TravelTalkOnline Forums People Talk Recipes Sous vide cooking with the anova

Just received my anova cooker for sous vide cooking. Any tips, recipes would be greatly appreciated. Going to try a steak tonight.

What is an anova cooker? And sous vide cooking? I cook a lot but have never heard of this.

Sous vide is cooking food in a vacuumed sealed bag in a water bath. I think it originated in France. The great thing about it is the meat comes out so tender all the way through. It's also nice that you can leave it in the water bath till you are ready. I am new to this kind of cooking so please look it up. Last night I tried my first steak. I filled a pot with water, set up the anova and set it to 130 degrees, (for medium rare), I seasoned the meat, put it in a zip lock bag, (they say you can use that, just get most of the air out). When the water reached 130 degrees, I placed the bag in the water and left it for 1 hour. It was done. I left it in the water bath till I was ready for dinner. ( another 20 minutes). I then took it out, dried it, and seared it for less than a minute per side . It was excellent. Very tender. I want to try a nice bone in rib eye next.

Sounds interesting.

I never knew how to spell it, but I see people using that method on the Food Network on Chopped, etc., occasionally. When I see them using it, it's not usually on a steak though. Usually it's something that they need to really tenderize, or to impart some flavor into it. For a steak, it seems like to me that it's a bit too much trouble. Glad your experience turned out well though.

Carol, it really wasn't much trouble. It was nice to be able to leave the cooked meat in the water bath till we were ready to sit down. (I never know exactly what time my husband is getting home.) I just seared it on both sides, no longer than a minute, that was it. I have to say the steak was so tender. Really was delicious. Easy cleanup too. I'm anxious to try chicken. I may just throw the chicken on the grill to crisp it up.

Ellie--I understand where you're coming from on the 'not knowing what time your husband will get home'. When we lived in Virginia, Eric would get home anywhere from 6:45 PM until 8:30 PM, depending on traffic!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> I miss those days not at all!!

Hi Ellie; I just saw this. I got mine around the same time as you got yours, and am having fun experimenting. There are a couple of Facebook pages where I'm learning a lot. If you're interested in those, PM me and I'll give you the links. Also, even though I have an Anova, I find the Joule site and their app to be very helpful.

I just finished prepping my St. Patrick's Day dinner. I have my corned beef, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, all bagged up separately and ready to go into the bath.

Please let us know how it turns out.

Another benefit, in addition to the timing thing, is that the meat is the correct temperature (doneness) from edge to edge. Usually a medium-rare steak is well done on the outside, medium next to that, medium-rare next to that, and too rare in the middle. Sous vide steaks are the same from edge to edge, except for the teeny outside crust that's formed during the searing process.

On a slightly different subject, I thought there was a way I could post a photo to the photos thread without it having to be somewhere on the internet? I tried to do that, but it still asks for a url? I wanted to post a photo of my St. Patrick's Day dinner prep.

Regarding photos, you can UPLOAD a photo to the SXM photo forum. You have to type in something, then click on the box that says to upload a photo and you can then upload the photo from your computer to TTOL, then use that url to post the photo other places, like in this thread.

My dinner was great! I tried to upload a photo, but just can't get it to work. The entire process is posted on a public page on Facebook, so anyone who wants to see it can go to This page and search Georgia Kaye Langston. If you're not on Facebook, I'm sorry!

Last night I did bone in chicken breasts. My husband who is really not a chicken guy, loved them. I prefer using chicken thighs but I had 2 good size chicken breasts. I put them in the ziplock with a little oil, lemon juice, and garlic. ( I had preseasoned them with the usual salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning). Put them in the bath at 150. They were done in one hour but they remained in the bath for just under 2 hrs till he got home and threw them on the grill to crisp up. They were really good. Very tender and juicy. I'm hoping to try salmon tonight. Anon Ellie

So, I decided to buy an Anova, and tried out a steak last night. What a disappointment! The meat turned out fine, but the characteristic steak flavor just wasn't there. For the record, a 1 1/2 inch Prime NY strip, salt and pepper prior to immersion, vacuum sealed, 2 hours at 135 for medium, finished searing about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes in a super hot cast iron skillet.

Did your steaks have the same flavor as before, and did you do anything special? While I really like the precise and consistent interior temperature the SV provides, it seems like the steak flavor is sacrificed.

I'll still try other meats, and I'm really hoping to get a mush better fish result.

Sorry you had a bad expierence. The only thing I put in the the ziplock besides seasonings, was a pat of butter. It turned out delicious. I have only tried steak and chicken, but we were very happy with the results. I was hoping to do salmon but haven't done that yet. Anon Ellie