I spend most of my sous vide time cooking meat, as most people would, there are some vegetables for which sous-vide cooking can be wonderful, but not all vegetables are worth the time in using the sous vide set up.

Artichoke is nice sous vided. The lower temperature and longer cooking time gives enough time for the marinade to work deep into the chokes and there is less discoloration. The flavor is intensified because everything is tightly bagged, no aroma can escape.
That is a nice recipe you have.
A few suggestions:
You may want to trim off a lot of the leaves otherwise there may be air pockets and the bag will not sink into the water bath.

I have done using butter, not EVOO. Fry garlic in butter until golden than add to bag.

Use less salt, add some fish sauce.
185 F and 1 ý hour will work fine.

dcarch

Thank you, dcarch.
I was hoping you would have experience to share.

I have no interest in sous vide veggies in general. This will be my first try--the idea of the intensification of flavor in an artichoke is what intrigued me. I usually steam them, but even so the water beneath is scented with artichoke--a waste of flavor.
I had already considered butter instead of EVOO. You made that a definite change. Ditto sauteing the garlic. I have heard that uncooked garlic was not so good in a sous vide recipe. And fish sauce? Hmmmm.

I am curious about whether I will have to weight them down or not. One writer elsewhere grumbled that they floated and had to be weighted down with a plate.
I hope quartering and trimming them before cooking may make them sink.

We'll see.

Thanks again for info.

Edited to add this: I just made the marinade and prepped the artichokes (four small and one large) and vacuum bagged them to marinate. It took nearly 30 minutes! They had better be good!

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 12:39

I would welcome reports of better results, but for the record: I cooked one large artichoke which I quartered and four small ones which I halved for the recommended time. I put them in two vacuum bags: one large and one small. When I took them out at the end of the recommended time, they were not done enough.

Also, I found the lemon overpowering.

I did change the recipe, using butter with a small amount (about 1/4 of the total amount) of EVOO to make it more fluid as it marinated. If I did this again I would cook them 20-30 minutes longer than suggested and see if that helped.

The packets did want to float even though I re-vacuumed after marinating. I use a Sous Vide Supreme and put the two packets vertically in the slotted device with a weight to hold them below the water level.

Right now, my opinion is it's not worth the trouble.

In my experience, the artichoke has to be young and very fresh to make a difference. Still for vegetables, the difference is not as great as meats and fish. Vegetables take around 185F. From 185F to 212F is not a big difference.

But for meat, 129F vs 212F is huge difference.

There will be more interesting sous vide recipes/methods soon. I visit a few other food forums, there are so much excitement about sous vide cooking. Seems that everyone is buying a SV cooker.

dcarch

Dcarch
I hadn't thought about the relatively slight difference in temp for artichokes steamed and cooked SV. I was hoping that avoiding the loss of flavor into the water would be a significant difference. Water even under steamed artichokes is fragrant and green. Maybe I'll try SV again with small and very fresh 'chokes. And I'll be MUCH more sparing with the lemon.

I routinely SV fish, lamb, beef, and venison, and the meats are always interesting and usually just flat great.

I just discovered the SV Kitchen site as I searched for SV artichoke recipes and quite like it. I think this Saturday I will try their recipe for Chickpea Soup with Shrimp and Chorizo. Never considered soup in the SV.

You have been my inspiration and resource more often than you can imagine. Because of your information, I am seriously considering putting together an inexpensive and easily stored SV system I can use in smallish saucepans or small coolers. Cranking up the Supreme for four eggs is a bit much.

I would love to know which other forums you might recommend.

Sandra

(edited to add link to the soup)

Here is a link that might be useful: Chickpea soup with chorizo and shrimp

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Fri, Mar 7, 14 at 11:16

I would not have any lemon with artichoke at all. I don't think sour adds anything to artichoke.

I would try a little chicken or beef broth in the bag.

There are inexpensive ways to configure a good SV system from small to very large, around $50.00. You do need to have some degree of electrical knowledge because you are dealing with power electric.

E. mail me.

dcarch

Bells, the sous vide asian pork loin recipe from SVkitchen is a winner.

I had decent results with sous vide asparagus and glazed carrots, as directed in the Under Pressure book by Thomas Keller. Typically I don't bother with vegetables, they're too easy to cook perfectly conventionally.

Goldenguy

Don't think I'll bother SVing asparagus, which I love grilled, but I do need to go back to the Keller book now that I have some experience under my belt. . . .er, apron.
The Asian Pork recipe looks really good. I printed it out and it is probably going to happen sometime this week. Thank you for the heads up on this one.

I was also intrigued by the polenta/mushroom recipe. Hmmmm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's a link to the Asian Pork recipe.

I read the recipe.

1. You don't have to defrost the pork. You can sous vide frozen pork.

2. 132F may not be a safe temperature for pork.

3. 132F for bok choy may be too low.

Just MHO.

dcarch

Thank you again, dcarch. I hadn't really thought about it. 140 would be a safe bet? 135? "Trichinae are killed at 137ðF" Any of these would be a whole lot better than 160.
WWYD?

For the bok choy, not sure what they want to happen. Just to wilt it? Sure not gonna sear it! Which is sorta how I usually serve it. The bok choy I'm willing to try at 132. Just to see what happens.

How interesting to be able to talk about a few degrees up or down with reasonable accuracy.

Sandra

USDA Guidelines recommends 145F for pork to be safe.

Ground pork is to be 165F? 160F? Don't remember. Please double, triple check all cooking temperatures, Never trust any single source. Never trust anything I say either.

I am not sure why anyone would recommend 132F for pork.

dcarch