VERY interesting results after testing 4 eggs at different times at 170° F. Online methods are not informative. Even going for 75 minutes, the white part was too soft. Yolk... Perfect. I'm coming off the food lab recipe which is a pain and involves ice, a thermometer, and attention, but I can do a dozen perfect hardboiled eggs that way where they don't fuse and the yolk doesn't get that chalky brown purple color on the outside.
My next test will be doing a pot of boiling water, lowering the egg in that and leaving for 1 minute then transferring the egg with a slotted spoon to a pot with the immersion circulator set at 170° F.
Fun times! I love a perfect hard-boiled egg that peels correctly, so this is all going to be worth it.
Anova has great sous vide time and temp information on its recipes, I have discovered.
My wife has an egg-shaped thermometer that we throw into the pot. It changes color to show you what part of the eggs are solid by now. It works pretty darn well except for that one time when we both ADHD'd out and all the water boiled away and the thermometer melted to the pan. But that's happened once since 2011 so overall the track record is still pretty good.
Most of the time if we're boiling eggs, we're boiling enough to take a couple trays of deviled eggs to a pot luck somewhere.
Turns out that the fresher the egg, the harder to peel. As eggs age they turn slightly acidic which separates the membrane from the shell.
So you can always age the eggs for a week before boiling them.
Or try some of these methods. Report back!!
If you're new to sous vide and want a gazillion ideas, go watch Sous Vide Everything on youtube. Note that the more recent stuff seems to get more and more exotic and weird as they run out of ideas.
Eggs:
EDIT: I've made these a few times:
Turns out that the fresher the egg, the harder to peel. As eggs age they turn slightly acidic which separates the membrane from the shell.
So you can always age the eggs for a week before boiling them.
Or try some of these methods. Report back!!
After reading that concept off the internet forever ago, I found it incredibly frustrating and did not work. This was when I had a devilled-egg kick. Years later, I agree with what Kenji wrote about in Food Lab when it comes to hard-boiled eggs having used his recipe regularly for several years. The primary cause of peeling issues occurs when the membrane fuses to the shell due to gradually bringing the egg up to boiling rather then lowering them into boiling water.
I will report back if the lowering into boiling water then transferring to 170° water works. It'll be easier than the Food Lab method if it does.
I will report back if the lowering into boiling water then transferring to 170° water works. It'll be easier than the Food Lab method if it does.
Whites still not set enough. And, I miswrote. I'm trying to get the membrane to not fuse with the egg white. Need the egg at like 208° for longer then finish at 170° F. I like the idea of 208 because it is just under rolling and won't bash the eggs. Next test will be like 8 minutes at 208 then 40 at 170. I want to see how fast the immersion circulator will drop temp so I can just use one pot, too. Did the openish plastic bag filled with water clipped to the side as the manual said in case an egg breaks. If it's circulating liquid, it should be able to drop temp very quick.
If it's circulating liquid, it should be able to drop temp very quick.
Could also drop ice cubes in at the 8 minute mark
tuffalobuffalo wrote:If it's circulating liquid, it should be able to drop temp very quick.
Could also drop ice cubes in at the 8 minute mark
Yes! Looks like your max with these baths is 190 something which should still work. I think I want the white at 180 and the middle at 170. The white at 170 just falls apart (still tasty!), but the yolk is perfect.
I'll keep experimenting. I also might turn them over with a spoon on the initial higher heat to get the yolk more towards the middle. If they just sit there it gets to the edge which won't be good for deviled eggs.
If you're new to sous vide and want a gazillion ideas, go watch Sous Vide Everything on youtube. Note that the more recent stuff seems to get more and more exotic and weird as they run out of ideas.
Eggs:
That was interesting! Similar results to mine, and you can see it did not peel well but the yolk was nice. This is getting fun...
My method now is from ATK using steam.
Half inch of water in the pan with a lid, once simmering add FRIDGE COLD eggs. I pierce the shell in the butt to allow gas to escape. Cook 7:30 then immediately into cold water.
They usually peel well and give fully set white and jammy or very slight flowing yolks.
Huh. I usually do a 7:30 egg from the fridge dropped into a rolling boil then ice water for scotch eggs. Peels fine or so it has so far and I get a firm white and jammy yolk.
What’s the benefit of steam and is it difficult to pierce the shell? Does it leak egg into the water bath?
Huh. I usually do a 7:30 egg from the fridge dropped into a rolling boil then ice water for scotch eggs. Peels fine or so it has so far and I get a firm white and jammy yolk.
What’s the benefit of steam and is it difficult to pierce the shell? Does it leak egg into the water bath?
I just use a drawing pin to make a small hole. It is rare that any egg leaks out. It lets the air sack expand and not risk cracking the shell.
Steam allows you to fill the whole pot with eggs without losing temp, It also heats up a lot faster than getting a whole pot up to a rolling boil. Same principle you are using for time and temp - just managing it differently.
Okay!!!!! I finally have it figured out on hard boiled eggs. The key is the initial shock at 212° F to keep the membrane from fusing to the egg white which checks out with the Food Lab recipe. So, I brought my small dutch oven full of water up to a rolling boil. Placed 6 eggs in with a slotted spoon. Stirred them around for a bit and agitated the water around to get the water down to 190 after turning off the heat. Plopped the immersion circulator in set at 170 which continued to cool it down. Cooked that at 30 and you get a perfect peelable white and not-overcooked yolk.
Very happy. This is easier than using the ice. And I need to do it weekly. Worth the $250 for the Breville. I did local pork chops with it, and they were awesome.
Don't know what you mean by
Cooked that at 30
?
Don't know what you mean by
Cooked that at 30?
30 minutes.
That's a good looking result tuffalobuffalo.
There's no way the sous vide on it's own can produce eggs like that thanks to chemistry.
So, I've become addicted to Honey Mama's cocoa bars, which are very simple - cocoa powder, honey, some coconut oil and almond butter. But, they are $6 a bar, 3 servings to a bar. Absolutely delicious and full of anti-oxidants, but... The cost...
So I found this recipe and tried it out today. Ingredients as above, but you can add crushed nuts or shredded coconut or, I guess, vanilla flavor. Just measure (messy business), sift the cocoa, then stir/fold until it hits the consistancy of fudge. Like you could spoon out and it comes off the spoon in a ball.
Then just put in the fridge to solidify (or even serve as sticky little fudge balls). Should take about half an hour. Mine came out to 15 little balls, with 16 being the mark; not bad for a first try. (I ran the quantities up to 1cup cocoa powder, which came out to even measurements, and 16 servings.)
These are incredibly rich, satisfying, vegan (if you swap a vegan syrup for the honey) and a healthy snack. I'm gobsmacked. For me, it came together in about 15 minutes, carefully doing all the steps, no need to adjust. Really easy.
Really, really good snack. A lot more healthy than chocolate, but even more cocoa in it than many chocolate bars.
I just had a chance to try Medlar jelly, made from an obscure fruit that needs to be fermented a bit before it can be eaten. Hugely popular in medieval and even Roman times, from Central Asia to Europe, it fell out of favor early in the 20th century as the need to harvest local fruit to make jams and stuff declined. I guess the processing time and effort is just a bit too high for most folks these days. But Tiptree makes some and I ran across a mention in a discussion of mentions of it in various sources like Canterbury Tales.
They found it a source of low delight, not just for the flavor, but because it resembles an, uh, open part of the human anatomy, and is usually given a nickname that reflects that no matter the culture. And it ain't "talking fruit" either lol. It's mentioned in Romeo and Juliet (and other Shakespearean plays) in a scene where Mercutio makes fun of Romeo:
"Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open-arse and thou a pop'rin pear!"
Anyway, it's got a unique flavor. I don't mean like orangey, or persimmony, or some other unique-but-adjacent-to-ordinary-fruit flavor. There's a reason it was the subject of fads over the centuries. It's a rich, smooth, deeply sweet flavor that tastes like no other fruit I've had. People find all sorts of flavors in it, but it stands on its own and after you taste it once you will never mistake for anything else. The flavor is solid and present from the moment it hits your tongue through to the aftertaste, and retains it's pleasing, gentle complexity throughout.
It's an amazing taste that our ancestors *loved* and transported all over the world, from the rose and crabapple family, and it deserves to be on your table at least once in your life. Highly recommended. 
Hey, rib-people.
My wife and youngest daughter (who do not like ribs) are out of town, so it is my oldest daughter and I (who are both carnivores) left to fend for ourselves for a couple of nights.
Looking for suggestions for simple dry rubs and sauces that don't contain soy or legumes (allergies) to put on the ribs.
My BBQ is old and crappy with heat regulation, so I am planning on doing them in the oven for the cooking, and the BBQ for the last bit of baking on the sauce.
Hey, rib-people.
My wife and youngest daughter (who do not like ribs) are out of town, so it is my oldest daughter and I (who are both carnivores) left to fend for ourselves for a couple of nights.
Looking for suggestions for simple dry rubs and sauces that don't contain soy or legumes (allergies) to put on the ribs.
My BBQ is old and crappy with heat regulation, so I am planning on doing them in the oven for the cooking, and the BBQ for the last bit of baking on the sauce.
If you've got a pressure cooker like an InstantPot, don't sleep on pressure cooker ribs, either.
Not a huge rib guy, but they come out cooked really well.
mudbunny wrote:Hey, rib-people.
My wife and youngest daughter (who do not like ribs) are out of town, so it is my oldest daughter and I (who are both carnivores) left to fend for ourselves for a couple of nights.
Looking for suggestions for simple dry rubs and sauces that don't contain soy or legumes (allergies) to put on the ribs.
My BBQ is old and crappy with heat regulation, so I am planning on doing them in the oven for the cooking, and the BBQ for the last bit of baking on the sauce.
If you've got a pressure cooker like an InstantPot, don't sleep on pressure cooker ribs, either.
Not a huge rib guy, but they come out cooked really well.
No pressure cooker. No room in the kitchen, and my wife is terrified of them exploding, because it happened to a friend of hers when she was little.
For rub: salt, black pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder (or granulated garlic), onion powder, dried thyme, dried oregano. Proportions are whatever you are in the mood for. Add other spices if you want to like cayenne or white pepper or whatever. Make it your own and unique for this meal
For sauce: Whatever you like and can have. Store-bought is fine. Making your own is usually better but also takes more work. I like Sweet Baby Ray's Original, not sure if it has soy or legumes in it.
I would recommend putting on the BBQ first to get a good set of smoke on them, then finishing on the oven. Doing the opposite will tend to minimize the smoke the ribs get since the outside of the ribs will already be "set". So like an hour to an hour and a half with only rub on indirect heat on the BBQ with optional occasional spritzes of apple cider vinegar. Then transfer to the oven at 250-275 for another couple hours with sauce glaze to finish, adding more sauce ever 30ish minutes to get a nice glazey coating.
Of course stove to BBQ can work as well, there really is no "right" way to do this. Do what feels right and go for it.
Mild Dry Rub:
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
* 1 tablespoon granulated onion
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
For medium spiciness, use a full teaspoon of cayenne, black, and white peppers.
I have no idea if any of these ingredients are legumes though.
For sauce I now get Trader Joe's Kansas City BBQ sauce.
Cooking ribs in the oven.
1. Choose a rack or package of ribs that will yield the appropriate number of servings. Because much of the weight of ribs is bone and fat, this may be as much as one pound per hungry adult.
2. Prepare the ribs by seasoning them to your own liking. Garlic, pepper, salt, and meat tenderizer are pretty basic, but paprika, cheese, tumeric, and other spices can be used depending on taste.
3. Marinading the meat is optional, but this step will help tenderize beef ribs and provide additional moisture in the finished product if this is desired. There are commercially prepared marinades available, or Italian salad dressing can be used.
4. Place heavy duty aluminum foil in a rectangular metal baking pan, with enough hanging over the edges to fold over and cover the pan while the meat is cooking. Make sure to add lots of honey and until the ribs are dunked in it completely. The pan should have at least two inch sides, and be large enough for all the meat to fit in one layer. Stacking the meat will cause it to cook unevenly, and very thick layers may result in some of the meat not being cooked thoroughly.
5. Put enough water in the bottom of the pan to give it a depth of one fourth inch. The water will create steam to keep the meat moist, while keeping the bottom of the pan and foil from scorching. This also reduces the actual temperature in the tent you create with the foil.
6. Place the ribs in the pan with the arch of the ribs up. If you like, and the pan is large enough to allow it, you can add vegetables to cook with your ribs. Cut onions, carrots, and/or potatoes into large chunks, then place them in between and around the ribs in the pan.
7. Form a tent with your excess aluminum foil over the meat. You will not want to make this tent air tight, or the steam produced during cooking may burst it, but it should be tight enough to keep moisture in. Make sure the foil is loose enough it doesn't actually press against the meat while cooking.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees (F) for about an hour, with the ribs covered.
9. Remove the pan from the oven, and unfold the foil, then return to the oven, raise the temperature to 375 degrees and allow to cook 10 to 15 more minutes. This will allow the ribs to brown and will cook off some of the juices in the pan.
10. Remove and serve. If you have cooked vegetables in the pan with the ribs, they will have absorbed a lot of the flavor of the meat juices, and will be softer and more tender than you would normally be used to, so handle with care.
Tips
* You can use barbecue sauce, hickory smoke flavor, and other ingredients, either at the beginning of the cooking, or after the foil is removed from over the meat.
* Use a large pan, so that the contents are not crowded together. Heavy, rectangular aluminum cake pans work well with this technique.
* The meat should be well thawed before cooking and the oven should be preheated before placing the pan in it.
* You want to be sure the meat is well done, especially pork ribs, and frozen ribs or starting with a cold oven will slow cooking times.
What Quentin said… but I find a get better ribs with lower heat, 250-275, for much much longer. I leave them in the oven for 5-6 hours.
I put a rub on, foil the ribs, then in the oven for a long time at low heat. When you ready to eat, unwrap foil (just open up the foil) put bbq sauce on and blast it for 10 ish minutes at 475 degrees.
I want my meat to fall off the bone.
I want my meat to fall off the bone.
That's the cool thing about pressure cooker ribs. Less than 30 minutes and that meat falls off the bone.
Fredrik_S wrote:I want my meat to fall off the bone.
That's the cool thing about pressure cooker ribs. Less than 30 minutes and that meat falls off the bone.
Yeah, I've done pressure cooker Bo Ssam (with 10 minute finish in an oven at 500) rather than 6+ hours in the oven. The meat gets just as tender, but I don't think the flavor ends up quite as good. So it's just a question of if you're ok sacrificing some flavor for the drastically reduced cook-time.
I will vouch for Q-Stone's oven ribs. They're very good.
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