If you read stuff you may have read about the Sous Vide Supreme kitchen-counter water bath appliance. Heston Blumenthal is pimping it and they are apparently giving loaners to tons of food writers.
(via sousvidesupreme.com)
Most of the reviewers are pretty into it, but Monica Eng of the Chicago Tribune put it through its paces and kind of took a poop on it and said she didn't really want one.
Let's look at her reasons:
5 reasons to cook with the SousVide Supreme
1: Round roast remains tender and juicy, especially in the middle.
2: Soft boiled eggs slide right out of the shell ready to eat. [yes]
3: Salmon cooks up velvety soft, and the kitchen doesn't smell fishy afterward. [cooking smells are a big deal to Monica]
4: Sucking air out of a bag with a bag vacuum gun can be fun. [true]
5: After three days, short ribs emerge steaky and tender enough to eat with a spoon. [this is reason enough to own one, right?!]
5 reasons not to cook with the SousVide Supreme
1: Slow braised meats don't perfume and warm a home. [awww]
2: A rib-eye steak takes three hours to cook — and that's one of the quickest meats. [actually an hour is plenty for a 1-inch steak but going over is no biggie (unlike other methods). also you can use the timing to your advantage - put the meat in when you have time and it's ready when you are.]
3: Heating plastic next to fat-soluble foods for hours makes some people nervous. [yes - someone needs to get to the bottom of this issue]
4: If you have to slow simmer and then sear it in a pan and/or create a separate sauce, sous vide can add to your work and cleanup. [undeniably true]
5: Because temperatures must be precise, it's hard to cook more than one type of food at a time. [this is true of ovens, toasters, crock pots, etc. Also you can cook the higher thing (veg) until it's done and then drop the temp and throw the lower thing (meat) in . . . ]
Of course it's a personal decision, but definitely sign me up for spoon-tender short ribs!
I am happy with my two rigs, and I built them for way less than $450. I have more flexibility, and the SVS doesn't do anything extra (it's not a water circulator). But it is definitely sexier-looking. I would strongly consider it if I were just starting out with sous vide. And I wouldn't complain if they wanted to loan me one to test.
