I have the Foodsaver - can I sous vide?

Question

Hi Folks - with all of the talk about sous vide on Top Chef this season I'm wondering.... can I use my Foodsaver to try this cooking method? If so, how is it done? Is it as simple as vacu-sealing a chicken breast with some seasoning and cooking it in a water bath? I read somewhere that a crockpot could serve this purpose.

I'm looking for details here - like recipes, cooking time and temperature.

Answer

Though I've never done it before it looked like on TC Hung was using a foodsaver. Basically (from what I've read) you add seasoning or marinade or a sauce (hey, it can a be fat free sauce for healthiness) and you vacuum seal it and cook it over low heat in a water bath. Get a candy thermometer to regulate the heat.

Answer

Sure you can. You should really do some research on sous vide techniques. Without an immersion circulator you will have a hard time doing meats in a stock pot on the stove and maintaining the narrow range of temperatures recommended but it can be done. You will have to monitor your water temperature well.

Answer

To answer the question of how long to cook: Alton Brown did an episode on poaching in pouches. If you have your water bath set to 120 degrees, the protein cannot reach a higher temperature than this, so it will only cook to this "degree" of doneness. It could stay in the bath for hours and will not overcook because it can never cook past 120 degrees. (Think of it more like a slow cooked brisket.) As for how long it takes to reach that temp, well it depends of course, but you've got plenty of room for error.

Answer

I've been using the foodsaver bags to sous vide for a while now and they work great. 

What I do is bring a pot of water up to temperature using a good stock pot. It's important to have a pot that heats around as well as the bottom, there's a regulation here in Canada that requires restaurants to get a certification to sous vide. Their reason is that sometimes, the temperature in a stagnant pot of watter isn't actually equal all the way through so you'd still have cold spots and hot spots in the water bath (this is why circulators help) and since your cooking temperature is very marginal then there's a chance to not properly eliminate food born bacteria. 

I just bring a pot to temperature and then leave it on medium stirring every once in a while. I also leave a bowl of ice cubes nearby so i could just drop a cube to temper the bath. I've done it with pork belly, chicken breasts, duck breats, lamb loins, fish, vege, and they've all been fantastic.

Answer

Short answer - yes.
Here's a link that I used for times and temperatures.
http://amath.colorado.edu/~baldwind/sous-vide.html

The crockpot method is what I used after I was able to accurately control the temperature of the water. There are pre-made controllers available on the web, but I made my own using an electrical box, dimmer switch, and outlet.
After plugging the crockpot into the outlet that is wired to be controlled by the dimmer, it takes some initial testing (using a digital probe stuck in the water) to find the correct "setting" on the dimmer.
Since it takes awhile for the water temperature in the crockpot to stabilize this can be time consuming but once a location is determined for a given temperature, that position can be marked and returned to for future use. - However, I still keep the thermometer in the water while cooking so I can monitor for any possible problems.
If you're the kind who likes to "tinker", I'd say it's all worth the effort - nothing like a roast of beef that ends up with the same "doneness" from the center all the way out to the outer surface.

Answer

According to the FoodSaver site as of 1/5/10 they do approve use of the bags for sous vide. See link- http://www.foodsaver.com/FoodStorage.aspx?id=fsv

Answer

Go buy the current issue of Make Magazine, they have directions on how to make your own sous vide machine, cheaply.

Answer

Sous vide can go from extremely expensive (ie immersion circulator) to extremely cheap. Check out this technique that uses a beer cooler to hold your sealed up protien: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/cook-your-meat-in-a-beer-cooler-the-worlds-best-sous-vide-hack.html

Answer

I have a Foodsaver and I cut a bag for the food I'm going to cook. I then seal the bag using vacuum/seal and voila. MY foodsaver people say it IS OK for sous vide.

I just finished a 2" dry-aged strip steak using 136F for 3 hours. Seared with a butane torch for crispness and cut into a beautiful medium rare steak. Best I've had!

Answer

I use a large insulated cooler and zip lock bags. The cooler keeps a water at a consistent 118 degrees for 2-3 hours. Occasionally I have to add a little hot water, but it cooks a perfect rare steak/duck.

Answer

According to their website, "Every FoodSaver® brand bag and roll is built to stand up to heat and moisture for sous vide cooking. Your food will be protected, and you'll never have to worry about a proper seal or ineffective materials again."

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I have the Foodsaver - can I sous vide?

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