I had never heard of Sous Vide until I came upon this thread. I had a couple of lobster tails that were on sale at Whole Foods, so I improvised without a machine (I used a large pot of water, jerry-rigged a thermometer, removed the the lobster meat from the shell and put it, with a bit of butter, in a ziplock bag from which I removed the air, and voilà – perfection!!).
I have unsuccessfully tried broiling, boiling, and steaming, and doing everything imaginable to lobster tails and invariably end up with rubbery meat. Sous vide is definitely the way to go!! Looking forward to trying other meats, fish, etc.
My biggest concern is cooking in plastic that is not suitable for cooking. Folks who avoid plastic like the devil when it comes to microwaving, do not mind using it in sous vide cooking. While the temperatures are lower than those typically achieved in a microwave, the cooking times are longer… same crud (such as plasticizers and lower MW polymer chains) can be extracted into your food.
@BunsenBurner - Apparently, there are food-grade, FDA-approved, re-useable and re-sealable bags that are free of BPA, Phthalates, and fillers. They can withstand temperatures up to 300 degrees without leaching anything nasty.
I, too, was a bit concerned about the need for plastics, the effects on the environment, etc.
@BunsenBurner you addressed my concern. My d loves her sous vide and gave me one a year ago. It’s been in my pantry unused because I’m concerned about the plastics and warm temperatures -
@LoveTheBard where do I find those food grade plastics bags ???
I would look for (preferably reusable) silicone bags. Regular ziplock bags are a no-go for me.
@SouthJerseyChessMom – Amazon has a bunch. Just look up “reusable silicone food-grade bags” and you’ll find a plethora. Like Ziplocs, they come in many different sizes (snack, sandwich, gallon, etc.).
Some leaching is inevitable even at low cooking temperature as water molecules bombard the plastic bag during cooking. At lower temperature, water molecules are slower so they’re less energetic, but prolonged bombardment will cause some plastic molecules to come off the bag. If you only cook sous vide occasionally, I wouldn’t worry about the plastic bag too much. However, if you do it frequently, that’s a different story.
@Bromfield2 I have an Anova and a Joule. Love them both but have gifted the Anova as I feel it is easier for a new user because you can set it manually, without wifi. They all do basically the same thing but Anova and Joule both have outstanding customer service in my experience.
As far as cooking in plastic, I did read and read and read before I decided I was comfortable with it. I am in several online groups with members who obviously enjoy the study of it all-many scientists and some home cooks and chefs as well. I cook in mason jars, silicon bags and plastic. Every year, about this time, these same questions come up and I read new info. On my to do list is see if there is new data that changes my view.
I was SO excited to see the chickens started laying again. They had completely shut down production for the last 6 weeks. Store bought eggs are such a disappointment after you’ve had the fresh real thing from the coop.
Darn you sous vide for needed an hour to make the perfect poached egg. I know they say a watched pot doesn’t boil… but here I sit, waiting…