Sous Vide cooking potluck dinner offer

Oh… with that we could even print them in the shape of the DMS logo. @Team_PR what you think? Could we do a fundraiser for this? If we do I’ll match the first $500.

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I’ve got an Anova circulator too.

I use a hot as hell cast iron pan and a little avocado oil (butter will burn) for the sear.

Chocolate sounds fun but don’t get a single drop of water in it or the entire batch will seize.

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Why wouldn’t we go the mold route instead of a chocolate printer? We could knock out a mold that could do batches of bars instead of the printing approach which is perhaps not ideal for mass production.

Btw, I have a Broad and Taylor proofer and it supposedly does a bang up job tempering chocolate. If someone organizes a lets make a bunch of DMS chocolate bar prototyping session I can bring it. This feels like something @uglyknees Nicole might have some experience in.

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I hear the call. I see the call. I’ll come out of hiding and make this happen. People need to get together and love on each other for a bit.

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OK then. I’ll be coming in at 4:45 p.m. on Sunday with my Anova Nano sous vide machine, a few ziploc baggies, some steak, eggs, and my George Foreman grill. I’m expecting Josh Melnick, Stan Simmons, and maybe Kris Anderson and Allen Wan (if I can reach him) and Landras. My machine has a 5 gallon maximum capacity, so I don’t know how much extra stuff it’ll hold.

After the steaks are done (2 hours cooking time), we can raise the temperature and cook some eggs. Those take about an hour. I disclaim all responsibility for any sides, but Stan might be bringing potatoes. Regrettably, five steaks is probably the limit given that I’ve got a small pot and budget to work with.

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After we’ve cooked the steak and eggs, the sous vide machine will be “open” to anyone who wants to bring in some steak and wait patiently for it to cook. If I can find an appropriate 5 gallon container at the Makerspace, then perhaps I can prepare more than 5 steaks at a time so more people can try it out.

I have a prior obligation on Sunday night, unfortunately, so don’t count on me. I may pop by the space around 9:30pm on my way home to see if anyone’s still around to share on what was learned and how it all went.

It’s not exactly what you want and that’s ok but here’s the invite to a September potluck here at DMS

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There are two 48 qt coolers at the space. We could use one of those as an insulated water container.

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An insulated cooler makes an excellent large sous vide “pot”. Just have to figure out how to attach the circulator securely.

ETA: I didn’t see Stan’s post right there in my face.

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I confused quarts with gallons. There will be plenty of room for lots of steaks. Anyone’s invited to bring a reasonable amount of steak at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. I’ll be bringing enough for 5 persons, as Landras can’t make it. It apparently cooks hamburger at the same temperature (go figure), so that’s an option too.

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So something to keep in mind for those not familiar with sous vide, the amount of “doneness” (rare, medium, etc.) of your steak will be determined by the water temperature, not the cook time. All of the steaks in one water bath will be cooked to the same level of doneness so there will need to be agreement on that. One option for those who want them more cooked is to remove some steaks and then bump up the temperature for another 15-20 minutes for the remaining meat. Another is to use the browning pan to further cook them, though this defeats some of the purpose of sous vide - perfect doneness without worry about time.

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Unless something changes I’ll be there with my sous vide too. I’ll bring my own steak, a cast iron pan and a hot plate of some sort. FWIW, I like my steak medium-ish so I’ll be cooking at 139 degrees. That temperature is also appropriate for firm white fish like halibut and also for lobster tail or shrimp. It’s too low for chicken and too high for salmon or tuna.

My hot plate (George Foreman) only gets up to 350 or so, whereas searing temperatures should be higher. But maybe we can take the removable plates off my George Foreman and hit it the back of 'em with a butane torch.

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How did I not see this thread??? :face_with_raised_eyebrow: I’m a sous vide connoisseur that’s been doing it since 2013. You guys need to expand your minds! There is sooooooooo much more you can do with these little machines than you think. There is even an entire community that uses them to make cheeses since you can control the temperature so precisely. You have so much potential with these machines, it’s crazy!

My favorite container (I have 2 different kinds) is a modified Coleman Party Stacker. You modify it by cutting the lid in half and drilling a hole o fit your sous vide machine.
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If there’s interest, I’d be open to teaching a informational class on the subject. There’s a lot of science behind it and ways to cook food at very low temperatures (including chicken) and it being completely safe because of pasteurization. Douglas Baldwin is the Godfather of sous vide cooking. He figured out all the science before sous vide was ever popular. If you like that kind of stuff, definitely check out his website: https://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

Glad to see so many people interested in this awesome way of cooking! :hugs:

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I can bring mine if we want to do a group cook for a potluck.

Love it for proteins and sous vide egg bites but cheese sounds interesting!

Another good source for ideas is Sous Vide Everything on YT

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Sear it on the induction cooktop outdoors if the weather allows. I’ve been cooking steaks reverse sear this way for a few years now with great results. I never would have believed I didn’t need a grill for a great steak but I’m convinced now. Proper sear temperature is when a water drop will dance on the pan like a mercury ball.

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Just a few nights ago. Before and after sear.

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So to give people other ideas of what you can do with a sous vide, here are some non-steak/beef things I’ve cooked:

  • creme brûlée (my favorite thing to make!) - basically any pot de creme/cheesecake/flan.

  • ice cream base

  • all sorts of vegetables (best corn on the cob you will ever have!)

  • chicken wings (best chicken wings you’ll ever have plus you get a ton of liquid gold…pure chicken juice/stock) - best to premake these and then fry them on demand for 90-120 seconds for color/crispness

  • dulce de leche - literally just drop a can of sweet condensed milk in the water and let it do it’s thing

  • fresh cranberry sauce (perfect for the holidays!)

  • all manors of seafood - best shrimp, lobster, and fish you’ll ever had. Never realized how much over cooked seafood I ate until sous vide!

  • Flavored oils - make any kind of flavored oil you want

This list can go on and on.

And I also encourage you to try really long cooks. My longest is 72 hours with short ribs. Imagine the strong beef flavor of short ribs that cuts like a steak and melts in your mouth like butter. :drooling_face: There’s so many possibilities with this method of cooking that I highly encourage you to try things other than just steaks, chicken, and eggs after you get comfortable with those 3 staples.

We’ll have to plan another potluck after all the holidays are over! :hugs:

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Weird that you can also cook a pot roast to your desired doneness. Mid Rare pot roast anyone? Did a plate of 4 beef short ribs. I did not share!

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