I’ve been sous viding for years but I always struggle with the darn bags floating. I’ve tried spoons (what a joke, does nothing for me), magnets, clips. It doesn’t matter if I’m cooking three pounds of meat or one little vegetable, my bags always want to float up at least enough that some portion of my cook isn’t fully submerged. Others report success with these techniques, and I can usually rig something after several minutes of fussing but it’s an ugly ordeal every time. What am I doing wrong? Any good videos of a technique that really works?
If it’s floating you aren’t getting all the air out of the bag. If you sous vide regularly, it may be worth investing in a vacuum sealer. If you don’t want to do that there’s all sorts of videos that show different techniques for getting the air out. Experiment and find one that works well for you.
Vacuum sealers aren’t too expensive. Sounds like if you’ve been struggling for years, you’re overdue to just get one and be done with it.
Metal pot and strong earth magnets always works for me. Vacuum sealer always helps as well, but if you don’t have access to one, try using the water displacement method to get as much air out of the bag as possible. Pop the bag in the metal pot, and lock it down with magnets to the bottom. Just make sure there is enough space between the heating element and the bag.
I’m surprised the magnets don’t work for you. I use magnets when sous viding all the time and they always do the trick. Maybe they’re not strong enough?
@Imgonnatrythis A few clear glass marbles work better than spoons for me. Also there is always some air expansion after heating, so I do a second immersion purge after the air in the bag is hot.
I don’t understand the concept of this. If I have three pounds of meat and the darn thing is floating, the idea of a spoon or a few marbles seems like magical thinking to me. I feel like I need something in the brick range.
The weight of the meat is fairly inconsequential since it is just a bit denser than the water. Floating is purely due to trapped air in the sous bide bag so you just need enough weight to overcome the buoyancy force of the air.
I have a Corningware dish that fits really well in my Cambro bin. I fill it with water and put it above what I’m cooking, though if it’s a zip bag, I will empty it of air mid cycle.
Same issue here. I evacuate as much air as possible and then use as many spoons as it takes.
Maybe add some pie weights to the bottom of the bag?
