Any non-egg recipes to recommend for a beginner?
Hi! I'm getting my first sous vide next week, an Anova Nano. I want to cook something nice for my significant other, but I'm not really an experienced cook. Also, he's not that taken with the sous vide and I kind of want to impress him :)
I noticed eggs are popular for beginners, but I don't want to cook eggs since those I can make without the sous vide and it wouldn't impress him. I definitely need to do something with meat, since he doesn't eat dishes without it; I'm open to just about any meat / veggie combination except the ones with rabbit / lamb.
What would you recommend for me to cook?
Posted Jul 1, 2022, 5:26 PM UTC
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I primarily use ours for two things:
Prep work:
Example: Bring home a pack of chicken, butterfly it into 4 or 5 servings, seal them up with some seasoning and sous vide them. They last a lot longer in the fridge that way. Then throughout the week, I can snag out a chicken breast chunk, toss it in a hot pan for 30 -60 seconds per side and add any additional seasonings and I'm done. Perfect every time. Saves time throughout the week and we've never had one get too old and had to discard it like we sometimes do if we keep a fresh uncooked one too long.
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Long slow cooks:
Making pulled pork, ribs, prime rib, etc. Guaranteed to hit the perfection mark every time. Just remove, chill a bit then go for the sear/finish you want. Kind of a fancy version of a slow cooker, but much better.
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I personally have a really hard time with Pork Chops. I always wind up with a tough pork chop when I cook in a pan. But with the Sous Vide I can hit perfect every time.
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Not sure if any of this helps, if you are looking for one killer dish, but good luck!
Thank you for the awesome advice! I never thought I could pre-cook so much ahead of time and I did have trouble with meat that spoiled in the fridge uncooked, this is going to help me a lot!
I was thinking of making something with pork, I'll look into pulled pork / pork chops recipes. Do you have any you recommend or any recipe will do? Any glazing / saucing advice? :D
Now you are on dangerous ground :)
There are as many beloved pulled pork recipes as there are stars in the sky.
I have an Avona Sous vide machine, so for a lot of things I just use the preprogrammed cooks. https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-pulled-pork You can pull them up on the phone app and just click go.
I use my own seasonings and rubs. I vary each time, always after something new. One time it'll be heavy paprika and cumin with some liquid smoke (the good stuff like Wright's, not the junk at my local grocer) , the next time will be chocolate power and dried coffee with garlic powder and a dish of orange zest.
It's hard to go too wrong. Even following the basic recipe on that link will get you there. I add sauce at the end, last 10 minutes of the oven cook, and a bit when I pull it, but that's just how we like it.
Sure I could do it all on my grill, but some days it's 97F outside and I've been super busy, so handing off the 20-24 hour cook to the Sous vide makes a world of difference in my life.
Super! I can't wait to try these, the seasonings sound so yummy! Especially the one with chocolate powder, coffee, garlic powder and orange zest, my mouth is literally watering right now - I hope I can pull this off 😄
It's a different taste than most, maybe not for everyone ;)
Like I said, it's not for everyone. I use mayo as the surface binder instead of mustard, avoid the tangy elements of the mustard as this is a dark rub, not bright and tangy.
I think it's best when paired with more savory, less sweet sauce.
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All that said, if this is your first attempt at pulled pork, I recommend going with the basic traditional like in the recipe with a regular sauce. Much more likely to hit a home run with the basics. Get the basic version down pat then experiment :)