I am so excited to publish this post! My first experiment with the Anova sous-vide gadget, actually if I must be completely honest, it was the second experiment, the first shall remain unblogged. It involved soft-boiled eggs, and a garbage disposal. Pretty sad combination. But, I did not let that bring me down, next day I rolled up my sleeves, and went to work on a recipe for pork loin that I found on SVKitchen: Sous-vide Recipes and Techniques for the Home Cook.
SWEET AND SPICY ASIAN PORK LOIN
(slightly modified from this recipe)
2 stalks lemongrass, 3 outer layers and top third removed and discarded, thinly sliced
Heat the water bath to 132°F (56°C).
In a bowl large enough to accommodate the pork, combine the lemongrass, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, five-spice, salt, and pepper. Add the pork and toss everything together to coat evenly. Divide the pork between two large zip lock food bags and seal using the water displacement method.
Cook for 6 hours.
Carefully open the food bags and serve the pork over cooked rice garnished with the sliced scallions.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
In this photo, you see the Anova gadget attached to the large pan, and the water heating nicely to the correct temperature. After mixing the pieces of meat with the marinade, two large Ziplock bags are sealed using the water displacement method. I lowered the bag in a bowl of warm water (that makes the plastic more pliable and facilitates removing all air bubbles). The last photo shows the two bags sealed and ready to dive into the water-bath. Easy as pie!
I set the timer for 6 hours, but due to important commitments such as helping Phil mow the front lawn & folding laundry, time was extended to 6 hours and 45 minutes. I hoped it would not be a problem. It wasn’t. In fact, it confirmed one of the advantages of sous–vide cooking: once the temperature is reached and properly equilibrated through the meat, you can take your time. Within limits, of course, there will be a change in texture if you push it too far. But this too far becomes a matter of hours, not minutes. Sweet!
Here is a close up of the meat as you bite into it… moist and tender all the way through!
Final comments: SVKitchen is a fantastic source of recipes and tips for sous-vide cooking, I have several recipes already bookmarked. The site is not getting updates anymore which is kind of sad, but you can still find a ton of stuff and they are also very helpful by email.
One of the things I learned right away from sous-vide cooking is: take notes. Small variations in temperature will change the result of a recipe, and some can be pretty tricky to nail. Soft-boiled eggs are one classic example. Apparently, once you hit the jackpot with the method that pleases you, it will be quite reproducible. I am not there yet, but slowly improving. A very informative and fun article dealing exclusively with soft-boiled eggs can be found here.
Another important point in sous-vide is that for the most part the food will not look appetizing once it’s cooked. The sous-vide obviously doesn’t brown the food and doesn’t reduce a liquid. Normally you will need to do a final stove-top, oven, or grill step to bring the dish to completion. Still, the idea that you can prepare your food in advance and wrap it up in minutes at dinner is quite attractive for those who work full days. But more important than that is the ability to have perfectly cooked seafood, poultry to work with. Goodbye, tough scallops & shrimp… goodbye dried up chicken breasts & pork loin…
So far, I am really having fun with this new toy. It is compact, can be stored away in a shelf when not in use, and I found an even better spot to put it in action: the countertop in our laundry room, adjacent to the kitchen. There Anova enjoys the company of the vacuum sealer, and on the left of the picture we have a sink, so it’s all quite functional.
I hope you enjoyed this first post on sous-vide, stay tuned for new adventures on Anova Land…
ONE YEAR AGO: Farewell to a Bewitching Kitchen
TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen. June 2012
THREE YEARS AGO: Goodbye L.A.
FOUR YEARS AGO: 7-6-5 Pork Tenderloin
Bewitching Kitchen 
I have immense sous vide envy. 🙂 This looks really good.
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Sous-vide envy is a good one… 😉 You shall vicariously through my plastic bags submerged in hot water, dear friend!
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Sally, please beg, borrow, or steal Peter’s recipe for salmon 104. It is to die for, and I don’t even much like salmon. Also, if interested, I will happily pass on the recipe/instructions for perfect creme anglais for ice cream. I’m really looking forward to hearing more about your adventures with sous vide. It really is a revolution in cooking!
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HA! He already sent me… I made a salmon two weeks ago but not that one, it’s on my list to try very soon after his raving about it – and now you. Actually he told me that you don’t eat salmon prepared any other way… Yes, I am interested in the creme recipe, I have quite a few unusual recipes made in sous-vide mode, so why not one that is tried and true?
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Other than in a restaurant where there’s a lot of money to spend on getting food done fast I’ve never really seen the value of the gadget but for those who have/can afford one, enjoy your toy. 🙂 The finished dish does look nice and sounds like it would be quite flavourful. I’d like to give it a try in a dutch oven for a few hours or a crockpot for those who have them.
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The big machines are real expensive and massive in size – I never considered having one until my friend who came over to give a seminar kept raving about his and convinced me to take a look at the options. Two brands more or less dominate the market of this compact units that turn any pot into a sous-vide environment. I went with Anova, the other one is Sansaire. Any recipe for the sous-vide can be adapted for regular cooking, no doubt about it… still, I like playing with this technique, it feels almost as being in the lab experimenting… 😉
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What a fun new toy! I’d love to experiment with one. Can’t wait to see all of your new creations!
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Indeed, it’s a lot of fun….
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Love your Star Trek gadgetry! It seems to be doing great work since your dish looks really tasty! Plus, I love anything with broccolini! 🙂
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Of course, you’re doing most of that work! 😉
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We LOVE broccolini…. and make it once a week, sometimes twice. So much flavor and better texture than regular broccoli… perfect!
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Couldn’t agree with you more!
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🙂
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This must have been so exciting to have made a wonderful and tender dish for the first time! There is a lot of appeal for sure in having a dinner you can prepare early and leave.. it would be ideal for entertaining. I have seen a few sous vide machines in town at one particular electronic store, but they sold this whole massive unit. I love that yours just attaches to a pot you already have so it’s easy to use and then store away untl the next time! You’ll have to start a whole new section on your blog for your sous vide recipes now!!
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Exactly what convinced me to get the Anova, the compact size…. Yes, I started a section on my blog for Sous-vide, and should add it to the index this weekend. I don’t intend to turn the blog into a sous-vide thing, but it will definitely have recipes with the new toy.
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Maybe some day I’ll be lucky enough to get one:D That and a thermomix are on my “list”.. but Christmas is so far away now, lol!
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THermomix is something I’ve flirted with for a decade. It is so pricey, though…. let me know if you go for it…
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So Exciting… Looks fantastic!
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Thank you! Glad you liked it…. it’s too bad that texture doesn’t go through the post, that’s what made this meal special, as well as all other recipes I made so far with the Anova
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Yay for sous vide success!! That pork loin looks like it is perfectly cooked!
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yay indeed! I love to have a new toy to play with…. I am thinking lobster could be the next experiment….
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What a awesome dish… totally love anything sweet and spicy, always works great for having both sides of the taste spectrum! Need to add this to our upcoming dinner menu!
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Me too, sweet and spicy is perfect! or sweet and sour… both combos are lovely
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I am so glad you got a sous vide! I got mine 2 Christmases ago and use it often. If I could only cook flank stead and brisket in it I’d be happy. But to cook amazing pork loin, like your recipe, and also chicken breasts as well, it’s heavenly work!!!
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I must play with flank steak – shall look for your recipes on the blog…. (just made lobster tails this past weekend, perfectly cooked meat!)
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I’ve yet to do fish/seafood. That’s next on my list!
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This is my first visit to your blog. It is always fun to find new ideas. Your pork loin looks yummy.
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Welcome to the Bewitching! Hope you stick around and find many recipes that appeal to you!
thanks for commenting…
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I have always wanted to try sous vide cooking. There was actually a French toast recipe that used it (back when we were doing our FT challenge). I just love your bravery in the kitchen Sally. It’s always inspiring. And the color on that meat looks to die for! Looking forward to more of our sous vide adventures. 🙂
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This looks and sounds amazing! Can’t wait to explore more about SV cooking with you, and will definitely check-out SVKitchen, thanks for the tip! Good luck with the eggs 😉
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This looks delicious! It’s definitely on my list of things to try sous-vide in the near future. I can’t wait!
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I’m using FoodSaver V3240 to make sous vide That sounds good. Thanks for your shares, that helps me very much!
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I see some experimenting in my future, I love slow cooked meats but the oven sometimes dries things out. Thank you for leading the way.
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