Perfect every time – 134F, ice bath for 15 minutes, hard sear with ghee on the cast iron (flipping until crust seems right)
by fuelfrog
28 Comments
jhallen2260
I am always underwhelmed by the results. Not worth the time and effort imo.
biophazer242
This pic makes it look like you spent more time making sure everything is perfectly placed on the plate and not touching anything else than you did actually cooking it
Edit: I just realized my comment might have come off as critical. It was meant as a joke because what I noticed more than anything else was just how deliberate the placing of all the food was. Also… who only eats that small amount of mac n cheese!?!?!
Recluse_18
Have you tried carrots yet?
cherryventura
How long at 134
lonelystowner
After getting my suisvide maker a few weeks ago, i am blown away and also a little mad I didn’t get one sooner. Chicken breast and pork tenderloin are so tender and juicy with suis vide + grill sear. I need to try some more steaks!
sryan2k1
A normal-ish sized Steak is honestly the least impressive thing you can make. A reverse sear is easy and is going to taste better.
Now if you’re getting into 3 day charles roasts, self buttered corn on the cob, chicken that’s not dry, infused alcohols, etc that’s the fun parts.
Purple_Puffer
I think a lot of it is preparation. I hate last minute “WTF is for dinner tonight?!?” but a lot of people eat like that.
I love not having to worry about it, like tonight, I have pork belly slices in since last night. Gonna coat ’em in honey/soy/sriracha, broil, and dinner will be ready as soon as the rice machine plays it’s happy song.
But having a steak go from fridge to plate in 10 minutes, with a nice pan sauce is appealing. I’d personally still prefer to have it be 131° edge to edge, every time, but not everyone cares as much as you and I
purgedreality
Cool a little longer and use a torch at an angle for a way better sear with less gray ring.
Un_Original_Coroner
Time.
Mrevilman
I use sous vide all the time. Just did a family BBQ for 50 people. I sous vided all the burgers and chicken, threw them on the grill for grill marks. Had 50+ burgers and a ton of chicken done within 30 minutes. I will always sous vide beforehand now.
ender2851
have you ever tried to reverse sear a more fatty cut like a ribeye, NY strip or tri-tip? it will change your opinion 100%. All lean meat like filet or duck breast in the sous vide and fatty cuts on the smoker for fat that melt like jelly.
OneManGangTootToot
I can cook a steak in a pan that has a better crust and takes less than 10 minutes.
MrE134
Not everyone likes sous vide steaks. Maybe the communities obsession with steaks makes people think there’s no reason to get one. There are things that a sous vide really transforms into something special that no other method can and steaks just aren’t one of those things.
Evening-Chocolates
Mac and cheese loooks immaculate
Cyborg_rat
How would you be able to impress friends and the lady’s if they all know how you do it easily to perfection.
mr_miggs
My parents are really just stuck in their ways. They have cooked certain meals one way for so long, they get nervous about trying anything new.
ChapaiFive
Bc I don’t want my food cooked in a hot plastic bag.
Ekalips
It’s also great from meal prep perspective. Just sousvide individual chicken breasts and shove them into the fridge in bags they were in. They are basically cooked for any time you need them, just needs a tiny bit of frying on top, and last way longer in a fridge than raw chicken or even than cooked one (because you basically disinfected it and the bag mostly keeps new stuff away)
bajajoaquin
Because sous vide doesn’t save time. Dave Arnold on the Cooking Issues blog laid it out really well: sous vide moved the work from “service” to “prep.”
A steak has to be seasoned and bagged. You need to either prep the water ahead or take up space semi-permanently on your counter. So about 90 minutes from the time you start to the time you’re ready to sear. Get a different appliance ready to go for that.
Then you need to clean two things. (Or again leave something semi permanently on your counter.)
And, you’re not cooking the other things in bags, so you’re still cooking a full meal.
If I get home just after five and want to have dinner in the table by six, it doesn’t happen with sous vide. In fact, sous vide has made dinner take longer and requires more work overall. Can I cook three or four at once and pull them out on successive nights to eat? Sure, but my family doesn’t eat steak for dinner three or four nights in a row.
Let’s look at some things it does well. Easy one is eggs. You can get textures with eggs you can’t get with boiling or steaming. If you are cooking steaks for a group, it’s way easier to cook the steaks in advance and then sear at dinner time. This is the quintessence of moving the effort from service to prep. Rather than hovering over the grill or stove right as dinner is ready, the cooking is done hours before and I just need a couple minutes to finish.
Or a porchetta. Or a Turchetta. Things you might put in an oven and agonize about overcooking. Corn and carrots are great. Not better, but different in a way you can’t get otherwise.
But that’s not every day cooking. It’s best for when you want to move service time to prep time.
I have been using sous vide circulators for ten or so years now. I love them. But they aren’t really time savers, they’re tools that do something well.
FatTom19
Bc I have a 2 month old and I’m just trying to stay alive
D_Costa85
I’ve never gotten the fat to render on steaks using sous vide, at least to my liking. I love strips and ribeyes and my steak always comes out perfect doneness, but the texture is off because the fat remains too firm and I don’t like that for my steaks. I’ve switched completely to reverse sear for steaks.
Ikeelu
I prefer the taste on my grill(I have a cold side so I can reverse sear) or smoker. I can also sear on them too and it’s much quicker.
I prefer to sous vide cheaper cuts that take longer, are bigger, or when I’m lazy. Chicken breast is a great item to sv for meal prep.
rexstuff1
Honestly, I’m more interested in your mac and cheese than anything else. How did you get that texture? Citric acid?
To answer the question, there’s a lot of factors:
1. Cost. Requires special equipment that most people who aren’t enthusiasts can’t justify.
2. Ignorance. People aren’t aware of SV
3. Bias. I’ve heard way too many people talk about being turned off by the concept of ‘boiling your meat’.
4. Time. SV requires several hours to cook, (or more, depending on what you’re cooking). No good if you’re hungry RFN and also it requires thinking ahead.
5. Alternatives. People like grilling their steak. Or they use a reverse-sear to get similar results. Or they have a smoker. Or they don’t like steak or other common SV meals. Or… you get the idea.
Lucas_Steinwalker
Because it’s not the right tool for every job. Filet mignon, pork chops, chicken breast are about the only things I think it is great for, personally.
rdldr1
Such a loaded question OP.
RastaMonsta218
The proximity of the asparagus to the mac and cheese is making me nervous. Do you not have “separator plates?”
jsamuraij
Ah yes, the question for the ages: “Y U NO?”
tot_ce_conteaza
I use sousvide occasionally on steaks, however, I prefer mine perfectly cooked over charcoals. I assume I love the process as much as I love the taste :).
28 Comments
I am always underwhelmed by the results. Not worth the time and effort imo.
This pic makes it look like you spent more time making sure everything is perfectly placed on the plate and not touching anything else than you did actually cooking it
Edit: I just realized my comment might have come off as critical. It was meant as a joke because what I noticed more than anything else was just how deliberate the placing of all the food was. Also… who only eats that small amount of mac n cheese!?!?!
Have you tried carrots yet?
How long at 134
After getting my suisvide maker a few weeks ago, i am blown away and also a little mad I didn’t get one sooner. Chicken breast and pork tenderloin are so tender and juicy with suis vide + grill sear. I need to try some more steaks!
A normal-ish sized Steak is honestly the least impressive thing you can make. A reverse sear is easy and is going to taste better.
Now if you’re getting into 3 day charles roasts, self buttered corn on the cob, chicken that’s not dry, infused alcohols, etc that’s the fun parts.
I think a lot of it is preparation. I hate last minute “WTF is for dinner tonight?!?” but a lot of people eat like that.
I love not having to worry about it, like tonight, I have pork belly slices in since last night. Gonna coat ’em in honey/soy/sriracha, broil, and dinner will be ready as soon as the rice machine plays it’s happy song.
But having a steak go from fridge to plate in 10 minutes, with a nice pan sauce is appealing. I’d personally still prefer to have it be 131° edge to edge, every time, but not everyone cares as much as you and I
Cool a little longer and use a torch at an angle for a way better sear with less gray ring.
Time.
I use sous vide all the time. Just did a family BBQ for 50 people. I sous vided all the burgers and chicken, threw them on the grill for grill marks. Had 50+ burgers and a ton of chicken done within 30 minutes. I will always sous vide beforehand now.
have you ever tried to reverse sear a more fatty cut like a ribeye, NY strip or tri-tip? it will change your opinion 100%. All lean meat like filet or duck breast in the sous vide and fatty cuts on the smoker for fat that melt like jelly.
I can cook a steak in a pan that has a better crust and takes less than 10 minutes.
Not everyone likes sous vide steaks. Maybe the communities obsession with steaks makes people think there’s no reason to get one. There are things that a sous vide really transforms into something special that no other method can and steaks just aren’t one of those things.
Mac and cheese loooks immaculate
How would you be able to impress friends and the lady’s if they all know how you do it easily to perfection.
My parents are really just stuck in their ways. They have cooked certain meals one way for so long, they get nervous about trying anything new.
Bc I don’t want my food cooked in a hot plastic bag.
It’s also great from meal prep perspective. Just sousvide individual chicken breasts and shove them into the fridge in bags they were in. They are basically cooked for any time you need them, just needs a tiny bit of frying on top, and last way longer in a fridge than raw chicken or even than cooked one (because you basically disinfected it and the bag mostly keeps new stuff away)
Because sous vide doesn’t save time. Dave Arnold on the Cooking Issues blog laid it out really well: sous vide moved the work from “service” to “prep.”
A steak has to be seasoned and bagged. You need to either prep the water ahead or take up space semi-permanently on your counter. So about 90 minutes from the time you start to the time you’re ready to sear. Get a different appliance ready to go for that.
Then you need to clean two things. (Or again leave something semi permanently on your counter.)
And, you’re not cooking the other things in bags, so you’re still cooking a full meal.
If I get home just after five and want to have dinner in the table by six, it doesn’t happen with sous vide. In fact, sous vide has made dinner take longer and requires more work overall. Can I cook three or four at once and pull them out on successive nights to eat? Sure, but my family doesn’t eat steak for dinner three or four nights in a row.
Let’s look at some things it does well. Easy one is eggs. You can get textures with eggs you can’t get with boiling or steaming. If you are cooking steaks for a group, it’s way easier to cook the steaks in advance and then sear at dinner time. This is the quintessence of moving the effort from service to prep. Rather than hovering over the grill or stove right as dinner is ready, the cooking is done hours before and I just need a couple minutes to finish.
Or a porchetta. Or a Turchetta. Things you might put in an oven and agonize about overcooking. Corn and carrots are great. Not better, but different in a way you can’t get otherwise.
But that’s not every day cooking. It’s best for when you want to move service time to prep time.
I have been using sous vide circulators for ten or so years now. I love them. But they aren’t really time savers, they’re tools that do something well.
Bc I have a 2 month old and I’m just trying to stay alive
I’ve never gotten the fat to render on steaks using sous vide, at least to my liking. I love strips and ribeyes and my steak always comes out perfect doneness, but the texture is off because the fat remains too firm and I don’t like that for my steaks. I’ve switched completely to reverse sear for steaks.
I prefer the taste on my grill(I have a cold side so I can reverse sear) or smoker. I can also sear on them too and it’s much quicker.
I prefer to sous vide cheaper cuts that take longer, are bigger, or when I’m lazy. Chicken breast is a great item to sv for meal prep.
Honestly, I’m more interested in your mac and cheese than anything else. How did you get that texture? Citric acid?
To answer the question, there’s a lot of factors:
1. Cost. Requires special equipment that most people who aren’t enthusiasts can’t justify.
2. Ignorance. People aren’t aware of SV
3. Bias. I’ve heard way too many people talk about being turned off by the concept of ‘boiling your meat’.
4. Time. SV requires several hours to cook, (or more, depending on what you’re cooking). No good if you’re hungry RFN and also it requires thinking ahead.
5. Alternatives. People like grilling their steak. Or they use a reverse-sear to get similar results. Or they have a smoker. Or they don’t like steak or other common SV meals. Or… you get the idea.
Because it’s not the right tool for every job. Filet mignon, pork chops, chicken breast are about the only things I think it is great for, personally.
Such a loaded question OP.
The proximity of the asparagus to the mac and cheese is making me nervous. Do you not have “separator plates?”
Ah yes, the question for the ages: “Y U NO?”
I use sousvide occasionally on steaks, however, I prefer mine perfectly cooked over charcoals. I assume I love the process as much as I love the taste :).