SousVide Supreme Chamber Vacuum Thoughts

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Earlier this week, SousVide Supreme announced their entrance into the chamber vacuum space.   An OEM'd VacMaster VP112, this tabletop chamber vacuum sold out within hours of the announcement.

Assuming that this isn't the result of EAT, LLC doing an incredibly small first run of chamber vac's, I am surprised that their customers would rush to buy an $800 chamber vacuum to assist with a $400 water bath.  You'd think that people that had the budget for the chamber vac would have bought an immersion circulator instead of the SousVide Supreme.It is possible that once people start cooking sous vide they become more willing to invest.  Maybe I am also underestimating the number of professional kitchens using the SVS.  If that is the case, it makes me wonder if we will see a high end SousVide Supreme1.   Finally, I wonder if there was a lack of awareness around the VP112's existence.  It was on my list to research this product given its (relatively) affordable price point.

So, any of my readers willing to speculate?  Or if you bought one of these, can you tell me what was compelling about this?

1Perhaps they can call it the SousVide Supremerer

Comments

  1. QualityMatters.comApril 14, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    Hey Pablo,

    I saw this post and thought I would chime in.
    What makes the Vacmaster VP112 superior to all of the other "Sous Vide" sealers on the market is that there is no risk of ruining the machine. You absolutely can not pull the liquid into the pump like you can with the Food Saver style of machines (aka channel vacuum sealers). Additionally, the bottom of the chamber is designed with bags of liquid in mind. The bottom has a curved recess designed to allow for larger quantities of marinades or other liquids without running over the seal bar than other chamber sealers.
    But the real beauty of this chamber vacuum sealer is that it's so versatile. For anyone who loves to cook, it's the perfect addition to your kitchen. Beyond Sous Vide, you can instantly brine or marinate food (Vacuum Marinate). Put the food you want to marinate into a sealer bag, add the marinate or the flavor enhancer of your choice, Set the vacuum chamber to pull the vacuum down until the liquids have been boiling for about 5 seconds and then press stop and the machine will complete the sealing process. The vacuum pulls all of the air out of the meat/vegetables/fruit. Then when the cycle is complete and the vacuum releases, the marinade/brine/juice is basically injected into all of the pores in the food. For meats, you can repeat the vacuum cycle several times without ever opening the bag to ensure that the marinades go deep into the tissue.
    I use this method when ever I am grilling chicken and the results are fantastic.
    The only disadvantage is that it takes up a lot of space and it weighs about 50 lbs, so you have to plan where you are going to put it. But the results make up for the space. You'll find yourself using it for more than cooking. Like any chamber sealer, it's fantastic for improving the shelf and freezer life of foods.

    Thanks,
    Doug

    ReplyDelete

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