I have one. They are of limited utility to me, as they require a cumbersome water bath on the counter and sealing into pouches of nearly all foods. Eggs can be cooked to a perfect timing - for the whites OR the yolks; they are difficult to cook so both the white and yolk are as desired. It may be good for steak, as Ben suggests, but I don't eat much steak - and the steak (like most foods) must be seared separately anyway. It would likely be good for cooking commercially, when you are unable to watch every item to keep the temperature well controlled, and perhaps have staff to take care of the sealing and searing. They are, in fact, said to be much used in restaurant kitchens. That said, the unit seems to be well-enough made and trouble-free, in my limited use.
This is a great tool, and you can make some of the best chicken breast using sous vide. This will expand your view of cooking if you dig deep into it. Strongly recommend it.
I used mine just yesterday. It is a fantastic machine. I put in two large ribeyes and several pork loins at 8:00am @ 60C - took them out about 5:00 to begin searing. They were perfectly pink in the middle and oh, so tender!
I used mine just yesterday. It is a fantastic machine. I put in two large ribeyes and several pork loins at 8:00am @ 60C - took them out about 5:00 to begin searing. They were perfectly pink in the middle and oh, so tender!
So how do you know then the temp of the meat is right? I assume you set the water temp to be the temp of the meat you want it to be at. So basically you cook it to temp then finish it off on the grill?
Yes, right. You cannot easily overcook the product (if you know the internal temperature and then cook it all to that temperature). As one user stated, he began at 8:00 and started to sear at 5:00; some foods take even longer. So, you need to keep the food for hours, often many hours, at what many consider to be an unsafe temperature; there is controversy about the food safety. This is a good price; the new model really only adds a pivotable pot clamp (where this one has a fixed clamp). As I noted above, I consider it a highly specialized kitchen tool; if you can afford hours of preparation and then allow enough time for searing, and if you have trouble preparing food to desired doneness in the more usual manner, it is a deal. Perfection is sometimes a bit boring; I once cooked salmon in one of these to what everyone agreed was uniform perfection - but it took hours, and I didn't like it quite as well as when a grill or oven gave it a bit more of variation.
Comments & Reviews (9)
So how do you know then the temp of the meat is right? I assume you set the water temp to be the temp of the meat you want it to be at. So basically you cook it to temp then finish it off on the grill?
Thank you!