http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/

For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.

On Nov 5, 5:36*pm, ImStillMags > wrote:
> http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
>
> For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.

Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
cooker.

--Bryan

In article
>,
Bryan > wrote:

> On Nov 5, 5:36*pm, ImStillMags > wrote:
> > http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
> >
> > For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.
>
> Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
> Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
> cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
> We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
> suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
> cooker.

Obviously I'm missing something here. If you take a cheap, tough piece
of meat, and cook it to rare all the way through, won't you end up with
a rare, cheap, tough piece of meat?

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On 11/6/2010 12:42 PM, Dan Abel wrote:
> In article
> >,
> > wrote:
>
>> On Nov 5, 5:36 pm, > wrote:
>>> http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
>>>
>>> For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.
>>
>> Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
>> Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
>> cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
>> We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
>> suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
>> cooker.
>
> Obviously I'm missing something here. If you take a cheap, tough piece
> of meat, and cook it to rare all the way through, won't you end up with
> a rare, cheap, tough piece of meat?
>
You just process the tougher cuts at a lower temp for a longer time (>
24 hours). That breaks down the connective tissue and turns the collagen
into gelatin similar to braising only much better. So you could get the
great beefy taste of say chuck and have it tender but not almost
flavorless like a filet.

George wrote:

>>>> http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
>>>>
>>>> For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.
>>>
>>> Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
>>> Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
>>> cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
>>> We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
>>> suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
>>> cooker.
>>
>> Obviously I'm missing something here. If you take a cheap, tough piece
>> of meat, and cook it to rare all the way through, won't you end up with
>> a rare, cheap, tough piece of meat?
>>
> You just process the tougher cuts at a lower temp for a longer time (> 24
> hours). That breaks down the connective tissue and turns the collagen into
> gelatin similar to braising only much better. So you could get the great
> beefy taste of say chuck and have it tender but not almost flavorless like
> a filet.

There are plenty of tough cuts which don't *have* the connective tissue you
mention. Cooking them for a long period of time just makes them dry, since
the proteins contract and drive the water out. Round is an example of that
kind of cut, and many cuts from the chuck have that same issue. If you want
connective tissue, you need something like brisket, shank, oxtail, or ribs.
Any large muscle with little connective tissue will not become more tender
with prolonged cooking; the best thing to do is cook them quickly to rare,
or (for maximum tenderness) eat them raw.

Bob

In article om>,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> George wrote:
>
> >>>> http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
> >>>>
> >>>> For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.
> >>>
> >>> Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
> >>> Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
> >>> cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
> >>> We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
> >>> suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
> >>> cooker.
> >>
> >> Obviously I'm missing something here. If you take a cheap, tough piece
> >> of meat, and cook it to rare all the way through, won't you end up with
> >> a rare, cheap, tough piece of meat?
> >>
> > You just process the tougher cuts at a lower temp for a longer time (> 24
> > hours). That breaks down the connective tissue and turns the collagen into
> > gelatin similar to braising only much better. So you could get the great
> > beefy taste of say chuck and have it tender but not almost flavorless like
> > a filet.
>
> There are plenty of tough cuts which don't *have* the connective tissue you
> mention. Cooking them for a long period of time just makes them dry, since
> the proteins contract and drive the water out.

Not if you keep the temperature low enough (and sous-vide does). If
proteins don't contract at 131 F in one minute (as, say, when you pull
that rare steak from the pan), then they won't contract after 24 hours
at that same temperature -- the denaturing of proteins is temperature
dependent, but not time dependent. But the collagen (or some of it)
*will* break down. Give it a try.

Isaac

In article >,
George > wrote:

> On 11/6/2010 12:42 PM, Dan Abel wrote:
> > In article
> > >,
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> On Nov 5, 5:36 pm, > wrote:
> >>> http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
> >>>
> >>> For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.
> >>
> >> Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
> >> Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
> >> cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
> >> We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
> >> suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
> >> cooker.
> >
> > Obviously I'm missing something here. If you take a cheap, tough piece
> > of meat, and cook it to rare all the way through, won't you end up with
> > a rare, cheap, tough piece of meat?
> >
> You just process the tougher cuts at a lower temp for a longer time (>
> 24 hours). That breaks down the connective tissue and turns the collagen
> into gelatin similar to braising only much better. So you could get the
> great beefy taste of say chuck and have it tender but not almost
> flavorless like a filet.

Thanks! Makes sense now.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On 11/6/2010 6:31 AM, Bryan wrote:
> On Nov 5, 5:36 pm, > wrote:
>> http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/blog/...diy-sous-vide/
>>
>> For those of you who are 'tinker' inclined.
>
> Someone should make a unit that drops into a standard cooler (Igloo,
> Coleman, etc.). One could do wonderful things with those inexpensive
> cryovaced USDA Select beef tenderloins, and other even cheaper cuts.
> We have a local store that sells those Select subprimals. I should
> suggest to them that they consider investing in a commercial sous vide
> cooker.


Hey Bryan,

Someone does make a drop in unit that works with a standard cooler.
Fresh Meals Solutions just released a heater/bubbler unit that works
with their PID controller. They claim you can even drop the unit into
your sink and cook items there if you want.

http://freshmealssolutions.com/index...hk=1&Itemid=31

or

http://tinyurl.com/27xx8jh


I have their 1500D controller that I use with a rice cooker for smaller
meals and with an electric turkey roaster for larger items. The unit is
extremely accurate and very flexible. They also include two temperature
probes in case one dies during an important meal.

As it is right now, I've got less than $200 invested in my whole setup.

Sous vide certainly isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it and it has
completely transformed my cooking.

Hasta,
Curt Nelson

In article >,
Curt Nelson > wrote:

--snip--

> Sous vide certainly isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it and it has
> completely transformed my cooking.

I've just recently started with it, and so far, am pretty impressed.
Care to share some of you big "successes"? Hints and suggestions? Things
*not* to try?

Isaac

On 11/8/2010 11:46 PM, isw wrote:
> In >,
> Curt > wrote:
>
> --snip--
>
>> Sous vide certainly isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it and it has
>> completely transformed my cooking.
>
> I've just recently started with it, and so far, am pretty impressed.
> Care to share some of you big "successes"? Hints and suggestions? Things
> *not* to try?
>
> Isaac

Hi Issac,

I bumped my reply up to a new thread. Good luck with sous vide!

As you discover more, don't get too caught up with the food evangelists.
Sous vide is nothing more than an interesting way of cooking that
produces very certain and predictable results.

The fun ensues when you use your imagination to make incredible
creations. A great (and cheap) learning experience for me was cooking
eggs at various temperatures and failing miserably... and then
succeeding spectacularly.

Now I can cook an egg breakfast that will bring tears to your eyes. ;-)

Hasta,
Curt Nelson

On Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:58:41 -0800, Curt Nelson
> wrote:

> Now I can cook an egg breakfast that will bring tears to your eyes. ;-)

Eggs would be my big forage into sou vide, can that be done on a
regular stovetop or would I need to invest in special equipment? If I
do, I'm not interested enough to go that route. TIA.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

In article >,
Curt Nelson > wrote:

> On 11/8/2010 11:46 PM, isw wrote:
> > In >,
> > Curt > wrote:
> >
> > --snip--
> >
> >> Sous vide certainly isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it and it has
> >> completely transformed my cooking.
> >
> > I've just recently started with it, and so far, am pretty impressed.
> > Care to share some of you big "successes"? Hints and suggestions? Things
> > *not* to try?
> >
> > Isaac
>
> Hi Issac,
>
> I bumped my reply up to a new thread. Good luck with sous vide!
>
> As you discover more, don't get too caught up with the food evangelists.
> Sous vide is nothing more than an interesting way of cooking that
> produces very certain and predictable results.
>
> The fun ensues when you use your imagination to make incredible
> creations. A great (and cheap) learning experience for me was cooking
> eggs at various temperatures and failing miserably... and then
> succeeding spectacularly.
>
> Now I can cook an egg breakfast that will bring tears to your eyes. ;-)

I've not yet tried eggs sous vide, but my reading tells me that cooking
them that way is at least tricky (because of the range of temperatures
over which egg proteins denature).

What did you do that turned out so well?

Isaac