Get $30 off a WiFi Nomiku with the promo code THEVALUE
When I adore something I fixate on how wonderful it is, and the joy it brings to my life. I want to scream from the rooftops of my love and affection. It becomes a bit of an obsession. Discovering the Nomiku and at home sous vide was that feeling. But it was a slow simmer of love before finding my way past the novelty of it all, and making it a full fledged part of my daily life. Now I make sous vide meals at least once a week.
It all started when Cindy mentioned she bought the Nomiku and was attending the startup parties. Parties? Hrm? This is sounding much like the start of Yelp, another one of my passionate loves. I was intrigued, but hesitant, I couldn’t possibly take on any more hobbies in my life.
Seeing my apprehension Cindy agreed to make an introduction vis-à-via, bringing Nomiku over to my place. That night we had perfectly sous vide tenderloin tips and as well as fresh eggs from her chickens. Yes, seriously her own chickens. The suburbs are turning into an urban farmland.
When Nomiku and I came face to face there were fireworks, it was a delicious and fun meal. I put him on the ‘to buy’ list and then promptly forgot all about him. For my ‘to buy’ list I revisit monthly and decide what to invest my money and time in. After the holiday spending died down I kept coming back to the Nomiku, finally decided to pull the trigger and I haven’t been happier.
Since I’ve now convinced so many people about sous vide it only made sense to write up a quick guide about what you need and how to get started. I’m just getting cotton mouth thinking about how many times I’ve explained this.
Gosh so what is it already? And what do you need to get started with it?
Definitions
sous vide – The words alone are french for “under vacuum”, which speaks to my poser francophilic heart, is a method of cooking in which food is sealed in airtight plastic bags then placed in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times at a regulated rate that ensures cooking is maintained at even temperatures throughout.
Nomiku – The most powerful and compact sous vide immersion circulator on the market
What you need:
Nomiku device – The classic is sold here and with code “THEVALUE” (case sensitive and without the quotes) you can get it for $50 off the base price.
Heat proof container for water – I have used a pot or even in dire circumstances the kitchen aid mixer bowl when my pot was dirty. As long as the container when filled with water covers the lower circulation hole on the device you’re good.
You totally don’t need these lovely Camwear Polycarbonate food containers, but I got them because I like to photograph all my sous vide experiments and clear containers are the cats meow for this.
Some people also made a makeshift igloo container so that they could maintain heat more efficiently, and keep evaporation in via the lid for more efficient cooking, but I was lazy. Nevertheless here’s the DIY video on the cooler in case you’re interested.
Recipes – I generally go to the Tender App or browse around for anything Thomas Keller online, or frankly any recipe where I can translate it into sous vide just by searching for similar recipes and figuring out temperature and timing for that same kind of protein.
Ziploc Freezer Bags/Vacuum Seal Food Bags – I buy these in bulk from Costco. The official brands of Ziploc bags are BPA-free, so no worries about eating toxins. The vacuum sealing system is also available at Costco. I did a lot of research online about BPA-free materials prior to doing too much cooking in this method because well, I’m paranoid about that kind of thing.
Water – Does this need more of an explanation?
That’s pretty much it folks. It’s pretty low cost to get started with sous vide and look at the delicious things you can make. Below in the related posts.
Stay tuned for the next Nomiku Files, where I go through how I’ve integrated sous vide into everyday life.
