I’m considering getting one of those Anova sous vide immersion stick thingies. We are downsizing to a condo and will no longer have a grill right outside our back door. Thus, any searing that I do would be in a skillet. I know cast iron is considered best, but we have a ceramic cooktop. I’ve read somewhere that a clad iron skillet is what one needs on this surface. Assuming this is true, what brand/size would you buy? Also, I’m a supposed to buy a regular flat skillet or a pan that has those ridges in it (which I assume are for mimicking grill marks, though I really don’t know - lol).
Any other sous vide advice/tips/wisdom/experiences/likes/dislikes would be appreciated!
If you already have a cast iron grill/skillet, just heat it in the oven while the steak is in the sous vide and broil it. Otherwise, yes, you need an enameled cast iron pan for a ceramic cooktop. I just throw my meat on the electric grill (George Forman copycat).
Edit to answer which type to buy: I just use a skillet, unless you really want the grill marks. I have Staub, Le Creuset, and Lodge enamel. Any will work well.
Wow–so OK both H and SIL have embraced Sou Vide with enormous success.
We use an All Clad stainless steel fry pan for the sear.
No real magic here–just use a good stainless pan as a coated pan cannot get hot enough for good sear.
Both of my guys are going crazy with their Anova Sou Vide.
Ahi Tuna–steak of any kind —A++++
I have been cooking with an anova sv circulator for about a year and half. I don’t think I George Foreman gets hot enough for a good sear. Maybe they are better now. I use a cast iron skillet or a pizza steel which I usually heat on the gas grill. I have had the best results in the house heating a cast iron skillet in the oven for 30+ minutes.
When my infrared burner on my grill went out, I seared my sous-vide steaks in a stainless steel pan for the first time recently. Worked great, and I’ve actually decided to stick with the pan for searing duties instead of the now repaired grill.
With stainless, first you heat the pan to target temperature - in this case very hot. Then I add a splash of olive oil, maybe 2-3 tbs, then sear the steaks for about 1 min each side. My pan is a typical frying pan size, I’d guess about 12” without measuring. It fits two ribeyes with a little room to spare.
I like to cool the steaks briefly in the fridge (about 5 mins) if they’re going directly from the sous vide to the searing. That way the heat from the searing doesn’t penetrate too far. I also dry the steaks first with some paper towels, which I didn’t bother to do with the infrared grill. That reduces popping/splashing in the oil, and also lets the steak brown faster.
I bet it is a Chinese knockoff of the real thing. There are many, many expensive instruments sold by Amazon cheaply that come with Chinese characters on the packaging and very hard to understand instructions. How do I know? There is a guy in my family who likes to locate wires within walls etc.
How do I know? There is a guy in my family who likes to locate wires within walls etc.