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For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

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Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#111

Post by jimmaswell »

nappy-doo wrote: post #70
tptacek wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is way, way exaggerated. Even the professional Polyscience (the one I see in restaurant kitchens) only costs ~$800. HN'ers shouldn't pay anything like that: the current price point for consumer home circulators (the only kind you should get, like the Anova or Nomiku or Sansaire) is ~$160.

I was on the design team for the PS machines. (I say design team, I mean it was three people in a room for the whole thing [circuits/software/mechanical design].) The main advantages of a high end machine are more accurate control (small advantage) and circulation (big advantage). The linked article's control algorithm is primitive (to say the least), and probably only marginally maintains set temp. The PS machines a…

As far as I can tell, some small waterproof fans would be more than enough for sufficient circulation. Why is that a specific advantage of high-end ones?

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#112

Post by threeways »

tptacek wrote: post #33
SoftwareMaven wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm dubious about searing it twice; it's something I've never seen mentioned in the reading I've done on slow, temperature-controled cooking. It seems like it would just dry out the edges, making them leathery; however, I'm willing to be educated otherwise in the effort to make a great steak.

The pre-sear (which can be lighter than the post-sear) adds flavor, but also makes the (important) post-sear much faster, which also minimizes the degree to which the post-sear will raise the interior temperature of your protein. The pre-sear is especially important with long cooks, because it kills surface bacteria. The first time you get too much lactobacillus hitching a ride on your short ribs will be the last tim…

The lacto explosion is way more likely to happen when your meat is grossly under-seasoned going into the bag. Which is probably the most made mistake by home cooks.

I cooked in New York City during the years that sous-vide became legal. I worked at the restaurant that received the first sous-vide permit from the health department, and later at other Michelin starred restaurants that did sous-vide. That of course doesn't give me authority, but I do have a perspective on what the best professionals do.

For meat, salt aggressively going into the bag, and lightly coming out of the bag. Sear once :-)

(As an aside, since I'm already talking to you. You're one of my favorite commenters here on HN, and one of the reasons I don't skip the comments section entirely.)

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#113

Post by nappy-doo »

jimmaswell wrote: post #111
nappy-doo wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was on the design team for the PS machines. (I say design team, I mean it was three people in a room for the whole thing [circuits/software/mechanical design].) The main advantages of a high end machine are more accurate control (small advantage) and circulation (big advantage). The linked article's control algorithm is primitive (to say the least), and probably only marginally maintains set temp. The PS machines a…

As far as I can tell, some small waterproof fans would be more than enough for sufficient circulation. Why is that a specific advantage of high-end ones?

flow is very important with the temperature gradients that can exist in fluid. When you're talking about 0.01 and 0.001 degrees, flow is really important.

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#114

Post by pfooti »

mikecb wrote: post #75
_pius wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I own the Sansaire, but right now I'd recommend the new Anova one that comes with an app and is well-reviewed by Serious Eats. http://anovaculinary.com/products/anova-precision-cooker http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/new-anova-precision-cooke...

Do you know if they've released the android app yet? You can use it without (has a little wheel to set temp), but the monitoring and timing obviously don't work.

There is an android app on the google play marketplace, but it is not from the anova folks and it costs $2. I haven't purchased it, because I already have my own list of "if you're cooking foo, set the temperature to bar" commands in my (analog) recipe notebook.

Everything else about the newer anova is great. I have both a new-style and old-style (anova one) from them, and they're both cool. Now that I have the newer one with the adjustable clip, I intend to keep that in my kitchen for simple sous-vide stuff (steaks, chops, eggs, etc) and build an insulated enclosure out of a cooler for the One, so I can tackle bigger cooking projects.

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#115

Post by pfooti »

IvyMike wrote: post #17
surement wrote: post #11

This is a nice project but this common misconception is false: > Searing the food after sous-vide seals in the juices http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/to-sear-or-not-to-sear-985...

It may not be about sealing in the juices, but a sous-vide steak out of the bag is a very unappealing grey color. And the Maillard reaction is necessary for proper taste. You need to do something to it, be it throw it on a hot pan for a minute a side or use a Searzall.

The searzall has become an absolute necessity in combination with my sous vide in the kitchen. I definitely do a post-sear, although I never really do a pre-sear. I can see reasons people might want to, I should experiment now that it's easier to do that.

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#116

Post by SoftwareMaven »

threeways wrote: post #112
tptacek wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pre-sear (which can be lighter than the post-sear) adds flavor, but also makes the (important) post-sear much faster, which also minimizes the degree to which the post-sear will raise the interior temperature of your protein. The pre-sear is especially important with long cooks, because it kills surface bacteria. The first time you get too much lactobacillus hitching a ride on your short ribs will be the last tim…

The lacto explosion is way more likely to happen when your meat is grossly under-seasoned going into the bag. Which is probably the most made mistake by home cooks. I cooked in New York City during the years that sous-vide became legal. I worked at the restaurant that received the first sous-vide permit from the health department, and later at other Michelin starred restaurants that did sous-vide. That of course does…

The flavor of my steaks shot up once I learned to put more salt on. In general, once I learned the reality of salt (eg there is no reason to limit consumption), my cooking got much better.

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#117

Post by aroch »

_pius wrote: post #73
blhack wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen you comment a lot on sous vide in the past, is there a specific machine that you recommend? (And then is there one you'd recommend if money was no object)

I own the Sansaire, but right now I'd recommend the new Anova one that comes with an app and is well-reviewed by Serious Eats. http://anovaculinary.com/products/anova-precision-cooker http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/new-anova-precision-cooke...

I have the previous gen Anova, and it is great!

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#118

Post by mikeytown2 »

arbesfeld wrote: post #79
cnvogel wrote: post #78

Hey arbesfeld, I really like that project, and the nice writeup really presents it well. But especially as people might use it for inspiration for their own temperature-controlled cooking projects, I think the lack of a proper isolation of the mains-powered parts is a little bit worrying. For the next project, or maybe as advice to the random person looking at the HN comments, here's what I normally do: Try to minimi…

Thanks for the tips. This was my first time working with power components and I wasn't familiar with most of these parts. I'll incorporate these suggestions into the blog post so that they can be a resource to others.

Recommending using a Wago [1] or Set-Screw wire nuts [2] for joining wires as these are harder to use improperly than a wire nut. Video on how to use a wire nut [3]; people mess these up all the time. For the mains voltage I recommend using at least solid THHN 14 AWG wire, it's the minimum required wire size for a 15 amp circuit (Most outlets are rated for 15 or 20 amps); color coded as well, white for neutral & black/red for your hot, green for ground. If you're unsure what one is hot, compare the voltage to the ground. A good clean design should not require electrical tape for it to be safe if you take the cover off.

Having a physical barrier between your low and high voltage areas is a must; the low voltage wire used to switch the relay is the only thing that should go inside the high voltage area (drill a small hole just for this wire & keep it away from 120v as much as possible), also mount the plug for your 5 volt source on this internal wall; or better yet use a USB outlet [4] as these are designed to be ran inside an enclosure. Using color coded wire for the low voltage is advised as well.

Since you're dealing with water, making this device GFCI protected would be smart. Have your mains run through this first before anything else [5]. And finally for the relay get one that is UL listed & opto-isolated in order to prevent bad things from potentially happening; the RIBTE01B [6] will most likely fit the bill. Be sure to check the ratings for your relays; putting more power through them than they are designed for might end up with your project in flames. If you're unsure about the power requirements, using a small relay to turn on a big relay [7] is OK.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Wago-222-413-LEVER-NUTS-Conductor-Conn...

[2] http://www.amazon.com/Wire-Connector-Set-Screw-Black/dp/B000...

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32z6Q8--fEM

[4] http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-T5630-W-Tamper-Resistant-Recep...

[5] http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-SmartLockPro-20-Amp-Combo...

[6] http://www.functionaldevices.com/building-automation/display...

[7] http://www.amazon.com/Packard-C240B-Contactor-Pole-Voltage/d...

Edit: If you do end up keeping your solid state relay, ground the heat sink.

2nd Edit: If you want to avoid the need to 3D print the enclosure, using a 4 gang box [8] you could make this work. 1st slot is your input Single-Gang Decor Recessed Power Inlet [9]. 2nd slot is the GFCI [5]. 3rd slot is the USB outlet [4] with a cover [10] for your low voltage side. 4th is the outlet [11] to your heaters. Drill a hole in the box for the relay [6] if it doesn't fit inside as it is threaded and is designed to be externally mounted like this if needed. Mounting some lights [12] is helpful to know if the device has power and the outlets are powered. If you can find a larger gang device [13], you can incorporate an simple switch to turn the whole thing on or off and maybe mount everything inside.

[8] http://www.homedepot.com/p/Carlon-4-Gang-68-cu-in-Electrical...

[9] http://www.amazon.com/Midlite-MDT4642W-Single-Gang-Decor-Rec...

[10] http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Innovations-10408-Twin-Outlet/d...

[11] http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-15-Amp-Duplex-Outlet-Whit...

[12] http://www.homedepot.com/p/Madison-Electric-Products-Smart-B...

[13] http://www.amazon.com/Indicator-Pilot-Signal-Light-Cable/dp/...

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#119

Post by gilgoomesh »

cnvogel wrote: post #78

Hey arbesfeld, I really like that project, and the nice writeup really presents it well. But especially as people might use it for inspiration for their own temperature-controlled cooking projects, I think the lack of a proper isolation of the mains-powered parts is a little bit worrying. For the next project, or maybe as advice to the random person looking at the HN comments, here's what I normally do: Try to minimi…

I'm pretty sure the correct translation of Aderendhülse is "insulated wire ferrules".

Re: For my final project I built a sous-vide immersion cooker

#120

Post by ValentineC »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #116
threeways wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lacto explosion is way more likely to happen when your meat is grossly under-seasoned going into the bag. Which is probably the most made mistake by home cooks. I cooked in New York City during the years that sous-vide became legal. I worked at the restaurant that received the first sous-vide permit from the health department, and later at other Michelin starred restaurants that did sous-vide. That of course does…

The flavor of my steaks shot up once I learned to put more salt on. In general, once I learned the reality of salt (eg there is no reason to limit consumption), my cooking got much better.

> In general, once I learned the reality of salt (eg there is no reason to limit consumption)…

This caught my attention because I may have mild hypertension and am starting to be more conscious of my diet. Would you happen to have a source that I could start from?

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