4.21.2012

Sous vide equipment (and a first steak)

In the course of another investigation, I had the opportunity to evaluate this hotplate I scored at a thrift store (woot! $6).  It's a real lab hotplate like one I'd have used in grad school.  My days as a chemist gone, I saw this and couldn't resist.  So, I plunked in about 20 pounds of water (ca 10 qts) and played with some settings until I found the medium rare setting for beef.

It's kind of a sluggish heater, not exactly the recirculating fluid chiller used for a jacketed 2,000 L reactor, but after a couple gallons of water is equilibrated (and it's stable for days with little energy expended) I'm ready to toss in a couple steaks with no risk of falling outside a good cooking range.  


Click on lower image for a larger view, data collected using this datalogger.
Next, we have to decide on the cut, I think we're going to try a NY strip.

Update!
Below, find some action shots.  I did a steak and believe it or not, I can't remember the cut!  Anyway, drink it in folks, this slab of beef was scrumptious.  I believe we will be cooking like this again (pulled pork).

 Here's the refrigerated beef vacuum sealed after tossing some salt and pepper on the surface.  I tossed it in to the 135°F bath and off to work....

 ... ten hours later...here it is, it's warm, fleshy and disgusting.

I then tossed it on direct flames (the Weber) for about a fiery minute each side.  Look at it!  It's pink no matter where you look!  I'm enamored at this.  I think it was about 1.2 pounds, we split it 3 ways, even Frankie liked it quite a bit.

5 comments:

  1. Your science side never ceases to amaze me...love it!

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  2. That set up looks like it would be perfect for eggs. Get something in there to keep them off the bottom of the pot and  I bet they would come out perfectly.  I think the temp for those is 142 F. 

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  3. seligmansdog4/23/2012 12:30 PM

    I know it's popular for eggs, but how does one vacuum pack the egg without sucking up all the liquid in the vac bagger?  I'll have to ask friends.  

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  4. No need to vacuum pack the egg. Keep it in the shell and bring the egg up to temperature. If the temperature is steady, you can't overcook it. At 142 F or so, the white sets and the yolk is still runny. When you gently crack the shell open, you have a perfectly poached egg.

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  5. seligmansdog4/23/2012 9:21 PM

    ahhh, I feel dumb now, that is supreme, thanks!

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