Using a Low Oven versus Sous Vide

[Attjack]

Thought you guys might find this interesting. I don't currently use either technique.
Using a Low Oven versus Sous Vide

BY COOK'S ILLUSTRATED PUBLISHED MARCH 2018

To compare these two methods, we cooked a 1-pound pork tenderloin each way then took each roast's temperature. Here's how the two approaches measured up.

We offer two cooking methods for pork tenderloin steaks, both of which ensure well-browned exteriors and rosy interiors: a sous vide method and a low-oven method. The former gently cooks the pork (first sealed in plastic bags) in a water bath kept at the desired serving temperature of 140 degrees via an immersion circulator; the latter mimics the sous vide method by slowly bringing the meat to 140 degrees in a 275-degree oven. In both cases, we briefly sear the meat afterward in a hot skillet to create nicely browned crusts.

To compare the two methods, we cooked a 1-pound pork tenderloin each way and took each roast's temperature at three locations: the center of the thickest part (where we normally take the temperature of meat), just below the surface at the thickest part, and in the center of the tapered end, the area most likely to overcook.


Here's how the two approaches measured up.

SOUS VIDE METHOD: Meat registered precisely 140 degrees at all three points.

OVEN METHOD: Meat registered 140 at the center of the thickest part but was a few degrees higher closer to the surface and at the tapered end; also had a slight color difference just below the surface.

BOTTOM LINE: Using an immersion circulator is the only way to guarantee perfectly even temperature in food, inside to out, but our more conventional method gets you very close.

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/11234-using-a-low-oven-versus-sous-vide?extcode=NSCIB16FB&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=photo&utm_content=ovenvssousvide&utm_campaign=howtos

[DWCowles]

Nope. Didn’t interest me at all. 😊

[Nate]

Next they will try to test a SV against the microwave.

[Frozen Smoke]

They cooked it in a oven at 275 which is why I asked the question on time. At 275 I don't think it would take much more than a hour?? Truthfully it's kind of a apples to oranges comparison.

[Frozen Smoke]

Excuse me DWCowles my comment was supposed to go in my own post not yours! Don't think I can delete a comment.

[jfmorris]

I think their test ignores another point - which would be hard to measure - how moist was the pork cooked each way? I have to think the sous vide method retained more moisture, versus roasting in an oven, but maybe that’s not a factor. I don’t know....

[Frozen Smoke]

Doesn't the Sous Vide circulate the water as well which is probably the reason for the even temps. I'd also be interested to know the times each took to reach those temps. If the oven took two hours and the SV 6 I don't think the extra time is worth a couple degrees.

[Jerod Broussard]

The only way the oven will beat it is if it's cooking at a higher temperature. Water transfers heat way better than air.

[Attjack]

According to the article it seems to transfers heat slightly better.

[Frozen Smoke]

They cooked it in a oven at 275 which is why I asked the question on time. At 275 I don't think it would take much more than a hour?? Truthfully it's kind of a apples to oranges comparison.

[RonB]

The results are only common sense...

[Polarbear777]

The main difference is a slow moving target vs a not moving target. Both are not hard to hit.

With the oven you’ll have a several minute window to remove it at the right temp and you’ll have to consider carryover. With SV you have much more than hour or more before it over-tenderizes but it can’t overcook.

Depends on what you find more convenient. Both require a finishing sear. Since the SV can be shocked and refrigerated easily in the bag, that sear can be days later.

[Troutman]

Well I think it’s more than just convenience; it’s assurance vs pot luck and it ‘s moisture retention, in other words better quality control.

[Bumby]

Interesting thought for food. Tonight I'm going to sous vide the heck out of a couple steaks and pork chops and then finish off with a sear and a butane lighter. Definitely better than what I could do with an oven.

[smokenoob]

sous vide looks really interesting, but unfortunately, my wife likes med-well and I like med-rare, so I depend on the temp difference in many of the meats and fish I cook

[Polarbear777]

You can drop a bunch in the bath at MR let it go until done and surface pasteurized, pull the ones I want MR, ice bath in fridge. Then if they are thin enough, you can sear them together Or if thicker you can boost the bath temp on the remaining. A few degrees increase won’t take long.

[EdF]

What Polarbear777 said! I'd jack the heat up a few degrees for the medium-well part.

[smokenoob]

got it!

[BellChef]

One other point. Put an accurate thermometer in your oven and see what it does when you set it to a specific temp. I have a gas oven and the temp cycles trough a 30 degree range. Usually the set point is toward the bottom of the range.

[Parcival]

it is a completely apples to oranges comparison. That said, I'm just wondering why they set the oven temp to 275. If they really wanted to do this comparison, they could have dropped the oven temp to 200.

I recently compared NY strips using sous-vide vs. oven approaches (searing on screaming hot cast iron in both cases). I set the sous-vide wand to 125 and cooked the steak on a cookie sheet with rack at 200 until a remote thermometer with alarm hit 125. I briefly dried the sous vided steak off and then seared both steaks in a 12" cast iron pan at the time. 30-second sear per side, then another 15 seconds or so per side to get some more browning. Seared the side fat and then cut into right away (no resting; wouldn't have done anything for the sous-vide but arguably may have led to some additional residual cooking on the oven steak).

My friends conclusion: Both great steaks; we all had a slight preference for the texture of the oven-cooked steak. It had an ever so slightly firmer texture. But, we're splitting hairs here. The bigger point is that there was not much of a difference.

I like the sous-vide approach in this application largely because it requires virtually no oversight. The window of time you have for a steak being in that 125 degree bath is quite long . . . I've sous-vided steaks for as little as 1 hour and maybe as long as ~4 hours. Beyond that, I have noticed that steaks can get a little mushy, I'm assuming because the protein starts to break down over time

[LA Pork Butt]

I agree with you. The point of the article was they were close in results. As your test showed - everyone has their preference. The winner is the one you like best for whatever reason.

[Attjack]

Good to know you can get close with a regular old oven.