Sous-vide cooking and vacuum sealing

[Illgresi]

I'm getting increasingly tempted to scratch a sous-vide itch and add the SousVide Supreme SVS10L to my kitchen, but the vacuum-sealing aspect of sous-vide cooking is the main concern I have about such a device being a useful addition and not a gadget on par with that sodding panini toaster I've got languishing at the back of one of my kitchen cupboards.

The thing is, what I don't want is a vacuum sealer with single-use bags as I've got a feeling the expense will quickly start to mount up. And I'm also not so sure about the sensitivity of the products aimed at the home market - the commercial-grade ones are very good at keeping delicate foods from getting squished when the air is extracted.

I've seen various reviews of the SVS10L that mention the Reynolds Handi Vac as a suitable alternative to a food-sealer (specifically mentioning the resealable nature of the bags as an advantage) but as far as I can tell, it's not available in the UK and the alternatives we do get are a bit rubbish.

But having just seen this thing on the Lakeland website, I'm tempted to give it a go. The bags seem sturdy and reusable, and being a hand-operated pump it ought to be easy enough to be careful with what you're up to.

Now, I appreciate that there will be very few people stupid enough to go to the expense of owning a sous-vide system, but do any of you have experiences with vacuum sealing systems and can offer some opinions?

I genuinely wouldn't bother getting an expensive vacuum sealer for a home kitchen. I've just got a crappy Andrew James thing and it does the job perfectly well. Obviously you don't want a piece of crap that's going to last a couple of months, but don't get anything professional standard.

I've got a roll of bags that you cut to length and seal at one end before filling so you can make the bags as big or small as you want.

Not just good for sous vide, but plenty other uses such as fermenting, storage etc.

\edit: Lol, just realised this was a thread resurrection!

 

[Zenduri]

A mini resurection of this thread. I've current got some chicken breasts in the sous vide gubbins and set for 145F for 2 hours. Is this too much or too little?

 

[silverblack]

According to the Joule app 45 mins at 65c for 1" thick breast.
Download the Joule app it's free to use.

 

[Rotty]

A mini resurection of this thread. I've current got some chicken breasts in the sous vide gubbins and set for 145F for 2 hours. Is this too much or too little?

That would work well

 

[D3K]

Was there any consensus on the best sous vide device to go for?

 

[Rotty]

Was there any consensus on the best sous vide device to go for?

if you just want a circulator I'd play it safe and get an Anova

 

[D3K]

if you just want a circulator I'd play it safe and get an Anova

Anova looks pricey, but if they are the best... any particular model you rec?

 

[Rotty]

Anova looks pricey, but if they are the best... any particular model you rec?

I have of the Anova Precision cookers and they've been great

The Nano is currently of offer at £85, if cost is an issue I'd give that a go

 

[D3K]

I have of the Anova Precision cookers and they've been great

The Nano is currently of offer at £85, if cost is an issue I'd give that a go

Nice timing, taken a punt thanks

 

[thebandit]

Ha, happened on this thread by chance, ordered the nano red, exactly the same as the nano only with a bit of red branding and Anova make a donation to charity, £68 all in, bargain.

 

[D3K]

Ha, happened on this thread by chance, ordered the nano red, exactly the same as the nano only with a bit of red branding and Anova make a donation to charity, £68 all in, bargain.

Gdamnit, can't resist 15 off... cancelling with them needs to be an email that gets a reply within 72hrs

 

[D3K]

Spoke to soon, they just cancelled it. Red ordered

 

[valve90210]

Having just dug my sous vide wand out of the cupboard to cook a nice big lump of brisket, I was wondering about reusable bags for the sous vide as I'd like to be able to move away from the single use vacuum bags I currently use - partially for being more ecologically minded but mainly as it I think it would encourage me to use the sous vide more often. I've done a bit of reading up seen a few options but wondered if anyone has any experience or recommendations of any reusable bags?

 

[Platinum Pete]

I would imagine cleaning up would be a bit of a faff. Sousvide bags always end up proper manky with stuck on proteins and grease. Plastic is always a pain to get fats off of

 

[valve90210]

I've seen silicon ones which I could imagine would be ok to clean but yes plastic ones I can see could be a pain to clean. I might just take a punt on some reasonably cheap ones and see how I get on.

 

[erill1971]

upgraded from a polycarbonate Sous Vide tank and Inkbird circulator to the full chamber sealer and Burton Sous Vide. I would never go back. sear joints after or blowtorch.