Remember the Sansaire immersion circulator I bought earlier this year, which I used to prepare the best steak I ever cooked? I loved all the food it helped me sous vide, but there was one relevant issue which prevented 100% satisfaction.

Food cooked via that method ends up pale and unappetizing on the outside, and requires searing to develop a nice crust. I was using a hot pan to achieve this, but in addition to that being messy, not all food is flat, so it’s difficult to reach all the nooks and crannies of a chuck roast, for example.

Something more was needed. That something is my new toy, the Searzall.

The Searzall, which I’d backed on Kickstarter, is a cone that attaches to a blow torch head, basically turning it into a radiant broiler, achieving much higher temperatures than can be reached in a home oven broiler. Additionally, the Searzall is meant to protect the meat from what’s known as “torch taste” which can sometimes occur with an open torch flame. For both of those reasons, I signed on for a Searzall as soon as I heard of it. (more…)

I’ve been getting a lot of use out of my Sansaire Immersion Circulator since I received it … was it really only ten days ago?

The first things I tried to sous vide were short ribs, followed by eggs. Saturday night, I moved on to skinless chicken breasts, which I vacuum sealed and dropped into a 140-degree Fahrenheit bath for 90 minutes, the time and temperature recommended by Sansaire.

Result?

Extremely juicy chicken, seen here surrounded by broccoli fried with pecans and raisins. (more…)

So the next thing I decided to tackle with my Sansaire after those short ribs was an egg, which I was going to let bathe in 65-degree Centigrade water for 45 minutes.

Which sounded weird even to admit.

Why take so much time to prepare something that for my entire life up until now only took minutes? (Which I guess is a question only an obvious sous vide newbie would ask.) Because as promised by Sansaire, the result would be unlike any egg I’ve ever eaten.

Here’s my egg right after being scooped out of the warm water and cracked over wheat toast.

The white was delicate, and the yolk was creamy … buttery even.

This egg was no longer breakfast. It was … dessert.

I can assure you I’ll be having another one tomorrow.

Saturday, I told you all about my new Sansaire Immersion Circulator, and how that afternoon, I’d dropped three pounds of vacuum-sealed short ribs into a bath of 144-degree water. Last night, 72 hours later, we ate them.

So how’d they taste?

Amazing! (more…)

This device may (or may not) change the way I cook. I’ll know more soon. Well … in about 55 hours.

The dishes I’ve eaten at restaurants over the years which were prepared via the sous vide method have been among the most mind-blowing. (more…)