# Sous Vide Cooking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028 "2013-01-13T03:32:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/101 "2013-04-25T23:29:03Z")
I did a sous vide chuck roast this week. 26 hours at 135 degrees. Seared it after removal. Very tender and flavorful with a texture similar to rib roast. [![](https://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/20130424_185624.jpg) ](https://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/20130424_185624.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/102 "2013-04-26T12:59:30Z")
I just keep making dulce de leche from cans of sweetened condensed milk. 185F for 15 hours and it’s oooh so good. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/103 "2013-05-21T05:14:25Z")
I’m done with volume 4 of Modernist Cuisine, and I didn’t find out one vital piece of information… How do I get a temperature probe to work inside of a sealed bag? That was one piece of vital information that was completely left out. Obviously the bag has to be sealed and probe has to pass through the bag. There are instructions throughout the book to cook such and such to an internal core temperature of so and so. But for all the wonderful instruction in the book they did not explain that single technique. So does anyone know how? ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/104 "2013-05-21T07:03:15Z")
Er, don’t you just measure the temp of the water…? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/105 "2013-05-21T12:18:03Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’m done with volume 4 of Modernist Cuisine, and I didn’t find out one vital piece of information… How do I get a temperature probe to work inside of a sealed bag? That was one piece of vital information that was completely left out. Obviously the bag has to be sealed and probe has to pass through the bag. There are instructions throughout the book to cook such and such to an internal core temperature of so and so. But for all the wonderful instruction in the book they did not explain that single technique. > > So does anyone know how? Like **Tabby\_Cat** , I’m confused by the question. You don’t need to check temperatures for sous-vide; even a big piece of meat will equilibrate to the temp of the water within a few hours. Whatever is in the bag will be the same temp as the water. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/106 "2013-05-21T12:49:59Z")
I believe you can put foam tape on the bag that allows a temperature probe to be inserted through the bag and into meat or whatever you are cooking. This way you can pull the bag as soon as an internal temperature reaches some point. I don’t know a specific need for this though. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/107 "2013-05-21T19:02:31Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Like **Tabby\_Cat** , I’m confused by the question. You don’t need to check temperatures for sous-vide; even a big piece of meat will equilibrate to the temp of the water within a few hours. Whatever is in the bag will be the same temp as the water. They prefer to sous vide in water 1 to 2 degrees warmer than the desired internal temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/108 "2013-05-21T21:14:03Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > They prefer to sous vide in water 1 to 2 degrees warmer than the desired internal temperature. Yeah, but I still don’t see the need to check temperature for sous-videing. Do they really mention it in Modernist Cuisine? I’ll have to dig it out and look. Pretty much, though, with sous-vide, you’re not just bringing something to temperature and then pulling it out of the heat, like you’d do on a grill or in the oven or whatever. You’re bringing it to heat, then leaving it there long enough to tenderize/pasturize/whatever. The whole point of sous-vide is that in most cases, you can leave it in the water bath for a long time if that’s what you want, and it’s still good. No need to check a temperature or pull it out right away, right? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/109 "2013-05-21T21:26:24Z")
[This video shows the use of a thermometer with sous vide](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJX40-GlOY8). It shouldn’t be necessary if you have a well controlled water bath. Not everything cooked with sous vide stays in the bath longer than necessary to get to the desired temperature, but I don’t know of anything specifically where you can’t just estimate the time necessary. Perhaps fish where you want to cook it only until the center reaches a specific temperature, with the rest of the fish more well done, or meat that you want to cook just to rare only in the center. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/110 "2013-05-21T21:33:24Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Yeah, but I still don’t see the need to check temperature for sous-videing. Do they really mention it in Modernist Cuisine? I’ll have to dig it out and look. Constantly. The whole sous vide section in the Kitchen Manual lists internal temperatures. I first noticed it in the “How To” on page 246 of Volume 2. > [@](#): > > Pretty much, though, with sous-vide, you’re not just bringing something to temperature and then pulling it out of the heat, like you’d do on a grill or in the oven or whatever. You’re bringing it to heat, then leaving it there long enough to tenderize/pasturize/whatever. The whole point of sous-vide is that in most cases, you can leave it in the water bath for a long time if that’s what you want, and it’s still good. No need to check a temperature or pull it out right away, right? You would think. Maybe it’s that they are so exacting, or use their steam ovens more often than water baths. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/111 "2013-05-22T14:57:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > [This video shows the use of a thermometer with sous vide](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJX40-GlOY8). It shouldn’t be necessary if you have a well controlled water bath. Not everything cooked with sous vide stays in the bath longer than necessary to get to the desired temperature, but I don’t know of anything specifically where you can’t just estimate the time necessary. Perhaps fish where you want to cook it only until the center reaches a specific temperature, with the rest of the fish more well done, or meat that you want to cook just to rare only in the center. Cool, thanks for that. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028/114 "2015-08-21T03:33:29Z")
In case it was real comment, here’s a cheaper option (by $200!) that I believe is more elegant than the solution linked above: [http://www.nomiku.com/](http://www.nomiku.com/) I am not associated with the Nomiku team (but I am a kickstarter supporter). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sous-vide-cooking/647028.md?page=5)