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OldSenileGuy
Mar 13, 2001
UPDATE: Did London Broil straight from frozen into the bath at 131F for 8 hours. Flavor and juiciness was great, but meat was still a little tougher than I'd like. Definitely better than last time, though. Maybe next time I'll try for 10 hours.

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Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU
I owe my dad a LOT for some work he did on my house recently, so the plan for Friday is to have what might possibly be one of the most "effort" meals I've ever made:

3x MASSIVE ribeye steaks; thinking 4 hours from frozen @ 135
2x NY Strip; thinking 2.5 hours from fresh @135
2x Filet/Tenderloin; thinking 2 hours from fresh @ 135

After the bath, I'll be drying them, lightly brushing them with butter and some spices (garlic/onion/pepper/salt), and letting 'em rest for a few.

I'll light my firepit, get it roaring hot, and use that to sear the outside of them. Once they come inside, they will be immediately plated and we'll begin.

--------------------------------------

While all that is going on, we're looking at trying to make just about the creamiest mashed potatoes possible. Peel some russets, cook them in the instant pot, transfer them to a hot mixing bowl, add some sour cream and all the meat juices from the SV bags. Also going to sautee some garlic, mash it with a mortar and pestle, and add that too.

We'll garnish with chives and bacon at the table.

--------------------------------------

While the potatoes are mixing, we'll sautee up some mushrooms and onions as a garnish for the steaks.

--------------------------------------

Probably take the lazy way out with broccoli and steam it, though maybe we'll try and roast it. Never roasted broccoli before.

--------------------------------------

Oven will be set to warm to keep plates hot, and anything that's ready before the steaks.




I'm super pumped. I've had a lot of experience with ribeye, but I've never done NY Strip or Filet before. I feel like 135 is the sweet spot for ribeye because of what it does to the fat, and the NY Strip/Filet are mostly made with my mom in mind, since she likes things "medium well". We do not DO things "medium well" at my house, but she has made peace with this because my "medium" doesn't "drip blood" all over her plate.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions, though, I'll be glad to hear 'em!

Erwin
Feb 17, 2006

I'd recommend seasoning the steaks before the bath, especially if you're just searing directly over the fire. Salt and pepper only, plus optional butter, fresh garlic (not garlic powder), and a sprig of rosemary inside the bag with each one. It's amazing how much of the rosemary flavor is imparted.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU

Erwin posted:

I'd recommend seasoning the steaks before the bath, especially if you're just searing directly over the fire. Salt and pepper only, plus optional butter, fresh garlic (not garlic powder), and a sprig of rosemary inside the bag with each one. It's amazing how much of the rosemary flavor is imparted.

That should be pretty easy to do for the fresh steaks; the frozen ones are already vacuum sealed. Although now that I say that, there's probably enough of a tail that I could cut the bag open, sprinkle some seasoning in, and re-seal.

Whenever I've done that in the past, it seems like the salt has done something weird to the texture of the meat. But I keep seeing everyone suggest the same everywhere, so maybe it's time to try again.

I'll have to see if we keep rosemary on hand.

Trastion
Jul 24, 2003
The one and only.

Zarin posted:


I'll have to see if we keep rosemary on hand.

If you don't, you should start growing some. It's great, especially in potatoes. And it keeps coming back every year. Plant it in a corner of the yard or a little pot somewhere and always have fresh on hand!

Hopper
Dec 28, 2004

BOOING! BOOING!
Grimey Drawer
You could make a pan sauce from the bag juices instead of mixing them into the mash. I imagine it would make your mash taste of meat and this may take away from the flavour contrast between mash and steak. But I have never mixed it in so just spitballing.

Anne Whateley
Feb 11, 2007
:unsmith: i like nice words
I would either do a pan sauce from the jus or else use it for the mushrooms.

If you want the creamiest mashed potatoes, you want butter and cream, not sour cream. You could do the 50/50 if you want to go nuts. Imo doing roasted garlic would be more convenient as well as better than sautéed mashed garlic.

I would definitely roast or firepit the broccoli rather than steaming it. You could also include a lemony element as a contrast with the richness of everything else.

Spatule
Mar 18, 2003
Since when can't pregnant women not eat medium rare steak wtf?

Dewgy
Nov 10, 2005

~🚚special delivery~📦

OldSenileGuy posted:

UPDATE: Did London Broil straight from frozen into the bath at 131F for 8 hours. Flavor and juiciness was great, but meat was still a little tougher than I'd like. Definitely better than last time, though. Maybe next time I'll try for 10 hours.

London broil I think always has some toughness to it, but that may be what I love about it. Season it heavy, slice it thin, and you’ll never be disappointed.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU
Trip report: success!

Owing to a last-minute decision, we decided to just put all the steaks in for 4 hours. We may have overshot that by 20 minutes, I'm not entirely sure (punctuality isn't a specialty of my parents :v: )

Searing over the fire went well. I was concerned that they were on for "too long", but when we cut into them it was practically picture-perfect: deep red throughout that immediately transitioned to a dark crust with no gray in-between.

Unfortunately, I felt that the texture was a bit "off" - like it was almost too fine a grain. My wife and parents strongly disagreed, but I'm almost 100% positive that I've made a better steak before. Not to sell last night's effort short - it was still in the realm of "lol why do steakhouses even exist anymore, just lol" Someday I'll be rich and/or dumb enough to get a dedicated dry-aging fridge Still, I have a couple left-over strips and tenderloins, so I may see what 3 hours is like.


Erwin posted:

I'd recommend seasoning the steaks before the bath, especially if you're just searing directly over the fire. Salt and pepper only, plus optional butter, fresh garlic (not garlic powder), and a sprig of rosemary inside the bag with each one. It's amazing how much of the rosemary flavor is imparted.

I did salt and pepper inside the bags! I'm not sure if it did a whole lot, though. :shrug:


Trastion posted:

If you don't, you should start growing some. It's great, especially in potatoes. And it keeps coming back every year. Plant it in a corner of the yard or a little pot somewhere and always have fresh on hand!

Hmm, I just cut down the massive Ash tree in our back yard that died to bugs last October; previously, I had nowhere that got enough sun to consider a garden. I tried to talk the wife into a small raised garden this year, but she wasn't interested; I wonder if suggesting herbs might intrigue her more, since I suspect they require a bit less maintenance than vegetables. Although now that I appear to be living in a brave new world of working from home, I suppose I could just tend to it myself now . . .


----------------------------------------------------------


In our excitement for sauteed mushrooms and onions, we, uh, completely forgot the garlic for the potatoes. :rip: Didn't really matter, they were still excellent (and, at least for my mom, with the little tray of bacon/chives/cheddar/sour cream, probably the star of the show. She had the filet :negative:


Hopper posted:

You could make a pan sauce from the bag juices instead of mixing them into the mash. I imagine it would make your mash taste of meat and this may take away from the flavour contrast between mash and steak. But I have never mixed it in so just spitballing.

Awhile back, we kinda stumbled on the fact that adding the juices is an extremely lazy way to bring some flavor to the potatoes, and the sour cream helps with the fact that the juices make the potatoes a little watery. You might be right that perhaps some contrast is lost, but I guess the idea was that in a restaurant, my favorite bites of potatoes were the ones that were soaked in steak juice. Since these steaks don't really leak much juice, I just decided to approach the issue directly :v:



Anne Whateley posted:

I would either do a pan sauce from the jus or else use it for the mushrooms.

If you want the creamiest mashed potatoes, you want butter and cream, not sour cream. You could do the 50/50 if you want to go nuts. Imo doing roasted garlic would be more convenient as well as better than sautéed mashed garlic.

I would definitely roast or firepit the broccoli rather than steaming it. You could also include a lemony element as a contrast with the richness of everything else.

Pan Sauce is something we both need to learn. I've tried Alton Brown's method from his prime rib flowerpot episode, but every time we tried, we just ended up with burnt sadness and gave up after a few tries. I suppose I should just look up some other way to do it - there's certainly no reason why it should be beyond our capabilities, but it's just never worked out yet. Thanks for pointing out that I should definitely give it a try again.

Apparently, the broccoli was frozen broccoli, not fresh. I'm not sure if that's roastable or not, but the wife said she was really looking forward to the plain steamed broccoli with just a touch of salt, so I'll have to try those suggestions another time!


----------------------------------------------------------


Thanks for the tips, everyone! Even if I didn't act on them last night, it definitely gives me a lot to think about (and things to practice)!

couldcareless
Feb 8, 2009

Spheal used Swagger!
Yeah, if you let steaks go for too long, the texture gets a bit off, almost too soft. My wife doesn't notice it but I definitely do.

Infinite Karma
Oct 23, 2004
Good as dead





Zarin posted:

Apparently, the broccoli was frozen broccoli, not fresh. I'm not sure if that's roastable or not, but the wife said she was really looking forward to the plain steamed broccoli with just a touch of salt, so I'll have to try those suggestions another time!

----------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the tips, everyone! Even if I didn't act on them last night, it definitely gives me a lot to think about (and things to practice)!
If you like steamed veggies, maybe try blanching next time? It' brings out a lot of flavor and crunch that sometimes gets lost in steaming.

Carillon
May 9, 2014






You can definitely roast frozen broccoli, my partner has started doing it through the pandemic and it's worked out great.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU

Carillon posted:

You can definitely roast frozen broccoli, my partner has started doing it through the pandemic and it's worked out great.

Do you need to thaw it first, or just put it on the heat and let it go?

If you can outline their basic gist of it, I'd be more than happy for the info!

mystes
May 31, 2006

Zarin posted:

Do you need to thaw it first, or just put it on the heat and let it go?

If you can outline their basic gist of it, I'd be more than happy for the info!
You can roast it from frozen.

Beaucoup Haram
Jun 18, 2005

Getting a warranty replacement for my Wifi + BT model, does anyone know if it's possible to buy or maybe 3d print a replacement plastic skirt, the bit where the metal shroud slots in ? Mine completely degraded - just comes off in chunks now but if I can repair it and give it to someone who doesn't have one I'd like to.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU

Beaucoup Haram posted:

Getting a warranty replacement for my Wifi + BT model, does anyone know if it's possible to buy or maybe 3d print a replacement plastic skirt, the bit where the metal shroud slots in ? Mine completely degraded - just comes off in chunks now but if I can repair it and give it to someone who doesn't have one I'd like to.

Is that on an Anova? :stare:

Beaucoup Haram
Jun 18, 2005

Zarin posted:

Is that on an Anova? :stare:

Yep

Trastion
Jul 24, 2003
The one and only.

Zarin posted:



Hmm, I just cut down the massive Ash tree in our back yard that died to bugs last October; previously, I had nowhere that got enough sun to consider a garden. I tried to talk the wife into a small raised garden this year, but she wasn't interested; I wonder if suggesting herbs might intrigue her more, since I suspect they require a bit less maintenance than vegetables. Although now that I appear to be living in a brave new world of working from home, I suppose I could just tend to it myself now . . .



Do a few herbs. Chives, Sage, Rosemary and a bunch of other common herbs come back every year so buy a small plant for a couple bucks and reap the rewards for years to come.

Careful with some though as they tend to take over wherever they are so some things you will want to keep in planters to keep them from spreading. (mint, sage and others).

Also be aware of things like Cilantro. Cilantro is great but when the plant seeds it starts producing Corriander (also great) but then STOPS producing Cilantro. The leaves dry up and fall off and you only get the Corriander seeds then. So if you want it to stay Cilantro you need to be aggressive with plucking the buds so it doesn't seed when it gets to that point.

Other than a few things like that though an herb garden is not much work like a veggie garden can be. And the difference it makes to grab a handful of fresh herb to throw in whatever you are cooking is crazy.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU
Herbchat: Thanks for the tips! I'll put a DIY project on my list for making some sort of cage to put potted herbs in or something (to protect from animals)

Sous Vide Chat: does freezing meat impact the texture at all? I'm really struggling with getting the right texture on the larger, "inner" part of a ribeye, and I'm not sure if that's due to having frozen them, or if I really need to adjust the temp. (For reference, I was puddling for 3 hours at 135, which made for amazing Strip and Tenderloin [unfrozen]. I expected Ribeye to do as well, but it didn't seem to.)

The ribeyes I had seemed to have an "outer" section that was much deeper red and fantastic texture; on the "inner" portion the grain seemed almost too "fine". It was tender and juicy, but the mouthfeel was . . . off. I'm not sure how to describe it. It was also less "red" and more "pink", which makes me wonder if that section is a different muscle and more susceptible to overcooking or what.

Of course, it's possible that this is just the nature of ribeye and I've never noticed before?

qutius
Apr 2, 2003
NO PARTIES
Try bumping up the temp just a bit to 137. I've found, along with some research, that ribeyes do best with just a tad higher than you might normally do a steak

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU

qutius posted:

Try bumping up the temp just a bit to 137. I've found, along with some research, that ribeyes do best with just a tad higher than you might normally do a steak

I thought that as well, but I figured 135 was already "high" for what most considered steaks.

I'll give it a go on the next one! (Or 3 . . . I feel like some testing may be in order)

Thanks though, I was at a loss of what to do and was wondering if I needed to go down in temp. It does make some sense if I need to go the other direction, though.

Sentient Data
Aug 31, 2011

My molecule scrambler ray will disintegrate your armor with one blow!
Welp, it was time to reorder a roll of bags but the one i got last time isn't available any more. Anyone have a link for a good knockoff? https://www.amazon.com/Sealers-Commercial-Embossed-Avid-Armor/dp/B01H2FNGYC is what i got last time

asciidic
Aug 19, 2005

lord of the valves


I've been using these and they work just fine:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-FoodVacBags-11-X50-Rolls-for-FoodSaver-Embossed-Universal-Vacuum-Sealer-Bags/310655446198

But I'm sure any of the 11" rolls with decent reviews on Amazon will work for you, eg https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X8G18DD/

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD
Jul 7, 2012

Posted in the kitchen equipment thread as well but curious what my Sous Vide Bros find to be the best vacuum sealer.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Posted in the kitchen equipment thread as well but curious what my Sous Vide Bros find to be the best vacuum sealer.

Quoting myself from awhile go, but I'm pretty fond of this one:

Not sure your price range; I started my journey with a $20 Seal-a-Meal unit that was . . . functional. Mostly. It was tough to use, because it didn't have a manual switch to go from pulling vacuum to activating the sealer; it just had to hit its own internal cutoff. I suspect the pressure sensor is what died on it, since it would still pull decent vacuum but would never stop.

When it died, I took the opportunity to get this model:
https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Non-Roll-Vacuum-Sealing-FM2000-015/dp/B01BK8UDCA

I feel like the ability to kill the suck and begin sealing immediately is a nice one. If the food is a bit too juicy, I'll just hit the switch and get the seal completed before the juice sneaks up into the unit. I figure that a 99% vacuum is good enough for my use case, and it keeps me from having to go through a cycle or three of wiping out the inside of the bag trying to achieve a seal.

I want to say I got this for $75 at Wal-Mart a year or so ago, but I'm not 100% at this point.

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Posted in the kitchen equipment thread as well but curious what my Sous Vide Bros find to be the best vacuum sealer.

What’s your budget? I have seen a few that can pull a near space vacuum for extended equipment tests, couple mil at least for those. I have and love my VacMaster VP110 (there is a newer model number now) which has served me well for 12+ years now and zero maintenance, couple hundred bucks for that. Lots of people love the Costco deal on the foodsaver.
Lots of restaurants are going under, you could probably get a second hand pro unit for cheap these days...

Thrasher
Apr 21, 2002

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Posted in the kitchen equipment thread as well but curious what my Sous Vide Bros find to be the best vacuum sealer.

I bought an Excalibur EPV12: https://excaliburdehydrator.com/collections/vac-sealer-machines/products/epv12-12-pro-vacuum-sealer

I’ve used their dehydrators before so took a leap at this product. I wanted their 15” model but I couldn’t order it direct to Canada for some reason and found the 12” one on Amazon for a deal. I just seal off a corner for 15” wide bags and it works fine.

It allows me to choose a duration of how long the element will be on for making a seal which is nice if you buy different vendors of plastic bags/rolls.

I also like how I don’t have to fit the bag into a slot to vac/seal it. The flip up lid with handle is perfect, especially for large items.

Here is a full packer brisket done with it recently:

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD
Jul 7, 2012

That thing is really nice, but it's out of my price range.

Actually, my mom just mentioned she wants a nicer one, and to give me her FoodSaver (which is fine with me.) I think she's willing to spend up to like $250.

Zarin
Nov 11, 2008

I SEE YOU

Thrasher posted:

I bought an Excalibur EPV12: https://excaliburdehydrator.com/collections/vac-sealer-machines/products/epv12-12-pro-vacuum-sealer

I’ve used their dehydrators before so took a leap at this product. I wanted their 15” model but I couldn’t order it direct to Canada for some reason and found the 12” one on Amazon for a deal. I just seal off a corner for 15” wide bags and it works fine.

It allows me to choose a duration of how long the element will be on for making a seal which is nice if you buy different vendors of plastic bags/rolls.

I also like how I don’t have to fit the bag into a slot to vac/seal it. The flip up lid with handle is perfect, especially for large items.

Here is a full packer brisket done with it recently:



Wait, they make 15" bags?!

Holy poo poo, this is possibly life-changing . . .

Thrasher
Apr 21, 2002

Zarin posted:

Wait, they make 15" bags?!

Holy poo poo, this is possibly life-changing . . .

FoodSaver GameSaver 15” x 20’

https://www.amazon.ca/FoodSaver-GameSaver-15-Inch-Heat-Seal-FSGSBF5626-000/dp/B00ARW32VA

Hasselblad
Dec 13, 2017

My dumbass opinions are only outweighed by my racism.

No one forgot that I exist to defend violent cops, champion chaining down immigrants, and have trash opinions on cooking.

Thrasher posted:

I also like how I don’t have to fit the bag into a slot to vac/seal it.

That is my sealer's biggest failing. The levers in there that trip the seal process tend to prevent the bag to go in perfectly flat, causing perpetual vacuum. I like that one's ability to simply place the bag end the way you want it and manually shut and start it.

edit: Loving the company's tagline "America's Best Dehydrator" (Made In China)

This one looks like a decent alternative, a lot cheaper but much better reviews than the Excalibur's 2 reviews on amazon.

Hasselblad fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Aug 7, 2020

Sir Sidney Poitier
Aug 14, 2006

My favourite actor


I just got a cheap immersion circulator and did some very thick cut bacon in it at 63C for 13h. I'd laid it in a ziploc bag in a single layer, but if I was going to do this in the future on a larger scale would it really matter if it was in a single layer, provided there's still no air?

xtal
Jan 9, 2011

by Fluffdaddy

Anjow posted:

I just got a cheap immersion circulator and did some very thick cut bacon in it at 63C for 13h. I'd laid it in a ziploc bag in a single layer, but if I was going to do this in the future on a larger scale would it really matter if it was in a single layer, provided there's still no air?

With bacon specifically, it might end up cooking together and tearing apart when you separate it. It wouldn't change the cooking process itself and it doesn't matter for things that are thicker or less fatty than bacon.

mystes
May 31, 2006

Anjow posted:

I just got a cheap immersion circulator and did some very thick cut bacon in it at 63C for 13h. I'd laid it in a ziploc bag in a single layer, but if I was going to do this in the future on a larger scale would it really matter if it was in a single layer, provided there's still no air?
I think a lot of people say that it doesn't actually matter, but OTOH a vaccum sealer at least makes the whole thing less messy and more convenient so you probably want to pick up a cheap vacuum sealer if you're going to be doing sous vide.

Hasselblad
Dec 13, 2017

My dumbass opinions are only outweighed by my racism.

No one forgot that I exist to defend violent cops, champion chaining down immigrants, and have trash opinions on cooking.

Anjow posted:

I just got a cheap immersion circulator and did some very thick cut bacon in it at 63C for 13h. I'd laid it in a ziploc bag in a single layer, but if I was going to do this in the future on a larger scale would it really matter if it was in a single layer, provided there's still no air?

I have to ask, what was your goal in cooking bacon like this for 13 hours?

Bum the Sad
Aug 25, 2002
Hell Gem

Hasselblad posted:

I have to ask, what was your goal in cooking bacon like this for 13 hours?

Don't worry about it

Hasselblad
Dec 13, 2017

My dumbass opinions are only outweighed by my racism.

No one forgot that I exist to defend violent cops, champion chaining down immigrants, and have trash opinions on cooking.

Bum the Sad posted:

Don't worry about it

I’m sorry, do I know you?

Bum the Sad
Aug 25, 2002
Hell Gem
Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.

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fart store
Jul 6, 2018

probably nobody knows
im the fattest man
maybe nobody even
people have told me
and its not me saying this
my gut
my ass
its huge
my whole body
and i have been told
did you know this
not many know this
im gonna let you in on this
some say
[inhale loudly]
im the hugest one.
many people dont know that

Hasselblad posted:

I have to ask, what was your goal in cooking bacon like this for 13 hours?

Unknowable pleasures. Heights of ecstasy that will dwarf any potential future bliss to undetectability, meaninglessness, noise against that one prominent pork signal that will have been etched into your memory for the rest of your conscious life. A threshold from which, once crossed, one can never return.


Serves 4 to 6.

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