Brinkman

Barney Rubble standing on the patio flipping T-Rex steaks whilst Fred prevaricates about whatever and Wilma and Betty giggle! Ah, happy days....

I would like this opportunity to thank my wife for being so understanding! She stepped into the breach and cooked a splendid steak in the good old fashioned way! A cast iron skillet with a nob of butter, salt and pepper, it was delicious, utterly delicious as were the potatoes and side salad. I'd also like to thank the French who grew, trod and did all the other things they do to create a very fine Malbec which was consumed toot suite. Not as fine as an Argentinian Malbec I have quite a few of in the cellar, but they only come out to celebrate the Liberation of the Falklands once a year, every year without fail and will continue to do so until the day I pass. ??‍♂️

Things have gone from bad to worse! The uint failed, well the temperature setting side of it failed and so it has been boxed up and returned from whence it came. The supplier has apologised profusely and has arranged a new replacement to arrive on Wednesday where it will be unpacked and set up and instantly tested at 85c with some Jersey Royals to establish that it works faultlessly otherwise a full refund will be given and I'll search for a unit that does work out of the box as it is supposed to do!!☹️

Well I'll never know Justin as the temp unit turned out to be faulty so it has just been boxed up and returned to the supplier who have promised to get me a new one out tomorrow! If that fails the potato test then they have promised a full refund by return. Not a good start, not good at all....

Ah, mines on its way back as the temp/timer has failed!! Supplier is sending out a replacement for Tuesday. Lets hope this one works or Sous Vide will be over before it began..?

Its gotta be bags of ice from Tesco in the cool box and lay polystyrene sheets or bags of beads on top to keep them as cold as possible would be my first thought! I'm thinking my next venture into Sous Vide is also going to be beef brisket, and I'm toying with using the system an American chef pal suggested which is to hot smoke the brisket for an hour or two then bag it, vac it and cook as per SV time minus some due to being at a higher temp when bagged! He swears by it and hasn't poisoned any customers yet, well so he says.?

Thanks Justin, I'm sure it will be just fine, I'll let you know what the end result was and what she who must be obeyed thought of it.?

I hear buddy and I'm about to experiment away with two nice steaks and some Jersey Royals with a side salad but I've got an expert steak lady looking over my shoulder and if I get it wrong! Man you don't wanna know what kind of **** storm will be coming my way! I'll never be able to say anything about cooking ever again? BBQing is a different matter cos she's not interested in that..?

I just got a video download app when I entered SVD? Christ, just as well it wasn't STD?

I've been using this site https://www.sousvidetools.com/calculator/ as well as the one you suggest so I can cross reference details. Now the question would be this, is it better to go a little lower on the temp and longer or does it not really matter if the item is going to be pan seared at the end anyway? What say you Justin?

45 mins at 55c I've been using this site for quick reference on times and temps https://www.sousvidetools.com/calculator/ worth a visit for us beginners I thought?

Oh medium rare without a doubt.

Super Fire 2? Man we are definitely talking welding material! Don't forget, the meat is already dead you know.?

I can, on occasions, be found cuddling mine! Though I think drink could have been involved!!

Exactemundo, my thoughts entirely for steak, chops and the like but fish can go over so so easily! Would have been fine if I'd left the skin on but alas...I love my big blowtorch, never used it for plumbing but for searing! brilliant..

Hi Wade. Was intending to do that but the salmon was already beginning to break up when it came out of the bag! May have worked if the cut had been a lot thicker? Now it could have been due to my having removed the skin on this half of it, I've left the skin on the other half so will try again at a later date, but I don't think it would have held together in a hot skillet! I have to say the fish was the best tasting I've had for many a day but tepid food is not my bag! 46c & 30 mins was absolutely perfect for both appearance and taste and maybe its a visual thing, but I like to see a certain amount of steam rising from food when plating up!! Need to look into what the tricks of the trade are and maybe learn the appropriate trick? I was talking to an American chef the other day about cooking brisket in a Sous Vide and he said he uses the hot smoke method for an hour or more to give the flavour and colour then vac's it and baths it for however long is needed! I'm not so sure about that! Anyway he swears by the method and has not lost any customers! Well none he knows of anyway? Thoughts!

Yes its beef day today, not sure what the cut is, hold on, its rump and one of them has my name on it. Am I going to grill it? Nope, its going into the bath and its gonna come out hot! How do I know this? Because when it comes out its going to be hitting a red hot skillet to sear it off. This is the real test, today is make or break for Sous Vide in this house because my good lady cooks a pretty mean steak and never, ever gets it wrong when it comes to doneness! If the immersion method does not match or exceed her high standard then I'm afraid this bath will be relegated to the nearest vacant cupboard never to see the light of day again. So, come on people, any and all tips on pulling the best cooked steak out of the water, into the frying pan and onto the plate then now is the moment!?

Never thought of that! Duh...See this is why I need to be on this forum.?

OK So the Asian Salmon has been consumed. Was it tasty? By the Lord Harry it was, without doubt, the best piece of salmon I've eaten outside of some very high priced restaurants! It was cooked at 46c for 35mins and looked beautiful when I opened the pouches. It tasted wonderful, buttery in the mouth and with a real salmon smell, if you know what I mean? In appearance it was deep pink and just the other side of opaque, which was fine for us. If I have a complaint and I only really have the one, then it would have to be that it was just not hot enough! I do appreciate that if you cook at 46c/112f then it ain't never gonna scald your mouth but this was barely warm! It went into the microwave at 60% for 1 minute to put some heat into it which in no way affected the look, taste or smell of the fish but should you really need to do that?

Hi Justin It does have a timer that, once it reaches the temp you have set, beeps three times to let you know its ready for the food to go in. Thats not the issue for me, its the fiddly way and the amount of times, you have to press the start stop button to get it started cooking once you hear the three beeps! Again I have to ask why did they not just use a green LED that informs you its now cooking? I'm just about to, nip across to the correct forum to give a rundown on how it cooked the salmon. Watch that space...

And here we are with a very quick review of the Andrew James 8.5ltr Sous Vide Bath. It looks nice on the kitchen unit! The good lady likes the look of it in her kitchen. Does it work? Well I did say this was a quick review so I'll make it just that. Good points - Is the temp probe accurate? Yes it is, very. Does it cook - Yes it does Is it easy to clean - Yes Is it large enough - Yes for two/four people. Bad points - The C/F does not work? It only gives celsius, not a problem more of a niggle. Is it easy to set - Well I've not found it so. The need to hit set/start more than once in a set sequence is very annoying. What happens if you don't push set/start in the correct sequence - Nothing, nothing at all! No cooking, nowt and you don't know until the temp drops below what you set! Timer - Rubbish, utter rubbish! Why would you fit a timer that sets in 30 minute blocks? What if I want food that only takes 13 minutes and I don't have a separate timer? Preset - Why the hell can you not set it to come on at a preset time? It has a timer for heavens sake! How much would it have cost to fit one that has a preset facility in it?? Is it worth £65.00 - Yes because it does work and it does cook as it says it will but it just doesn't do it as easily as this user thinks it should.

Oh I know him, lovely chap I helped push the boat out at his funeral. I know his brother as well, Herring.

I don't even know who Eric is!!!

If you think I'm going to spend the rest of my weekend smoking a bit of salmon for you you have another thing coming.?

Just as well I've not invited you then.?