Does anyone know about "sous vide" (under vacuum) cooking at
home? Can you buy the equipment and how difficult is it? I've
heard both wonderful and damning things about the method but
people were talking about its commercial use.


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

In article <jEYFi.3272$1n1.1326@trnddc02>,
says...
> Does anyone know about "sous vide" (under vacuum) cooking at
> home? Can you buy the equipment and how difficult is it? I've
> heard both wonderful and damning things about the method but
> people were talking about its commercial use.
>
>
As you may already know, this topic has been discussed here from time to
time in various contexts (general safety, plastic vacuum bag toxicity,
etc., etc.).

If you're willing to spend some fairly serious money and devote kitchen
real estate to the gear, you can certainly buy commercial sous vide
equipment. Even the books on the technique have fairly eye-popping
price tags.

I've not seen any equipment advertised for household use. This is not
surprising given the relative complexity of the equipment, not to
mention the potential liability to anyone explicitly offering sous vide
equipment for use at home.

But if you're comfortable working with plumbing, pumps, electricity and
electronics, I'd guess you could adapt an existing (large) deep fryer to
function as a home sous vide cooker and have at it. Then you'd only
have to contend with the high-priced books and the potential for
botulism poisoning.

Bob

Peter A > wrote:

>As for botulism, it is indeed a concern - in theory. Yet, I have not
>heard of a single instance of it from sous vide cooking. Have you? If
>so, please provide references.

I think the concern is that sous vide violates the normal
time/temperature restrictions intended to prevent botulism,
not that there have been any occurances of it.

Tangentially, poaching in olive oil can provide a similar
time/temperature profile and some say similar results, and
requires little in the way of special equipment.

Steve

Peter A > wrote:
>You can buy a laboratory water bath heater, accurate to 1 degree, for a
>few hundred dollars. Try Carolina Biological Supply. A FoodSaver vacuum
>machine is about $100. There you go.

I don't know why you need the vacuum bagger.

If you use a ziploc and get out most of the air and don't boil
the water you won't generate enough gas/steam pressure to burst
the seal, if you even generate enough to inflate the bag.

--Blair

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
news:jEYFi.3272$1n1.1326@trnddc02...
Can you buy the equipment and how difficult is it? I've
> heard both wonderful and damning things about the method but people were
> talking about its commercial use.
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland

I have had luck with a GE countertop roaster set to 150f and a Taylor probe
to monitor the water, it has maintained +/- 8 degrees so far over a five
hour period. It has a inner pan for the water bath. My initial worry was
any hot spots that might burn a hole in the the plastic, hasn't happen. Set
the Probe alarm to go off if it gets too hot and don't keep opening the lid
too much
to check it, but do watch for water level.

Took a 2-3 lb chunk from a pork belly the other day, seasoned with S&P,
fresh Thyme & Garlic. Very good, better than any braised or confit I've
ever had.

In early experimentation when I tried to do stovetop, I found the sides of
the food saver bags failed if the water got too hot, the manual sealstop and
bottom held.
Food Saver says keep below 170f. The manual says DO NOT seal sides, so I
will try that next.

Here are a couple of links but you probably already googled them:
http://www.mccradysrestaurant.com/01....htmltheirTemp controller http://www.control3.com/4130p.htm but you migh tcheck one-Bay. As for food poisioning: just remember cleanliness, ph, temp but youknow these already http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/disea...botulism_g.htm