Cheap Meals: Eating on a budget.

Dr.Retarded

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i've been trying sousvide chicken, i don't like it
What cuts? I'm assuming boneless skinless thighs? How long do you cook it for, and what don't you like about it? I'm just generally curious because I haven't ever cooked it that way.
 

Lanx

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What cuts? I'm assuming boneless skinless thighs? How long do you cook it for, and what don't you like about it? I'm just generally curious because I haven't ever cooked it that way.
quarters, i'll debone the chicken back (b/c i'll fry up the chicken after and the back gets annoying w/ the bits of spine)and cut the leg

i've been going for tender, like 8hrs

thats too much

so i tried 4hrs, thats ok

maybe i'll like it if i try 2hrs
 
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Dr.Retarded

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quarters, i'll debone the chicken back (b/c i'll fry up the chicken after and the back gets annoying w/ the bits of spine)and cut the leg

i've been going for tender, like 8hrs

thats too much

so i tried 4hrs, thats ok

maybe i'll like it if i try 2hrs
How are you frying then?
 

Lanx

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How are you frying then?
usually stir fry chicken teriyaki, etc, this isn't done the same day, like others i've been trying to figure out what to do w/ cheap/discount chicken meats and i've been trying out, buy, vac pac right away and then sous vide and then into freezer
 
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Dr.Retarded

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usually stir fry chicken teriyaki, etc, this isn't done the same day, like others i've been trying to figure out what to do w/ cheap/discount chicken meats and i've been trying out, buy, vac pac right away and then sous vide and then into freezer
Are you velveting or marinating the chicken when your sous viding? I mean I guess you can't use the egg and it because it'll cook, but do you do it before and maybe wash the marinade off, or is it just straight cooked chicken, nothing fancy?
 

Siliconemelons

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I've really been thinking about swapping out my chest freezer. It's not exactly huge because I didn't have a bunch of space but I think I only paid a hundred bucks for it. $300 is pretty cheap, I think would make it a hell of a lot easier to find what I'm looking for. I would just run two but I don't think the electrical in the garage will handle it.

What's the cubic space on yours?

Its 11 cu Ft


Amazon product ASIN B0972RHHVZ
400$ at amazon, was 299 @ Costco - and for some reason when I bought it- they didn't charge tax on it? I do not know why - so take the sales tax savings and it was better price than others (new - standard retail) as I said, I found some at a local wholesale-resale warehouse type place that is home improvement stuff, they buy homedepot / lowes return pallets etc and sell everything 50% off - its great, but they didnt have any good options for what I wanted specifically - they had one, it was 275$ nearly same price- no shelves and a dent where the door seal was curved a little so it may/maynot seal... so we just did the costco one. It can be a fridge also if you want- but I have it as a freezer.

I had a chest one... but someone... (me lol) unplugged it JUST FOR A MOMENT...and completely forgot. I tried to clean the thing out after the few days I let it...but the bottom was a congealed mess of rot that refroze from thawing at the top, dripping down and meeting the colder bottom and turning into a ice brick of death I could not stand for the hour I washed it out to try and dethaw it and clean it... I just wrapped it up with tape and put it on the side of the road and our trash claw came and took it.

The stand up is WAY better than a chest freezer to see, organize and retrieve things. I was sad to throw the other one away :-( it had a little dent on the bottom front not near the compressor- I got it for 75$ from sams club.
 
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Lanx

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Are you velveting or marinating the chicken when your sous viding? I mean I guess you can't use the egg and it because it'll cook, but do you do it before and maybe wash the marinade off, or is it just straight cooked chicken, nothing fancy?
nope, just take out of package, break it down seal and sous vide, not even s&p
 
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Burns

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you guys with bad seals are making sure that you have no water near the element right? i do remembere my old food sealer needed the area to be extra dry or my seals would pop
My sealer will fuckup when making the first fresh seal after cutting it off the roll (before putting something in it). It will leave little unmeted gaps in the seal and it doesn't happen every time. It happens enough that I have to use the sealer twice on the same line, to make sure it's sealed, otherwise air gets in, or water when thawing.

This is the FoodSaver I have:
2024-04-09 14.46.29 www.google.com 057fc1b2ca35.png
 

Lanx

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My sealer will fuckup when making the first fresh seal after cutting it off the roll (before putting something in it). It will leave little unmeted gaps in the seal and it doesn't happen every time. It happens enough that I have to use the sealer twice on the same line, to make sure it's sealed, otherwise air gets in, or water when thawing.

This is the FoodSaver I have:
View attachment 523959
0409241501_HDR.jpg


i went and sealed up a rolled end, i put the knife there if you can't see the seal it's along the spine

also i tried to hulk smash and pull it apart (thats why it's rippled) didn't budge

if i did this with my food saver, i would not be so confident, but also my food saver is basically v1 and old, so maybe the element is done
(maybe i'll whip out the old one and compare the seal, looking up close, the seal on the anova looks nice and thicc)
 

Bald Brah

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I avoid paying more than $5/lb for any food that isn't steak or seafood. You can get chicken, giant pork loins, whole hams, etc for 2-3 dollars a pound. Frozen or processed food is usually marked up much higher, and you're paying for shit quality and lots of preservatives.
 
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Burns

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View attachment 523961

i went and sealed up a rolled end, i put the knife there if you can't see the seal it's along the spine

also i tried to hulk smash and pull it apart (thats why it's rippled) didn't budge

if i did this with my food saver, i would not be so confident, but also my food saver is basically v1 and old, so maybe the element is done
(maybe i'll whip out the old one and compare the seal, looking up close, the seal on the anova looks nice and thicc)
The seal on that looks about the same as what I get. For mine, I assume that about 1/4 inch of the heating coil just doesn't get hot enough to seal it, on occasion. It can be easy to miss, unless you hold it up to a light, to see the line is slightly different looking when it fails to seal. I used to try to just look for a bad seal, but would still miss it occasionally and since I thaw almost all meat by submersing it in water, I end up with water logged meat.

The one we had previously, from probably 2005, never had a failed seal that I can remember, but it was broken during a move. Maybe I'll look into getting something like what you have, which is marketed for sous vide, since that would get bombarded with bad reviews if it was fucking up the seal and letting water in.
 

Khane

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My sealer will fuckup when making the first fresh seal after cutting it off the roll (before putting something in it). It will leave little unmeted gaps in the seal and it doesn't happen every time. It happens enough that I have to use the sealer twice on the same line, to make sure it's sealed, otherwise air gets in, or water when thawing.

This is the FoodSaver I have:
View attachment 523959

I have similar problems with my foodsaver. It's almost 10 years old at this point so I should probably replace it.
 
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Lanx

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The seal on that looks about the same as what I get. For mine, I assume that about 1/4 inch of the heating coil just doesn't get hot enough to seal it, on occasion. It can be easy to miss, unless you hold it up to a light, to see the line is slightly different looking when it fails to seal. I used to try to just look for a bad seal, but would still miss it occasionally and since I thaw almost all meat by submersing it in water, I end up with water logged meat.

The one we had previously, from probably 2005, never had a failed seal that I can remember, but it was broken during a move. Maybe I'll look into getting something like what you have, which is marketed for sous vide, since that would get bombarded with bad reviews if it was fucking up the seal and letting water in.
well they also have a pro model like the other food savers w/ built in storage, accessory yada yada
9a62806531e1f219cdf9dc58869f7202.png

Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro, Includes 1 Bag Roll, For Sous Vide and Food Storage, black, medium
 
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TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
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dude you know what the whitest shit happened to me as a kid? i grew up in a italian/jew hood so white ppl food was normal, but one time in middle school i had a partner project so the dude just invited me over to finish up and his mom was home and said, "wow you brought home an oriental, lemme make you guys my dumplings"

hey back then oriental wasn't even a microaggression and i was taught to be respectful, and someone invited me in and feeding me... however i did grow up chinese having dim sum every weekend, so when the mom brough out this
226c436dc4c9c216853b7733283b0031.png


drop globs of dough in water is white ppl dumpling
While true you got done wrong as its supposed to be something like this:


But I always had it in a thick cream sauce with lots of peas and carrots. This one looks okay.
 
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Bodhy

Karen
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I avoid paying more than $5/lb for any food that isn't steak or seafood. You can get chicken, giant pork loins, whole hams, etc for 2-3 dollars a pound. Frozen or processed food is usually marked up much higher, and you're paying for shit quality and lots of preservatives.
If I want a minced version of a food, I just put it through my food processor and end up with nice mince. Mince that didn't come from low quality meat that couldn't make the cut as a regular cut of meat.

Cheaper too. And....you can portion out an exact measurement of meat you want. If I want 263g of chicken, I get that amount. Can't do that with whatever cuts I buy at the store.
 

Lanx

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I avoid paying more than $5/lb for any food that isn't steak or seafood. You can get chicken, giant pork loins, whole hams, etc for 2-3 dollars a pound. Frozen or processed food is usually marked up much higher, and you're paying for shit quality and lots of preservatives.
depending on the protein less processing is preferred, last week at costco i nabbed fresh jumbo? shrimp for 6bucks, shell/head on. then i saw frozen jumbo shell/head on for 5.50, so i grabbed that instead and saw that the more processed frozen jumbo no head/shell off was going for 6.50

of course i wouldn't ever say shrimp is anywhere near "budget" for this thread, just illustrating that processing is factored into the cost, like the most bang for your buck chicken will always be whole chickens, just break em down or cook em whole.
 

BrutulTM

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Shrimp is great for protein vs. calories. 4 oz of lean beef is 220 calories and 15g of protein. 4 oz of chicken thighs is 186 calories and 19g of protein. 4 oz of shrimp is 100 calories and 21g of protein.
 

Siliconemelons

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Wife is going to a women’s conference at church and i get to go to the farmers market place that has an amazing butcher shop without her…

So much red meat is about to be had… ribeye is on sale… mmmmm… maybe some scallops as well, always take a peek at the seafood
 
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fris

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nope, just take out of package, break it down seal and sous vide, not even s&p
I sous vide chicken about 2x a month. Either breasts or boneless thighs. I add a small jar of pesto to the bag, then cook for 2 hours. Poor the juices over pasta, easy dinner. My kids love it, call it green chicken
 
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Bandwagon

Kolohe
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I sous vide chicken about 2x a month. Either breasts or boneless thighs. I add a small jar of pesto to the bag, then cook for 2 hours. Poor the juices over pasta, easy dinner. My kids love it, call it green chicken
I may try that now
 
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