# $99 Sous Vide Controller.......



## diggingdogfarm (Dec 9, 2012)

I'm seriously considering one of these......
I'd love to make some sous vide short rib pastrami, etc.













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http://www.dorkfood.com/

http://www.cnet.com/8301-13553_1-57...ooker-or-rice-maker-into-a-sous-vide-machine/

~Martin


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## meddling kids (Dec 10, 2012)

Looks Cool! Let us know!


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 10, 2012)

I'm thinking that I'll couple it with a 22-quart roaster oven so that I can also poach sausages and the like much more consistently after cold smoking.


~Martin


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## daveomak (Dec 11, 2012)

I'd like it for hard boiled eggs....  I have heard somewhere around 158 makes them perfect...  CRS u--know.....  Dave


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 17, 2012)

I've changed my mind, I'm going to go with the Sous Vide Magic 1500D HD.
It's a much better unit and only $60 more.













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__ diggingdogfarm
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http://freshmealssolutions.com/store/products/-SousVideMagic-1500D-HD-Temperature-Controller-.html

~Martin


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## daveomak (Dec 17, 2012)

Martin, morning...  You may as well get a unit that controls humidity and cooling for the sausage refer....


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 17, 2012)

DaveOmak said:


> Martin, morning...  You may as well get a unit that controls humidity and cooling for the sausage refer....  :biggrin:



I've got a couple Ranco ETC-111000-000 temperature controllers  that i use for dry curing. I control humidity with a saturated salt solution.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-RANCO-E...392?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ccd4b3360

~Martin


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## texacajun (Dec 28, 2012)

I found this one on line also. The have a controller for 98.00 http://www.thermomart.com/sous-vide-equipment-machine/sous-vide-plug-play   

or the complete cooker and controller for 138.00 http://www.thermomart.com/sous-vide-equipment-machine?product_id=195

These are some more of there options http://www.thermomart.com/sous-vide-equipment-machine


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 28, 2012)

Accuracy is important with sous vide......unfortunately, that controller is only accurate to 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F), so not very accurate.


~Martin


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 28, 2012)

So I just ordered the Sous Vide Magic from Fresh Meal Solutions....a Christmas gift to myself. :biggrin:
We'll see how well she works!!!!

http://freshmealssolutions.com/store/products/-SousVideMagic-1500D-HD-Temperature-Controller-.html


~Martin


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## texacajun (Dec 31, 2012)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Accuracy is important with sous vide......unfortunately, that controller is only accurate to 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F), so not very accurate.
> ~Martin


Question if the controller is accurate to +-.01 degree. Will that help with the cycling the cooker? The heat probe on the controller is only measuring the liquid temp correct?


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 31, 2012)

I don't understand your question.
The controller will keep the liquid within +-.01 degree of the set point.


~Martin


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 4, 2013)

The controller arrived on Wednesday....that was quick!

I stopped at the pet store looking for silicone air tubing that'll take the heat, I told them that I like to keep my aquariums at no less than 130 degrees!!!! LOL :biggrin:

:icon_eek: was the look I got!!!!


~Martin


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## daveomak (Jan 5, 2013)

*I told them that I like to keep my aquariums at no less than 130 degrees!!!! *

Martin...  PETA will be knocking on your door.....   Don't answer it.....

Dave


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 5, 2013)

Oh, I'll gladly answer it!!!!
I can think of a lot of things I'd like to say to them!!! LOL
I bet they'll never come back!!!!! :biggrin:

~Martin


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 24, 2013)

FWIW, Since crock pots and roaster ovens are heated from the sides, they're not the best choice for a SV vessel.
Rice cookers and coffee urns are great, but the good commercial quality larger ones are very expensive and somewhat limiting because a 5:1 water to food volume ratio is recommended.
So, I ended ordering the Fresh Meal Solutions FMM Heater/Circulator, it's much more versatile since it can be used with anything from a small container all the way up to something like a large insulated cooler, etc.
I also ordered 2 additional bubble circulators.

http://freshmealssolutions.com/store/products/FMM-II-(Submersion-Heater{47}Air-Circulator).html

~Martin


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## frogbbq (Mar 4, 2013)

I might be a little late with this but I really enjoyed building my own device. The reason this might be better for us is that you can build it with outlets instead of hardwire so it will work for controlling your pits too.... Instead of the water heater plug in a fan, electric element, wire in a gas solenoid. 

It cost me about $125 when it was all said and done. It runs a large 6" hotel pan ~4gallons no with problems. 

http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/diy-sous-vide-heating-immersion-circulator-for-about-75/

P.I.D. controllers are pretty neat. For $30 you have a intelligent feedback controller. As I understand it learns with the feedback from the probe and will turn off the heater sooner so that it will not go over next time. 

I've used it for about 30 hours. Made the best 1lb bone-in chops ever. Let the cook in the water for 6 hours then when it was dinner time slapped them on a hot grill and sliced. yum.


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 4, 2013)

I have built my own controllers with a PID to control a smoker.
The problem with the standard off-the-shelf PID is that they are not accurate enough for some sous vide purposes which is a major safety concern.

Did you calibrate your controller?


~Martin


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## scootermagoo (Mar 4, 2013)

*P*eople

*E*ating

*T*asty

*A*nimals


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## frogbbq (Mar 14, 2013)

maybe +/- 2 degrees.


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## squirrel (Mar 14, 2013)

I have a sous vide cooker and love it. I've cooked in it quite a bit. I did a tri-tip recently.  OMG it was amazing. Here's a couple pics of it. You're gonna like cooking with it, more importantly you're gonna like the results. I know some folks are totally against it, but hey, to each his own.













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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 14, 2013)

Squirrel said:


> I know some folks are totally against it..



Neanderthals!!!!! LOL


~Martin :biggrin:


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## smokinhusker (Mar 14, 2013)

That looks remarkable and I'm all for anything that makes life easier and tasty!


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## ironhorse07 (Mar 14, 2013)

Every day thousands of innocent plants are murdered by vegetarians, help end the slaughter.

Been following this one a bit, would like to experiment with sous vide. Could also use a cheap rethermalizer. Thanks for the post.


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## daveomak (Mar 14, 2013)

Ironhorse07 said:


> Every day thousands of innocent plants are murdered by vegetarians, help end the slaughter.
> 
> Been following this one a bit, would like to experiment with sous vide. *Could also use a cheap rethermalizer. *Thanks for the post.


I do not think so....  temperature control is not good enough... Sous vide "generally" operated at or near 140 deg F..... Probably plus or minus 1/2 deg with rapid response is required....  water circulation is very important also...   I'm no expert but I have read up on it... Thought about doing it also...  Some say a crock pot with bottom heat will work... Bottom heat is necessary for convection currents to mix the water and keep it uniform...  Dave


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## ironhorse07 (Mar 14, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> I do not think so....  temperature control is not good enough... Sous vide "generally" operated at or near 140 deg F..... Probably plus or minus 1/2 deg with rapid response is required....  water circulation is very important also...   I'm no expert but I have read up on it... Thought about doing it also...  Some say a crock pot with bottom heat will work... Bottom heat is necessary for convection currents to mix the water and keep it uniform...  Dave



I was thinking if I had a sous vide setup I could also bump the temp up and use it for a tabletop rethermalizer.


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## daveomak (Mar 14, 2013)

I think that would work very well....  Make sure the controller gets to the temp you need.... A circulating pump or "outboard motor" type set up would be killer for the [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]rethermalizer....  [/color]


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 16, 2013)

Excellent article written by Douglas Baldwin in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878450X11000035


~Martin


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## diggingdogfarm (Aug 23, 2013)

Anova no has an immersion circulator for just $199.00













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A video review I found on youtube......

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]


~Martin


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## jsphoto (Feb 6, 2014)

I just got a dorkfood dsv, was tempted to DIY but with two young kids I didn't have the time. First run in a slowcooker (crock pot) it maintained the temp well, and was within 1 degree or bang-on the reading from the termapen. My slowcooker wasn't very powerfull, so I picked up a 1500w hotplate which got a pot of water up to temp much faster.

I read a tip to keep the pot slightly off center of the burner which make a natural convective current due to a cold spot.

I like the potential portability of the system and that it's not a multi-tasker. Meaning I can use the hotplate/stockpot for whatever I want, then attach the controller for precise temp controlled sous-vide.













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## mrh (Feb 10, 2014)

I am going to try to build one when all my parts get here too.  Have a PID, a electric water heater element,and a thermocouple so far.  I am still waiting for the SSR to show up yet.  The plan is to mount the electronics in a plastic toolbox and get some stainless sheet metal to mount the element, TC and a motor to try to circulate the water with (Maybe a shaft with a propeller or something)  I want to make it so I can clamp it to any size cooler depending on what I am going to use it to do.  Maybe a bigger cooler for finishing salamis in, or smaller one for say hot dogs etc.   But we will see how it all comes out when I get all the stuff and get at it! 

Mark


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