All I can say is that a sous vide set-up is not something you "must" have to cook good food. But... it is worth having. I use mine. My 86-year-old dad uses the one I gave him. We don't use them every day. They do certain things VERY well.
CD
Do you have a Sous Vide?
- Thread starter Morning Glory
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All I can say is that a sous vide set-up is not something you "must" have to cook good food. But... it is worth having. I use mine. My 86-year-old dad uses the one I gave him. We don't use them every day. They do certain things VERY well.
CD
rascal
Forum GOD!
I believe you, but no one I know uses them. I'm sure I'd be good at it, it's just deciding on another gadget.???
Russ
Planethoff
Senior Member
caseydog Both are good and I like the fact that you have hands on controls and an ice bath feature on the Anova. However it was the 1100W to the Joule vs the 800W of the Anova that sealed the deal. The Joule can cook in a 40L bath in a sealed environment where the Anova caps out at 19L. For larger roasts/cuts you can use one Joule where you would need two Anovas. Also, the Joule has a magnetized base so you don't need to always use the clip (of which the Joule has the better clip). I will agree that for almost all purposes the Anova is just as good as the Joule, but I personally prefer Joule for stated reasons. I was worried about the App only usage, but it is not that bad. I do use wifi on my phone for it, but mainly control it over bluetooth with an old iPhone I had in a drawer.
morning glory I have done all types of chicken, but mostly boneless skinless breast as that is what my wife likes best. I also usually go for boneless so I can vac seal without fear of the sharp edge of the bone puncturing the bag. I have tried the bone in skin on cook, then fry and it was amazing. I can't stress enough how much being able to safely cook to a lower temp made such a difference in texture. I will season, vac seal, cook sous vide, take out and sear in cast iron pan. Perfect every time! Not to mention the best steaks ever. (I know you are a vegetarian, so most of this means nothing to you. LOL)
On the veg side, Sous vide carrots are quite the experience. The carrot flavor and texture comes out in a way that can not be experienced by any other method and it is far superior. The egg cups I mentioned are a blend of egg, cheese, and cream in a small mason jar with whatever meat or veg you want to add. You can take it out and brown with torch or in broiler or eat as is. It is the richest, creamiest, custard-like texture. It is like eating egg clouds. YUM!
I am hooked, Oh yeah, My Joule's name is Edith Piaf.
morning glory I have done all types of chicken, but mostly boneless skinless breast as that is what my wife likes best. I also usually go for boneless so I can vac seal without fear of the sharp edge of the bone puncturing the bag. I have tried the bone in skin on cook, then fry and it was amazing. I can't stress enough how much being able to safely cook to a lower temp made such a difference in texture. I will season, vac seal, cook sous vide, take out and sear in cast iron pan. Perfect every time! Not to mention the best steaks ever. (I know you are a vegetarian, so most of this means nothing to you. LOL)
On the veg side, Sous vide carrots are quite the experience. The carrot flavor and texture comes out in a way that can not be experienced by any other method and it is far superior. The egg cups I mentioned are a blend of egg, cheese, and cream in a small mason jar with whatever meat or veg you want to add. You can take it out and brown with torch or in broiler or eat as is. It is the richest, creamiest, custard-like texture. It is like eating egg clouds. YUM!
I am hooked, Oh yeah, My Joule's name is Edith Piaf.
Where did you get that idea! I eat almost everything including steak, chicken & seafood. I make a lot of vegan & vegetarian food but that is due to having a vegetarian daughter & vegan son living at home (they don't any more).
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How did I miss this thread before? I do have a Sous Vide wand...I also checked the Water Bath option because I didn't understand the picks (you have to immerse anything that gets cooked ala Sous Vide in water). But, now I think that second pick must mean that it's a self-contained system, which it's not.
Below, I have a piece of brisket that I vacuum sealed and placed in a large pot. The wand is attached to the side.
I use ping pong balls to hold down the food. Otherwise, the food tends to float, resulting in uneven cooking.
But, the vacuum sealer stopped doing the vacuum part of the operation, which also affects my ability to do other cool vacuum sealing. Now, it's a toy that I don't use much anymore.
Below, I have a piece of brisket that I vacuum sealed and placed in a large pot. The wand is attached to the side.
I use ping pong balls to hold down the food. Otherwise, the food tends to float, resulting in uneven cooking.
But, the vacuum sealer stopped doing the vacuum part of the operation, which also affects my ability to do other cool vacuum sealing. Now, it's a toy that I don't use much anymore.
Planethoff
Senior Member
morning glory Ha! Sorry for the misconception. I guess I saw you mention about your daughter and for some reason thought you were. So, that being said. Sous Vide steak is the absolute best you will ever have. You will never cook it another way again. Perfect temp all the way through every time. Also, the juiciest pork chops you could ever imagine. Game changer.
The Late Night Gourmet You can use heavy duty ziplock bags and doing the drop in seal method where the water pressure pushes air out. Then you can weigh down bag. I use a SS wire strainer. Does the trick.
The Late Night Gourmet You can use heavy duty ziplock bags and doing the drop in seal method where the water pressure pushes air out. Then you can weigh down bag. I use a SS wire strainer. Does the trick.
caseydog Both are good and I like the fact that you have hands on controls and an ice bath feature on the Anova. However it was the 1100W to the Joule vs the 800W of the Anova that sealed the deal. The Joule can cook in a 40L bath in a sealed environment where the Anova caps out at 19L. For larger roasts/cuts you can use one Joule where you would need two Anovas. Also, the Joule has a magnetized base so you don't need to always use the clip (of which the Joule has the better clip). I will agree that for almost all purposes the Anova is just as good as the Joule, but I personally prefer Joule for stated reasons. I was worried about the App only usage, but it is not that bad. I do use wifi on my phone for it, but mainly control it over bluetooth with an old iPhone I had in a drawer.
morning glory I have done all types of chicken, but mostly boneless skinless breast as that is what my wife likes best. I also usually go for boneless so I can vac seal without fear of the sharp edge of the bone puncturing the bag. I have tried the bone in skin on cook, then fry and it was amazing. I can't stress enough how much being able to safely cook to a lower temp made such a difference in texture. I will season, vac seal, cook sous vide, take out and sear in cast iron pan. Perfect every time! Not to mention the best steaks ever. (I know you are a vegetarian, so most of this means nothing to you. LOL)
On the veg side, Sous vide carrots are quite the experience. The carrot flavor and texture comes out in a way that can not be experienced by any other method and it is far superior. The egg cups I mentioned are a blend of egg, cheese, and cream in a small mason jar with whatever meat or veg you want to add. You can take it out and brown with torch or in broiler or eat as is. It is the richest, creamiest, custard-like texture. It is like eating egg clouds. YUM!
I am hooked, Oh yeah, My Joule's name is Edith Piaf.
I didn't know about the 19L limit of the Anova, but that's double what I use. IIRC, Joule was not available when I bought my Anova -- I think it came out a few months later. The early ChefSteps videos used other brands of circulators.
I haven't actually done much with chicken sous vide. I prefer dark meat chicken, and like to toss it on the grill. If I do a whole chicken, I brine it and cook it on a rotisserie over charcoal and wood. Yum.
Steaks and pork are my primary sous vide items.
CD
I totally agree - I've also cooked pork tenderloin and pheasant. I do want to try more vegetables though.
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My goal is to try pork tenderloin in the near future.
Elawin
Guru
They don't appeal to me at all; anyway I don't see the need.
I don't "need" half of the stuff in my kitchen. But, I like having them. Sous vide cooking is just one more way of cooking.
CD
True of me too. It depends on how one defines 'need'! At its most basic, I don't need anything to cook except a knife, stirring device, pan and a heat source. But I own a sous vide because I'm crazy about cooking and can get results with it that are almost impossible to obtain any other way. I also own a smoking gun - not at all necessary, but fun.
You may want to also look at a Searsall. It is an attachment for a propane torch that is great for putting a sear on sous vide foods. It spreads the flame wider, but the best part is that the screens in the Searsall work as a catalyst to finish burning any unburned hydro-carbons from the torch, eliminating the "propane" flavor that can come from a regular torch. You have the added benefit of being able to sear meats wihout filling the house with smoke, as happens with pan searing. I have one, and love it.
CD
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