Details? Temp, time, sear method, etc.

135F for about 90 minutes from a room-temp bath (no reason or logic behind this, I'm just lazy).

Patted dry with paper towels, then seared in a cast iron pan that smoked out the rest of my apartment for about 30 seconds a side.

Tasted amazing, but I wish I would've let it sear for longer on the fat strip, would've rendered more of the fat. Also, next time I want to cook it to 125F and let it sear a bit longer.

Camera settings:
F5.6, which is why I missed focus on the right piece
1/200 second exposure
Flash zoomed to 70mm, 1/64 power
Edited in Adobe Lightroom to bring out contrast, add a bit of saturation, and remove some of the yellow color in the bamboo board

Saw your photo on r/food. Wonderfully done - steak and photo!

I think I'm going to try the 72hr. short ribs this weekend. Will report back w/ results.

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Saw your photo on r/food. Wonderfully done - steak and photo!

I think I'm going to try the 72hr. short ribs this weekend. Will report back w/ results.

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Looking forward to reading your thoughts. I've done those, as well as doing them for "only" 48 hours, and the I've been very happy. Someday I'll get a bunch and start them at different times to see how much difference the extra day(s) makes.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/paragon-induction-cooktop

Induction cooktop with temperature sensor and control. Kinda nice because it can serve as both a stone burner and do Sous Vide. I'm tempted, but I think I'll hold off. I think I'm going to just make a controller for a crock pot. I can probably do it for under $40.

Anova iPhone app is finally available...

Lunch today (SV at 125F for a few hours then finished in a hot pan)

Quick comment on Anova's customer service. Last week my machine's display started malfunctioning. I took a quick video and sent it to Anova's customer service to help troubleshoot. A few emails back and forth the over the next few days led to no resolution. They sent me a prepaid label to send it to them and I got it in the mail Friday. Received my replacement unit this afternoon. Great experience.

Here's a Trader Joe's New York Strip, 125F for a few hours then finished in a cast iron skillet.

ANOVA 2 is on sale for $25 off w/ code SPRING25 on their website. I'm about to build a controller for a slow cooker because I'm cheap. I'll let y'all know how that goes if y'all are interested.

how will you implement your control scheme? Straight on/off will cause lots of oscillation of temp around your set point. Depending on the time lag of your system (cooker) it could be a few degrees in each direction.

A PID control is hard to implement, because your cooker probably won't respond to varied voltage inputs (how a true PID controller would regulate the power). You can use PID principles to tweak the on/off cycle time (pulse width modulation) where the voltage always stays at 120.

I was wrestling with this issue in contemplation of making my own controller, then the Anova kickstarter came along and I said "problem solved!" I'm still intellectually interested in the solution though, so please post updates if you do indeed make your controller!

I'm just going cheap and getting a simple $15 temperature controlled switch (like an STC-1000). I was debating doing the PID set up with electric coil heaters and building an enclosure that I would attach to the inside of an old cooler, but the costs would quickly make getting the ANOVA more practical as I'd only be saving maybe $50-60 for a good but inferior product.

The set up I have planned will cost me about $15 and maybe 20 minutes, since I have some spare wire/plugs/power supplies and a slow cooker laying around. I'm also interesting in how often the switch will have to activate to keep it within the specified temperature range, and how well it'll work. I'll post results and pictures as soon as I can.

So it turned out pretty good. I still have to put it in an enclosure, but I tried making the poached eggs in the shell at 147F last night. I set the controller to have a 3 degree variability window, so the temperature would hit 147, sometimes 148, and then come down to 145ish before turning back on. I don't think it oscillated outside of 145-148. Although technically it could have varied by as much as 144-150. I was also using an old crock pot that's thick ceramic, so I suppose that helped retain heat and minimize fluctuations. This week I've got some frozen salmon I'm thinking about trying, and then maybe next weekend I'll try some cheap steak and see what happens.

Let me know if y'all have any questions. I'll try to post pictures if y'all are interested.

Those with the anova, how big of a cooking pot do you normally use?

I think mine is 8 or 9 qts

With my Anova, I've actually used coolers as the cooking vessel more often than not.

My old sorta DIY setup was using the temp controller off my kegerator (switched to heat mode) and an old roaster oven. However, the rolled over rim on the roaster pan was too thick for the anova clamp to use.

Looking around the house for something else to use, it just seems to make sense to use something that was insulated and wouldn't lose heat to whatever counter or stovetop it would be sitting on. I've used a 26 can Playmate cooler (so, about 2.5 gal?) for a few steaks and I used a bigger Styrofoam container (that I received some dry ice-packed food shipped) for a dozen or so steaks.

Interesting using a cooler, but it makes perfect sense. We have a pretty small kitchen so not a lot of extra storage space. I was thinking of using my Dutch oven, but I guess I should actually buy the anova then worry about what I will use.

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Interesting using a cooler, but it makes perfect sense. We have a pretty small kitchen so not a lot of extra storage space. I was thinking of using my Dutch oven, but I guess I should actually buy the anova then worry about what I will use.

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Using ping pong balls, or smaller versions of them if you can find some, actually helps reduce evaporation. If you had to use a regular pot and are worried about insulation, you could try that. You could also fill ziplock bags with newspaper/air and place it on the surface. Newspaper is a pretty good insulator.

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Those with the anova, how big of a cooking pot do you normally use?

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One nice thing about the second generation Anova is that you can use smaller pots.

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Interesting using a cooler, but it makes perfect sense. We have a pretty small kitchen so not a lot of extra storage space. I was thinking of using my Dutch oven, but I guess I should actually buy the anova then worry about what I will use.

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Using ping pong balls, or smaller versions of them if you can find some, actually helps reduce evaporation. If you had to use a regular pot and are worried about insulation, you could try that. You could also fill ziplock bags with newspaper/air and place it on the surface. Newspaper is a pretty good insulator.

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Hadn't heard of using ping-pong balls. That's clever.

I have a piece of foam sheathing that I bought from Home Depot for something else, but had some left over. Trimmed it to fit the top of my container, with a cutout for my circulator. I put it on top for longer cooks, and it works well. I put a smaller scrap underneath, so I don't waste energy heating my counter, but I have no idea if that makes a difference.

I've tried an inexpensive styrofoam cooler before, but they are actually a little porous, and water leached through overnight. When I want something smaller, I'll use a stock pot on the stove, and even use the stove to get it to temp a little faster. I usually put a piece of foil on top to decrease evaporation if it's more than an hour or two for that.

Just did a 24 hr plate of short ribs.

4 hours smoke at 160
24 hour soak at 145.
5 mins on the keg that was hot enough to bury the needle. 700+

Really good. Trnder as all **** but with Just enough tooth.

I think it could have gone longer on the smoke and maybe soaked a little longer

Polysci and grant instruments sell the "ball blankets"

http://www.amazon.com/Grant-Instruments-SV-PS20-Polypropylene-Spheres/dp/B00K52QPWA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427841880&sr=8-1&keywords=polypropylene+balls

Seems a tad overpriced for some mini ping pong balls.

New use for my Anova: I made a chocolate genoise cake today and used the Sous Vide as a water bath at 115 to control the temp while whipping the eggs and sugar.

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New use for my Anova: I made a chocolate genoise cake today and used the Sous Vide as a water bath at 115 to control the temp while whipping the eggs and sugar.

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I had a similar idea. I bought a stainless steel warming tray that fits my cambro acting as a double boiler for making cheese.

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New use for my Anova: I made a chocolate genoise cake today and used the Sous Vide as a water bath at 115 to control the temp while whipping the eggs and sugar.

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Good idea

Two prime filets for Rudolph's meat market going to get a water bath tomorrow night. Teetering between torch or skillet to finish them. Will post results.

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Two prime filets for Rudolph's meat market going to get a water bath tomorrow night. Teetering between torch or skillet to finish them. Will post results.

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Sounds like a good opportunity to the two methods.

So I've had a big chunk of pot roast going in the water bath for almost 40 hours now at 134. This kind of makes me nervous about bacteria. Should i be.?

Edit: Well, just ate it. It was definitely the most tender I've ever had. Family enjoyed it quite a bit as well. I think I should've let it cool down before browning/crusting it, because the inside temperature ended up getting to about 140 after. Still good though.

I just bought the Anova 2 with a torch. Going to try it out probably next weekend! Really looking forward to it!

8ve been out of town so I had a buddy pick up my mail.....he keeps sending me pictures of things he is cooking with newly delivered anonva


****er.

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So I've had a big chunk of pot roast going in the water bath for almost 40 hours now at 134. This kind of makes me nervous about bacteria. Should i be.?

Edit: Well, just ate it. It was definitely the most tender I've ever had. Family enjoyed it quite a bit as well. I think I should've let it cool down before browning/crusting it, because the inside temperature ended up getting to about 140 after. Still good though.

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I've done the 72 hour short rib at 135F (57C) and I'm still here to post about it.

I'm a card-carrying microbiologist, but I'm not a food safety microbiologist so take what follows with a grain or two of salt (or antibiotics): There are multiple things to think about wrt bacteria and food.
- the bacteria that are there when you finish cooking
- the bacteria that are there when you serve
- spores
- toxins

If you put E. coli or Salmonella in water at 50C (122F) for a couple of hours, you get something like 6 logs of killing. Working in the lab we avoid 60C to not kill our domesticated bacteria. Meanwhile, boiling indefinitely at standard pressure won't touch the spores of anthrax or botulism. Fortunately, the spores have to germinate to do harm to us and they aren't growing during cooking. But if you take your low-temp sous-vide food and leave it at room temp at a picnic or long enough in the fridge things that haven't died can grow and things that were spores can germinate and grow at the even lower temperature. My sense is that the food safety guidelines are overkill based on not being sure you'll eat stuff right away. Think about how pasteurized milk still goes bad eventually.

There is still some risk, of course, even with 6 logs of killing. Some bacteria need a very small dose to make you sick or kill you (esp. if you are immunosuppressed). I was once on a job interview with some microbiologists at a seafood place and one of the hosts made a comment about how microbiologists would never have raw oysters ... and I thought about how I had eaten plenty of raw oysters so I might not be a good fit for that job.

btw, next time I do short rib I will probably go for a higher temp closer to a traditional braise. Not for the sterility, but in hopes of rendering out more of the fat. For something like a pot roast (a hunk of chuck), I would still go for the 130-135 range for medium and a longish time.

How idiot-proof are these things? I was thinking of asking for the newer Anova for Father's Day, but I'm not completely sold on it. I do most of the cooking in our house, and like gadgets, but am by no means a pro. Assuming one follows the temperature and time guidelines, can you really mess it up? I'm not so worried about myself, more so about my wife or toddler getting sick from something I make. And will a stock pot or Dutch oven suffice, or do you really need a cooler or something with more insulation?

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How idiot-proof are these things? I was thinking of asking for the newer Anova for Father's Day, but I'm not completely sold on it. I do most of the cooking in our house, and like gadgets, but am by no means a pro. Assuming one follows the temperature and time guidelines, can you really mess it up? I'm not so worried about myself, more so about my wife or toddler getting sick from something I make. And will a stock pot or Dutch oven suffice, or do you really need a cooler or something with more insulation?

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Pretty idiot proof. That's actually a large part of the benefit vs the gourmet aspect. It does require some planning ahead for things that take more than a couple of hours, but I love how the end time is totally arbitrary when my wife is running late. Very hard to overcook anything.

The newer Anova will work in a stock pot or dutch oven. The older Anova and the older Nomiku might have problems with the low volume, but I've even done the newer Anova in a medium sized saucepan (obviously I was doing something small like eggs). The insulation just affects how much heat you'll lose to the environment which will affect the energy consumption. A stainless stock pot isn't well insulated but it works.

I've also used a plastic bin I picked up at bed bath and beyond for <$10. It was one of the things people use to store clothes in a closet.

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How idiot-proof are these things? I was thinking of asking for the newer Anova for Father's Day, but I'm not completely sold on it. I do most of the cooking in our house, and like gadgets, but am by no means a pro. Assuming one follows the temperature and time guidelines, can you really mess it up? I'm not so worried about myself, more so about my wife or toddler getting sick from something I make. And will a stock pot or Dutch oven suffice, or do you really need a cooler or something with more insulation?

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I'd start with a cheap cut of meat with a low cook time (1-2 hours) so you can get the hang of it since a lot of things can go wrong:

-seal breaking on bags if you use ziploc
-bags floating to the top
-unequal temp locations in containter
-incorrectly calibrated anova (yep, mines off)
-5th thing here

Thanks. That helps a lot. And I assume that as long as the food is in for the proper amount of time at the proper temperature, it's difficult to undercook as well?