I’m trying my first batch of sous vide cooked carrots, but the bag keeps floating and half the carrots are out of the water.
I used the water displacement method to expel air from the bag. I found this works better when I use the water bath itself while warm (but not too hot), as it softens the ziplock bag making it easier to get more air out.
So my vacuum isn’t 100%, but it’s worked for the chicken breast I cooked yesterday.
The recipe in the app for carrots doesn’t give any special handling instructions.
For now, I have filled a preserve jar with water and placed it on top of the carrot bag and that seems to be successfully weighing it down, but how do other people deal with floating foods? Or what could I be doing wrong?
Vegetables are notoriously difficult, particularly by displacement method. You could use a sink or container full of hot water to soften the bag and help you get the air out. Another common way to stop floaties is to pack something heavy but non-reactive in with them. A stainless steel dinner knife or two seems to be a popular option.
There’s an entire thread devoted to floating bags on here somewhere.
Here is one such thread, though this is not the one I was looking for:
This is the one, I think, from forever ago:
And something from about a year ago that specifically pertains to vegetables:
If you get a sous vide rack for your vessel, you can always clip the bag to the rack. (though if the bag gets too buoyant, I guess it’ll lift the rack as well…though you could put a couple weights on the rack so it doesn’t move.
Ah, yeah. Carrots along other veggies can be challenging to sink. Personally, I try to get as much air as possible out. I also push down the veggies with my (wooden) spatula and lay it there. That usually works.
Thanks everyone.
The carrots turned out great in the end, as did the rest of dinner (also cooked sous vide salmon).
After a while, the carrots settled down and stopped floating. There was actually a surprising amount of fluid in the bag when I finally did take the carrots out, but the bag didn’t seem to be leaking. I just have to get used to this new way of cooking
I usually use a vacuum seal to get the air out of my stuff but when i freeze my fruit in baggies i put the fruit in and use a straw to suck the air out. make sure that the straw is close to the top of the bag. i usually seal most of the bag first then use the straw and suck while closing an pulling straw out.
Fill a re-sealable freezer bag about 3/4 full of water and seal. I use a Ziplock Medium Freezer bag (17cm x 18cm). Make sure your bag is sealed and no water leaks out. Then, just lay the water filled bag on top of whatever it is you have in the pot. Works for me.
