Sous Vide 101 (and 202, 303)

Put on the ritz and let it roll, brother. Nuttin like us country boys comin up with a feed that knocks the city folk on their ass.

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Hey, what do you use as Sous Vide bags?

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In both small and large. I don’t get the continuous bags. For steak, I’ll go to the meat market and buy about 20lbs of short loin and have it cut to 1" strips. Rub them down and seal them in bags before they hit the freezer.

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OK… what do you cook in? Do you have a special container and a special lid or something?

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Nothing special. With the Anova I just use a big stew pot and set a metal rod across the top. I use large paper clamps to hang the bags on so the meat is submerged.

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A post was split to a new topic: Ogres Musical Adventures

So since I have the SV and it will be the future until I possess the ability to use high shear mixing, what sorts of time factors will I want to use for the aggressive shaking/USC and 60c heating method?

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Damn you and your facts getting in the way of a good story.

Mr. Science maybe. It’s far from controversial to say that VG is inert. That’s a physical property and isn’t one open to debate or speculation. It’s like debating that gold is a metal.

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Since you’ve studied the physical properties of the compounds we use in vaping, maybe you know this one too…

Why is PG a ‘better carrier of flavors’ than VG? Is it particle size, lack of flavor compared to VG, not inert, or is that statement just another trip to Uncle Aesop’s rocking chair?

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These?

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Trying to gain a clearer understanding, or possibly clarification here… :wink:

Agreed (without a doubt).

I must have missed folks who’ve evidently said this of VG. (in which case I would agree)

But if it’s in relation to the ones often referred to as “up-steepers”, then yes, I have seen the occasional flavor which gives the impression of getting stronger as time passes. (Usually with MF, but not always. Some coffees etc…)

Wasn’t sure if you were referring to the bottle (of flavor) before it’s mixed, or the bottle (recipe) after it’s been mixed. :thinking:

It could appear as “getting stronger” as the (for instance) extract (which takes longer to develop in the first place) continues to permeate the VG. :wink:
For those who have lived by the “use no heat” mantra… This could seem like a ‘miracle transformation’ chuckles :wink:

It may be I’m a bit thick this morning (still waking up), so apologies if I’ve missed the plot.

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Well, rudimentary knowledge combined with the desire/effort to enhance your knowledge is more than good enough for me. I’m obviously also not a chemist but I understand chemistry (at least the concept and role it plays in, well, everything) so I comprehend what you are saying. I am sort of true to the Missouri state motto (show me), and really like to be able to create a full mental picture of things in order to have a good comprehension. That said, I totally get what you are saying about the properties of these substances and how they interact, etc. Having that mental picture allows me to absorb what you are explaining and helps cement my belief that mechanical handling will accomplish the same thing as Clock Magic, so I am 100% in with this dealie.

It’s a shame that PG is so thin because I would just skip VG altogether, and maybe if I get a suitable sqounker I might actually make a few all PG mixes and see how it goes someday. Anyone here tried it? I’m sure people have, albeit not in the context of mech maturation. Mech maturation? Sounds like a robot growing up.

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Many of those times for me were followed by a slap to the face, but hey, I wanted her to show me.

But really though, that’s why I ask so many questions, and sometimes redundantly even. I just need to see all the parts in order to understand the sum. If one part doesn’t make sense I will ask until it does, so be warned…

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Right. Because you don’t use the same process they do! :wink:

Those that use ‘traditional’ “throw it in the cupboard and forget about it” method would be quite likely to observe that it’s an “upsteeper”. As it gets stronger (the more it permeates the VG) the longer it sits.

Those who use the “mag mixer” alone method would likely see results sooner than the group above, and would be more apt to balk about it doesn’t need that long etc.

Those who use an USC with heat would (in my estimation/experience) likely be saying things along the lines of “that’s good within a week” (for extracts, since I’m trying to keep a time-line point). (2-3 days if using normal flavors, amount of alcohol in the base dependant).

And then lastly, folks like yourself, using a “professional-equipment approach” can see results practically instantly (allowing for differences in throat-hit preference of course).

As I’ve tried to illustrate above, I think that it’s more that folks (in various forums/platforms) don’t share the enthusiasm for understanding such things as we do. As a result, their view can come off as somewhat myopic to those who “have to” (or enjoy) digging deeper into the science of it all. Not everyone enjoys “the little mysteries of life”, and as such, some tend to simply not care, others don’t want to be bothered with such intricacies, and others still are just “give me an easy way that works”.

When I said plot earlier, I was using it in the British sense of “I’m not sure I follow”, not the typical American sense of “there’s something under-handed afoot”. :laughing:

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I think if a sort of all-in-one high shear/heat device was available to the home mixer (size and cost), a lot of the resistance would fade as more users begin to report no latency mixing results and accolades. I can see why most people prefer the hide and seek time steep methods, because they do work. But get something out to the masses and this will take a firm root, IMHO.

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When I was new to vaping and to DIY mixing, all I ever heard was that time aging was the only way to get mature juice. Examples given ran the gambit from “oxidation is required” to “time is required for the chemical process to occur” or simply “just because”, with no actual data presented or asked for. As such, I too spread plenty of that misinformation simply for lack of knowledge or voices like yours that show conclusively why that simply isn’t the only means possible of achieving it. So I am indeed guilty.

And that is one big reason why I am doubly interested in this research and data. Of course I have personal motives, as I didn’t even have enough patience to wait in the patience line when I was waiting to be born. But also, this resistance, or indifference, or simple all-out refusal to even consider this process reminds me of one of any conspiracies you could mention, from anti-vaping activists to political parties, you name it. When differing viewpoints are shouted down for no good reason, I want to find out why.

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Well… My fluorescent is still good, but sometimes you have to whack the starter to get it to fire. chuckles

Obviously that one went:

Of course. And I agree.

I’m sorry for being overly cautious. But lately watching folks go at each other over seriously piddly bullshit (not here) has kind of got me on my heels with respect to trying to make sure there’s not an unintended miscommunication.

Evidently doubly so amidst folks that I truly respect and appreciate. So…

No doubt, and I’m with you all the way.
But, you can’t change a closed mind, so most often anymore, I don’t bother (at least publicly).

Anyways, my fog (on what was trying to be said) has lifted, and sorry if I added to your confusion (of what I was thinking) or derailed things.

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I wonder if this was because early DIY mixers killed the juice by heating with the nicotine already in it, and simply didn’t realize it was the nic that was the problem, not the flavorings.

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Well, in the community’s defense, chemistry isn’t well understood at all by the average joe, so it’s very easy to take passed-down information like that as gospel. However, the DIY vaping community has begun to mature considerably, and now that there’s a better understanding of juice making, there’s no excuse for covering the eyes and ears anymore.

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Off topic, but I do the same to my coffee every now and then with cap sweet cream and it makes a little milk in my coffee taste like I used real cream, it’s fantastic but I don’t do it often cause it’s one of my most used flavors too lol.

Back on topic, you have continually said that people do not need fancy equipment to make good juice, and as an example I will give my takeaway from these advanced mixing threads. I have always mixed with 3mg nic in vg so it’s one less thing I have to measure or think about, just add pg and flavors and I’m somewhere between 1.5-3mg nic, good enough for me.

My new house is gonna be a money pit for a couple years till we get everything fixed up, so I can’t afford even an USC, but I will be buying plain vg/pg when my stock runs out, so I can use heat and aggressive stirring/shaking and then add nic after. If this improves my mixes readiness then it’s worth the extra step to add nic later and I never would have bothered without these discussions.

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