crock pot - slow cooker - dutch oven - sous vide question

[Dutchie]

Hi , just found this part here.

I have a question, recently i got a sous vide device for my birthday.
seal and vacuum the food and , cook it slow at a precise temperature and time.

i did 2 t bone steaks , bought pre sealed , 1 inch thick,no seasoning and did that for 1,5 hour at 57 degrees celcius ( yes , holland,europe)
The first time ever , i got a t bone steak real ok and even cooked.

is a slow cooker the same thing , and or a crock pot ?

I know what a dutch oven is , yep , imma dutch, its called au bain marie in french.


thnx in advance....

Hans

[Moonie]

No a slow cooker is the same as a crock pot (brand name of slow cooker). The idea is similar but it is more a slow simmer than sous vide. I have had an Anova sous vide circulator for a couple of years now, enjoy your new kitchen gadget, I hope you love yours as much as I do mine.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I am not certain exactly what a sous vide is. A slow cooker and a crock pot are pretty much the same thing. They are often made of ceramic with a heating element enclosed inside the ceramic, although some are metal. Some are curved oblong shaped and some are taller and round. The food is put into the pot, usually with some liquid like water or broth, and the electric timer set, often for several hours, and a heavy glass lid put on top. They are very useful, for example, for a wife who works to put the meal into the crock pot in the morning, go to work, and when she comes home to have dinner already cooked for the family. A Dutch Oven, to us, is a heavy cast iron pot with a heavy iron lid, and perhaps smaller cast iron pots that can be stacked on top all containing separate foods.

183241
Click to enlarge.

[johnson1942]

sous vide(under vacuum). sounds like your cooking a sealed food that wont burn or let the juices out? a slow cooker or a crock pot i believe are the same. they do not regulate the heat well. if you could control the temp they would be of worth but cook far too hat for me. i put my beef roast in a clay put and seal with aluminum foil over the top of it then i put the cover to the clay pot over the aluminum foil and it seals in all juices. german seal clay pot with bread dough, aluminum foil works just as good. my lowest temp on my oven is 170 degrees and my roast pork, beef or chicken is never ever cooked above 170 degrees and always sealed. if my oven went lower i would try 160 degrees or 150 or even 140. i let them cook all day and a hour or so before i eat the meat i take off the cover and pour the juice out to make gravy with that. then i turn up the oven to 350 for a short time and brown the surface of the meat just a little. then i let the meat cool at least a 1/2 hour so when the meat is cut the juices wont run out. i think a crock pot or slow cooker is too hot for your sealed up meats to cook. they will cook but they wont be at their best. ig you can find a oven that goes to the lower ranges of heat then may be that would work for you.

[MT Gianni]

http://shop.lodgemfg.com/prodcat/dutch-ovens.asp

Two styles of Dutch ovens, with or without feet. The footed ones are best used on a campfire, flat ones on a stovetop. Either work in a conventional oven. Both styles of cooking, slow cooker or Dutch oven allow a small bit of seepage but retain most of the moisture when cooking. Temperatures of a Dutch Oven are around 350 F as we would bake in a conventional oven for breads and roasts. Slow cookers run cooler and have longer run times to cook with. I believe the reason for both is moisture retention.
Searing a good steak will do somewhat the same. Slow cooking with the moisture allows us to use tougher cuts of meat as it breaks down the collagens and keeps them from drying out. Sort of like eating Osso Bucco the pork shank dish, tough cut that is poor when cooked fast and delicious when cooked slow.
Thanks for sharing about the sealed package cooking. I have seen something similar advertised but never have yet seen the real thing in rural Montana.

[Dutchie]

Ok , thnx for some explaining.
It seems the slow cooker device has a fairly course temperature management / range , and a timer on it. as seen in the picture.

I have this,
183267

Indeed slow cooking , sealed in a vacuum bag , witch a precise temperature control from 40 - 99 degrees celcius, and a timer.

i think i like my new toy.

Boiled an egg in it to get a "custard egg" ,that took 66 degrees celcius and 55 minutes.......

And the german clay pots we know very well they are called romertopf.but nowadays very old fashioned not used anymore cause everybody is cooking on electricity.

grtz, Hans

[johnson1942]

thanks for the information as it looks like a very good way to get the best out of meat and other foods.

[Dutchie]

Ok Gianni, there seems to be a hole in my knowledge, just found out the origins of a dutch oven :)

Now i see the difference between the use in the states and the use , over here nowadays, the difference is the use of water, the heat source is the dutch oven filled with water with another pan in it , hence bain marie , used to melt chocolate for instance.

A german clay pot is also or was, used as an oven, we dont do that any more, the way of fastfood i think, throw it in the microwave.....

last question here is , is there water in a slow cooker like the sous vide way , cause that is what i still cant find out , saw pics on the met with water and a plastic bag, like a zip bag , not sealed.

And found a diy for sous vide , a water cooker , a pid and so on, like you would regulate the temp in a lee cast oven , :)

Hans.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Like I said before, water or broth is often added to assist in the cooking. It depends on what is being cooked, but I would say more often than not a liquid is present. For example, if I am going to cook a piece of corned beef in a slow cooker I will put the meat in and then add chicken broth to a depth to cover the meat. The hot liquid assists the cooking of the meat and adds flavor. If the meat was put in without liquid it will likely only cook thoroughly where the meat contacts the bottom of the cooker. That has been my experience.

[Dutchie]

ok , jaeger, explained, seen the wrong pics, understand it now.

thnx.

Hans

[44man]

Sous vide is great. Meat in a sealed bag with the spices wanted. 140° water for as many hours needed, just a big cooler with hot water added to keep temps. A heater is best to keep it but no real need. Then sear the meat in a cast iron skillet.
Most chefs use it for the best steaks. You can't overcook.
Slow cooker is different. Need the broth.
Vacuum sealed bags or a ziplock with all air out. No water in the bag. Put meat and spices in a ziplock, close with one end open a little, submerge in water to the end to expel air and close the bag. Drop in the 140° water and keep the heat right for about 4 hours. More for big meat. You can do fish and veggies the same.
I use a big foam cooler from Omaha steaks and add boiling water to keep 140°. Good thermometer.

[Dutchie]

My daughter came home today,vacation from study in another town,practice at a sheep farm, and brought back some lambs meat , from dead born or something gone wrong with birth.

Personally i cant stand the taste of the lamb fat, but imma gonna try those in the sous vide.

they , the farmers , already vacuum sealed it incl, herbs, nice.

Hope i do it ok and taste ok... and still finding more and more info on the i net...

Hans.

[44man]

I love lamb, can't take mutton or goat. Like deer, young is choice.
I think you will find it easy and good. Let us know.

[Dutchie]

Well, cooked it in 56 degree celcius for 1 hour, after that in a skillet for a short time both sides.

the pieces were an inch thick it really looked ok to me , as expected.

Sadly it's not my taste, but the was one who had a kings meal for sure ! My daughter loves the lamb meat.

The rest had steak stroganoff, it went ok too at 56 degrees but 45 minutes, .5 inch thick.

I a really like my new kitchen toy.

Next time ill try some salmon for my wife.

Hans.

[leftiye]

Wife and I did a New York Roast this weekend. Nine hours at 130 degrees F. Tenderest meat I've ever eaten. I'm thinking of better ways to season it though next time.

[MaryB]

Doing a roast like that the outer seasoning crust is what you are after, season it very very heavily! Do not worry about it being to salty because you only get a small bit of crust on each bite.

[MT Gianni]

Like I said before, water or broth is often added to assist in the cooking. It depends on what is being cooked, but I would say more often than not a liquid is present. For example, if I am going to cook a piece of corned beef in a slow cooker I will put the meat in and then add chicken broth to a depth to cover the meat. The hot liquid assists the cooking of the meat and adds flavor. If the meat was put in without liquid it will likely only cook thoroughly where the meat contacts the bottom of the cooker. That has been my experience.
The heating element in a crock pot is around the side with no heat applied to the bottom.

[Dutchie]

thought so gianni, thnx, and jeager...

and with that info , i think the thing is becoming like sorta steam cooker , not really , but it helps in the long term, hence slow cooking.

Hans.

[Col4570]

In the Slow Cooker add some browned Leg Beef cut into bite size chunks.Add Carrots,Parsnips and Potatoes.Crumble in Two OXO Cubes,a cup of Red Wine,Salt, Pepper and hot water to the level Required.Simmer on High all Day at least 8 Hours.Stirr in Gravy Granules to your required thickness.Serve on heated Dinner Plates With some nice French Bread.Lovely winter food that will stick to your Ribs.