Customer Reviews

Beginning Sous Vide: Low Temperature Recipes and Techniques for Getting Started at Home

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been interested in sous vide cooking techniques for some time and have experimented extensively in my own kitchen. I wish that I had this book when I began, because it pulls together a large amount of information that has been widely distributed in various websites and periodicals. Jason's book is an excellent review of why you would want to go to the trouble of using sous vide techniques for cooking at home (Briefly, because you can achieve results which you cannot duplicate with any other cooking technique. you can utilize some cuts of meat and poultry that are difficult to cook with conventional methods, and it is an extremely convenient way to prepare meals). For example, Thanksgiving dinner this year was the most stress free I have ever prepared because I cooked the turkey with sous vide and therefore I knew exactly when it would be ready, I knew that i could keep at exactly the right temperature until all of the other dishes were ready, and I knew that it would be moist and tender.

He outlines the rationale and describes how to perform the basic steps necessary for using sous vide techniques, and gives one of the best summaries that I have seen of the safety issues you need to be aware of when cooking with this method. There is a very nice discussion of the equipment options that you have if you want to sous vide at home.

The bulk of the book is divided into chapters on various types of meats and vegetables. The beginning of each chapter presents an overview of the things you need to keep in mind when using sous vide with that type of meat or vegetable, and a general outline of the cooking process for that particular product. Each chapter contains a number of nice recipes that can be used as is or can be used as a guide for making your own creations. For me, however, the most useful part of the book is the extensive time and temperature charts located at the end of the book. It is extremely helpful for me to be able to quickly look up the kind of food that I am preparing and instantly have time an temperature guidelines that I can use for that particular food product.

If you have any interest in trying sous vide techniques at home, I would strongly recommend that get a copy of this book. I know you will use it frequently.

This book is a very good starter for the novice in Sous Vide. I have tried several of the sauces beginning with the Mole as the previous reviewer suggested. Mole is my favorite and this one gets many stars. The overall book is a fine introduction to the why's and how's of the new rage of slow cooking via Sous Vide. I am only getting started and will pass on any future sucesses! We are excited in exploring this new world of cooking. One day I hope to upgrade my skills to the French Laundry level. Ha! I know I am only dreaming. This book will just suit us fine for the near future and can recommend it to any intermediate wanta-be chef. I am sure you will be able to make some outstanding dishes with Jason's directions. My Sous Vide Supreme Demi ($295) will be getting a very good work out with this book.

The time charts and temperature settings for each type of food is very important in this type of cooking. Seems like Jason's crew worked their hearts out putting this together. Only suggestion is to have more color pictures of the dishes in the next book so it will be easier to select what we shall try next. Also color pictures of what the meat will look like going up each step the temperature chart. This would make it easier to select the best temperature setting suited for us. Beginers need more hand holding but this sure helps!

Update 12-17-2010 We have been using the book several times a week. 1) I tried the roast beef using Top Round (eye of). It was too big of a piece for my Sous Vide Demi so sliced it in half and cook one Sous Vide and the other standard in the Oven. The oven came out looking great with a nice and brown looking traditional style. It was what you would expect with a chewy texture and seemed like a cheap piece of meat. The Sous Vide version was as advertised for 48 hrs bath. It was a tender as Prime Rib and still very juicy and flavorful medium rare melt in your mouth using the recommended 131 degrees in the book. Yum! Great with the sauce we choose. 2) We have done the beef short ribs and was a complete sucess and recommend it. 3)Tried doing the cheapest of meat (beef Shank) and it came out even better than the Roast Beef. So beefy and tender with the meat fibers being made very delicate and fine. 4)Our eggs done in the shell at 147 degree was wonderful on toast but Creme Burlee try was a flop and wasn't smooth and too eggy with lumps. Have to work on that! 5)Most everything has been effortless except long times of waiting for the process to be completed in this fast pace world. But I just set it and forget it, so no big deal.

This has became very valuable for us since we are living in Mexico and the beef/pork tends to be a bit tougher than Choice meat we had in the US. This book has been a real find (bought online at Amazon!)

This book is aimed at non-professionals who wants to get starting with this exciting technique. Even if you're a professional, but do not really want to splash on laboratory grade equipment, this book will be of value. The recipes are pretty basic but the pork and beef recipes I've tried were nice. I used expensive cuts and it is hard to go wrong with them. I have not tried any of the recipes for cheaper cuts (more connecting tissue, etc) that are supposedly more difficult to get right. I think this book is stronger than Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide in presenting core, basic, non-artistic recipes. This is meant as a compliment to the current book's author. Finally, if you intend to buy Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, then you do not need the current book.

Something for just about any sous vide cook -- beginner or long-time experimenter -- from the basics to a nice selection of recipes to detailed, easy-to-use time and temperature charts. The Time and Temperature Guidelines and General Process notes that precede each of the recipe sections are a nice touch. Although I consider myself a pretty accomplished sous vider, I picked up a couple of new tricks.

The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is the lack of food pornography, uh, I mean, photography!

I was definitely pretty green to Sous Vide cooking and had higher expectations for this book than it provided. The first 32 pages are helpful, and describe the Sous Vide method, equipment and some helpful tips and tricks. After this brief introduction, the recipes begin, categorized by the type of food being cooked Sous Vide style (beer, pork, chicken, vegetables, etc.). Each section includes a 1-3 page introduction on the particular food taking center stage. The recipes themselves become quite repetitive and the majority of the content has nothing to do with a water over: cook your X food for X long at X temperature in the water oven, and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. If you have any other recipe books, simply follow your favorite recipe but cook part of the dish in the water oven.

As a reference, this is a good book to look up what temperature you should cook a particular item at, and the Time and Temperature charts are useful in that regard. I was disappointed that they didn't expand and tell me how long I should cook an item based on thickness, so the charts have limited use. I'm sure there is an appropriate audience for this book, but I'm guessing if you've gone through the trouble of procuring a water over already, like I was, you probably won't get much from this book.

This book provides a wealth of easy-to-understand recipes for a technique that many feel is complicated and difficult. As someone who has enjoyed several of the recipes in this book, I can tell you that Mr. Logsdon has done a great job in cultivating a collection of recipes that easy to execute, yet yields exceptional flavor. The Chicken mole recipe was so good, in fact, that I took a picture of my plate half way through eating it!


If you've been curious about how sous vide can elevate your cooking skills, this book is a great place to start. Mr. Logsdon steps you through the options available to get started with sous vide (without having to spend a lot to do it), and provides you with the confidence to start cooking in a sous vide style with meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, whatever you'd like.

Pick it up, and in no time you'll be impressing your friends and family.

If you're interested, or have a Sous Vide (new appliance for the home cook and well worth the expense) this book will explain everything you need to know. Because it appears the cooking method of cooking Sous Vide is backwards, you need to explore and read this book. After "learning" about Sous Vide, Jason Logsdon will take you step by step on how to prepare each recipe, with no guessing but still room for personal preferences. The recipes are varied from very easy to comfortable while being gourmet. This cookbook has become my newest "coffee table" book. Fun new easy ways to prepare restaurant style meals in minutes at home! LOVE IT!

This book is choc full of useful content. Portions are targeted at the beginner sous vider and would be great for getting a novice started. Other parts are valuable to an intermediate like myself. The time and temperature tables provide what you need to sous vide just about anything. But the preponderance of recipes are my favorite part - can't wait to try a few of these babies.

This is the best book for home sous vide cooking. I have 3 other books on the subject and this is the easiest to use with the most useful information.

As promised, this is a really good guide for those still in the experimental stages of cooking sous vide. Really useful info on how and why to get started, without breaking the bank. It makes sous vide cooking much more accessible and less nerve-wracking.

But it's not just for newbies, even those home cooks more experienced in the ways of sous vide will love the recipes -- I've already tried a few and they were delicious. Sous viders of all levels will appreciate the easy-access time charts and temperature guides, I know I did.

But the recipes, oh those recipes! My only knock of this book is ... so many recipes, so little time!