# New Sous Vide User? What Are Your Burning Qs? **URL:** \ **Category:** First Cook Essentials\ **Created:** [June 5, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396 "2017-06-05T22:22:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Brian1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Brian1](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Brian1)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 11:21am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/123 "2017-10-17T11:21:29Z")
As soon as you turn it off ---
**Author:** ![izuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@izuel](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/izuel)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/124 "2017-10-17T12:08:11Z")
“always allow the system to cool before emptying water from the cooking container” quoted from quick start guide. ---
**Author:** ![fischersd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/fischersd/32/5594_2.png) [@fischersd](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/fischersd)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/125 "2017-10-17T16:17:32Z")
That’s kinda like the disclaimer on coffee take out cups “Caution! Beverage is HOT!” That’s really saying that you should allow the water in the bath to cool before you empty the vessel. (so you don’t burn yourself if it splashes back on you) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Brian1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Brian1](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Brian1)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/126 "2017-10-17T21:34:46Z")
Are you asking when to remove the device from the water, or when to empty the water from your container? ---
**Author:** ![izuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@izuel](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/izuel)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/127 "2017-10-18T03:30:51Z")
Ah right! Thanks alot! ---
**Author:** ![izuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@izuel](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/izuel)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 3:32am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/128 "2017-10-18T03:32:13Z")
I think fischersd has solved my confusion. Thank you for your help as well!😁 ---
**Author:** ![sayakat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@sayakat](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/sayakat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/129 "2017-10-18T15:41:52Z")
Cool! I shall do my best to get it to that level. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![olddrummer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4bbf92/32.png) [@olddrummer](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/olddrummer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/130 "2017-10-22T21:50:19Z")
I have done 1" steaks and a small venison roast with the Sous Vide method, steak at 130F for one hour, and the roast for two hours. Both came out for me rare, medium rare, but my guests felt the mouth feel was sort of “mushy”. I tried redoing the (now sliced) roast at 135 for an hour, but still very soft to the palate. Is this normal or should I increase the temperatures or use a longer cooking time? Don ---
**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:** [October 23, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/131 "2017-10-23T00:07:04Z")
Venison _is_ a softer mouth feel. The fibres are much finer than that of beef. ---
**Author:** ![olddrummer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4bbf92/32.png) [@olddrummer](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/olddrummer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/132 "2017-10-23T00:19:57Z")
I do realize that but the steaks were beef sirloins and rib eyes Don ---
**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:** [October 23, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/133 "2017-10-23T00:34:21Z")
Then you were lucky and got very tender beef. It is extremely unlikely that an hour sous vide processing will have caused mushiness in a sirloin or rib eye. Were they previously frozen? ---
**Author:** ![olddrummer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4bbf92/32.png) [@olddrummer](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/olddrummer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 9:14am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/134 "2017-10-23T09:14:48Z")
The beef was direct from the store. I was wondering if I should have cooked it longer or at a higher temperature. Recipe calls for 30 minutes a 1/2 inch at 130F. Also, did four evenly cut cod pieces at the recommended time and temperature and it was way over cooked and hard and chewy. Don ---
**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:** [October 23, 2017, 9:22am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/135 "2017-10-23T09:22:57Z")
One thing to remember with sous vide is that temperature selects the done-ness. So, a higher temperature will only make your steak less rare. ---
**Author:** ![SiggiB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@SiggiB](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/SiggiB)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 4:09am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/136 "2017-10-25T04:09:01Z")
Most of the recipes I’m seeing seem designed for medium to big families. Generally speaking when scaling them down do I need to modify the cooking time or temp? ---
**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:** [October 25, 2017, 5:49am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/137 "2017-10-25T05:49:14Z")
Yes. No. And depends. Temperature will remain the same as it is, for proteins, how the required doneness is controlled. The time for cooking 10 2" thick steaks will be the same as the time for cooking 2 2" thick steaks of the same cut. So, in this respect scaling down doesn’t impact the time. However, if you’re cooking a 3" x 3" x 4" chunk of meat for a roast for 2 people and the recipe is using a 6" x 6" x 10" chunk of the same cut, then you may need to adjust the time. (The numbers are merely to give you an idea.) If you were making pot de creme and the recipe uses 250 ml wide necked mason jars and you decide to make smaller serves and use 125 ml jars then adjusting the time would depend on how the jar dimensions vary. If the jar is smaller diameter but fills to the same depth, then probably not. But if the jar is smaller in all dimensions then probably yes. So, over all, the simple response is no. But you can see this is not always going to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![michihenning](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/michihenning/32/1655_2.png) [@michihenning](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/michihenning)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/138 "2017-10-25T14:05:37Z")
Short version: it’s complicated 🙂 Slightly longer version: cooking time depends on the thickness of the food more than its weight. (A short rib roast will take the same amount of time as a long rib roast, if they each have the same diameter.) Rather than obsessing about it, take your favourite piece of meat and cook it according to some recipe that you find. If the recipe says “X degrees for medium-rare for 40 minutes”, and you find that the steak comes out well-done instead of medium-rare, the next time you cook that kind of steak, try “X - 5 degrees for 40 minutes”. It won’t take more than two or three tries until you’ve homed in on what you like. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/139 "2017-10-25T16:22:46Z")
I echo the above comments - it’s complicated, kinda. I cook for myself, but I still use recipes as a general guide. The time + temps should still hold true, unless you’re cooking up significantly smaller/larger than mentioned in the recipe. ---
**Author:** ![fischersd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/fischersd/32/5594_2.png) [@fischersd](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/fischersd)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/140 "2017-10-25T20:48:37Z")
There are temperature (doneness) and time (thickness) charts for sous vide available in several locations online (Douglas Baldwin’s site and Serious Eats come to mind). You don’t need to experiment with levels of doneness…sous vide isn’t new (it’s just that it’s only going mainstream for consumers now) - the French have been using it for decades. Just do a google for “sous vide temperature and time charts” (without quotes) and you’ll get a plethora of information. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SiggiB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@SiggiB](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/SiggiB)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 6:01am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/141 "2017-10-26T06:01:04Z")
Thanks. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/new-sous-vide-user-what-are-your-burning-qs/7396/142 "2017-10-30T22:35:59Z")
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