I have had my second SV vegetable dish ‘challenged’ by ineffective bags, or my technique. First, large carrots cut into 1” pieces, then brussels sprouts.
In both cases the bag was inflexible inelastic enough to leave considerable trapped air. Both bags flooded also.
I had previously done ‘penny carrots’ very successfully.
The reason for the ‘vide’ vacuum is to improve the heat transfer from the SV water bath to the item being cooked. The carrots and brussels sprouts above are usually, in my house, steamed and ‘wet’, so I am next going to try leaving a bit of water in the air free bag.
Edited to add: After posting the above, I was thinking about Saran Wrap® and the properties of polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) when I learned that Saran Wrap® is now made of polyethylene with melting temperature Tm > 200ºF I believe in all formulations.
So I may try making a bag from Saran Wrap®
Product Description
Glad Pressn Seal uses Griptex technology to protect food with a leak proof and airtight seal. Great for storing and protecting leftovers, this multipurpose wrap seals tightly onto a variety of surfaces, such as paper, plastic, metal, wood or other dry surfaces. The Griptex technology activates when pressure is applied and seals to itself, allowing you to create custom shaped food storage bags to freeze food or to make individual portions. It also works well around the house or at work to keep things clean and protected. Pressn Seal wrap is simple to use and easy to handle. The wrap is BPA free and microwave safe. Glad protects and seals with ease.
Added still later; in re Saran Wrap, while the dish’s piece count is low, why not individually wrap the pieces and let the circulator agitate for even heating.
Well Doug, i’d blame the bags. You certainly have been busy. I’m not familiar with the Saran Wrap or the Glad products for use in SV cooking. Irregularly shaped food items can be challenging when SV cooked and cooking them at the required high SV temperature typically results in the “gassing” effect inflating the bags. That can lead to seal failure as well. The SV turbulence also might be too much for seals designed for a static experience. Also consider they only refer to sealing “dry surfaces”.
It also appears you experience failed seals resulting in flooding. You probably noticed there no mention of using the products in SV cooking, perhaps for a good reason. It might be useful to check with the manufacturers for their input.
This cook prefers to sauté vegetables using the standard French covered skillet technique using little or no water to preserve and concentrate flavours. Start by sautéing the vegetables in your fat of choice, season, and flip a few times to ensure even cooking. After 4 to 7 minutes according to item size and item add very little water, if there’s none visible, to create steam. Cover and cook til done, usually about 2 or 3 minutes more. Uncover the pan, and continue to cook until most visible water has evaporated. In restaurants we usually add more butter at this point. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Brussels sprouts can be particularly delicious when sautéed in bacon fat and finished with a little Thai sweet chilli sauce.
LOL. That was precisely the lecture from Milady Wife this morning at breakfast; just because you can doesn’t mean it’s best. That’s why I’m learning - always.
Cruciferous vegetables are easily my favorite.
A backpacking culinary adventure. Many years ago I walked with the Sierra Club (back when it was an outdoors active club) San Luis Obispo Chapter Knife and Fork special interest group, we walked across the Ventana Wilderness Area - Big Sur. Some one had knocked over a Spanish Dagger flower stalk. It couldn’t run away so we tasted it, pared out sections of the base of the stalk with pocketknives. and discovered sweet apple flavor. Raw it was good, so cooked it might be better? Naw, it baked into a stick. Same trip we found perfect soccer ball sized puffball mushrooms, sautéed in butter pancake sized delicious mushrooms.
OP, (i’m speaking from the uk) we tend to use the Costco available DOUBLE ZIPLOC SEAL bags (sous vide temp capable) by BACOFOIL, small is 1 litre, medium is 3 litre, we buy twin packs, no idea who owns bacofoil brand internationally but a bit of research may result in less spillage & spoilage, I’ve got lazy with those (used about 40 by now) & only leakage has been my own error.
“You can wrap and poach food in our PVC Cling Film products, following the below time and temperature:
Simmer for a period less than 2 hours at temperatures up to 70°c [158ºF]
or simmer for a period less than 15 minutes at temperature up to 100°c.
The issue with US Costco, for me, is that with exceptions, one cannot depend on their stock from one visit to the next. About the time we become accustomed to regularly buying some item then it disappears.
Yup I hear you, nature of the commercial beast, BUT we are talking BRAND here (available elsewhere) I used costco as a likely pointer to an international brand entity that is over here (I think its part of the rubber maid empire, …so the brand has legs beyond costco.
Here is the “UK Costco” link so you can do a comparison, …in terms of information it seems there is more from the US side of things (unlike US nesqik milkshake which your version is / was banned over here for a variety of nasty chemicals in it) …by that I mean personally I am aware of leachate which starts marginally in this material heated from around 70c (i’m uk remember) but mentioned it after the clingwrap “saran brand” as a nomenclature was used for what we simply refer to as “cling film” here …same leachate potential.
I find the bags good, & handy but try to keep the temp low & slow, whereas you, when doing veggies will typically use 85c? for around an hour (from memory, …which is shot but prefer to mention an option as sous vide oftn involves way more than veggies.
To date we’ve used our instantpots for veggies or the oven (when pushed) sous vide has helped our household energy reduction endeavours dramatically, be it low temp level cooking (sealed silicone lid) …or a short blast in the microwave (esp broccoli) I tend to use the sous vide (another on order) for "meat & meat-look-alikes) so far … I can’t help feeling there is a safer clam shell design of inert materials with a decent seal & dishwasher proof waiting to happen.
I simply cannot use “reusable” silicone bags (its not good in distilling & not good for food) & as both yourself & chat noir have stated a dishwasher is caustic ingredients & dirty often grease laden water recycled. …offputting.
The bags I use are cleaned out, air dried & stored for re-purposing at a later date. (landfill guilt)
Nesquik is a Nestle brand, a Swiss company. I could find no mention of a banned product, but of a banned UK offensive advertisement.
There is almost no such thing as “inert materials.”. Just moments ago I was reading a report of the effect of water on crack propagation in glass, tempered and annealed.
Silicone is the most common synthesized product in the world, old data has 200 Million tons manufactured annually. Polydimethylsiloxane is a favorite chemical of mine, available as a ‘plastic’ - silicone spatulas - to low viscosity fluid that I use to polish my car. It is quite harmless, being used in KY brand surgical lubricants.
A dishwasher should be one of the cleanest areas of the home, being washed with “caustic ingredients” daily. Further, I run a high citric acid solution GLISTEN® brand monthly along with a good manual scrub with Basotect® melamine foam ‘magic eraser’. Occasionally I disassemble for internal repairs - pump and strainer - and scrub my way out on reassembly. I intend my DW to outlast me - as long as parts are available.
Among the ingredients of DW solutions are surfactant detergents to keep soil and grease in suspension through the wash cycle, then drained before the fresh clean water rinse cycle.
If you are going to be rude then i’ll leave you to your own means, re “Jeremiad”
Nesqik “sold in many countries” american variety shake powder contained illegal ingredient to other countries which were deemed acceptable to the american market (thus ingredient changes & variou country by country production facilities) as the ingredients in question were already commonplace in the U.S.
Silicone is not endured amongst distillers, & questionable in use elsewhere.
A dishwasher has dirt within it as part of its sump & strain recycling process, never mind the chemicals, the grease & food filters are a point of recirculated flow, cleanliness depends in part on cycles utilised, generally 65 c for sanitizing does not mean clean inside, but temporarily clean-er
You may be in an area where there is enough water to run it daily however a full load is more efficient, therefore variables on the empirical reality of wide operational use by joe public cleanliness versus the perception that there is only one routine of operation that all dishwasher owners subscribe to.
but prefer to mention an option as sous vide oftn involves way more than veggies.