Sous Vide

Freddy there are charts (or formulas) to figure out the required time to thaw, then sanitize and cook. I use the charts since the math is already done. It's longer than one thinks, and no one wants to make a mistake and get anyone sick. I think if "Baldwin sous vide" is googled it will show the site with the charts. Lots of text and explanation as well, but reading isn't mandatory.

Yes, SV is a no effort or significant time method of cooking. I got everything going by 1100 and was chilling it by 1800. While the circulator was doing it's thing I was doing lots of other things. None of those other things included watching the SV circulator.

You always want to make sure the cook time and temperature is long enough for food safety.
 
I have found that adding a couple of hours to the minimum time can help tenderize meat. You can take an inexpensive cut of beef and make it nearly as tender as an expensive cut. Just do not take an already tender cut of beef and leave it in Sous Vide for too long. That can make it mushy.

You can take an inexpensive cut of beef and make it nearly as tender as an expensive cut.

Dittos. I do that frequently. In fact part of the wife going ballistic re: too much meat being SV was because I also took a pre SV roast out and already had it thawed for slicing. I can't remember what it cost precisely ($3/lb?) but the SV bath turned the cheap cut into really good roast beef for sandwiches.

You can take an inexpensive cut of beef and make it nearly as tender as an expensive cut.

Dittos. I do that frequently. In fact part of the wife going ballistic re: too much meat being SV was because I also took a pre SV roast out and already had it thawed for slicing. I can't remember what it cost precisely ($3/lb?) but the SV bath turned the cheap cut into really good roast beef for sandwiches.

I buy whole eye rounds on sale usually $2.99 or less when they are and use them to make roast beef cold cuts. 24 hour cook @132 F is good enough for cold cuts. 28 hours @ 132 F makes it even better. Anything over that I find is too soft for cold cuts. To serve as an actual dinner roast or steak at least 36 hours.

You are so right Freddy   it’s counterintuitive that experimenting with a “complicated and high tech”  new cooking system will actually reduce stress and ease time pressures in getting something done just right down to the nano second or it’s ruined. Have a guest who is unavoidably detained? Not a big deal. It really is a life changer. It’s amazing for fish. Moist and tender and perfectly done. 

One drawback is if you’re doing multiple dishes requiring different temperatures but really not that big of a problem because SV machines aren’t that expensive. Just buy another one.

What you do is the following leaving out the gory details on the math part. Cook all your steaks to 129F before hand. Get them to that temp and desired firmness. Then pack them in individual bags and store frig or freezer until needed for dinner. At that point this is where the math comes in first warm them all back up to 129F in the SV bath then bump the temp up to the desired finish i.e. medium rare, well, etc lowest first and let sit according the charts at least as long enough to reach that temp internally then up it again for the next level and so on and so forth until all the steaks are done. After that throw them in the bags still in the sink with cold water to cool them enough prior to putting on the finishing sear so they don't cook past the finish temp while doing so. Once you know the timing just get start at least as earlier than you want to eat so eveything finishes when you do. This also works great for making almost like fresh tv dinner steaks with minimal cook time on the actual dinner night you eat them.

Yesterday, I did a tilapia fillet in the sous vide cooker for only the third time and this time was the best. I used a sealed frozen tilapia fillet that I had already seasoned with a light spray of avocado oil and a sprinkling of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute (their version of Mrs. Dash non-salt seasoning). I saw a cooking time and temperature on the internet and I was wondering if it would work because the temperature called for was 145°F which was higher than used the previous two times. The time was for half an hour and I added another 15 minutes to allow for the fish to defrost. It worked perfectly. The fish was moist and flaky and absolutely delicious. Because the fillet was so thin, attempting it in a frying pan would require careful tending as well as attempting to flip the fish without it falling apart. Also, because this was a delicate piece of white fish, no searing was needed. I just took the fish from the bag and put it on the plate. Some leftover roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes made for a super easy and tasty meal.

Brian ShadowsDad I don’t understand the words “too much meat “ ??? 

Freddy if you want to give a quick sear to something delicate like fish you might want to try a culinary torch. They’re available for not a lot of money on Amazon and cans of fuel at Costco for cheap too. Bonus is you can use it for crème brûlée as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Iwatani-Professio...191&sr=8-9

Brian ShadowsDad I don’t understand the words “too much meat “ ??? 

Reread post #108. It was a reference to that.

Brian ShadowsDad I don’t understand the words “too much meat “ ??? 

Freddy if you want to give a quick sear to something delicate like fish you might want to try a culinary torch. They’re available for not a lot of money on Amazon and cans of fuel at Costco for cheap too. Bonus is you can use it for crème brûlée as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Iwatani-Professio...191&sr=8-9

Mark, I have one and it's perfect for meat. However, with this type of small fillet of fish I just don't think it's needed. It was delicious just as it came out of the sous vide bath.

Oh, I forgot, we've been enjoying the med' rare burgers. Unlike well done burgers which can be tough (if overworked in forming) and dry if over cooked, these are fantastic!

The burgers I cooked this time were Omaha Steaks burgers and probably no more than 85% lean. Next time I want to make my own 90% or higher lean and I think they'd still be tender and esp' moist despite the lack of fat.

Warm up? Very gently nuked at a low (med' low?) power setting just to warm but not cook beyond med' rare. It takes a bit longer that way but the burger retains all of the desired characteristics. In the past I've also gently warmed steaks in a pan with butter. Again, not to cook, just to warm.

edit: In all the years I've done SV I've never SV chicken and I think that's going to happen soon. Of course the skin won't crisp up, but I've been known to do that in a frying pan to have total control and 100% crisp skin.