I just bit the bullet and got me a shiny new Anova Precision Cooker.
I’ve been scanning the forums and the rest of the inter webs but have two quick (probably easy) questions:
[1] Typically S-V recipes for protein give a temperature (for a given level of doneness) for different types of meat. How do you adjust, if necessary, for the difference between a 6 oz chicken breast and a 10 oz breast?
[2] It sounds like most meats can be cooked thawed or from frozen. So, how do you adjust a recipe (time wise) for thawed vs frozen and is there it better to thaw first, as opposed to just cook directly from the freezer, in terms of the end product (obviously, cooking from frozen takes longer…)
Depending on the thickness of the meat… For 1-2 inches I usually SV them for an hour.
For frozen meat you add 30 minutes to your cooking time on the safe side. I’ll thaw the meat first then apply the marinade before putting it back in the water. Of course if you have the time to plan ahead it’s better to thaw ahead and leave it to marinade first… still tastes good either way. Cheers.
I would not worry about the difference between 6 oz and 10 oz of chicken. The time will be almost the same.
On of the biggest changes in mindset between sous vide and conventional cooking is that end time (when you need to get it out of the pan or it is ruined) no longer applies. Cooking longer, even by a couple of hours, is no longer a problem.
You need to remember that it’s not the weight of what your cooking, it’s the thickness that determines the time (as well as just how tender you’re trying to get the meat)
A couple thickness guides:
Also, Douglas Baldwin’s site has a plethora of sous vide information:
A good example of cooking for tenderness is ribs - I tend to cook mine at 36 hours, because that gives the tenderness and texture that I’m looking for. Others cook for more or less time. It’s all about personal preferences.
The wonderful thing about sous vide is the consistency. If you keep notes on what you do, you can recreate those same results time after time.
