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[GoingMyWay]

I've done some sous vide cooking myself and I love it, but my searing NEVER comes out that good! How do you sear your food? Do you a torch, pan or grill?

[member=11422]ctfeet[/member]  I've tried all 3 methods: torch, pan, and grill.  I never really had any luck with the torch.  I've tried using propane and MAPP gas, with and without the Searzall attachement and it was just soooo slow.

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I was using the TS4000 burner tip so that might account for part of the problem.  I just recently bought the TS8000 burner, which is supposed to have a much better output than the TS4000.  I'm going to try that on International Sous Vide day, which is coming up on January 26.  I would like to have a good method for searing without needing to normally go outside because otherwise the house fills with smoke.

Using a cast iron pan is my favorite way of searing something that has been cooked sous vide.  For steaks, I go outside and place my cast iron skillet (filled with some avocado oil because of its high smoke point) either directly over my Vortex grill accessory, or more conveniently I'll use my Iwatani butane stove and crank the heat until the pan reaches about 500 degrees.  Then I'll sear the steak on each side for about 1.5-2 minutes.  That really develops a nice crust.

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I've also tried place the cast iron over the chimney and over the charcoal baskets .

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I actually cooked the duck breasts inside in a stainless steel skillet.

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I didn't crank the heat that high because I don't want the whole house to get all smokey, but also because I want to try to render some of the fat from the duck breast.  I don't remember the exact cooking time, but I think I preheated some canola oil in the pan and then seared over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.  The duck breast had been cooked at 135 degrees.  I cook my steaks at 124 degrees, which I think helps the meat tolerate the longer and higher heat searing outside without being overcooked.  I  have ended up overcooking a steak slightly (gray branding below the crust) when using a torch because of the intense concentrated heat from the flame.

Grilling looks nice from an appearance perspective, but the grill marks are really just parts of the meat that burnt from contact with the grill grate.  I only have a charcoal grill so the standard thin grill grates don't make the best grill marks.  If I want really awesome looking grill marks I'll use my GrillGrates over my Slow N Sear.  That only takes about 1 or 1.5 minutes per side, including turning the steak 45 degrees to get that diamond pattern.  As nice as the diamond grills marks look, I'd still rather have a nice all over sear in oil.

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I've also tried grilling over the coals in the charcoal basket and directly over the chimney.  In both cases I found the steak just burned too much.

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[GoingMyWay]

Yes I purchase frozen crawfish from Coastal Seafood. There's one right up the street so I can walk the 2 dogs and purchase the mud-bugs at the same time.  Multi-tasking at its best.  [smile]

I also have a difficult time finding good Andouille.  [sad]  Some of it just tastes like pork sausage run amok.

Fresh oysters around here are $2 each, so adding fresh oysters bumps up the grocery tab significantly. Especially for a dish that was basically meant to be a "use what you have on hand" dish.

I've used fresh okra but it's never available locally until the fall. I'll check out the frozen variant. It's really just used as a thickener?

I share your pain with the measurement conundrum. I'm cooking Ore House Stew today and they want me to add 5 cups of cubed stew meat...what the HEY?  Why not just say 2 1/2 #?

Do they let your dogs inside or do they have to wait outside?

Yup, worse yet I've seen some Andouille with chicken, that's definitely not right!

I saw a pint of "extra small oysters" at Costco yesterday for $7.99.  That sounds like a pretty reasonable price.  I'm not sure how much it is at the asian supermarket where we usually shop.  It is annoying to have to go to Costco to get one or 2 ingredients to make a recipe though.  Another reason we omitted the oysters is that I often find they are gritty, and I'm always the first one to cry when I find grit in my shrimp, clam, oyster, etc.  We did remind ourselves that this is "seafood gumbo."  A chicken and Andouille gumbo would probably be considerably cheaper to make.  Out of curiosity I added up the approximate cost of the seafood gumbo.  It was about $38.58 before tax.  That's enough for 3 meals for 2 people each meal so the final cost per person is less than $7 per person per meal.  That's really not bad - I often feel like there are times when it's really cheaper to eat out than cooking at home.

Maybe it's not quite as good of a thickener as fresh okra, but pretty close.  It's a little hard to say as our gumbo is rather thin to begin with.  I was considering reducing the amount of shrimp stock by 2 cups to make it a little thicker, but my wife said she likes it the consistency that we have.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with the measurement conundrum.  Sometimes unless you go to an actual butcher it's hard to get "2lbs of ground beef" or whatever.  In those cases, I'll modify the recipe to just say the "large or family size pack of ground beef" since I'm usually at the mercy of whatever is prepackaged.  I think the original recipe for the zuppa tuscano we made the other day called for "an 8 ounce can of chicken broth."  Someone in the comments felt our pain and asked who even sells chicken broth in an 8 ounce can.

 

[GoingMyWay]

Saturday was the 2nd annual International Sous Vide day (when I first mentioned it the other day I didn't realize it was a relatively new anniversary date).

I made the so called "perfect" 63 degree egg for breakfast.  The egg is cooked at 63.2 degree C for 45 minutes.

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For dinner we had sous vide steak with sous vide potatoes. I put in too much kosher salt so they ended up too salty. The potato flavor was also rather intense, in this case that wasn't really a good thing for me (tasted very "earthy").

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I finished the steak using the Searzall with my newly acquired TS8000 tip. I think the Searzall was more efficient and faster with the TS8000 tip. I still think cast iron is the best way to finish a sous vide steak.

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For dessert I made sous vide creme brulee. I first tried to torch the sugar with the Searzall, but I think it didn't work very well because I couldn't get the flame close enough to the sugar. I switched to a cheaper propane tip with the flame turned way down.

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[GoingMyWay]

On Saturday night, we made california rolls, which I've already shown pictures of.  We found some hamachi kama (yellowtail collar) at the asian market.  I roasted them in the oven and served them with some ponzu soy sauce.

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Last night I made a salt and pepper roast chicken from a NY Times recipe.  I bought an expensive organic air chilled chicken from Whole Foods thinking it was going to taste like the best chicken ever - it tasted like any other regular chicken that I've bought.  I'm pretty disappointed with the recipe.  I seasoned the outside and inside of the chicken with 2 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 2 tsp of pepper about 6 hours before cooking,  but the bird still came out under seasoned.  I wonder if dry brining over night would have make a difference. The chicken baked at 450 degrees, which resulted in a very smokey oven.

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[Bob Marino]

OK,  an admittedly dumb question. But here goes. What is the real deal difference between cooking  something in a slow cooker and cooking sous-vide?

 

[peter halle]

The French term sous vide translates to under vacuum.  By using a sous vide cooker with a bagged item that has minimal air in the bag you allow heat transfer to all outside areas of the item being cooked at the same rate (slow) without creating areas that cook slower or faster.  Just like someone could be cooked in a hot tub.  It will be enjoyable for a while, but over time  [eek]

Sous vide cookers are precise.  Slow cookers are not.

Peter

 

[semenza]

In addition ^^^^

      It has a different cooking effect than a slow cooker. You will get less of a caramelized blending of flavors with sous vide than a slow cooker.

    Slow cooker is great for stew.

    Sous vide is great for proteins that you want cooked but to have an almost uncooked result. Sous vide tends to preserve the natural food state better than a slow cooker.

    Hard to describe but that is probably sort of close.

Seth

 

[Cheese]

A slow cooker is great for...think about it...it’s coming up... corned beef for March 17th.

They’re also good for stews, chili’s and my fav...beef bourguignon. Anything that needs to “stew in it’s own juices” is a good candidate.

Some people have bragged about baking a cake in a slow cooker...but that’s certainly not my thing.

 

[six-point socket II]

(...)

Theyre also good for stews, chili’s and my fav...beef bourguignon. Anything that needs to “stew in it’s own juices” is a good candidate.

(...)

Someone called my name?

From a couple of days ago.

And a visit to our favorite "every day" casual restaurant.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Cheese]

Someone called my name?

[smile]

Hey Oliver, the 3rd photo is salmon and what kind of sauce?

And the fish dish in the 5th photo, what different fish have been plated up?

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi Cheese,

The Sauce is a Honey-Dill-Mustard Sauce.

Fish was: Angler-Fish, Sole, Gilthead, Catfish and a Scampi.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[peter halle]

A slow cooker is great for...think about it...it’s coming up... corned beef for March 17th.

They’re also good for stews, chili’s and my fav...beef bourguignon. Anything that needs to “stew in it’s own juices” is a good candidate.

Some people have bragged about baking a cake in a slow cooker...but that’s certainly not my thing.

Just as as side note to this, Corned Beef can be made sous vide.  Here is a great link for those who like the science of it all (it does take longer than in a crock pot slow cooker BUT you can select the doneness you desire):  https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/how-to-make-corned-beef-st-patricks-day-simmering-brisket-meat-the-food-lab.html

Peter

 

[Cheese]

The Sauce is a Honey-Dill-Mustard Sauce.

Fish was: Angler-Fish, Sole, Gilthead, Catfish and a Scampi.

Thanks Oliver, it's always interesting to experience different cuisines from different worlds.  [big grin] The green sauce contrasts nicely with the salmon.  [smile] Looks delicious. I wonder what gives it the green color? Parsley possibly?

That looked like raw salmon or is it a ceviche? Producing a ceviche has been on my priority list for the last 4-5 years now.  [tongue]

Angler-fish & gilt head...I'm unfamiliar with both.  [tongue]

 

[Cheese]

Just as an aside to this, Corned Beef can be made sous vide.  Here is a great link for those who like the science of it all (it does take longer than in a crock pot slow cooker BUT you can select the doneness you desire): 

Great article Peter...I haven't finished reading it yet because of all the side ways elements contained within, but I will.  [smile]

My ears really perked up with the reference to Jewish and Irish families living side by side because that's also been my experience.  [big grin]

I'll also throw the Italians into that mix because that was the way it was locally 80-90 years ago...a true melting pot. [thumbs up]

That's the Essence (thank you Emeril) that's made us such a great country.

Different thoughts...different methods...but the same final product/goal.

Rather like this conversation as a matter of fact.  [smile]

So, speaking about corned beef and March 17th...can you tell that I'm Irish?

My biggest St. Patties no-no is to take the cabbage, carrots & potatoes and throw them into the corned beef. I did that for years, and I hated the results for years until I decided to just think through the situation.

Corned beef in a slow cooker (or any cooker for that matter) renders the fat from the meat very slowly over hours of time. Where does that fat gravitate to?...the vegetables. So if you want your cabbage to be greasy & taste like corned beef, if you want your carrots to be greasy and taste like corned beef and if you want your potatoes to be greasy and taste like corned beef, then by all means, just throw them in with the corned beef.

So over the years, I've learned to cook my vegetables separately from the corned beef and the taste is amazing. Vegetables with subtle flavors need to taste like vegetables while corned beef with it's in-your-face flavor needs to be the star of the show.

A second suggestion is to purchase a flat cut corned beef or a Waygu eye of round corned beef. Both shrink less than a typical corned beef brisket.

I'll also add a couple of bottles of Shiner's Bock or Guiness to the slow cooker to add a little pizazz. Then I obviously need to consume what's left of the beer to make sure it's not spoiled.  [smile]

Here's a shot of last years celebration before I added a few potatoes and carrots. This happens to be a Waygu eye of round.Notice how lean it is yet it's not dry at all, just very moist.

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[Tinker]

quote>>>Great article Peter...I haven't finished reading it yet because of all the side ways elements contained within, but I will.  [smile]

My ears really perked up with the reference to Jewish and Irish families living side by side because that's also been my experience.  [big grin]

I'll also throw the Italians into that mix because that was the way it was locally 80-90 years ago...a true melting pot. [thumbs up]

That's the Essence (thank you Emeril) that's made us such a great country.

Different thoughts...different methods...but the same final product/goal.

Rather like this conversation as a matter of fact.

 

[Cheese]

Eventually, I decided that since I almost always fell asleep during any service, i would not go to church anymore. I did go to my cousin's grandfather and help him with his Sunday chores. (he was a small dairy farmer) I learned a lot about other folks ways during those years.

That's funny... [big grin]

My grandparents on both sides of the family are 1st Gen born Americans. When their parents made the great voyage to America they all settled in an area known as the levee. The space was tight but the housing was affordable. They'd borrow and use each other's clothes lines to hang their laundry out to dry. Automobiles didn't yet exist. Electricity didn't exist. One of my great, great uncles was a lamp lighter while another sold rags in the downtown area out of the back of a horse drawn wagon.

Jews, Germans, Italians, Austrians, Irish and then add in the odd Swede, Bohemian or Czech. They all grew together as friends, started businesses, raised families and eventually purchased their own homes. It was the beginning of the America we know today.

As you said Tinker, you can learn a lot from other people.  [big grin]

 

[peter halle]

So, after reading the corned beef link posted above...

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4 lb. store bought corned brisket

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Start time

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180 degrees f for 10 hours.  Green bubble wrap added to insulate and also reduce evaporation.  Very effective.  Also a tribute to Bob Marino!

Now I can go do what I want for the rest of the day.  One advantage / disadvantage of sous vide cooking is that there is virtually no smell.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

So, after reading the corned beef link posted above...

One advantage / disadvantage of sous vide cooking is that there is virtually no smell.

So this will be interesting. [popcorn] [popcorn] [popcorn]

You're right Peter, whether an apple pie or corned beef, the smell does make a difference.  [smile]

 

[Tinker]

All this talk about the smells, as I look (drool) over all the wonderful pics in this discussion, all the great roasts and desserts, I can just smell all the goodness. I love the smell of my wife's cooking. As I am watching TV in the other room, or doing bookkeeping right in the same room where a meal is cooking, I just love the smells coming from the stove.  Suddenly, the smell of burning wax starts to invade. I no longer need to investigate. After nearly 53 years of wedded bliss, I now know the source. My wife thinks the smell of cooking is an assault to the senses and she lights candles all around the kitchen and living room to hide those smells. Those candles remind me of the days when my mom's house had the kerosene stove for cooking. I even prefer the smell of burning good food to the odor of that old kerosene stove. The first thing we did once we got electricity into Mom's house was to get rid of the kerosene cookstove and get an electric stove. That was even before we got the refrigerator to replace the Ice Box. My problem now is I just don't want to replace my wife. I will just have to put up with those (expletive) candles.
Tinker

 

[peter halle]

[member=550]Tinker[/member] , I admit that I am old enough to remember the colder days of the 1970's and 1980's and was a witness to efforts taken to stay warm by those who used fuel oil to heat their homes.  Kerosene space heaters became common in the US.  The stench of a kerosene heater running out of fuel or being turned off is one not to be forgotten.

Glad those days are behind me.

Peter