Home Use Sous Vide/Immersion Circulator?
 

Anyone have one? What is your experience? Worthwhile for a frequent home cook? What did you end up using.

I know you also need to buy a vacuum sealer separately.

Home Use Sous Vide/Immersion Circulator?
 

Have one and love it. I don't use it every day but it is great to have when you need it. I mostly use it to cook some meats like fish perfectly (beware it does not crisp the skin) and it also makes the perfect egg. Enjoy!

I have one. The Anova. I bought that one mainly because it's a nice little gadget that can be stored away easily.

It's not something I'd call indispensable, but it's fun to have. And, to be honest, I've only just started using it.

So far, I've made chicken wings, pork belly, carrots, chicken breast, chicken thighs (skin on) and duck confit. A few other things, but I forget.

Duck confit was a big part of the reason I got it. I could confit a pair of legs in vac sealed pouches with a small amount of duck fat....toss them in the freezer when done and ready to use whenever I want. I haven't tried them yet (they are in the freezer), but the other stuff I've made so far has been quite good. Favourite is the bone-out skin-on thighs where after you sous vide you put it under a weight so it's nice and flat. Crisp up the skin in a hot pan and you're good to go.

Flaneurs...curious what's your technique for the egg? I'm procrastinating there because I see so much different advice on cooking temp and time. And I've seen some pretty ugly eggs (watery) on youtube. I'd love a perfectly poached egg.

As an aside...the vacuum sealer is a great thing to have regardless. Bags aren't cheap, but neither is freezer burn! And I find it easier to sous vide in the vac packed stuff than in the ziploc with the air sucked out.

I had a Dorkfood which turns a crockpot into a controlled temperature bath, but I found it wasn't nearly accurate enough. I just recently bought a Sansaire and absolutely love it. Perfect soft boiled eggs, steaks, chicken, fish, infused butters, you name it. Highly recommended. $200 at surlatable.com. (I work for a restaurant, so I got it slightly cheaper with an industry discount).

Chris

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I did a 167° egg for 13 minutes and it was perfectly spreadable on some toast.

Chris

I bought a full sous vide unit and vacuum packaging in 2011 and don't use it at all now.

You may be interested in:

Sous vide chez moi?

and several posts about the steaks I cooked using sous vide in this thread ....

... and a few other bits if you search sous and uk1 if it helps.

To be honest I bought one and now consider it one of those things I wanted rather than needed.

I was just thinking about Stouffer's boil in the bag Swedish Meatballs :D

My wife and kids bought me a sous vide supreme for xmas.

Pretty excited to add this to the mix.

I did an amazing/outstanding flank steak that cooked 18 hrs and was tender, flavorful, perfect, etc, etc.

Pork, chicken, steaks...multiple times.

Just did the best hamburgers i've ever made: sirloin, brisket, shortribs (equal measure). Grind, salt pepper. Bought 4"x1" stainless steel rings. 128F for 2 hours.

Took them out and seared them with a Searzall (google- a hand held infrared torch)-nice charred exterior, perfect interior.... Simply amazing.

IMO, it is a different way of thinking about cooking meats for certain dishes- if you are looking to elevate your game, for certain meals it is a worthwhile technique.

Home Use Sous Vide/Immersion Circulator?
 

Eggs at 145 degrees F for an hour works great for us but everyone seems to have their own texture that they love. For a full discussion of time and temperature see http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/10/sous-vide-101-all-about-eggs.html

Bon appetit!

I'm going a bit OT; I did google, and have spent the last hour watching youtube videos... The options are limitless! :D Will get myself one! Have to figure out where to get those butane tanks in SIN though... not many campers here :p

Another endorsement for the Sous Vide Supreme - have had one for a couple of years now, and while it's not an every-week appliance, it gets used pretty often, most frequently for steaks and other meat cuts. Great for entertaining, because it's really a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. (You need to brown the outside right before service, but that's quick and easy.)

Also another supportive note for eggs - again, reinforcing the value of the SV machine in providing simple, predictable results. Lucky Peach had a great egg temp chart in their inaugural issue that can also be found online here. FYI...

Great replies here! I'm adding one to my list of things to buy when I have the money to spend on them.

We've had one for about a year. It was definitely a splurge - Not a need, but a want. We bought the Sous Vide Supreme because the other options didn't seem as consistent. It was still a bit of a tough choice because it takes up a lot of room and we have a small kitchen.

We use it about once a week. I love that fact that it's silent and can be left on while we're away. Tonight I'll be eating 72 hour shortribs that I almost forgot about because you can't smell them cooking.

We've found that the vacuum bags aren't always necessary. You can often get away with forcing the air out of a ziploc bag. It's not perfect and really depends on the size, shape and seasoning of the item to be cooked. It saves money on the bags and also saves the space for the vacuum sealer.

I've got an egg allergy so I don't make eggs in ours, but my wife has found it difficult to get consistent results with farm fresh eggs. If your eggs are always the exact same size and freshness I'm sure you could achieve consistency.

Where sous vide really shines is when cooking the less popular cuts of meat low and slow. Oxtail and shortribs have become favorites.

I bought an Anova sous vide machine during one of the big sales around Thanksgiving. I finally bought a container with custom cutout lid, so I can do long cook times without the water evaporating.

I did a $3.99 a pound boneless chuck roast on a 29 hour cook time at 135 degrees. It turned out very nice. I did a quick pan sear on the meat after removing it from the bag. The meat now reminds me of an almost Prime cut Ribeye now. My wife did look at me a bit like I was crazy for cooking it so long.

It came out as a nice medium rare. Anyone else doing any sous vide cooking?

I have had an Anova for a bit over two years now. At first, I was using it for everything, but now only use it for expensive cuts of beef (filet and NY), tri-tip, chicken, asparagus, and cheese. It really is helpful to make ahead and finish off your meat when done. Asparagus is the only veg to be better than traditional methods. I have always made my own ricotta cheese, but with the Anova it comes out perfect and without the need to be attentive as required by the stovetop method.