Sous Vide Cooking

[LargeMediumSmall 3]

I tried to search this topic but nothing came up. I was wondering if anyone out there has a SousVide cooker and how they like it.

I have read a lot about Water bath cooking and how tender the meat is. I have even seen one bariatric surgeon in Phoenix recommend it. My husband is in the meat cooking industry and he says this is the preferred method of commercial lines because it keeps so much mositure in the meat. Plus the slow cooking at low temperatures breaks down the meat Proteins which makes the meat super tender.

I had to go vegetarian for over 2 years because my band simply would not tolerate meat unless it was almost completely empty, which of course, defeated the purpose. Now I am at my goal weight and am really missing the meat.

I want to get a Sous Vide cooker but the cheapest one I can find is $300. I'm just wondering if anyone out there has one and if it really makes a difference with the Lap Band tolerating meat. I could splurge on the machine if it really made a difference.

My husband like his meat cooked to shoe-leather consistency but I don't nor could my band tolerate it even if I did.

Any input would be appreciated.

[elcee 3,341]

I believe that you can get the same result by vacuum sealing meat in a bag and then cooking it in hot Water. You may want to try looking that up on the net - a vacuum selaer might be a cheaper option.

[LargeMediumSmall 3]

Thanks. I've done a lot of research. The point of the Water oven is to keep the temperature constant within 1 degree. This way you can cook as long as you want without ever overcooking. The food stays at the exact temp. Certain things need to be heated to a certain temp within a certain time frame in order to avoid bacteria growth as well.

The only problem with home made or stove top methods is the inability to keep the Water at a constant temp and the fact that you need to monitor it.

With the water oven you can cook chicken in 45 minutes or 8 hours, it will still be perfectly tender because the chicken never gets over 140 degrees.

My main question is, is the meat actually tender enough for bands to tolerate. The slow cooking at low temp is supposed to break down the collagen fibers, much like slow smoking ribs. I'm just not sure if I want to make a $300 purchase just to find out if my band will tolerate it.

I tried cooking some chicken stove top sous vide the other day but apparently I cooked it to fast at too high a temp. It still stuck.

Maybe I'll give the stove top method another shot and monitor it. If my band tolerates a home made sous vide chicken then at least I'll know if it works for me. But really, who wants to stand over the stove for 45 minutes.

[kittyforet 50]

Now you've got me interested. I'd like to know about it too.

[Caribear 184]

I can't add anything about it being better than other cooking methods, but I found this site about how to do this yourself without the sous vide cooker.

http://www.popsci.co...pensive-diy-way

I may have to try this myself.

[Cazzy 725]

It would be cheaper to buy to a deep fat fryer with a thermostat and timer and just fill with Water ... now you have a Water bath both time and temp controlled !

If you want to see if u can eat this type of cooked meat , i am sure many resturants cook this way .. go out for a meal

[Jachut 487]

You really cant know if it orks for you unless you try it, anyone else's experience is irrelevant.

[transforming jlaroux 78]

You really cant know if it orks for you unless you try it, anyone else's experience is irrelevant.

bands are finicky creatures. What works for one, may not work for another. I can eat eggs, many cannot. I cant eat chicken, some can. I can still tolerate breads, most cannot. (I choose to not eat them)

[LargeMediumSmall 3]

Yes, bands are particular to their owners, this is very true. I was simply looking for a general concensus as I could find no comments short of Dr. Simpsons website on the relationship between banders and Sous Vide cooking. I have done a lot of research on Sous Vide cooking and precise temperatures are the key. Many home rigged operations do not afford the perecise temperature needed for safe and effective cooking.

I did try a few items in a well monitored home rig and got good enough results to warrant purchasing a Sous Vide Supreme. I would like to begin by saying that my band is very tight and fickle. What does not work for me one day may be easily tolerated a week later so I am very careful to do sort of a physical/mental 'band check' each day and that works well for me.

According to my band research, the main difficulty with meat passing through the band is dryness or lack of collagen break down. I'm not sure what to believe as my band is as fickle as a 16 year old girl. One day I can eat a certain item and the next it's a complete no-go.

So here's my review of the Sous Vide Supreme so far with the complete understanding that meat tolerance is completely up to the individual. The Sous Vide Supreme is easy to use and cooks at precise temperatures. I have cooked chicken breast, pork chops, chuck roast, corned beef, pork ribs, fish, vegetables and eggs (for my husband).

All meats turned out extremely juicy, very very tender, much more so than regular cooking methods. chicken is the thing my band tolerates the least but the chicken from the Sous Vide was so moist and tender (not to mention awesome chicken-y flavor) that it seemed to pass quite easily. Again, my band tolerance is about 2 ounces of any type of food, so I'm not saying you'll be able to eat an 8 ounce chicken breast, just because it was cooked sous vide. I'm just saying I was able to cut it with a fork and it did not have the stringy dry texture of grilled meat.

The pork chops were the juciest I've ever had but again, just a few bites is really all I could tolerate of pork anyway. Pork is a very dense meat. Still, very lovely and I didn't have to over cook them just to make sure it was safe because the precise temp of the Sous Vide Supreme took the guess work out of it.

The ribs and the corned beef were by far the most tender and delicious. The ribs fell off the bone and the corned beef brisket, well, let's just say I easily tolerated more than a 2 ounce portion.

Apparently you can even cook scrambled eggs in there but I have not tried it yet. Seems like a lot of hassle for something I pretty much gave up two years ago. Eggs just don't work for me and I'm not really that sad about having to say goodbye to them.

All in all, a neat kitchen gadget if you like extremely flavorful meat that is tender and juicy. It is also helpful if you are a busy person because you can put your entree in there in the morning and have a perfectly cooked piece of meat when you get home from work. I can't say that every band will now be able to enjoy meat easily but I can say that this machine does yeild extremely tender, juicy and flavorful products. You might be able to get similar results using other cooking methods but if you are not a good cook (I'm definately not.) this machine might just take some of the guesswork and error out of preparing meat. In addition, leftovers seemed to be just as tolerable as long as they were properly stored (not exposed to a lot of air) and items cooked and refrigerated in the pouches to be opened & rewarmed the next day retained their tenderness as well.

The cons. The cost and the time. The gadget is about $300. Sous Vide cooking is definately not for the 30 minute meal maker. A steak or chicken breast is going to take a minimum of 40 minutes to an hour and in general you can't cook things together as most items (such as meat and vegetables) are cooked at quite different temperatures. So time in preparation is a con for this type of food prep. This method is definately for people who have time and inclination to plan their meals or who like to cook & freeze.

If you are like me and aren't sure if this cooking method will make a difference in your diet I'd suggest doing what I did and trying a few items in a rigged home version after doing some research. If your band tolerates the meat products better this way then maybe consider purchasing a Sous Vide Supreme. I purchased mine from costco online. That way if it did not work well for me or produce foods I could eat, I knew I could easily return it to costco for a full refund. Costco even refunds shipping.

I hope this helps someone. I'm sure you'll know if trying this is something you'd be interested in.