed switch, tape or soldering iron) and 20 minutes.
You can cut about half the price off the sous vide vessel by going to a restaurant supply store and buying a polycarbonate container. The "specially designed" vessels are the same product off the same assembly line. To minimize water loss - especially important for tough cuts which take many hours to cook - just get a matching lid and cut out a slot to accommodate the circulator or spend more money and buy a lid someone else has cut. That brings up another point. Most cuts of meat do not take "an hour" at a single temperature. It depends very much on the cut. A tender filet doesn't take much time. Chuck can take a day or even two. 50C will yield a rare steak, 70C well-done.
have you ever tried vacuum sealing delicate fish. in my experiments, zip locks produce way better results. thanks for the tips on torches.
Yes, I have. I've been doing this since the days of lab circulators.
The problem is that an unqualified statement "They're useless because they deform the food" it leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation. Right out of the gate the many kinds of food from asparagus (don't ask) to steak that work just fine with a home vacuum sealer make one skeptical of what comes after. I would certainly use water displacement for thin slices of fragile food. The equipment will work, but it takes more care and experience than a once-in-a-while user might have. Again, the blanket statement leaves an incorrect impression about the huge number of foods for which it is incorrect.
A recent development may address some of your concerns. My old Food Saver and Rival vacuum sealers just gave up after many years of yeoman service. I got a newer Food Saver V3250. It offers the choice between a regular and gentle cycle and one for dry vs. moist foods specifically for things like fish or added liquid. These seem to be becoming standard among the good brands.
You are an educated good fellow, you know Cooking for Geeks and you did your ulterior research, explaining it in a well mannered language. Here, have my internet for today :)
AMAZING video!! I can't wait to try the fridge or ice bath cooling to get better skin. I was frustrated that I couldn't get the skin just right and now I know why.
Thank you.
The neoprene insulating cover (Big Koozie for SV pots) makes a huge difference for your SV vessel.
I have one and it works great.
For big cuts of meat (whole brisket) I used an old cooler with broken hinges etc., cut a hole in the top and let it go.
I find it easier to fill a large stock pot with water, put it on the stove and in 10 minutes the water is at 140 or so and can get SV cook up and running quickly.
Still working on chicken wings technique, lil rubbery. Ribs take a long time too, put em in at night and finish next day
SV Tri-Tip was very easy and amazing, Brisket took 45 hours in bath.
I don't eat duck (old joke: what's the worst part of a successful day duck hunting?...you end up with Ducks!) so I'm not worried about crispy skin but will apply to chicken .
Thank you for all the great info
YES! Ive never seen anyone else mention cooling. I put a thick steak in the freezer on a raised cooking cooling sheet. After 15 minutes it looks like the outside of dry aged meat and takes a hard sear.
Excellent video. A word of caution though -- one shouldn't leave your bath vessel in the sink because at higher temperatures it can actually melt the putty used to seal your drain pipe to your sink, resulting in a leak beneath your sink next time you use it. If you want to keep the pot/plastic container in the sink then should put suitable trivets under it.
thanks so much for this warning. I've never encountered this issues, but I normally use my water bath at temperatures less than 141F. Will put a trivet underneath next time :)
Spoken like a plumber!
would you happen to know what temperatures would potentially be too high?
The temperature range that could cause damage to a drain sadly depends on what product is actually used to seal the sink. Sous vide temps can be high enough to possibly soften some putties (And some really bad products can even start to shift from full temp domestic hot water, so if your hardware store offers a brand name vs something you've never seen before for half the price, maybe don't save a few bucks?) but they should firm up again without any ill effect if you're not also putting water pressure on the seal while it is soft.
That said, just slipping a small wire rack under your water bath should remove any of the minimal risk, and also allow you to dump liquids down the drain beside your water bath if it doesn't take up the whole sink.
Also, wrapping a bit of paper towel around your sink drain pipes and remembering to check them once a month can let you spot water damage while it is cheap to repair rather than not noticing till you have an expensive reno on your hands.
Thank you so much! This is very helpful.
Adorable, beautiful, articulate, smart, and very knowledgeable.
СПАСИБА болшое, красота. 🇷🇺 ❤
I find that the water bath cooling method tends to cause some of the juices to coagulate on the outside of the meat, which isn't exactly appetizing or easy to remove. Taking the meat out and putting it in the fridge like you recommend works a lot better.
👍 Danke fürs Hochladen!
👍 Thanks for uploading!
👍 Very good and beautiful, thank you!
👍 Sehr gut und schön, danke!
Nicely done.! I would have liked to see a little more picts of finished product but very well done just any way.
You are wonderful to listen to. Thank you for this video. This is what I call, fun learning. Do you have a food safety guide on the cooking times? The numbers I find are all over the place. 131 - 115 for 2 hours - 48 hours. When do the harmful bacteria become safe to eat?
Thanks for some really great tips! Your technique videos are so helpful.
Have been Sous-Vide cooking for about a year now and love it, looking forward to trying these methods to bring it to the next level!
What next level?