New Sous Vide User? What Are Your Burning Qs?

[Laurie1]

I just received my Anova and tried cooking a boneless 10 ounce ribeye steak. I followed the recipe, cooking at 130 degrees for 2 hours. I followed the finishing method on my cast iron pan, putting a sear on the steak. When cutting in to the steak, we found that it was raw to rare and had to do some additional time on the skillet. I am wondering why the steak was not done. I even checked the water temp throughout the cook.
THANKS in advance!

[Ember]

How thick was the steak? Cooking is about heat penetration. It's the thickness which governs how long heat will take to penetrate your steak. If it was only an inch thick the two hours should've been adequate once the bath was up to temperature. If your piece of steak was 3 inches thick, then the 2 hours is unlikely to be sufficient time to bring the steak up to equilibrium with the bath.

Also, you've not said if the bath was up to temperature when the steak was placed in the water and you began timing.

Basically, the more information you are able to provide, the easier it is for us to help you troubleshoot your cook.

[Brian1]

In addition to what ember asked, did you have it resting on the bottom of the vessel, or does you have it raised to allow for adequate water circulation?

[CrookedHouse]

Absolutely basic newbie question here: Is it OK for the cooker to be in contact with the base of the pan, or should it be clear of the base, or does it not matter (assuming that latter as no instructions appear to exist on how to place t)

[michihenning]

It's fine for it rest on the bottom.

[Bluc]

First post and thought this was a good place to start. I see lots of info on cooking small stuff steaks chicken pieces etc
But was wondering about roasts. Is there a guide somewhere for finishing roasts?eg, if finishing roasts in the oven sous vide to medium rare then cook for x amount of time in oven to render fat and achieve tender but well done roasts.
Or lean cuts that dont need to be rendered, when searing a medium rare roast on high heat, blow torch or charcoal grill you will increas doness on an x thick border?(or are these things you learn with practice.

Also what are experienced peoples thoughts on blow torchs is industrial gas catridges propane and pro gas safe for food contact? And do the negatively affect the flavour. Lots to read and learn while I cram info while waiting for my anova to arrive​
I think I get the gist of how this cooking method works temp=doness time = texture(tenderness) and with all meat thaw in frige or cook /reheat from frozen.
Final question is insulating the cooking pot a good idea making it more effecient reducing power usage? Thanks and look forward to the answears.. look forward to starting my adventures in the near future

[stevej]

Actually, roasts are even easier as there's less chance of overcooking when finishing. Any of the finishing methods you use for small stuff will work for roasts (ie. pan sear, oven sear, grill, torch, etc.). Searing time is about the same as well (about 30 to 60 seconds per side when pan or oven-searing, or about 10 to 15 minutes in a 450F or higher oven). I'd recommend avoiding oven sear with thinner roasts like pork tenderloin to keep from overcooking.

Insulating the pot can be a good idea on long cooks, not so important for short cooks. Eliminating water loss due to evaporation is usually a higher priority for me. Covering the cooking vessel with aluminum foil or plastic wrap eliminates a lot of water loss and also protects your Anova device from steam. Check out some of the forum posts on cooking vessels to see other options.

Finally, I'd recommend keeping a sous vide journal so you can keep track of what works and what doesn't. Good luck.

[Ember]

The biggest difficulty with roasts is finding the time (or time and temp combination) that will produce the desired outcome. Different muscle groups require different amounts of collage breakdown for tenderness. There is no real hard and fast rule and tastes vary greatly.

[Bluc]

Awesome looks like it will be a challenge and keep me occupied for many years to come. Thanks for the replies and I will see you on the forum​

[Bluc]

My anova arrived today..i did a rump steak bout half inch thick from frozen with bit butter and salt, and pepper and garlic and it come out dry..65.5c 2hrs. tenderness was on par with pan fried . was it dry because it was cooked to long or because it was to high temp. I was aiming for medium well and tender as possible...The same rump in a pan I can do juicy and tender...but not crazy tender..I was hoping for crazy tender no blood but still juicy. I was suprised at amount of fluid in bag about 1/4cup

[Ember]

Firstly, it's not blood, it is myoglobin. Blood flows through veins and arteries. Myoglobin is present in the muscle. Anyway, it's a little beside the point.

Now, to your steak. The 1/4 cup of moisture loss from a frozen steak cooked at this temp is not surprising. Moisture loss increases with increase in temperature. Also, freezing ruptures the cellular walls and so the freeze thaw process increases the moisture loss. Have you ever noticed the mixture that pools on the plate upon which you thaw a steak? This is myoglobin from the traumatized muscle.

I'd consixer dropping the temperature to 63.5C. This is at the lower end of the medium well range, but even that little change will have an impact on the moisture loss.

Another thing to consider is the thickness of your steak. Half an inch is very thin on terms of sous vide processing. It is fine for the cooking it in the water bath, but it is very easy to over cook it and tighten the muscle further when wearing it. Remember, that steak is already cooked to your required doneness. The seating is for presentation and flavour. In order to get the desired surface treatment on a thin steak without pushing the interior beyond your perfection you need to be very very quick and that takes experience.

[Bluc]

Ok awesome I will get thicker steaks in future and drop my temp a tad. Thanks for the info on myoglobin also I always thought it was blood, either way not a fan. Butt I like my steak juicy!!

[Bluc]

Attempt 2 dropped temp to 62.5 and time for frozen 1/2" steak to 1.5hrs. Seared in butter. Little bit pink but texture and juiciness were spot on..attempt 3 will be 63c same amount time..very happy now to go talk to butcher​

[Ember]

Glad it worked for you. Just creep the temp up until you find your perfect spot. Always a good idea to keep a journal of your cooking experiments. Cut of meat, time, temp, finishing technique and a review of the outcome are all good to record.

[Michael70]

Weight is NOT the guideline you want to be using. THICKNESS is what you need to be concerned with!! Sous Vide on!!

[jenjen]

I do have a question, how do I post without hitting reply to do so? Thankyou

[Ember]

If you are looking to reply to an individual message you it reply on the actual message.

To respond to the thread, hit the reply button at the bottom.

To create a new thread you can do that from the main page.

[Fishchris]

And, IMPO, the corners of the zippers.

[fischersd]

Well, I tend to use paper clamps to secure by bags to the side when using an uncovered vessel. (I like to ensure they're off the bottom so they're well surrounded by water). Sous vide racks work well for covered vessels to keep separation between the items that you're looking to cook.

[Fishchris]

I have a little rack that not only keeps the meat (the bag) slightly off the bottom, but the side can tilt in and over the top to hold the meat down to. I just weight the thing down with spoons and butter knives