Moven sous vide marine unit

[icedog11]

Is anyone here familiar with or have seen one in operation? Moven on the water

I'm a foodie and was wondering, the sous vide cooking method seems ideal for cooking while underway if the unit is sealed. If your are currently using sous vide circulator in a conventional way, how is it while underway? Do you use a cooler that has been altered, or a traditional large pot?

I could easily see preparing a weeks or more worth of meals, sealing them and then preparing using sous vide cooking methods. The unit mentioned above uses either electric or engine heat. Seems the result would be savings on using propane for no more than a final sear.

Looking for anyone with practical experience with one aboard. Down sides as well as up sides.

[Jd1]

Great idea but boy, it sure is dear

[brazenarticle]

The Igloo playmate cooler wrapped in a beach towel is a fine sous vide cooker. Water temp off the hot water tank after running the motor is usually hot enough. Perfect steaks take a couple hours and only need a few minutes on the grill before serving.
Everything on the boat ideally does double duty so the sous vide cooker is a beer cooler too. The cheap harbor freight laser thermometer checks steak temperature, engine temperature, stuffing box temperature etc.....

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Jd1

Great idea but boy, it sure is dear

Wow, sure is. Anything with the word "marine" in it always is. Dont really see a big advantage over this versus non-"marine" versions.

Retained heat cooking methods, like thermos or WonderBag are radically cheaper, have much lower energy requirments, and yield similar results. You just cant cook at as stable temps or as long (I do sous vide beef ribs ashore. Sous vide over night then finish on grill...tender and yummy).

[Jd1]

[QUOTE=belizesailor;2192356
Retained heat cooking methods, like thermos or WonderBag are radically cheaper, have much lower energy requirments, and yield similar results. You just cant cook at as stable temps or as long (I do sous vide beef ribs ashore. [/QUOTE]

From my point of few - the difference between over done chicken breast, and underdone chicken breast is one (!!) degree celsius. The right temperature is in the middle between the two.
Sure you can cook sous vide with a lot less accurate temperature control but if you are a foodie then no, you can't.

You also better be darn sure you killed off all nasty bugs with just enough heat for just long enough in order to not get food poisoning. Not something I would like to gamble on. Of course it's easy to be sure by just running the food hotter but that defeats the whole sous vide concept.

[chris mac]

Sous vide seems to focus on cooking at 55-60 deg Celsius. The bacteria danger zone goes from 4-60 deg Celsius.
To close a line for me.
I havent tasted anything out of an official sous vide system, but have tried several "boil in a bag" meals from people who prepped everything themselves.
I trained in more classical French cuisine, some 20 odd years ago. Became a chef running several different kitchens. I am kind of biased I guess, but I haven't tasted anything that compares with the classic methods. And like most things, once you learn, it becomes easy.

[icedog11]

Originally Posted by chris mac

Sous vide seems to focus on cooking at 55-60 deg Celsius. The bacteria danger zone goes from 4-60 deg Celsius.
To close a line for me.
I havent tasted anything out of an official sous vide system, but have tried several "boil in a bag" meals from people who prepped everything themselves.
I trained in more classical French cuisine, some 20 odd years ago. Became a chef running several different kitchens. I am kind of biased I guess, but I haven't tasted anything that compares with the classic methods. And like most things, once you learn, it becomes easy.

It is the precision of sous vide that is attractive and the fact that you can leave a protein in for several hours over its cooking time without ruining it. I have a traditional sous vide unit and have cooked a single large steak for myself and my wife. The wife called from work saying she was running late, 2 hour late to be exact. I cut the steak in half seared mine off and ate, left hers in the sous vide for an additional 2 hours. When she arrived home I seared hers off and she had a perfectly medium rare steak with the same texture as mine.

As far as food that bacteria is an issue the cooking time is extended for a additional 30 -60 minutes to insure pasteurization. Fish and Chicken come out of a sous vide, moist and never over cooked. Fish is fuller in texture and flaky without drying out. White meat chicken is never dry or stringy. read more below

http://www.molecularrecipes.com/sous-vide-class/

[belizesailor]

Im no serious foodie or chef, I just dabble a bit, so a question for you more serious types:

Retained heat cooking is hardly a new concept, been around long before recreational cruising as we know it.

If used properly my take is that its safe. No reports of problems I know of...anyone else?

For example, we have a WonderBag. Recommended use is to bring dish, such as a stew, to boiling and then transfer to WB. We usually pre cook meats a bit just to be sure. That temp certainly kills any bact on the surface. Partially pre cooked meats, held at temp a long time by insulation should thruroughly pasturize (though I have not actually stuck a thermometer in to confirm). We then take off to snorkel or whatever and return to a tasty meal that not only did not heat up the boat, cooked unattended, with no worries about leaving gas running or energy use. Great fit for use on a boat.

I do have a wirelss thermo for the BBQ which I could use to better quantify the time/temp assumptions.

Assuming the temps/times are all good and thus all pathogens killed and the container is sealed so no bugs get in, I don't see the risk...especially if consumed/stored properly promptly.

Opinions?

[Jd1]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Assuming the temps/times are all good and thus all pathogens killed and the container is sealed so no bugs get in, I don't see the risk...especially if consumed/stored properly promptly.

Opinions?

Agreed, what you are talking about is certainly possible and safe if one is aware of what is going on. On the other hand, it is not sous vide and will not give you the results of a proper sous vide cooker.

[Scott Berg]

I use a Polyscience imersion unit aboard, usually in my small igloo cooler. Works very well. I'll take a good look at this unit... for those not familiar with sous vide techniques take a look at Modernest Cuisine Modernist Cuisine at Home | Modernist Cuisine

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Jd1

Agreed, what you are talking about is certainly possible and safe if one is aware of what is going on. On the other hand, it is not sous vide and will not give you the results of a proper sous vide cooker.

Yes, understand its not the same as sous vide. Have done sous vide beef ribs before and finished on the grill...OMG good.

[SV DestinyAscen]

Sous vide is a great cooking technique - but IMO it isn't suitable for use on a boat for the following reasons:

1. it works best on fresh protein and you'll want to finish it by additional charring for flavor & texture/consume it relatively soon after cooking as it isn't exactly cooking at temp and pressure like a pressure cooker.

2. plastic is just annoying for waste management.

3. typically electric energy draw

I think a better alternative is to just use a thermal insulated cooker - we got ours in Japan - you heat the material to the temp you want on the stove, throw it in the insulator. Food will be ready and kept warm without additional energy. Insulator can also be used to store ice.

[Midnight Son]

I read the verbiage on their web site and got as far as 'not gimballed' Okay, how the H do you get it safely out to serve in a seaway????