Sansaire sous vide circulator

[glitch]

So, the clever chap behind the DIY Sous Vide for $75 has launched a Kickstarter campaign for what seems to be an amazing little sous vide circulator - The Sansaire.

If it's even half as good as the PolyScience equivalents, it'll be steal. But the problem is he's designed the damn thing around 120V and needs a kick up the backside to make it compatible with our 240V without the need for a step-down transformer or whatever else you might need.

So, if you like the look of this thing but want it designed to work in the UK right out of the box, drop him a message and let him know there's demand - I have and he seems rather open to suggestions on that particular front, but we need numbers to make it happen.

 

[glitch]

I've dropped him a message and spammed the link a little.

Seems to have done the trick - had a message from him today about them adding specific stretch goals for multi-voltage support.

Given it has reached the funding target in one day, I can't see there being any problem with us getting version suitable for our electrical network.

Can't wait!

 

[glitch]

Apologies for doing a link-and-run job - had meant to follow up with recommendations for sealers, etc.

For under £100, the Foodsaver V3040 is pretty decent. Works well with wet and dry ingredients, can handle using bags from a roll and is quite quiet and doesn't take up too much space on your counter.

Apart from that you're probably looking at around £250+ for something decent. All the 'flat' sealers like the Andrew James' and indeed the Sous Vide Supreme are a bit cack and run the risk of sucking up liquid due to their lack of controls.

 

[glitch]

What sort of containers are people planning on using, I searched for the Cambro ones Scott mentioned but they seem to be a lot more expensive here than they are in America.

Something like this and this* might be a good shout. That cut-out looks almost Sansaire-shaped...

*Yes, I know it's out of stock.

 

[glitch]

Well I ordered those but the photo was a bit deceiving as the cut out on the lid is only about the size of my thumb.

Oh, that's really disappointing - apologies for suggesting something that turned out to be a bit of a lemon.

Can you enlarge the cut-out to fit the specs of the Sansaire or is the polycarbonate too thick?

 

[glitch]

Hmmm need to start thinking about vacuum sealers again. Anyone tried any other than that Andrew James model?

I've gone for the latest revision of something Moses suggested earlier in this thread.

I had a second-hand Foodsaver V3040 for a while but it gave up the ghost and spares weren't readily available. I've also used a Takaje Family for a period of time, until getting annoyed with it and sending it back.

Hoping for better things from the Eiffel.

 

[glitch]

Just gave the Eiffel its first run and it passed with flying colours.

I usually use an egg as my test subject as I want to make sure the vacuum is strong enough to empty the bag, but not so powerful that it cracks the egg. Apparently this thing is tough enough that it can crush an empty drinks can...

But I'm pleased to say that the Eiffel removed the air with ease and did so in a very controlled manner. The real bonus is that it's whisper quiet in operation - you can barely hear the motor working and the vacuum is very steady in operation.

So far, so good - it gets thumbs up from me. Admittedly it's not quite as straightforward to operate as some of the other machines I've used, but it benefits from having a few 'common sense' touches to it which I'm impressed with.

 

[glitch]

Thanks for that and the update. Think I'll be getting the Eiffel then and trying that out

I went for this one - given the accessories are effectively 'free' over the standard selling price it was a no-brainer.

Of course until I get the bug and decide I really need a chamber vacuum sealer

Vacuum-infusion?

I'm sort of hoping the Eiffel will let me achieve something similar with its marinator canisters... but I really fancy a chamber sealer as well!

 

[glitch]

Have you experimented with that, yet? Any joy?

I have a test in progress and should hopefully be able to update the thread with results over the weekend.

I've got cauliflower florets pickling in my fridge at the moment and I'm aiming to try comparing results from the Eiffel's marinating canister with florets that have been pickling for 36, 24 and 12 hours.

Fingers crossed!

 

[glitch]

Well, the marinator canisters appear to do precisely sod all for pickling, despite seeming to have a very effective vacuum seal.

Oh well, back to the drawing board on that idea then.

 

[glitch]

Got a cream whipper?

Yessir - one of those Isi Gourmet Whip ones with the red silicone band. Very useful it is too.

Was still rather hoping the marinator canisters would do something useful though. At the moment they're doubling up as posh Tupperware.

 

[glitch]

Mine have just arrived - looks like there was a lot of activity from Hermes over the weekend, so I'd hope people should start receiving theirs over the next 48-hours.

17/03/2014 09:07 Signature From Customer
17/03/2014 07:30 Courier Received
17/03/2014 04:31 Out For Delivery
16/03/2014 23:30 Processed at Depot
16/03/2014 22:13 Receipt at Depot
16/03/2014 08:01 Hub Sorter Receipt Scan
14/03/2014 13:10 Sent to myhermes central hub

 

[glitch]

Won't that take about an hour to cook an egg?

Why are you asking a question that you must already know the answer to?

 

[glitch]

I was just thinking out loud and was hoping someone telling me I was wrong and it only took like 20 minutes or something.

But you must already know the answer - you can't have picked a figure of an hour out of thin air without having done at least a little research into the subject.

It would have made more sense if you'd asked 'why does it take an hour' or 'what does an hour do to the egg' instead of a question that's only going to elicit a somewhat closed response.

Anyway, the answer to your question is - it will, but is does also depend on what your definition of 'cook' is.

The longer answer to the question I think you meant to ask, is that you can set an egg at temperatures above 60° by using cooking times of 40-minutes or greater, but you can achieve hugely differing results by varying the temperature and the time you cook the egg for.

The reason for that is down to the differing types of proteins within the egg and the effect that heat has on them - tight whites (the white that clings to the yolk) start to set first but only firm up at higher temperatures, loose whites (the watery, outer white) remain so until they reach a high temperature and yolks start to set at middling temperatures and solidify as you reach the higher numbers.

But while these reactions occur within specific temperature ranges, the effects can be modulated by increasing the time the egg is held at a certain temperature - for example, an egg cooked at 63° for 45-minutes will have a completely different yolk texture to one that's been cooked at the same temperature for double the time. Which one you prefer will depend on how textural you are when it comes to food.

In short, there's just as much room for experimentation with eggs as there is with any other food that's cooked in a water bath, if not more so.

 

[glitch]

I am trying to think of more things that tastes nice with this kind of cooking method.

In theory, everything should 'taste nice' with sous vide cooking as you're keeping all the flavours locked-in the bag with the food, meaning less of it escapes.

Clearly that's not always going to be the case, as various cooking methods produce different results, but on balance it's safe to say that cooking sous vide should produce more flavourful food.

But there's a lot more to it than just making things taste nicer - for me, it's equally about the textural element to this method of cooking.

 

[glitch]

I knew it takes longer, but what it really comes down to is, was the wait worth it over a soft boil egg?

Only you can answer that one.

Taste-wise, there's nothing to call between the two. Both have been cooked in their shells, directly in water. It's the texture of the egg that's going to set something cooked in a water bath apart from one that's been boiled.

Next time you're in Brighton, get yourself down to 64 Degrees and have one of their eggs. One way or another it will broaden your horizons.

 

[glitch]

In terms of chicken and what not, I guess I like it hot and really want to make sure I don't kill myself cooking chicken at 60c.

At a core temperature of 60° you're not going to kill yourself. With the meat being held at that temperature, sterilisation occurs within about 30-minutes.

Given you'd probably be holding chicken at 60° for at least an hour, if not double that, there's little risk of making yourself ill.

I've seen Heston doing it in an oven, it looks intriguing I must admit. Think I like my meat hot, not lukewarm?

Unless you've got a mouth lined with Asbestos, you're probably not putting meat in there which is truly hot - even something with a core temperature of 60° would probably be slightly uncomfortable and around 50° is roughly where you want to be for an edible temperature.

With a chicken that might have cooked at 180° in your oven for an hour, you'll need to rest it first and then carve it up once the core temperature has dropped sufficiently and the meat has had time to relax its fibres. And I'd wager that's not likely to be much above 60° unless you're really impatient.

The beauty of cooking in a water bath is there's no resting required once the meat has come out of the bag. You simply finish it off and then plate it up, which means there's very little loss of core temperature during the transition from bag to plate.

The weird side of me also thinks….this is way too easy or something. I guess I like a challenge to cook something, like cooking a steak perfectly pink in the middle with the outside just right. Or soft boil an egg just right. Or oven cook a chicken so it's moist yet with crunchy skin?

The 'weird side' of you doesn't really seem to grasp what sous vide cooking is actually about - you appear to be thinking along the lines in which the media portrays it.

It's not an easy fix for perfect results and it doesn't guarantee better-tasting food - it's just another method of cooking with its own set of specific benefits and drawbacks.

 

[glitch]

p.s. the hour thing was just a guess, if you boil water to 100c and turn it off and leave an egg in there for 8mins to get a soft boil egg. Cooking it in 60c with that thing would take longer, it didn't need research, it just common sense.

Common sense dictates a loss in temperature of 40% would increase cooking time by 650%?

 

[glitch]

However anything under a 2" steak should not be done sous vide, as there's no way t get a decent bark on it, without destroying all the work.

Uninformed opinion presented as statement of fact, ahoy!

You can get a fantastic crust on any thickness of steak cooked in a water bath - it's purely down to technique and application of sufficient heat in a controlled manner.

like so many things as a day to day it's pointless

That's not to say its pointless far from it.

Jesus wept - make your mind up.

I love my steaks but it's not often I can buy one big enough to make sous vide worthwhile.

You're completely missing the point of sous vide. It's not all about cooking perfect steaks - that's just the USP that the media has latched on to.

You eat other food, right? Well guess what - you can cook that sous vide as well. How's that for a revelation?

Why pork belly. That needs heat to crisp up.

And it needs slow, low cooking to break down all that collagen into gelatine - cooking too fast at too high a heat forces moisture out at the expense of unctuousness.

You can crisp pork belly up in seconds. It doesn't need high heat for the entire cooking time, that's just a byproduct of achieving the results people typically want in a manner which is readily available to them.

I do want one, don't get me wrong. But I think people are over exaggerating their new toy and will soon tire off it. Other than a few tomes a year.

So why do you want one if your opinion of them is so low?

I use sous vide in my cooking on a regular basis and have done for a fairly lengthy period of time. Once you start seeing it as another tool in the kitchen and stop looking upon it as a single-purpose gadget, even you might get your head around it.

Until then you're going to come across as blinkered on the subject as you appear to be with many things. With you it often appears that a lack of understanding about how or why something works results in a sweeping statement about how pointless/rubbish/useless it is.

 

[glitch]

I'd love to see a "Sous vide tried and tested recipes" thread... with cooking times and hints and tips. Anyone care to start?

I'd love to do this but compared to Glitch and a few others my sous vide knowledge is pretty limited. I'm also still experimenting with nearly all my recipes so I wouldn't want to post something that wasn't quite up to snuff

If I might make a suggestion, can we be careful about lumping everything into one place? Perhaps we can have a Sous Vide 101 thread and then branch off into individual threads about certain foods where people can share timings and results.

Eggs might be a good place to start for this - cheap enough to experiment with and plenty of options for both temperature and time.

It also (in restaurants for example) allows you to cook these steaks (or any other food) take them out and ice them (reducing the temp right away) still in bag and they will keep then, at the doneness of your choice until you take them out and sear.

From a food safety point of view that's exactly what you should do - if you've cooked something in a water bath and don't intend to serve it up, rapid chilling in an ice bath and refrigeration is a necessity.

From a practical point of view, and looking at steaks as the example in hand, it's probably not worth doing in a restaurant setting as you'll struggle to bring them up to the correct temperature again without going over.

Most places will keep food in the bath for as long as is practically possible and only chill those foods which can be brought up to temperature during the finishing off process - pork belly being a perfect example of that.