I cook brisket @ 130 for 3 days and it's tender, moist, pink (medium rare) and delicious. Pork loin roast @ 138 for 6 hours and perfect! Prime rib roast @ 128-130 for 5 hours then blast it on the grill for color and myard, perfect medium rare. Beef short ribs @ 130 for 2-3 days and you'll not buy tenderloin again.

Don't like chicken so much, its a texture thing and same for fish except for salmon. Veggies don't benefit much except carrots, haven't tried many others.

I found an android app @ cookingsousvide.com that is excellent guide.

I find that seasoning before cooking is pointless as the meat exudes some liquid which will take any surface seasoning with it. Season before searing/browning or at service.

Won't cook beef or pork any other way.

not veggies, etc. The chef on Chopped did fish in his, I forget exactly what kind (halibut?) and it came out very pale but the judges said the texture and taste was perfectly done. I'll probably start with beef or pork, as you suggest.

should be similar. Shark might work too. I tried catfish and tilapia and didn't like the texture, they're too flakey and tender. Besides why take that long to cook tilapia?

A benefit of the ANOVA is you can use any container that is at least 12 inches tall. I have a big stock pot and a 3 gallon paint bucket for big stuff like fresh picknik ham or brisket.

Don't worry about the low temps. The FDA came out with a time/temp chart and short version is 140f for 30 sec or some lower temp for a much longer time. Google is your friend if you're concerned.

I've experimented with an electric frying pan and a digital thermometer. I can't get the "tenth of a degree" precision of real equipment, but I've had some nicely done steaks.

You can't really displace all the air even with the best vacuum sealers, but you'll do a lot better than a ziplock. Not getting all the air out is not a big problem at lower temperatures, but at temps above 150 or so the air will expand and your bag will float.

The cheaper vacuum sealers work fine for most applications, but all the ingredients must not be in liquid form (you can freeze liquids and then seal them). Chamber vacuums are the best because they draw out more air and can work with liquid ingredients, but they are also more expensive and typically take up more room.

The really great part about sous vide is you are cooking more by temperature than time. This means you can put on a couple of steaks before you leave for work and they will be perfectly cooked by the time you come home regardless of how long that takes. All you have to do is slap them on a hot skillet for a couple of minutes per side for the Maillard reaction. You can also transform what would normally be a tough piece of meat to tender perfection since you are cooking long enough to transform the tough connective tissue into gelatin.

but thanks for the heads up.

submerge the bag and sink it all the way to the zip lock to force out as much air as possible. I have a personal issue with Food Saver, they don't service their product after warranty so it's disposable and they say it isn't designed for 'heavy duty use' like bulk packaging.

Another benefit is that food sealed under vacuum doesn't oxidize so you can do several servings and keep them refrigerated for use up to a week with no 'left over' taste.

It's considerably cheaper to get started than an electric vacuum pump system. I've never tried it so I don't know how well it works.

http://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Vacuum-Starter-3-Quart-1-Pump/dp/B003UEMFUG

Foodsaver pumps are more expensive. There are cheaper alternatives out there and I'm sure many of them work just as well if not better.

and, to be honest, I really didn't get it.

The person who fixed it was super excited, but it seemed rather mushy, even slimy, to me.

It was a good cut of beef and he pan seared it after it had "sous vided" for the appropriate amount of time.

Seems like a lot of effort for something pretty unremarkable.

Sounds like too much trouble to me and cooking the meat so long, I like mine fresh. And slow cooked prime rib - forget it. Slow cooking is for tougher meats.