Thread: Sous-Vide Cooking on the Cheap

SousVide Supreme just came out with a slightly smaller and less expensive unit($300). It's available in different colors:




SousVide Supreme Demi

Riofan, any updates on the SousVide? thinking of buying one.

Originally Posted by SDGolfer

Riofan, any updates on the SousVide? thinking of buying one.

You won't regret it. I love mine even tough it will not replace the grill for cooking ribeye.




This is what it looks like when out of the bag








Quick sear on cast iron pan and it's done.





Now, don't get me wrong, this steak came out evenly cooked and absolutely tender and flavorful. However in terms of texture it was just slightly off the mark from being a 10. If the weather was an issue that would prevent me from grilling outside I would not hesitate to cook a ribeye sous vide.

I plan to definitely stick with the grill method perhaps because I have it dialed to a science having done it so many times. It's just a great combination to have a hot grill and the marbled fat talking to each other.

Just found this, sounds promising, I may give it a try.

http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/d...-for-about-75/

I’ve recently been fascinated by the idea of sous vide cooking – a method of slowly cooking vacu-sealed foods in a precisely controlled water bath to achieve the optimal doneness. Last year, Sur La Table started carrying the world’s first “home” sous vide cooker, the SousVide Supreme. This was fantastic, since commercial sous vide cooking machines cost north of $2000. However, the home model (priced at $450) is still a steep investment for something that essentially just keeps water warm. I was determined that I could build a better device on-the-cheap.
Behold, the $75 DIY sous vide heating immersion circulator! By scrapping together parts that are readily available on eBay and Amazon, I was able to build a self-contained device that heats and circulates water while maintaining a temperature accurate to .1 degree Celsius (yes, point one degrees!). And unlike the SousVide Supreme, my device can be mounted onto any container (up to a reasonable size, perhaps 15 gallons) allowing you more room to cook, if needed.

Love the link for the home rig CBW. The author did a great job outlining the steps. Karma 4 U!

Don't forget this step:

Step 4 – Wiring CAUTION: Don’t ever power on the heater coils unless they are submerged in water! Also, don’t electrocute yourself.

Please take pictures and post them if you build your own rig.


For the less mechanic and electronic inclined you may try this with a crock pot. I almost went this route.



http://www.auberins.com/index.php?ma...products_id=44

or use the cooler and thermometer method.




Here's one of my latest sous vide experiments:



Started with a very modest (inexpensive) sirloin tip roast from Smart & Final. Not bad for $5.40.



Cooked at 130F for 4 hours.



Went mobile that day and transported it with the help of a picnic cooler. I'm surprised on how well the temperature held for a couple more hours.



A quick trip to a hot grill to sear it and this inexpensive cut came out great. Tender and full of flavor!

If you are on the fence about trying sous vide using the cooler method, I strongly encourage it.

I just got a vacuum food sealer so I wanted to try sous-vide cooking. So I took a 2 chicken breasts & added fresh thyme, sliced lemons, salt, pepper, garlic powder, & butter and sealed each of them up separately. The 1st one I tried cooking in a crock pot on low but I left it in too long (4 hours) & it was an absolute failure. The 2nd one I cooked it using a small cooler. I put on a small pot of water & got it o 180F where the bubbles were just rising from the bottom. I put the sealed chicken in the cooler & poured the water over it and then kept it inside for 30 minutes. But it wasn't quite done so I put it back for another 7 or 8 minutes. Then I fired a saute pan with a little oil & when it got hot I cooked the chicken for a minute on each side to get some color on it. And it was about as perfectly cooked as you could get. It was so moist & tender. I wish I would've taken a picture of it.

As far as using regular baggies, maybe someone else has better luck but think a food sealer works better since it sucks out the air & it doesn't float. Also, you can't leave it in for an indefinite time. As long as the temperature of the water is maintained, it's going to keep cooking. I don't know of any way to test doneness except through trial & error method.

Originally Posted by Dr. Tran

As far as using regular baggies, maybe someone else has better luck but think a food sealer works better since it sucks out the air & it doesn't float. Also, you can't leave it in for an indefinite time. As long as the temperature of the water is maintained, it's going to keep cooking. I don't know of any way to test doneness except through trial & error method.

Good to see you taking a chance with this method. It's important to adhere to precise temperatures and time charts. As long as temperature is maintained you shouldn't run into the risk of overcooking.

Doug Baldwin recommends chicken breasts at 140F for 2-3 hours for medium. Not sure what the temp setting is on your crock pot at the low but without constant monitoring or a PID controller it can be a recipe for disaster. I think you can do 135F for 4 hours and with a good sear at the end you will end up with moist and flavorful breast of chicken. Dark meat requires higher temperatures and longer cooking times.

Like pork chops it's important to give time to marinate chicken if you want the flavors to stick. If you want to include the marinated liquid in the pouch for cooking you may want to consider partially freezing it before you seal the bag so that the liquid doesn't get sucked out by the food sealer.


I accidentally stumbled upon the best pork chop ever. It was cooked sous vide, fast chilled in an ice bath, promptly refrigerated and reheated in the same unopened bag 5 days later + seared in a cast iron pan. I haven't been able to duplicate it since.




Pork chop on a bed of of parsnip puree with roasted yellow pepper and madeira sauce.

Originally Posted by Riofan

Pork chop on a bed of of parsnip puree with roasted yellow pepper and madeira sauce.

It looks like a duck.

A tasty duck.