Entry into SOUS VIDE cooking

Sounds good but when is it going to be in their shops?
I've checked their website and can't find it. I would expect a jam-maker to be offered nearer the fruit season!
Cheers,
Hamish.

Well i picked up one yesterday, but the offer was two weeks ago so only a few left better be quick


this is the video link to have a look


http://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde/SID-2644B37B-DA26BD40/lsp/hs.xsl/product.html?id=19343956&rdeLocaleAttr=en&title=Electric%20Fruit%20Preserver%20&%20Jam%20Maker

Looks like I missed it this time but I'm sure it will come round again!

After having a good look around for sous vide cookers i found this on Ebay has anyone got one and are they any good!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giles-Posner-Sous-Vide-And-/251241388175?pt=UK_HGKitchen_SmallApp_RL&hash=item3a7f27588f

This Giles & Posner unit is also available on Amazon. Only has one review so far but was given 5 stars. Looks like it could be a real bargain.

So I finally gave the lidl sous vide a test run, on a lump of thick cut sainsburys Rump
From the meat counter as its a third off
The butcher cut me a 1' 3/4inch slice about 9 inches long
After adding a little Stubbs hickory smoke liquid and popping in a vac bag, I gave it 5 hours at 55 Drgs
Then 1 min each side on a red hot cast iron skillet with raised bars to give it that BBQ grid Finish
I have alwase had inconsistent results with steaks but this was better then perfect
Deep pink inside and char grilled on the outside,

The G&P equipment is certainly an attractive price point and it would be interesting to see a full review of the product.

Despite having both a circulator and SVS I'm not convinced that for normal domestic cooking you need the accuracy that generally goes with the higher price of these models, but I would want to ensure that the equipment was durable and the switching system in particular was robust enough to last.

it is just my humble opinion - but I think the SVS is a waste of money. The circulation and the accuracy of circulatory systems, -and they aren't that much more expensive- has removed almost all the frustration I encountered, when I first started trying Sous Vide style cooking.
I have been speculating that SV cooking may remain under-utilized, because so many beginners, especially those without the time and money to experiment, are totally disappointed by results.

I'm not quite following what M. ded reckoning is saying.
As a relative beginner using home made SV equipment (slow cooker and cheap thermal switch from ebay), I am very happy with the results I've achieved. I will go for a more "professional" set-up if and when cash-flow allows, simply for the ease of use.
Forums such as this one are a great help for us beginners and all info on equipment is useful whether it's at the top end of the market or the bottom.

Ok I to would love a purpose built system that also circulates, but for my limited budget and the amount I actually cook sous vide, i will haft to dream on,
to compensate ill just leave in the bath a little longer But i can't honestly say the results I've had have been all that bad, in fact far from it.
I cooked a pork belly smoked it in the bradley for 2 1/2 hours then with my honey Hickory and whiskey marinade injected it went in to the sous vide for 6 hours lastly under the grill to crisp up the top
for the best pulled pork sandwiches ever

first of all, let me be clear in saying that cooking is very personal. I saw an early Iron Chef show, where Alton Brown went on and on, about Sous Vide that a chef was doing, and then one of the judges didn't like the result at all. It looked great to me.
It has been my experience that at temperatures greater than - let's say - about 160f, a variance of even a few degrees doesn't seem to make much difference. But, at the lower end of the spectrum, I find even a variance of a half degree will make a huge difference. May I suggest you experiment with poached eggs, where I find 1 hour at 144f to be much more runny than an hour at 146f, which is almost hard. Of course, refrigerator temps and egg size can complicate things. Also, there is a thought that circulation hurts the egg, but that is partly my point about frustrating factors.
and then the SV Demi I bought, seems to be far too unpredictable at 145f to do eggs at all, giving me a different result everytime. again it is extremely frustrating to me. Meats at 131f to 135f for hours have given me fits, until I bought a PolyScience model. The difference in price is less than $100,.. so I just can't in good conscience endorse the SVS non-circulating models.
besides all that, I have found the vacuum sealers to be a whole new adventure.
So,.. I just feel badly for all the folks out there that have struggled with sous vide.
For me, it was been an excellent learning experience, and relatively fun.

sorry to continue my rant...
I also think we should be more explicit about our success, and failures. Other folks can learn from that advantage, and not abandon sous vide. I, myself; started with a small deep fryer, and was resonably pleased with the results, but that only made me want to invest more time and money in the process... well, that and someone called me crazy for trying. That's a hot button for me..:)
Simple economics will ensue. As sous vide cooking gains popularity. Specific equipment will be mass produced, lowering the cost, significantly... and it has already happened. I think PolyScience has a lower end model for $500. and a chamber type vacuum packer that used to cost over $2000 is now about $500. I know this is still expensive, but notice the declining cost curve is incredible. If it were to continue at that rate - and it can't, because it will never be free - every kitchen will have one in just the next few years.
I do wonder about restaurants in the next few years. SV has certainly gained a lot of exposure on the cooking shows, recently.

I've posted previously about some of the weaknesses of SVS, particularly its over and undershooting BUT it is still a very useful tool for cooking the vast majority of food. I think its way over the top to describe it as a waste of money.

Sous vide challenges the way we think of cooking particularly about using common cooking terms.This cooking method provides an almost limitless combination of heating temps and times that can produce reproducible, wide experiences of taste and texture. Some combinations of which will not necessarily be to everyone's taste. We should to be encouraging as many people as possible to experience sous vide whether through diy rigs or commercial setups.

I think the price of circulators and tank type setups will continue to come down in cost mostly due to economy of mass production and also the move away from the equipments roots in the laboratory and that environments high quality requirements. I still expect there will be a wide range of products and price points to suit the casual and professional user.

I like some of the design considerations of the unit made by Lidl. This is the first I've seen the unit... They don't have it in the states as far as I know.. It's big enough for most endeavours, and it has a spigot so you can drain it without making a mess. The only downside is there's no mention of how accurate the temperature is managed. I'm guessing they have a more simple control unit than actually using a PID. This means you might see it overshoot temperatures, but I'd bet that you could get nice results

The Giles-Posner unit also looked like it could be a useful unit. Again, not a lot of details, but at 6 quart, it's a little small for my tastes.

I think that soon we will see units like this for even less money. Given that you can build a PID controller with off-the-shelf parts for about $60 and use a large, stainless coffee pot that runs about $30, I think there's room for prices to come down below even that of the Giles-Posner unit.

Regarding the Giles & Posner unit. The original G&P company went into receivership around 18 months ago. The company name and existing stock was taken over by a company called "Ultimate" Here is the article I found:-


"Ultimate Products confirmed today to HousewaresLive.net that it intends to develop new products under Giles & Posner's trademarks, which it has just acquired.
Ultimate bought the trademarks along with Giles & Posner's stock after the company went into administration at the end of last year.
A spokesperson for Ultimate told HousewaresLive.net that existing products in Giles & Posner's portfolio "will continue to be supplied. As far as the longer term is concerned, the manufacturing of new product ranges is being reviewed at the moment. I've just taken some soundings from retailers on what they want to see and that will be fed into the new product cycle."
Giles & Posner employed 11 people, none of whom have been taken on by Ultimate, said the spokesperson. Directors Darren Giles and Hitesh Patel were laid off by the administrators."


My concern is whether their sous-vide unit is a new item under the G&P name or is it old stock being sold off? If the latter, then are spares and back-up available?
I'll keep looking for more info and pass on anything I find out.