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I use it whenever I have an inch+ thick steak to cook. There is no better way to perfectly cook a steak. ATK recently did a segment on Sous Vide. I have not tried their method for eggs.
I do want to try other things in it, but seem to only use it for steaks.
I'll pop into this discussion and add MY experience. I own a large slow cooker, two Le Crueset's, one Anova Sous Vide and one Instant Pot. (I purchased a Ninja Foodi yesterday, but haven't received it). Obviously, I like kitchen toys.
Since I got the instant pot, I honestly can't remember the last time I used the slow cooker. I use the Le Crueset for certain soups (I don't like the IP for all soups). I used to use both FREQUENTLY, but now use the IP instead.
The Sous Vide is a different tool altogether. I know some people get addicted to the thing and use it all the time - for deserts, steaks, roasts, vegetables. Many things take advance planning if you want to use the SV - a roast can take 24-48 hours!
But there are certain things that I will ONLY do SV - pork tenderloin. Bone in chicken breasts that have been pre-seasoned and frozen with fresh herbs in the bag, ready to dump in to the water bath. Plain chicken breasts come out very moist with the SV. Our neighbors absolutely refuse to cook steak any other way, and did last years' christmas beef filet with them last year. (for 16 people - borrowed mine for rare, used theirs for medium rare. And they WERE beautiful.) I'm 'experimenting' and doing glazed baby carrots in the SV for one of my contributions to Turkey Day dinner.
No, you do not need special bags. Any good quality, freezer proof zip lock bag is fine. You can find tons of information on the web about how to manually get the air out.
My neighbor is a planner of her future meals, while I tend to decide that morning what will be for dinner. If she had to choose between the SV and the IP, she'd keep the SV. I'd keep the IP.
The cooking style and results of the SV are not at all like the IP or slow cooker. It's like comparing a hard boiled egg to scrambled. And if you aren't comfortable with a cast iron pan, or are unwilling to learn, don't bother with the SV. You'll never get the proper crust on the meat.
(PS - the annova nano is cheaper, but may not be a good choice. I've read it's like a mini-model. If you're gonna have one of these, get a good quality one because the thing may be running for 25-48 hours straight. The bluetooth and apps are useless and stupid. You might do well to look for one used on CL or Offer Up, etc. or find the discontinued model for $100-$120, which is a good price for it.)
My favorite site for SV instruction and recipes - Serious Eats.
Thanks for the input. I think I will wait on the SV for now. I am not waiting for up to days at a time for a single meal. The slow cooker is bad enough which is why I don't use it. I work full time, have weekends off and actually like other activities besides eating/cooking. I do love the IP though and my Air Fryer. I don't cook with the air fryer that much, I use it to re-heat all kinds of foods. It is MUCH better than the microwave for that.
I use it whenever I have an inch+ thick steak to cook. There is no better way to perfectly cook a steak. ATK recently did a segment on Sous Vide. I have not tried their method for eggs.
I do want to try other things in it, but seem to only use it for steaks.
I think I will wait on the SV or not get it at all. It seems that most use it for steaks.
If I buy a quality steak, it usually does not need to be tenderized.
The newest Instant Pot, the Duo Evo, has a sous vide cycle. You can't circulate the water, but apparently you can do some sort of sous vide in it. It might be interesting to give the cycle a spin.
I have a Joule sous vide, which I like for steaks (NY/strip and tenderloin), tri-tip, brisket, some pork cuts, chicken breasts (bone in or out), fish and the "Starbucks egg bites" I make at home. Sous vide is sort of the opposite of the Instant Pot - much slower than regular stove cooking, but the advantage is that the sous vide holds well. I can set a thick steak to cook at 130°, cook it for an hour and then leave it for 15-20 minutes after without a change in quality.
The Instant Pot I recently bought has a sous vide setting, but since it isn't a circulating system, I am not sure I trust it as much. I've tried the Starbucks egg bites recipe in the Instant Pot before and the texture tends toward rubbery, whereas it is silky smooth in the sous vide.
When I needed chicken breast for a recipe I used to just poach it, but the sous vide comes out better, more evenly cooked, and with a little more flavor.
I admit that the idea of cooking in plastic makes me feel somewhat leery, but every source I've read tends to say that the certain plastics are fine.
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I have a Joule sous vide, which I like for steaks (NY/strip and tenderloin), tri-tip, brisket, some pork cuts, chicken breasts (bone in or out), fish and the "Starbucks egg bites" I make at home. Sous vide is sort of the opposite of the Instant Pot - much slower than regular stove cooking, but the advantage is that the sous vide holds well. I can set a thick steak to cook at 130°, cook it for an hour and then leave it for 15-20 minutes after without a change in quality.
The Instant Pot I recently bought has a sous vide setting, but since it isn't a circulating system, I am not sure I trust it as much. I've tried the Starbucks egg bites recipe in the Instant Pot before and the texture tends toward rubbery, whereas it is silky smooth in the sous vide.
When I needed chicken breast for a recipe I used to just poach it, but the sous vide comes out better, more evenly cooked, and with a little more flavor.
I admit that the idea of cooking in plastic makes me feel somewhat leery, but every source I've read tends to say that the certain plastics are fine.
I’ve never done egg bites. I wonder if you had used low pressure to cook them if they might have turned iut with sifter texture? I steam hard cooked eggs on low pressure.
I’ve never done egg bites. I wonder if you had used low pressure to cook them if they might have turned iut with sifter texture? I steam hard cooked eggs on low pressure.
My old IP only had "low" pressure. Best thing ever for making hard boiled eggs that peeled beautifully, never had a shell stick or pull off a large chunk of white with it when using the IP.
I suspect the cooking profile is just different - with the sous vide you set the temp (within half a degree F) you want the final thing to be and it holds it rock steady. In the IP on low pressure you get between 185-195°F, whereas the sous vide recipe I followed called for 172°. That could easily make a big difference in texture
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I am thinking about getting one of these so I am bumping the thread.
I have just about every kitchen gadget out there that anyone would care for.
If you have a Sous Vide, how often do you use it?
They aren't cheap, did you get your money's worth?
Is the cooking time worth the wait?
I’m a kitchen gadget person too and when I found a Joule in the Amazon warehouse deals marked down, I jumped on it. I love my Joule - it cooks things the Instant Pot can’t like a medium rare steak and it also does a great job on things like fish and chicken. I originally thought I’d like it for cooking roasts and such, but the IP really does a much better job and faster. Last sirloin tip I cooked in the sous vide for 24 hours was pretty but it wasn’t all that good.
Cooking time for chicken, fish, and steaks is only a few hours or less and it’s hands off until the end, so it’s worth it for me. If you like experimenting with different cooking techniques, you should try a sous vide.
I have used my Anova Sous Vide for about 3 years now and its one of my favorite kitchen tools. I use it primarily for Ribeyes/chuck Eyes, Pork chops/steaks and Chicken.
I do not use any special bags, in fact I bought a big bunch of Ikea freezer bags. I season the Ribeyes with olive oil, Smoked or habanero salt and Fresh ground pepper, put it in a freezer bag and then I put the open bag into the pot im using for the sous Vide. I then close the ziplock bag almost completely and use a straw and the pressure of the water to suck the remaining air out. It works perfectly.
I set the Sous Vide to 129 for the Ribeye and let it sit there for about an hour. This is not boiling the meat, its bringing the meat up to Medium-rare temperature and letting the Maillard reaction break down the fats in the beef.
After an hour or so I heat up my backyard Blackstone Griddle so its very hot, put a bit of butter down on it and quickly sear both sides and the edges.
I've never had better steak anywhere including in a restaurant and I've fed dozens of friends and family that then bought their own Sous Vide.
If you haven't tried it your missing out.
Another thing i love to do is sous vide some thick pork chops and then refrigerate them. I can always take them out and sear them to serve and it only take a few minutes.
If anything, the Sous Vide has only made cooking more fun for me.
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