Sous Vide laternative equipment?

EDIT TITLE: Supposed to be "Alternative".

Just wondering if anyone has tried cooking sous vide with a temp controller hooked up to something other than their HERMS/RIMS or brewing equipment.

I wondered how well it would work with a crock pot, or a kettle and electric hotplate...

I have several Love style controllers and am thinking about rigging up a temp controller box for this kind of setup so I can use it without any impact on my brewing stuff.

I can't see a problem with a setup like that.

Haven't done it yet, but I'm toying with the idea of using my crockpot. According to some information on Auber, there are several workable options. Rice cookers, crockpot, steam tables, etc. Check out this link. If you scroll to the bottom there is a link/file that list alternatives that Auber's unit will work with. Again, I haven't done it but it appears that somebody has put some thought into it.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?m...id=183&zenid=8cd07e9486865de0a2a33c14b2f02c85

I just use the cooler. Get the water to temp, add vacuum sealed "product" and maybe a little extra hot water. Put on the lid and step away.

NO PEEKING!

Yeah. After I did some reading online I find out lots of different equipment options people are using!

I've got like 3-4 Love controllers on hand from equipment we were scrapping at work and I thought I'd build a control box for me and a friend. His daughter is graduating and appears to be going into cooking as a career. She has a full time summer job as head chef and got an offer to work extra hours for someone else. I know her dad had mentioned this method before but never tried it and I think they would like to give it a try and it won't hurt her having some experience cooking that way as she looks for jobs.

So anyway it looks like another project, but a pretty simple one in this case. I'm going to use one of my SS kettles and a hotplate that I had no use for but couldn't bring myself to throw away (I KNEW I would find a use!) to start with I think.

Already have a foodsaver and only need a box to put the controller in and a few tiny odds and ends. I'm already planning pork chops and fish!

I use a bucket heater in my ice chest when I cook sous vide. Works great as long as you have a cheapo pump circulating the water, otherwise, I get uneven heating.

Here's one on Amazon But you can find 'em cheaper.

Best chicken or pork chops you'll ever eat. It really shines when you're cooking for a group of friends as it lets you focus on your guests instead of grilling.

Oh my god, you mean when I'm done lagering with my ebay temp controller, I can use it with my crock pot for Sous Vide????

*Mad scientist grin*

Revvy said:

Oh my god, you mean when I'm done lagering with my ebay temp controller, I can use it with my crock pot for Sous Vide????

*Mad scientist grin*

Click to expand...

I know, right!?

I brought my stuff in today so I could measure and draw it up in Solidworks so I can get accurate measurements to cut openings and whatnot. If I don't do this, I make mistakes.

Don't tell the boss...

If it turns out, I'll surprise the front office people with some sous vide treats...