But you don’t know if it is always the same amount off. It could be that depending on the temperature range your discrepancy between shown and real temparature might be different and it will be impossible to correct.
I measured it. The difference is only a fraction.
Got a few things to SV in the coming days! Rib-eye steaks, chicken thighs, thinly sliced pork belly, pork loin and duck legs. Got the butcher to vacuum seal them all.
Well, up to now the discrepancy has been quite regular, 2-3 degrees F at lower temperatures, 3-4 degrees F at higher temps. And I watch it. I’m not ready for any 3-day sessions yet.
At least for us the long 48-72 hours cooking is what makes SV interesting
Different strokes …
I’ve been cooking sous vide for many years, way before it entered the home cooking realm. I very rarely enjoy the really long cook items, anything over 8-12 hours. The texture of the meat gets really weird and mushy. The longest I cook anything is a 2-3 lbs. Prime Beef Rib Steak which I do at 126F for around 8 hours, then a really nice sear. Comes out a perfect rare/medium rare, depending upon how long you sear. Great texture and flavor.
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I’ve not experienced that issue with something like oxtails or short ribs which I’ve cooked for 72hrs but of course the temperature was reduced accordingly. In the range of 140-160f
I did short ribs for 72 hours and really did not like the texture. The fat didn’t render correctly. I much prefer short ribs braised in my Le Creuset in a low temp oven.
I cook ribeyes, filet mignon, salmon, chicken breasts, and turkey thighs all the time sous vide. Turkey thighs were the surprise for me because I didn’t expect them to be so much better than when cooking traditionally, but they are.
Onsen eggs are also great, although I don’t find many occasions to cook enough eggs to make it worth the time & effort.
Steba SV 100 update:
So I wrote an email to the customer service department, and they wrote back asking for a picture of the identification label, which I sent them. That was three days ago. Today I got an email from them, thanking me for my patience.
However, in the meantime the temperature discrepancies between the Steba temperature and that measured with the Thermapen have dropped by half. At the upper end the difference is now two degrees F, at the lower end 1 degree F. I don’t know if this is good news or bad news.
Is this the only general sous vide topic? I couldn’t find a more recent one.
I got my rig about a year ago, a $49 “MyTime” from woot.com. It works well except for a sticky on/off switch. Since then, it’s become my main cooking method for proteins–meat, fish, chicken. I haven’t tried any long-duration recipes, such as 24-36 hour ribs or large cuts like roasts. Here is what I’ve settled on:
Chicken breasts: 145F/63C 2.5hrs
Ribeye steak: 125F/52C 2.5 hrs
Hanger steak/bavette/lamb steak: 130F/54C 2.5 hours
Pork shoulder steak/“country” ribs: 140F/60C 2.5 hours
Salmon/black cod: 116F/46C 45 minutes
scallops/calamari/branzino: 132F/56C 45 minutes
I mostly cook from frozen cuts. When I buy the ingredients, I cut them into serving sizes and vacuum seal, or I get meats from a local artisanal butcher who pre-seals them. The 2.5 hour default time for meats and chicken is for convenience. I pop them into the bath at 5, for dinner at around 7:30. I think the shorter durations are also safer for lower temperature cooking.
I was quick-searing them afterwards in a cast iron pan, but I found I got better results from a slower browning at lower temperature.
What have you been working on?
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Haven’t used my Immersion circulators for cooking in a long time. Use it more to quickly thaw meats from the freezer
I’m such an off the cuff cook these days. But this thread made me remember my early days of SV before home based Immersion circulators and using an aquarium heater, thermometer and pump for circulation
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The only things I sous vide anymore are lamb racks and pork shoulder.
I plop the lamb on a piping hot grill for a minute or so a side.
The butt goes on the grill’s rotisserie until I have the bark I want.
Both are absolutely perfect every time. 
