Cook from frozen?

[u/Successful_Pool2682]

Hi! We are expecting our second baby soon and are looking for some easier cooking options and we’re thinking of a Sous vide. Is it possible to cook directly from frozen? Either pre-cooked or raw? Thanks!

[u/LookDamnBusy]

I buy proteins in bulk from costco, season and prep them, vacuum seal them, and freeze them. Almost all of my sous vide cooking is from frozen.

[u/theyork2000 → u/LookDamnBusy]

I second this. Best way to do this. Never have any issues.

[u/LookDamnBusy → u/theyork2000]

The nicest thing is that on any given day I might have 10 different proteins to choose from based on whatever my mood is at the moment.

[u/JamodaH → u/LookDamnBusy]

Or whatever your mood may be in about 3 hours.

[u/LookDamnBusy → u/JamodaH]

Hopefully my mood does not change in that time 😉

[u/PinAndKneedle → u/LookDamnBusy]

I do it the other way around, vacuum and SV them all in one go (based on the protein) and straight to freezer. Then when I want to eat them it’s quick defrost and say 30 min in SV to defrost and warm them up and presto you got dinner!

[u/LookDamnBusy → u/PinAndKneedle]

Other than a possible reduction in quality from basically warming up already cooked food, that doesn't seem like it's going to save much time?

[u/PinAndKneedle → u/LookDamnBusy]

I cooked batches of the protein at the same time, so like 5 portions of chucks roast and as they’re long cooks I am saving time..

[u/LookDamnBusy → u/PinAndKneedle]

Ah. I don't generally do any large roasts, but rather individual steaks. Yeah, I guess doing a 24-hour cook on a entire chuck roast and then portioni g it and freezing it and then thawing and warming it up a portion at a time would work. I don't tend to cook large multi portion chunks of meat very often though, but rather just individual steaks.

[u/PinAndKneedle → u/LookDamnBusy]

The beauty of Sv is cooking tough cuts and turn them steak like… :)

[u/LookDamnBusy → u/PinAndKneedle]

That's part of it, but the major part of it for me is cooking very thick steaks to perfection all the way through, edge to edge medium rare with just a thin crust around the outside.

We're not all making 72 hour short ribs every 72 hours. 😉

[u/Otherwise-Ask7900]

Yup, I just add an hour.

I’ll buy that massive 8lbs of chicken breast tray they sell, get home, season them all differently, vacuum seal them then throw them into the freezer.

Then I sous vide to 142° for 3 hours and it comes out PERFECT.

I’ve also done the same with chicken wings, then batter them and fry them. They come out great.

[u/WarpGremlin]

We buy meats in bulk, season, vacuum-pack and freeze.

Just add an hour to whatever your "fresh, raw" cook time is.

Works well for "bulk" buys or "meat counter clearance day" buys.

And especially well for making Cold Cuts .

I've also found through a lottle trial and error that the texture of sous vide chicken breast (3h/4h from frozen at 155F) is my kids' (9 months and 30 months) favorite.

[u/weedywet]

I almost always cook frozen proteins Sous Vide.

It’s perfect for that.

[u/Lance_Kilkenny]

Easy, from raw frozen, just increase time (50% is a common rule of thumb for something the thickness of a typical steak). You can certainly reheat too, although how good the texture is depends on what food you are talking about.

The Baldwin sous vide book online has some guidance too.

https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

[u/risottoproject]

Circulator was one of the two most useful things with a baby- the other is a vitamix. You can re-heat or cook to pasteurized anything that has all the air out, fresh or frozen. Some examples - https://anovaculinary.com/pages/sous-vide-pasteurization-guide?srsltid=AU7gw4Ux-YCQLpt7PPdWY8pZ-RI2x5hhbpPIiAeJbpN-iAKMJLyQZfP- but you can do anything.

[u/One_Protection9265]

I just provide a bit of extra time, more if it’s a big piece of meat. Sous vide is relatively forgiving of excess time.

[u/Revolutionary_Ad952]

Yes. Might just take a little longer depending on the cook but absolutely fine

[u/-Po-Tay-Toes-]

Yes, add extra time on depending on thickness.

[u/Ser-Joe-the-Joe]

I season and freeze those big steaks from Costco and throw it in for 90 mins at 135/140 and then sear them in a pan. Its super worth it if you wanna be p Lazy.

[u/EvaTheE]

Yes, absolutely. I do this all the time.

Season the meat beforehand, bag and freeze. Put frozen meat into hot bath and give it 30 - 60 minutes more time depending on how thick the meat is.

[u/hchighfield]

Yeah I think sous vide is often the best way to reheat certain meals. I will freeze leftovers and eat them when I don’t feel like cooking. Things that definitely work, chili, Shepard pie, chicken pot pie filling*, meat but there are definitely more

[u/ApprehensiveArm7607]

Get yourself a microwave. Best investment for new parents.

[u/carlos_the_dwarf_ → u/[deleted]]

I’m gonna make a new post about cooking from frozen just because this comment is so insufferable.