Sous Vide Arrived - What Container to Use?

try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 17:04
Last edited 01/12/2017 - 17:08

So my new Anova has arrived, and my it is a big boy.

Just wondering what containers people use for cooking. I will put whatever the container is into an esky to stop heat loss but what container do you put the water in. Most of my pots aren't tall enough to clamp to and, for the ones that are, we will need to use a lot of water. I've looked online and they talk about polycarbonate containers, do people have something that is heatproof they recommend; particularly ones I don't need to order - I'm in Melbourne. I looked at Pyrex but they don't seem to have any long tall containers. I would be grateful if people could point me in the right direction.

I realise I can clip it down further but would still like ideas on what people use.

Thanks

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • bdl on 01/12/2017 - 17:36

    You could cook in the Esky itself, otherwise try Chef's hat in South Melbourne to get the polycarbonate tub. I haven't gotten around to getting one yet, I was going to try to use an old Esky I have. Currently just using a stockpot and cover the top with foil.

  • try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 17:49

    Thanks for the idea I will look there and we have a place in Nicholson St that is designed for restaurants.

    Yeah, we decided to boil some eggs as a starting point I have them in the saucepan at 65C for an hour. We are using a saucepan with some foil over it and a long double oven mitt wrapped around the base for insulation. Fingers crossed. Think I will try to track down some rib eye steaks next.

    • GetOffMyUnicorn on 01/12/2017 - 21:49

      How did the eggs turn out? Genuinely interested.

      • try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 23:24
        +1

        the yolks were good but the whites were too runny. Think we are going to need to work on this a bit. One article talked about using a higher temperature to start with and then dropping it later to set the whites. Will work on that. On the plus side the app was reall good.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 01/12/2017 - 23:32

          I can poach/boil an egg in just a few mins, why do it for an hour?

        • try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 23:48
          +1

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: Different cooking methods provide different results. The yolks are very creamy but not sure about the whites as yet. The time for cooking is almost immaterial it is the effort involved. The beauty of this is you can set the eggs going and then go do everything else you need to do before you have breakfast. You don't have to hover because a few minutes either way doesn't make that much difference. Not sure if I would make this my way of making eggs in the future, but it is something to play around with.

        • nedkelly on 02/12/2017 - 16:02

          I do the 75C for 15min eggs. Bigger eggs I leave in a little longer, smaller eggs put in a bit later. I find it more time efficient personally when I'm putting a coffee on and getting some hollandaise made up. Its a fun gadget, and being able to pretty much set and forget it is a fantastic thing.

          The best tip for doing steaks or some other meat that you want to finish on some form of cast-iron/grill; make sure you pat it completely dry with a paper towel after you take it out of the bag. This allows the meat to form a much crisper outside crust (maillard effect) when you sear it and stops the moisture on the outside of the meat 'steaming' it instead.

          Have fun!

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 16:53

          @nedkelly: Thanks. Yeah I was much too low temperature for the eggs. The man hates runny whites so I ended up with all three eggs. (I'm not as fussy but they were a bit too runny even for me.) Yeah, must remember to do that with the steaks. Won't have a chance to play with it until Monday now. Going to drag something out of the freezer so I can experiment. Have you played around with sous viding beef chunks to finish them off as a casserole?

        • nedkelly on 02/12/2017 - 17:48

          Can't be too down on the first attempt, it's all adjustable so might just need to bump it up a degree or so if doing it for an hour. Once you dial in the settings for how you like things 'done', its super easy to replicate.

          I tend to use the pressure cooker for casserole/stew type things, haven't tried doing it sous vide style but I'm sure if you find the right temps/times it'll be great anyways. Some guides take a little bit to fine tune to personalise, just make sure to write down what works!

          In regards to the frozen food, I tend to not be organised enough to take things out of the freezer to defrost first. I've managed to get around this by putting the bagged food straight into the water (once its at temperature) and using the fuzzy rule of thumb of adding 50% of the required cook time to the total cook time.

    • bobbified on 01/12/2017 - 22:37
      +1

      we decided to boil some eggs as a starting point I have them in the saucepan at 65C for an hour.

      Wait a minute… did you boil it or did you poach it? haha
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/342749

      • try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 23:24
        +2

        as far as I'm concerned if they stay in the shell they are boiled.

      • GetOffMyUnicorn on 01/12/2017 - 23:31
        +1

        don't egg me on!

        • try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 23:48
          +2

          if it doesn't work I'm the one with egg on my face.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 01/12/2017 - 23:56

          @try2bhelpful: I hope it all goes well, I love cooking very much, sounds like you do as well:)

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:07
          +2

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: I do like to cook, especially with a glass of wine to assist, but I'm a bit of a kitchen gadget aholic. Figured with the Anova I have 60 days to see if I like it so I would give it a go, the price was quite good during the Black Friday sales. I also bought a new Phillips pasta maker with the last sale, the cheapy one, and it actually makes good pasta and doesnt take a lot of fussing around. You put in a flour and an egg and you get out pasta on a plate - you only have to cut it to size as it extrudes out of the machine. Much nicer than dried stuff and I don't have to go out to buy fresh. Got DJs to price match HN $129 then got a couple of other things to bring this up to the DJ $30 back for $150 and Phillips had a $30 cashback.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 00:12

          @try2bhelpful: That sounds fantastic. I reckon we should keep this as a cooking thread!

          I have a good pasta recipe that Iv'e had for many years passed down from a sage.

          Semolina and egg- mix to a dough (Takes around around 5 mins).

          Rolling pin and roll until 1 cm thick.

          Pass through number 1,2 and so on for your desired use.

          I don't use white flour, so my recipes are a bit unusual.

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:14

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: If you are into cajun spices Herbies does a really good version. I use it to make a cajun chicken and mushroom fettucine. Will be nice to do it with my own hand made pasta.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 00:15

          @try2bhelpful: Interesting, cajun with pasta. I must try it. I wonder if a little pan fried chorizo would be good as well, perhaps overpowering?

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:20

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: I marinate the chicken in cajun spice and rum, works better overnight.

          Then cook it lightly without making it too tough put to one side. Then cook onion and garlic with one teaspoon of the Cajun spice mixed in. Then add the mushrooms and white wine. Let it simmer down a bit then add 1-2 tbsp of cream. Cook the Pasta. Add the chicken back in and then toss through and top with parmesan.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 00:22

          @try2bhelpful: rum and cajun spice? wow, that sounds amazing! There's a lot of love in your food. A dark rum i'd imagine?

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:26

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: I just use the standard bacardi, but I do have a bottle of the 150 proof. That stuff is so messed up it comes with a flame arrester and a LOT of warnings. Will think about gettin the dark rum next time. I got the recipe from a place in Atlanta that did a version. Unfortunately I can't get their spice anymore, but Herbies is a good substitute.

          I did this thread a while back and some of the answers still make me laugh.

          Most Useless Kitchen Gadget You Have Bought
          https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/298108

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 00:35

          @try2bhelpful: hahaha, for me it's the banana slicer, the amazon reviews had me in stitches all night.

          150 proof? My lord, that's British sailor quality.

          I'm not sure, perhaps some 'the kraken' rum will work well with cajun as both are dominant yet compatible.

          For tenderising papain (extract of papaya is very good) It breaks down the enzymes (like sous vide) Just another layer of excellence.

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:40

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: I got onto the round the world business class fare for Virgin (cough bragging rights cough) but we dropped by New Orleans on the way through. This is about our fourth time and I never get tired of the food and the atmosphere.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 00:44

          @try2bhelpful: Wow, that's amazing. Iv'e traveled a fair bit, not to New Orleans though, iv'e seen so much about, the French quarter, the jazz, the Katrina and so on. A resilient bunch so I hear.

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:50

          @GetOffMyUnicorn: They had a category one hurricane go through the week before we arrived and you wouldn't even know. They were laying new pipes on Bourbon St because the money had finally come through for Katrina and they wanted to use it before it was corruptly stolen. We've never had issues there, but the crime rate is pretty high. It was stinking hot during the day but we got up early and it was just wonderful walking around the French Quarter at 5:30 in the morning. They had a barbeque and blues festival at Layfayette Park when we were there, I had the most wonderful Pasta Jambalaya and listened to some good music. The buskers are just amazing too.

          Tomorrow I think I will start a new thread for people to tell us their favourite recipes and appliances. I agree this is fun to chat to people about their cooking.

        • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 01:02

          @try2bhelpful: new thread, done deal, I for one will share my own positive stories about food and travel.

          PS

          Good to talk to you.

    • endotherm on 01/12/2017 - 23:53
      +2

      You should have good luck with Hotel Agencies, they carry everything. Keep in mind that the hottest water allowed out of taps in new premises is only 60° (older houses could be a bit hotter). Pretty much anything that is dishwasher-safe should be OK. As long as it doesn't melt when you wash the dishes in hot water only, it should be suitable. I think the highest temperature I have seen for sous-vide is around 85°.

      • try2bhelpful on 01/12/2017 - 23:57

        Thanks for the reply it has given me some information to use when getting a container.

  • Findo on 02/12/2017 - 00:32

    As bad as this sounds, I once deep fried a scotch fillet steak after deep frying some French fries and it created a very nice crust. I know, it’s sacrilegious but this thread has revived my interest in cooking.

    • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:38

      At least you didn't deep fry a Mars Bar. In America they deep fry a whole turkey and the veggies to go with it, they have this gianormous fryers and by the end of the day they are throwing all sorts of stuff into it.

      • Findo on 02/12/2017 - 00:40

        I have made deep fried mars bars and snickers bar before. Deep fried mars bars go really well with tomato sauce.

        • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 00:41
          +1

          that is seriously messed up.

    • GetOffMyUnicorn on 02/12/2017 - 01:13

      Deep frying has a bad reputation. If the food works it just works.

      The kind of fat used, temperature, type of food, personal taste and so on. For instance, I love homemade chips and croquette potatoes. Some oils are so healthy as well. The people of the Mediterranean guzzle the (good) oil for fun!

      i'm not a fan of mars and the like anyway but each to their own.

  • pjcook on 02/12/2017 - 08:12

    We went to a catering supply and got a stainless steel pan that is big enough to hold a couple of pork belly or steak packs at a time to bulk buy and sou vide a couple at a time, freeze them and use out of the freezer. I got some styrofoam and built a box to sit the pan in that acted as insulation, it works very well, especially for 18 - 24 hours cooks, cover with foil and there is no evaporation at all.

    Have fun with your ANOVA they are great.

  • zambuck on 02/12/2017 - 14:47
    +1

    I use two things, depending on how much space I need. I have a 12L stock pot (something like https://www.ebay.com.au/i/301910480363?chn=ps&dispctrl=1) as an every-day thing, and if I need more space, or if I will be taking my steaks elsewhere before they're finished, I cook in a 26L Willow Esky with wheels. (https://www.bigw.com.au/product/willow-wheelie-cooler-26l/p/…) There's no need to modify the esky. For both of them I use lids that I made from a single sheet of extruded polystyrene (XPS) (https://www.bunnings.com.au/knauf-insulation-1200-x-600-x-30…) which I cut to fit. That means the esky can still be used for beers on non-sous vide days.

    My experience is that I don't lose a heap of heat from anywhere but the top of either container, and the XPS does a spectacular job of keeping it in. There's a 50mm thick version too. Within each container I use a rack like this (www.aliexpress.com/item/Three-Layer-Stainless-Steel-Pot-Lid-…) to ensure the vacuum sealed steaks remain apart from each other. Good luck with your cooking, and be sure to follow the food safety related recommendations on cooking times and temperatures.

    • try2bhelpful on 02/12/2017 - 16:48

      Thanks for the info, must remember about creating my own lid, makes a lot of sense. Just cut a hole where needed for the sous vide.

    • Slippery Fish on 03/12/2017 - 21:41

      Lol yes, they are currently having big spikes in the industry with food poisen from these.

      • pjcook on 04/12/2017 - 09:43

        Where do you get that information from? If the food is cooked at the correct temperature there is no chance of food poisoning. The food industry have been using Sous Vide for many many years….

        • Slippery Fish on 04/12/2017 - 12:34

          Was in one of the commercial publications afew months back, a article about the increase over the last few years of poisen attributed to them.

          I can't for the life of me remember which one though :/ sorry

          But your right there is alot of instances of it being done very well, but apparently not always.

  • peteru on 03/12/2017 - 21:26

    Grainfather works well for sous-vide on large items. I did a 7.5kg brisket over two and a half days. There was enough room there to add another one and perhaps three chickens. With the recirculation pump turned on, the temperature never deviated more than 0.5C.

    If you want something for your Anova, check out the BigW stainless steel stockpot. Big and cheap.

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