Help. Just had my first sous vide steak in Chicago, and wow it was awesome.
Now I want to try it at home. My issue is, my wife and I like our steaks differently. Hers in a 1" Ribeye and she wants it well done. Mine is a 1.5" Ribeye and I like mine Medium plus.
My question is, how can I prepare them in my sous vide?
It is likely that you will change your perception regarding the degree of cook on your steak as you play around with it to simply learn…
A 1 inch steak will be a 40 minute cook compared to your thicker “heart stopper” (1 inch is pretty much the standard for a uk supermarket steak)
Did you look at the guide section on your app yet?
Useful cooking times link in both c/f
|Medium|140°F / 60°C|1h 30m (1.5 inch)
|Medium-well|145°F / 63°C|1h 30m (1.5 inch)
My first suggestion is that you simply stick it in as medium, hers for 40 mins as the thinner (normal) steak 
remove & rest it, then bang the heat up for the remainder time with yours in it… & take it from there.
Truth be told, you will likely over do it in the pan with the sear as is, so with that in mind understanding process & keeping a firm count on things is highly recommended, err on the side of caution till you are happy.
I enjoy a good crust medium pub fare through to a bloody rare & blue steak but the important thing for me is making sure it either go’s from the water into an ice bath or straight into the pan (having been dried) & the pan sear with butter to colour & caramelise in minimal time the temptation to guess a time & adding on is often hells gateway to overcooking, do not let yourself do that.
Buy cheap steaks to both practise on & also understand better that the cook makes the cut not necessarily the other way round.
And, do not be afraid of “salad chicken” (cooked SV)
What about the opposite?
Thinner one Well Done and Thicker one Medium Plus. Not sure of sequence.
Mine for 1 hour at 140, take it out, bump up temp to 150 for an hour for hers? Will mine be cold by then?
Like I say, try it & see what actually works for you that you can apply as knowledge across the board, theory is fine, practise is better for lesson knowledge that sticks.
just like the realisation through trying perceived “lesser” cuts of meat that go from the proverbial ugly duckling to a beautiful swan (sorry H.C. Anderson) a bit like americans are going blind crazy over pichana a basic rump cap steak that is a staple everywhere else & highly valued for density, beefy flavour (our cattle are atypically grass fed thus, stronger beefy flavour) rather than the oft less flavoursome, pricier showboating restaurant cuts.
I run 2 anova’s so wife wanting a different steak is not a problem I encounter.
However, cook one, chill it in an ice water plunge to cessate further cooking. then bring it up to temp same day, another day etc.
Cannot stress the simplicity of practical application to familial process, try sausages, learn texture, learn how it is if you then brown the casings, or air fry them for 8 mins to achieve the same effect for a decent hot dog meal with home made pickled sliced onions also done in the sv & kept in the fridge… do not simply eff up a steak, & do not simply use it exclusively for steak, I do north atlantic prawns for rice dishes (for example) which turn out divinely, …too moreish in fact.
By advance prep & cooking you will have a decent fridgeful of quick planning foods that can be finished in a pan / oven / brought up to temp in SV for a meal days down the line, so how about not fixating on making things harder for yourself to bend the brain around & simply cook em to temp in advance, ice cool, fridge & bring back up over a short duration for the same meal.
You have the time when prepping one two bags is as simple as one (be it meat that then sits with a marinade soak or not) & cooking off one after the other (changing the temp) …learning more about resting times etc, then as per any meal “bringing it together”.
Many folk will sous vide on a Sunday (plop a bag in) 2-3 different foodstuffs for consumption days down the line, either cooling the water by adding cold tap or doing it more sensibly lowest temp first.
As long as you STOP the cooking process with certainty via an ice plunge (I use cooler blocks) the biggest hurdle is removed, then you need to work out (check out the link for that fella) as to re-heat times based on thickness, as cooking times are based on thickness, thus not to be ignored, skipped etc.
If you are using sous vide capable ziploc bags they are pretty dense but designed for lower temps in the main or shorter times at higher temp cooking (that upper limit is also what I am suspicious of re leachate potential) …the bags if washed properly & cleansed can be used up to 10 times, are apparently dishwasher safe but bags in dishwashers are a precarious fit & the water is a bit of a soup i’d prefer to avoid when cooking raw meats myself)
Do your own research to build your own confidence with your kit.
If trying out soft eggs to finish via a standard poach (to make it neater) then I recommend a tiny dual mesh chinese s/steel skimmer you will have vortex technique down pat in mere seconds over several eggs.
Poached eggs via sous vide are a great cook, store & reheat item I use regularly, likely they will keep for a solid week in a good fridge for a quick supper or breakfast, it’s easier to keep them cooked, in the shell & finish in the pan of hot water (logically) …eggs are cheap to play with & apply sv technique across the board.
If you are a heavy meat eater then get practising on the beefburgers for scrutiny & understanding, our favourite is the Beyond burger, very juicy & pronounced flavour enabled by the paprika & other ingredients, our dogs nigh on fight for the cooked juices as soon as the bag leaves the water…
Please note, ramping up temperature is easiest (way faster) when you have an insulated pot & lidded)
Cooling down via a splash of cold tap water, easy enough to get your head around, but not as energy efficient as a lower temp start up, this often applied to a 2 steak different cooking temp requirements, but the problem best figured out is experience off your own back.
Ditto heating up via a hot tap to up it a few degrees to whatever you need next.
Depending on thickness warm up temps is best done to the match the lowest temp cook (after all it is warm up NOT cook further, minimum 20 mins in water then pan sear finish) understand these are only estimates to play with & are already in the first link I included.
Thorough detail is also in Douglas baldwins online tome, easy & good reference point to bookmark & read, do read the links & browse dougs site before asking too many questions, because it is all in there pretty much & you will be bounced back to them on many occasions so get in there early!
The recommended way is to do the high temp first, reduce temp and do the other one keeping the high temp in the waterbath, that way they will both be warm and ready to eat at the same time.
I’ve had problems with that way when they were both standard uk 1 inch steaks, (greying) which is why as a beginner, i’d simply jump straight to cooking cessation via ice dunk, it was in part due to the times which anova put out as standard for yank steak thickness …screwed too many uk steaks this way.
(thus please OP remember anova puts out the times for larger appetites & nothing inbetween which is precisely why it is necessary to look & familiarise yourself with Douglas hoojamaflip (honestly it is very easy simple layout, & easier to learn from new versus adapt 200 cooks down the road)
& thanks for pointing out the difference in steak sizes in the initial post.
I have always like my steaks medium rare and my wife likes hers medium towards well done. After getting her to read this article on myoglobin, she is now a medium rare fan. Getting your friends and family members educated on myoglobin will change the way you have to cook any meats. We SV two filet’s (1.25") last night 135/1.25 hrs. Seared them on a cast iron skillet sitting on my pellet grill searing station (750 degrees +) for 1 min. on each side. Never had a steak any better. Read this: