My sous vide life
For me, living a sous vide life means to...
- Buy in bulk
- Vacuum pack meal courses
- cook-chill/cook-freeze
- Cook foods gently and thoroughly, to the desired doneness, at precisely controlled temperatures
Benefits...
- Volume priced food
- Fast, no-fuss meal prep
- Non-critical cook times
- Meals are consistently delicious
- No waste
- Less cleanup
- Cost savings
- Better food safety
- Refrigerator is less cluttered
- It's healthier (portioning helps me to keep an eye on my calorie intake)
I buy fresh chicken, beef, pork and frozen vegetables at sale prices, portion for meals, vacuum package it, pre-cook/pasteurize, then store in the refrigerator or chest freezer. In the morning I cut open lunch courses and put them in a microwavable container for work. I can drop dinner courses in the sous vide bath either before or after work.
I've spent $960 on gear & gadgets to facilitate my new life (so far), but I think it saves even more than that over the course of a year between the grocery store and restaurants (by virtue of fewer visits thereto) and spoilage of leftovers.
My setup...
- Ary VacMaster VP112S chamber vacuum sealer ($525)
- VonShef 8-liter sous vide water oven ($99)
- Gourmia GSV130 sous vide immersion circulator ($129)
- Rubbermaid 12-quart commercial polycarbinate food container ($16.25)
- Kenmore 12702 7.2 cu. ft. Chest Freezer, White ($189.99)
- Buy in bulk
- Vacuum pack meal courses
- cook-chill/cook-freeze
- Cook foods gently and thoroughly, to the desired doneness, at precisely controlled temperatures
Benefits...
- Volume priced food
- Fast, no-fuss meal prep
- Non-critical cook times
- Meals are consistently delicious
- No waste
- Less cleanup
- Cost savings
- Better food safety
- Refrigerator is less cluttered
- It's healthier (portioning helps me to keep an eye on my calorie intake)
I buy fresh chicken, beef, pork and frozen vegetables at sale prices, portion for meals, vacuum package it, pre-cook/pasteurize, then store in the refrigerator or chest freezer. In the morning I cut open lunch courses and put them in a microwavable container for work. I can drop dinner courses in the sous vide bath either before or after work.
I've spent $960 on gear & gadgets to facilitate my new life (so far), but I think it saves even more than that over the course of a year between the grocery store and restaurants (by virtue of fewer visits thereto) and spoilage of leftovers.
My setup...
- Ary VacMaster VP112S chamber vacuum sealer ($525)
- VonShef 8-liter sous vide water oven ($99)
- Gourmia GSV130 sous vide immersion circulator ($129)
- Rubbermaid 12-quart commercial polycarbinate food container ($16.25)
- Kenmore 12702 7.2 cu. ft. Chest Freezer, White ($189.99)