Sous-Vide Like a Pro - an in-depth guide (Sous-vide series, Ep. 1)

Sous-Vide Like a Pro by avoiding 4 common mistakes
An in-depth guide to making the most of your immersion circulator

Beer Cooler Sous-vide Hack:

Reverse Sear Method:

Cooking Temperatures (these are for textures that I like -- adjust to your personal liking):

124F (51C) - salmon
131F (55C) - tender cuts of beef, lamb, pork, veal, duck breasts, fish (other than salmon)
135F (57C) - tender cuts of prime beef (higher temp needed to melt extra marbling)
141F (61C) - chicken breasts, shrimp
146F (63C) - eggs

Cooking Times:

Beef, lamb, pork, veal, duck breasts, chicken breasts
1 hour for thicknesses less than 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)
2 hours for thicknesses 1.5 - 2 inches (3.8 - 5 cm)

Fish a shrimp
20 minutes for thicknesses up to 1 inch
25 minutes for 1 inch to 1.5 inches

Eggs
45 minutes

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[gerretparks]

I can't believe how comprehensive that video is. She covered every single detail imaginable and even went so far as to explain subtle misinterpretations caused by different marketing techniques. She's totally unbiased and perfect.

[DownMichael]

Most cooking videos are much longer than necessary but you don't waste a second sharing EVERYTHING you need to know about this cooking method. Wow!

[emebent]

I can't emphasize enough how remarkable it is that you very rarely cut away from speaking directly to the camera. The end result is extremely engaging and I feel like I retain knowledge better when I'm being spoken to in such a clear and direct manner. Visual aids are great but they cannot compare to the charisma of a great teacher, which you so clearly are.

[potcha]

You are so calm and pleasant and strictly logical. No superfluous words, no fake-youtube character stuff. I really appreciate you and what you do. No one does it like you do Helen. Thank you <3

[marknalley]

I use a food saver and I have no issues with it. There are two things you can do to mitigate deforming, the best method is to put your protein in the freezer for 45-60 minutes prior to sealing. This prevents juice from entering your foodsaver and also allows the protein to hold its shape during sealing.

If you do not have time to do this, use the foodsaver as normal, but manually stop the sealing process prior to the meat deforming.

[ucdbnxt]

Been at this 4.5 years and amazing results. 2 circulators, one 18qt tub & one 44qt cooler. Latest craze is 30 day dry aged beeef tongue. Cooked 170/24 with simle seasonings... Unbelievable...
Anywhere from shrimp/lobster to full racks of pork ribs... 😍😍😍😍😍😍

[cdcow]

I have been Sous Viding for 6 years. I have tried flame thrower, griddle and pan searing techniques.. Helen's cooling process is brilliant.

[joemaven]

Really great video. I have been cooking Sous-Vide long before the stick units came to market. I had to invent many of the techniques you are giving people here. I do the same as you, I buy all my meats on the weekend, sous vide them all and store the bags in the fridge. I have generally not however found the need to re-warm them in the water bath unless they are unusually thick. On a weeknight I remove the bag for dinner about an hour before dinner and place it on the counter to come to room temperature before searing. I find that the heat gained from searing makes the inside warm enough from room temperature. I'm usually adding a piping hot sauce as well. Also, the best solution for searing is to use induction with cast iron. A real induction range (if you can afford it) is an absolute game changer (I can boil water for pasta in two minutes on mine). However, even a little $50 induction plate with cast iron outperforms my commercial Viking gas stove for searing sous-vide meats. Max the power just before adding the meat then turn it back down (usually) after a few seconds. The difference is there is almost no loss of temp in the pan compared to gas or electric which take time to recover after adding the relatively cold meat.

[DoctorMikeWilson]

0:48 What is Sous Vide
1:39 What are the most common problems (Anemic, poor sear, "dry" meat, time to cook)
2:19 History of the technique
3:57 How to use
4:58 Prepping the food parcels
6:32 Cook times
6:51 Overcooking Sous Vide?
5:26 Searing
10:44 Weekday nights
12:17 Reverse sear

[gameface]

I've been using Sous Vide multiple times a week for the last five years and found a lot of useful information in this video! Thank you very much!

[Teri_Head]

My husband bought me the “big awkward” Sous Vide Supreme when it first came out and it is still awesome. It stores easily and I love it. I also use my Foodsaver and have no issues with deformation. Simply hit the seal button before the vacuum deforms the item. I did find useful information in the video.

[EarthRyno]

And I just bought one of those vacuum sealers too... My mind is still a bit blown by your method of just easing the bag in the water with the zip open. So much cheaper and less hassle.
Thank you for the tips! :)

[horsenuts]

The trick to using foodsaver bags/sealers is to partially freeze the protein in order to keep the shape. Popping the meat into the freezer and using cold fat keeps the shape. Don't put the bag itself into the freezer or you will be contending with condensation when you pull it out. If you fear you will have some liquid in a bag, just put a strip of kitchen towel near to the vacuum point to soak up any liquid.


Finally, ALWAYS seal twice. Two seal strips prevent accidents from a failed seal.

[mv]

Folding the Ziplock seams over to keep them clean : excellent tip!

[JesseLockeHereDo]

The amount of information in this 15 minute video is hard to believe. As an amateur sous vide user I will rewatch this video several more times and save it for future reference [with Raindrop extension btw].
 
This woman has the spirit of a teacher, the communication ability of a grand politician [that's a compliment], the knowledge and skill of a great chef and some chemistry, she speaks multiple languages, has a wonderful accent, AND she's pretty too? It's definitely underrated.

[ChefonaBoat]

Food saver works great for the home cook. And one tip I learned from culinary school is that you really just need to add a little oil or spices. A little goes a long way with Sous vide

[precisionknifesharpening]

I have had my Anova for 2 years. I put my 12 quart plastic container on a wood cutting board on my granite counter top.

[frankmuller]

Thanks Helen. My steak experience reached a whole new level. My first sous vide experience was a nightmare due to beginner mistakes. Then it the magic happened. What I learnt is: trust the advice from others and don't try to take shortcuts or make adjustments based on silly assumptions

[laurakondrick]

Very engagng and the imformation was presented at a comfortable pace so I never felt rushed or like was falling behind. But I decided this is not for me. Merci, Helen. Brava!

[pacificHO]

Funny, I started watching Helen's video because I thought my meat was really under done but it looked just like the meat in the video and I could cut it with a fork. This was my very first time cooking sous vide with my Anova!