Posted on 03/05/2022 9:28:29 AM PST by PJ-Comix
I've been hearing about it but I finally got a sous vide. Inexpensive since I don't need all the bells and whistles such as pairing with my phone so I can operate it remotely which I don't understand since I have to be there to place the vacuum sealed meat in the container.
Here is my first attempt at using the sous vide in which I cook corned beef. I had a few minor rough patches which almost inevitably happens when you use a new piece of equipment. After a couple of tries I got the timer set right and I learned NOT to low tech vacuum seal the zip lock bag while bending over the container on the floor since it could cause back pain. In the future I will be performing that task standing upright at the sink. Also I will clip the top of the bag to the side of the container and weight the bag down with small weights such as coins so as to keep the bag under water instead of crudely weighting it down with a wrench and a screwdriver as I did in this video.
Oh, and despite repeatedly saying "lettuce" I used cabbage along with carrots and red potatoes to go with the corned beef.
PING!
I love the sous vide.. I haven’t used it in a while though. Corned beef sounds like a great way to use it again.
I got my corned beef this week, I’ve got 3 meals planned, traditional corned beef and cabbage, Reuben sandwiches, and corned beef hash on the black
stone griddle with eggs over easy on top, no sous vide but totally low and slow
We use our SV for all roasts and thick steaks or chops quite frequently. Combined with a very hot grill or pan finish, we get restaurant quality meats that are prepared nearly effortlessly!
I highly recommend this method of cooking. However it’s not as effective on poultry for some reason.
Not as effective on poultry? How about on turkey?
Normally if you squeeze all thd air out the bag wont float. Maybe be iceberg like though. I dont worry about small amount since the heat rising up to that small area is still cooking.
You’re making me hungry. Love corned beef and cabbage. Along with homemade bread and a cold one.
I checked and the corned beef floats even when not in the bag. However, it only takes a small bit of weight to do the trick I believe so the next time I will just toss some coins in and clip the top of the bag to the top of the container. That should keep the corned beef under the surface.
I have been using SV for a while, and love it.
I have no problems with poultry; if it’s bone-in it just takes longer.
Last Thanksgiving I cold smoked some Turkey thighs, popped them in a vacuum sealed Sous Vide bag (along with some thyme and duck fat) overnight and finished them on the grill.
Yum.
And leftovers made some really awesome, savory Turkey soup.
Never thought of corned beef hash though!
Yeah, I think sour dough bread would go good with it so that is what I will pick up this week.
Are you just using a regular pot? If so you can put a towel around the outside as a way to insulate and save some kwh’s.
Buy a stainless steel rack to drop into the pot and use to hold up cuts of meat like steak and keep the bags off the bottom to get good circulation.
PJ:
I’ve been doing SV for a while. Some tips…
1) Put it on a counter! Or in a sink! But you know that now.
2) Use a deep pot. Your plastic container looks a bit shallow. No need to cover, if you care to just use aluminum foil.
3) Consider a vacuum sealer. The money you’ll spend on that will be made up by the food you save using it for leftovers. And when you seal leftovers guess what does a great job heating them up? That’s right, the Sous Vide. Even if you pop the bag in straight out of the freezer.
Corned beef TRIPLED in price! I’m going to be away for St.Paddy’s day, but when I get back, I’m corning my own brisket. It’s about half the cost of buying it premade and it’s way better.
Sous vide makes a great leg-of-lamb. I use a cooler for the container to help with heat loss, and a couple of cookie sheets across the top to slow evaporation. I like that you can’t overcook with it.
Corned beef hasn’t gone on sale here yet. I wonder what they are waiting for...
“what does a great job heating them up? That’s right, the Sous Vide. “
That’s the beauty of using sv to reheat things like steak. It doesn’t cook more, your medium rare piece does not go to well done.
When I was a kid, before microwave ovens were affordable and ubiquitous in the average kitchen, we used to get frozen single serving meals packaged in “boil-in” bags.
Isn’t Sous Vide just a glorified version of boil-in bags?
(Please read my tagline before flaming...)
"I highly recommend this method of cooking. However it’s not as effective on poultry for some reason."
I'm a huge fan of sous vide -- use it multiple times a week for proteins and other things, like 'hard boiled' eggs, dried chickpeas. Or cubed potatoes for potato salad - no boiling necessary. Heck, you can even make dulce de leche right in the can (sweetened condensed milk)
I use it for chicken quite often. What's nice is, you can prepare poultry so that you know it's been pasteurized and safe to eat without taking it to the 165 degree mark recommended for conventional ways of cooking. You can cook the chicken, then give it a sear for eating as-is, or you can cook it for use cut-up in another dish.
Sometimes, I'll cook a breast, then egg wash, flour and use a coating mix and throw it in the air fryer. You just need to cook it long enough so that the coating is done the way you like it. The chicken is already hot and cooked properly, so there's no worry about trying to hit that 165 in the center.
I like Greek chicken salad, so I'll cook my marinate & cook the chicken breast, then cut it up, add additional seasoning and throw it in a very hot cast iron pan to give the outside a sear/char. Only takes a couple of minutes and there's no danger of it being under-cooked if you take it out too soon, or hard and dry because you were afraid it wasn't done.
Did a 2" pork chop last night at 140 for 90 minutes. Just a hint of pink inside, very moist and tender.
My favorite use of a sous vide is on a thick fish steak. I love Chilean sea bass (although I can’t afford that often). Imagine a 3” thick sea bass steak, perfectly white and cooked to perfection. The best part of that is it frees time to concentrate on an excellent sauce. Since SV can hold a temperature all the guess work about timing the completion of the fish, a sauce and sides is reduced. It is easier to hold the temp on the fish than a sauce or veggies. I don’t like soggy veggies. Add to that, when I entertain family and friends don’t want to be a slave in the kitchen. SV gives time to do other things than just cook.
Yes, sous vide is a modern version of the boil-in-bags with better ingredients
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