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NFT: Any Sous Vide experts?

26.2 : 8/16/2018 1:00 pm
So I just got one of these things and am looking up stuff online and there is a ton of recipes and tips, but I thought I'd ask here too. I'm going to break it in this weekend so what would be a good item to cook for a first timer? Any other tips/recipes/advice would be great.
Lots of good info  
RinR : 8/16/2018 1:08 pm : link
here
Link - ( New Window )
I'm sure the obvious answer is steak  
Bill L : 8/16/2018 1:32 pm : link
But for me, I would pick something that seems simple but which you don't like to eat often because it's generally too dry or often over-cooked. For me, that would be chicken breast, pork chops, or even salmon. Look on line for temperature ranges and choose something at the lower end (maybe not the extreme low end because you're likely not ready yet for pink pork or even pink-tinged chicken (both safe to eat with SV if you cook them for an hour or two). The try it and see if you see a texture or moistness that you don't generally capture with dry heat.
Personally, I find SV to be particularly powerful  
Bill L : 8/16/2018 1:32 pm : link
for salmon.
Two of my favorites - shrimp and eggs  
jcn56 : 8/16/2018 1:35 pm : link
I only make shrimp cocktail via SV now. It's foolproof, and the results are great.

Same with poached eggs. In both cases, you can certainly do it without SV, but in terms of consistency and ease, it's hard to beat SV.
63 degree eggs. You can crack it open on anything and elevate it.  
Jim in Hoboken : 8/16/2018 1:49 pm : link
Ramen, roasted potatoes, any types of bruschetta, roasted/steamed veggies. Anything.
RE: 63 degree eggs. You can crack it open on anything and elevate it.  
jcn56 : 8/16/2018 2:09 pm : link
In comment 14040706 Jim in Hoboken said:
Quote:
Ramen, roasted potatoes, any types of bruschetta, roasted/steamed veggies. Anything.


I go with medium boiled and marinate for ramen, and they're amazing. I agree with your post though, there's a ton of stuff that can benefit from the 63F egg (brick oven pizza with a freshly cracked 63F egg on top is especially kick ass).
https://ramenhero.com/blogs/news/how-to-cook-marinated-soft-boiled-egg - ( New Window )
Steak  
Existenz : 8/16/2018 2:10 pm : link
Get a nice thick cut, bone-in ribeye or something else you like and then finish it with high heat to sear on the grill or in a cast iron. My favorite now is thick pork chops. Serious Eats is a reall good source
Sous Vide 101 - ( New Window )
Best addition to my cooking tool belt since buying a smoker years ago  
J Dot1 : 8/16/2018 2:12 pm : link
Try a few filet mignons. Salt and pepper them. Throw them in the bag with a few fresh sprigs of rosemary and let the sous vide do its magic on 131 for an hour and a half.
Take them out and pan fry them in oil and butter as hot as you can on a cast iron if you have it (which you definitely should) for 30 seconds a side.
They'll look and smell amazing and you'll be able to cut through them with a fork.
*pan sear.  
J Dot1 : 8/16/2018 2:14 pm : link
and I second getting a nice thick cut
I would recommend steak for the first time  
Beer Man : 8/16/2018 3:01 pm : link
So that you can gauge how accurate you temperature control is. I like steaks medium-rare, set mine at 130 degrees for an hour, and they came out medium-well. So I have to turn down the temperature below 125 to get medium-rare.
Pork chops, pork loin, chicken breat  
T in NJ : 8/16/2018 7:05 pm : link
In addition to steak and shrimp, I would add pork chops, pork loin, and chicken breast.

Pork chops and pork loin are great cooked to 140°F for at least an hour. Salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs like rosemary are all you need. Give it a quick sear when done for a nice crust and dinner is ready.

Boneless chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper, or your favorite spice blend like adobo, and cooked to 150°F is breast right out of the bad on a salad or in a sandwich.

I’ve also like sous vide hamburgers. Cook to your desired doneness then seared is really good, very distinct texture differences.
RE: Two of my favorites - shrimp and eggs  
santacruzom : 8/16/2018 7:20 pm : link
In comment 14040691 jcn56 said:
Quote:
I only make shrimp cocktail via SV now. It's foolproof, and the results are great.



Yep, SV shrimp is excellent. I was on the fence about sous vide until I tried it on shrimp. I just get frozen jumbo shrimp from Costco and cook at 135 for 25 minutes. The texture and juiciness are flawless.
Agree..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 8/16/2018 9:14 pm : link
with those who say chicken breast.

The first time you sous vide chicken breast, you'll know exactly what the hype is about.

It will be so moist you might even question if it is fully cooked!
My regulars are  
Bill in UT : 8/16/2018 11:16 pm : link
steak, burgers, thick-cut pork chops,chicken thighs/skin on,bone/in and salmon (all of which get seared in cast iron) and boneless chicken breast and shrimp
RE: My regulars are  
Existenz : 8/16/2018 11:49 pm : link
In comment 14041235 Bill in UT said:
Quote:
steak, burgers, thick-cut pork chops,chicken thighs/skin on,bone/in and salmon (all of which get seared in cast iron) and boneless chicken breast and shrimp


burgers? interesting. I've seen a few sites mention doing burgers SV but I just never felt interested.... is it that good?
RE: Agree..  
jcn56 : 8/17/2018 1:57 am : link
In comment 14041157 FatMan in Charlotte said:
Quote:
with those who say chicken breast.

The first time you sous vide chicken breast, you'll know exactly what the hype is about.

It will be so moist you might even question if it is fully cooked!


Actually, this is one of the reasons I don't like SV chicken breast, and I'm not a huge fan of steak prepared that way either. The texture just isn't right to me. It's probably more learned behavior than anything else, but I'm almost conditioned to expect dry-ish chicken breast, so the SV texture almost seems wrong. No problem with pork chops, though.

Another thing I don't bother with re: SV - lamb. No matter how many times I've tried, and no matter how many different seasonings I've used, it just doesn't come out right.

I had a few black sea bass last weekend that I wanted to try (with an Asian base, some ginger, soy sauce and cilantro), but I turned them into cioppino instead. Maybe next catch.
RE: RE: My regulars are  
Bill in UT : 8/17/2018 11:40 am : link
In comment 14041246 Existenz said:
Quote:
In comment 14041235 Bill in UT said:


Quote:


steak, burgers, thick-cut pork chops,chicken thighs/skin on,bone/in and salmon (all of which get seared in cast iron) and boneless chicken breast and shrimp



burgers? interesting. I've seen a few sites mention doing burgers SV but I just never felt interested.... is it that good?


They'll delicious- juicy inside, crispy outside. With real thin burgers, though, I don't bother.
The burgers aren't for me  
santacruzom : 8/18/2018 2:55 pm : link
The concept of perfectly and evenly cooked burgers was why I bought the sous vide I the first place, but I much, much prefer grilled burgers.
RE: The burgers aren't for me  
Jim in Fairfax : 8/18/2018 6:40 pm : link
In comment 14042766 santacruzom said:
Quote:
The concept of perfectly and evenly cooked burgers was why I bought the sous vide I the first place, but I much, much prefer grilled burgers.

You don’t eat them straight out of the sous vide. You grill or pan fry them once they reach the desired temperature.
yeah, I do that  
santacruzom : 8/18/2018 7:55 pm : link
I've seared them on the skillet and with my torch. No matter what I do, sous vide burgers aren't as good as grilled in my opinion.
The burgers fall into the same category as the steak  
jcn56 : 8/19/2018 11:17 am : link
does for me - good when dealing with a bunch of them at a time for consistency's sake, but not as good as just outright grilling one.

If I have to make steaks for a bunch of people, and don't want to overcook any, then the SV comes to the rescue. I've also used it when I want to pre-prep weekday dinner for the kids. Can SV some steak, have it in the bag in the fridge ready for a quick sear if we have a busy night.
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