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Hey jadence, The bottom line: No one knows how safe HDPE sous-vide is in the long run. There's nothing conclusive out there, though what little evidence there

Hey jadence, The bottom line: No one knows how safe HDPE sous-vide is in the long run. There's nothing conclusive out there, though what little evidence there is points to it being safe. Nathan seems so think so, too: http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/01/why-cook-sous-vide/ http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/01/why-cook-sous-vide/ In the end you have to make a personal call. For me, the risk of undiscovered effects is vastly outweighed by the awesome food I serve. I respect your concern, even if I don't share it, and I'm hoping to solve it soon enough, too. Be on the look out for a new product from us in the coming year.

timtadh 13y ago
I don't know a lot about sous-vide, I am more of a wood fire and smoking kinda person, but what would prevent you from using a stainless steel canister? That would eliminate the risks from plastic. Perhaps, a ceramic would also work?
- tptacek 13y ago
  You still need to put the food in something that keeps it out of direct contact with the water while not leaving enough space for air to insulate the food.
  - timtadh 13y ago
    I see. So a hard sided container won't trasfer heat properly? Sounds like I need to talk to a friend in polymers to really get a grasp on the right approach because I can't really think of a non-polymer material that would meet the flexibility requirement. In general it seems like sous-vide would result in food similiar to a braise but without the browny bits and the pan sauce? (saying it that way makes it sound unappetising but I understand it is quiet nice) That said, I think while it doesn't have the asthetic of a wood fired smoker, a device like the op's could replace the slow cooker.
    - tptacek 13y ago
      Noooooooo. Food is not similar to a braise. The point of low-temp cooking (sous vide is low temp under a hard vacuum) is that the cook locks in a perfect temperature for the food and the water bath never exceeds that temperature. In practice, you aim never to exceed the temperature at which the protein expels all the water from the food; think: absolutely perfectly cooked steak --- or, more magically, think a short rib, cooked to the doneness of a perfect steak, but with all the collagen converted to gelatin as if in a braise; it's the best of both worlds. Because a short rib cooked to the temperature of a perfect steak in an oven would be tough as nails, it's something you can really only achieve in a water bath. There are other tricks too; you can simultaneously cook a dozen eggs to perfect running or "walking" yolk, without paying any attention; you can cook veg to a temperature between the breakdown of pectin and cellulose; you can heat-temper carnaroli or arborio rice and set the starches, so that you can make bulletproof risotto in a pan by dumping all the liquid in at once. It's a pretty nifty tool.
      - timtadh 13y ago
        Sounds neat I will definitely do some research on it. Smoking is a similar process but without a fancy rig you can't get control very precise (+/- 30°f is what I can achieve over an 8 hour smoke. pros can do much better). The idea is similar, low temperature forea long time, until the meat hits the desired temperature.
      - thenomad 13y ago
        I've been cooking sous-vide for years and somehow missed the risotto trick - thanks for that! It's worth noting that sous-vide can also cook meats that are somewhere between "a right pain" and "almost impossible" to cook another way. In particular, sous-vide and a bit of time transforms mutton into one of the tastiest, cheapest meals imaginable. I had real trouble going back to lamb after a few months of sous-vide mutton.
      - ahh 13y ago
        Can you elaborate a bit on the risotto? I've never gotten a clear answer on how that's supposed to work.
jadence 13y ago
Thanks for the reply zemvpferreira. How are you planning to solve the concern of plastic leaching while maintaining the benefits of sous-vide?
- zemvpferreira 13y ago
  Ah, there's a question I'm going to sneak away from. I shouldn't have hinted, sorry for being a tease, but it's just not ready for show-and-tell yet :)
  - jadence 13y ago
    Fair enough. For the interim what do you and Mellow recommend customers use for a "temperature-safe bag" (per instructions on your website)?
    - zemvpferreira 13y ago
      On food-safe bags; we can't make a better recommendation than what the manufacturers make themselves. Personally, I've used ziploc when I've been able to afford it.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]

timtadh 13y ago

I don't know a lot about sous-vide, I am more of a wood fire and smoking kinda person, but what would prevent you from using a stainless steel canister? That would eliminate the risks from plastic. Perhaps, a ceramic would also work?

tptacek 13y ago
You still need to put the food in something that keeps it out of direct contact with the water while not leaving enough space for air to insulate the food.
- timtadh 13y ago
  I see. So a hard sided container won't trasfer heat properly? Sounds like I need to talk to a friend in polymers to really get a grasp on the right approach because I can't really think of a non-polymer material that would meet the flexibility requirement. In general it seems like sous-vide would result in food similiar to a braise but without the browny bits and the pan sauce? (saying it that way makes it sound unappetising but I understand it is quiet nice) That said, I think while it doesn't have the asthetic of a wood fired smoker, a device like the op's could replace the slow cooker.
  - tptacek 13y ago
    Noooooooo. Food is not similar to a braise. The point of low-temp cooking (sous vide is low temp under a hard vacuum) is that the cook locks in a perfect temperature for the food and the water bath never exceeds that temperature. In practice, you aim never to exceed the temperature at which the protein expels all the water from the food; think: absolutely perfectly cooked steak --- or, more magically, think a short rib, cooked to the doneness of a perfect steak, but with all the collagen converted to gelatin as if in a braise; it's the best of both worlds. Because a short rib cooked to the temperature of a perfect steak in an oven would be tough as nails, it's something you can really only achieve in a water bath. There are other tricks too; you can simultaneously cook a dozen eggs to perfect running or "walking" yolk, without paying any attention; you can cook veg to a temperature between the breakdown of pectin and cellulose; you can heat-temper carnaroli or arborio rice and set the starches, so that you can make bulletproof risotto in a pan by dumping all the liquid in at once. It's a pretty nifty tool.
    - timtadh 13y ago
      Sounds neat I will definitely do some research on it. Smoking is a similar process but without a fancy rig you can't get control very precise (+/- 30°f is what I can achieve over an 8 hour smoke. pros can do much better). The idea is similar, low temperature forea long time, until the meat hits the desired temperature.
    - thenomad 13y ago
      I've been cooking sous-vide for years and somehow missed the risotto trick - thanks for that! It's worth noting that sous-vide can also cook meats that are somewhere between "a right pain" and "almost impossible" to cook another way. In particular, sous-vide and a bit of time transforms mutton into one of the tastiest, cheapest meals imaginable. I had real trouble going back to lamb after a few months of sous-vide mutton.
    - ahh 13y ago
      Can you elaborate a bit on the risotto? I've never gotten a clear answer on how that's supposed to work.

jadence 13y ago

Thanks for the reply zemvpferreira. How are you planning to solve the concern of plastic leaching while maintaining the benefits of sous-vide?

zemvpferreira 13y ago
Ah, there's a question I'm going to sneak away from. I shouldn't have hinted, sorry for being a tease, but it's just not ready for show-and-tell yet :)
- jadence 13y ago
  Fair enough. For the interim what do you and Mellow recommend customers use for a "temperature-safe bag" (per instructions on your website)?
  - zemvpferreira 13y ago
    On food-safe bags; we can't make a better recommendation than what the manufacturers make themselves. Personally, I've used ziploc when I've been able to afford it.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]