Medellitin

Welcome to the third part of my ongoing review of the SideKIC.  The first piece covered SideKIC esthetics , the second part covered SideKIC usage and now we are going to talk about the initial heat up times, the temperature accuracy and temperature stabilization (what happens when we introduce cold product to the water bath). Initial Heatup  The first thing I wanted to understand was how long it would take for the SideKIC to bring a water bath up to temperature.  I am less interested in being mathematically precise and more interested in what this would be like for someone who was new to sous vide cooking.  I added 6.25 quarts of hot tap water to a stockpot.  This amount happened to be what it took to get the water levels to the correct place on the SideKIC (between the first and second windows). I turned on the device, and set the the temperature to 155ºF.  The SideKIC read the initial water temperature as 129ºF.  To be honest, I don't act...

America's Test Kitchen Video America's Test Kitchen talks sous vide and uses the Sous Vide Supreme as the basis of the conversation.  I have a lot of opinions about sous vide, as a trend, as a technique and as a market.  At the end of the day though, I am really just enthusiastic about it all.  Which is why, whenever it gets any mainstream coverage, I approve. I do have a couple of issues with the video: They give SousVide Supreme all of the credit for the increased adoption of sous vide in the the consumer kitchen.  While there is no doubt that the SousVide Supreme has been pretty important in legitimizing the consumer sous vide market, there are a number of factors that have contributed to the rise of sous vide in the home.  For example, the increased use of sous vide in television shows like Top Chef or Iron Chef America have also contributed to peoples awareness of this technique. They claim that there are no competitors to the SousVide Supreme w...

I spent some more time testing the SideKIC over the weekend.  I am really enjoying this sous vide cooker because of the sweet, sweet combination of its compact size, its ability to circulate water, and its overall aesthetic.  While enjoying those factors, I think there is another element that should work really well with folks who want to cook sous vide.  The oft-overlooked UI.   The basic operations of the SideKIC are really simple.  You configure the SideKIC using the click wheel and the GUI.  Set your temperature and then click start.   The heater will activate and you will see and hear the pump circulating water.  The controller will display the target temperature, along with the current temperature.   SideKIC Immersion Circulator Usage The positive side of the water pump that is used by the SideKIC is that it is really quiet.  Other immersion circulators I have used make a fair amount of noise.  This is pretty importa...

Been awhile since I wrote a food politics post, but Josh Ozersky got the juices flowing with his latest article " Why I Wont Be Boycotting Chik-Fil-A ".  In the article, Josh talks about something that probably won't surprise you.  Chik-fil-A is one of the few companies that identifies as Christian and has a charitable arm that donates money to organizations that promote Christian values.  In some number of cases, these organizations actively oppose same sex marriage.  While he does not support these organizations, he has decided not to boycotr Chik-fil-A, and here's why: Chick-fil-A, the fast-food outlet, has one plane of interaction with the public: its sandwiches, sodas and waffle fries. The prices are fair, its employment practices not onerous, and the food is good, especially if you are as devoted to MSG as I am. You could make a strong argument that the suffering their chickens endure prior to becoming sandwiches constitutes a kind of original sin; and that’...

SideKIC Immersion Circulator Earlier this week, I received a SideKIC  sous vide controller.  This 170$ entry into the sous vide consumer market looks like it is going to offer a lot of value.  The SideKIC is an immersion circulator.  This means that there is a heating element that can be put into a bowl or pot and it will simultaneously heat and then circulate (pump) the water.  Many people consider water circulation critical to maintaining temperature stability. The (sorta) Unbox Unlike most immersion circulators, the SideKIC separates out the heating unit from the controller.   All of the controls of the device are done through a color UI, somewhat resembling an iPod.  There is a scroll wheel (ok, its a dial) used to navigate through the menus.  The dial also acts as a button, and pressing it allows you to make a selection.  As I said, it's like a Sous Vide iPod. Controller/iPhone Comparison Size The SideKIC is also ...