# My first Sous Vide tip. **URL:** \ **Category:** First Cook Essentials\ **Tags:** tips\ **Created:** [April 18, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171 "2018-04-18T18:17:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Artie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/artie/32/3227_2.png) [@Artie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Artie)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171/1 "2018-04-18T18:17:27Z")
Ok . . . probably everyone already knows this, but I’ll share anyway. 😉 Instead of just clipping the bag to the side, I clip one corner, then pull the bag snug, and clip the other corner. That creates a “span” that holds the food out a bit away from the side. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/anova/original/2X/3/3cab876703d340e18558ef6217c4ad83174c5bd4.jpg) ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/anova/original/2X/b/b312acf7471d0af9407c0d6248e57caef795caa6.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![sousvidehub](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/sousvidehub/32/3269_2.png) [@sousvidehub](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/sousvidehub)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171/2 "2018-04-19T01:39:31Z")
Thanks for sharing. Hope you are enjoying the world of sous vide cooking! ---
**Author:** ![AlyssaWOAH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/alyssawoah/32/2946_2.png) [@AlyssaWOAH](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/AlyssaWOAH)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171/3 "2018-04-19T02:27:25Z")
Oh wow, I never thought about this! Do you also use regular ziplock bags? ---
**Author:** ![Mirozen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/mirozen/32/2786_2.png) [@Mirozen](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Mirozen)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171/4 "2018-04-19T03:36:26Z")
Smart approach. I like it! btw - I sometimes use a pot that looks just like the one you have set up here and I’ve found place a towel under it when I sous vide helps insulate it, holding the heat in better (checked power usage both with and without the towel using a Kill-A-Watt power meter). Not a huge power savings, but I figure anything reducing stress on the APC may help extend its useful life! ---
**Author:** ![Artie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/artie/32/3227_2.png) [@Artie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Artie)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171/5 "2018-04-19T04:57:42Z")
> [@AlyssaWOAH](#): > > Oh wow, I never thought about this! Do you also use regular ziplock bags? I did for the “hotdog” test, but for this pork loin, I used my other Christmas present: My Foodsaver vacuum sealer. (My wife either loves me very much, or wants me to do more of the cooking.) 😋 > [@Mirozen](#): > > btw - I sometimes use a pot that looks just like the one you have set up here and I’ve found place a towel under it when I sous vide helps insulate it, holding the heat in better (checked power usage both with and without the towel using a Kill-A-Watt power meter). I’ll try the towel trick. Funny you should mention the Kill-A-Watt. I have a couple of them. Great devices. I actually meant to use one on this last cook, but I just got caught up in other things and forgot to round it up. I definitely will on my next cook. It would be interesting, for those of us who have them, to post Kill-A-Watt data for various cooking scenarios. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![Ember](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/ember/32/729_2.png) [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 11:36pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/my-first-sous-vide-tip/14171/6 "2018-04-21T23:36:48Z")
I think the clipping the food to the side of the pot is more for folk using resealable bags that are nervous about the seal failing and water getting in. Vaccum sealed food packets you can just dump them in and let them swim free. But this is a really handy idea. Keep up the good work.