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Hey tptacek, A lot of our copy is directed at people who're not that familiar with sous-vide and might have very basic questions when browsing. Let me clarify
by zemvpferreira 13y ago
Hey tptacek,
A lot of our copy is directed at people who're not that familiar with sous-vide and might have very basic questions when browsing. Let me clarify further:
-$400 is expensive, you're right. And we're not making that much of a margin on these right now. That's because Mellow does so much more than just warming water. Whether those features are valuable is another question.
-On the bags, we're probably the only device out there that can routinely cook using open, unsealed bags. Due to the tall, skinny geometric, you can plop food in non-ziploc bags and use those to cook you Mellow. Huge cost saving in the long run, no floating bags, and a much quicker operation all-in-all.
-You're right on the confit (though I like mine cook at 70c@24h), it's just an easy example. A chicken breast or large fillet steak would be a better example of something you wouldn't be able to cook for 8-12 hours with regular sous-vide.
-Well-supposed on the cooling.
Ultimately, Mellow's the product of almost a decade of frustration with sous-vide non-pragmatism. It won't be optimal for everyone, some people will do better with their Polysci's, but for busy home cooks like us, I think it's a hell of a help. Thank you for the chance to debate.
- tptacek 13y agoHelp me understand how the unsealed bag thing works, again? What kinds of bags are we talking about for what kinds of prep? (Sorry that I sound ready to debate; I shouldn't be. This is a neat looking device and you should be commended for bringing it to market.)
- zemvpferreira 13y agoPlease don't apologize, I'm happy to be challenged on these things. It's the way I learn to explain them. Look at the part in our video where Catarina (catv here) walks you through the use-case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiNmTI51GPw&t=1m17s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiNmTI51GPw&t=1m17s If you notice, the bag she puts inside Mellow is a HDPE bag for vacuum sealing, unsealed. There's a jump cut or whatchamacallit, but that's how we cook using Mellow. Regular non-ziploc sous-vide bags, open. Did that help at all?
- tptacek 13y agoYep, that makes sense.
- cfontes 13y agoYou are taking all the questions like a champ. Congrats on that. All very polite, smart and yet giving real answers without slipping off when there is a problem/concern/issue/doubt/whatever. Cheers.
- zemvpferreira 13y agoThank you, trying to be as present as possible. I'm humbled by the reception in HN, I never dreamed of posting about my own product here. Making a billion dollars seemed more likely than this, somehow. On the questions: I understand the skepticism. We moved very far from what's normal; Mellow isn't an MVP by any means, so I was expecting hard questions on the use case. The fact that people take the trouble of questioning what we're doing instead of just brushing us aside is a big deal for me. Let me know if you have any questions yourself on sous-vide, Mellow, development or whatever else might go through your mind. I do palm-readings on Fridays.
- polemic 13y agoIANAchef but the video has the user selecting a "medium rare chicken breast". Is that a thing? =D
- tptacek 13y agoYes. Longer consistent cook times allow you to pasteurize at lower temperatures, so you can serve chicken at a lower temperature than you would in a conventional oven. (I'm not saying you'd want to do that; I don't like pink chicken.) Chicken is unfortunately one of the less effective things to cook this way. At the times/temps I'm comfortable with, breasts get mushy. Legs, on the other hand, "pink out"; the proteins from inside the bones leach into the flesh and give a bloody appearance which I can't get past.
- polemic 13y agoThanks! I think most people equate "medium rare chicken" with food poisoning, so it was interesting to see that used in the video. Never knew that you could actually cook it safely that way.
- zemvpferreira 13y agoMedium rare chicken is like medium rare pork. If you can get over your upbringing enough times to get used to it, you can never go back. It me took 3-4 times for each, and the only reason I stuck with it was that my snobbery overpowered my mother's education. But really, sous-vide, medium rare chicken breast has a taste and texture you'd never think chicken breast could have. Same with pork, it's a revelation on all the things you miss out in the world due to prejudice and bad information. EDIT: I've never gotten mushy breasts tptacek, how long are you cooking those things for? I do 1.5 hours@57-60C or so.
- tptacek 13y ago60C is really very low for a chicken breast.