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Common
04-17-2015, 06:59 PM
Theres also a vido, when this thing is out a while if theres still rave reviews, I may just buy one.


This little countertop cooker might look like a fancy panini press or dressed-up George Foreman grill, but it manages to pull off a truly impressive culinary feat: replicating sous-vide cooking without the water bath.

It's called the Cinder Sensing Cooker (https://cindercooks.com/index.html), and it uses precise temperature controls and a companion app to cook just about anything to its ideal temperature. The device is able to heat food evenly through its twin electric heating plates, and can hit temperatures within two degrees of optimum.
Due to its precise temperature control, the cooker is not only able to bring food to the perfect temperature, but hold it there for as long as necessary. That means you don't have to worry about forgetting a steak in the oven and coming back to find a lump of charcoal. (Yes, I'm writing from experience.)

The Cinder Sensing Cooker also has a big advantage over sous-vide. While the sous-vide technique cooks meat and veggies perfectly, you need to finish your food in a hot frying pan to get a nice sear. The Sensing Cooker can amp up the heat to sear when necessary, without you having to transfer your meal to a pan. And if you want to cook frozen meats, the Cinder app has cooking profiles for that, too.
http://a2.images.reviewed.com/image/fetch/c_limit,cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile,g_center,h _220,q_85,w_220/https://reviewed-production.s3.amazonaws.com/attachment/816430c153fe496f/Cinder-White-ThreeQuarter.jpg
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Backed by startup incubator Y Combinator (https://www.ycombinator.com/), Cinder is the product of collaboration between veteran developers and engineers from Toyota, Xerox PARC, and Lockheed Martin. According to the company's About Us page (https://cindercooks.com/about-us.html), former Toyota product developer Eric Norman started the project with the goal of making "modern techniques" like sous-vide more accessible to the average cook.

Sous-vide cooking can be difficult to pull off at home, so the Cinder Sensing Cooker may be a much more accessible alternative. It won't be available until early 2016, but you can preorder it now (https://cindercooks.com/index.html) for $499.

http://ovens.reviewed.com/news/sayonara-sous-vide-meet-cinder-sensing-cooker

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 07:17 PM
Looks neat. Not my cooking style though.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 07:28 PM
I like traditional cooking.....I know the roux is ready when the smoke alarm goes off....

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 07:28 PM
I like traditional cooking.....I know the roux is ready when the smoke alarm goes off....

With most food I know it is ready from the smell.

Common
04-17-2015, 07:49 PM
This isnt designed to cook everything, its just for grilling certain things. Unless your really good at gauging steak, its easy to overcook or undercook on a grill. Im pretty good at it and I get it wrong.
But then I dont eat steak but rarely now. Now that I think about it 500 is way to big an investment for something as limited as that.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 07:51 PM
This isnt designed to cook everything, its just for grilling certain things. Unless your really good at gauging steak, its easy to overcook or undercook on a grill. Im pretty good at it and I get it wrong.
But then I dont eat steak but rarely now. Now that I think about it 500 is way to big an investment for something as limited as that.

I use a probe thermometer for thick cuts. Works well for me.

Common
04-17-2015, 08:03 PM
I use a probe thermometer for thick cuts. Works well for me.

Ive found thermometers for steak to be inaccurate too often, I go by touch. I read it in chefs magazine that touch is the best way to gauge steak doneness, it does take some practice.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 08:11 PM
Ive found thermometers for steak to be inaccurate too often, I go by touch. I read it in chefs magazine that touch is the best way to gauge steak doneness, it does take some practice.

I don't have a problem with steaks - if I pick my own meat out I like it very rare.

I do have problem cooking for others who want to ruin it with med or above. :smiley:

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 08:50 PM
I don't have a problem with steaks - if I pick my own meat out I like it very rare.

I do have problem cooking for others who want to ruin it with med or above. :smiley:
The fleshy part of your hand near the thumb is the way to test. As you pull your thumb inward touch the base of the finger above the flesh gets harder, so you test the texture of the steak based on the hardness of your flesh. Finger one, rare, finger two medium rare, finger three medium and finger four well done.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 08:57 PM
The fleshy part of your hand near the thumb is the way to test. As you pull your thumb inward touch the base of the finger above the flesh gets harder, so you test the texture of the steak based on the hardness of your flesh. Finger one, rare, finger two medium rare, finger three medium and finger four well done.

:embarrassed:

Smell works for me. :smiley:

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 08:59 PM
:embarrassed:

Smell works for me. :smiley:
Yes but you did say that you are only good at rare. Your guests might appreciate non-charcoal or blood if they like other than rare.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:02 PM
Yes but you did say that you are only good at rare. Your guests might appreciate non-charcoal or blood if they like other than rare.

True.

Anyway, I think the cooker thing would work well for fish.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:09 PM
True.

Anyway, I think the cooker thing would work well for fish.
Perhaps, but I find fish easy to cook, provided that you don't like it desiccated. There is no rare or well done, there is just cooked and still moist.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:12 PM
My husband told me that he had finally cooked a piece of the meat just the way he liked it....charred on the outside, rare on the inside. The problem? It was his thumb.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:14 PM
My husband told me that he had finally cooked a piece of the meat just the way he liked it....charred on the outside, rare on the inside. The problem? It was his thumb.
You crack me up Pol.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:18 PM
My husband told me that he had finally cooked a piece of the meat just the way he liked it....charred on the outside, rare on the inside. The problem? It was his thumb.

Sear it before you cook it. Easy to keep it rare on the inside. New Orleans style is like that- with lots of cajun spices on the outside. And blue on the inside. Heaven.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:21 PM
We have steak incompatibility in our house. I like rare, husband likes jerky. My brother used to say he liked his steaks rare enough that a good vet could them back on their feet.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:22 PM
Sear it before you cook it. Easy to keep it rare on the inside. New Orleans style is like that- with lots of cajun spices on the outside. And blue on the inside. Heaven.
I'm your worst nightmare, I like it either medium rare or medium depending on the fattiness of the steak. I really don't want to hear my steak moo or see blood all over my plate or, gasp, on my potatoes.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:23 PM
I have made beef tartar at home before. Yummy.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:24 PM
I don't like bloody, but I like red....when someone wants a well done steak I wonder why even bother buying a good steak. I try to cook them the way guests like them but it sure seems a waste to me.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:27 PM
A flank steak with soy sauce and the right spices can be good well done.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:28 PM
If I'm going to grill a steak, I want rib eye or T-bone. Flank is good but we eat little beef so we tend to go for the gusto when we do!

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:31 PM
Corn fed beef- ribeye in bone is the best.

grass fed beef, sirloin is my favorite.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:33 PM
I have made beef tartar at home before. Yummy.
OK - uh no. It's a texture thing - plus I don't really enjoy the metallic flavor of raw beef/blood. I would also prefer to avoid mad cow disease.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:34 PM
We used to have a small market here that provided meat to various tug boats in the area. They had the best meat selection in the southeast. The prices were not cheap but they had the best quality of beef or pork I have ever found. I really hated it when they closed....the owner retired.

Common
04-17-2015, 09:35 PM
If I'm going to grill a steak, I want rib eye or T-bone. Flank is good but we eat little beef so we tend to go for the gusto when we do!

Thats what we do, we skip the burgers and the meatloaf and when it hits us we want Porterhouse, with that big chunk of filet on it. We dont do it often for health reasons but when we do it , we as pol put it want the gusto.

The way I love my steak can only be done in a restaurant and not alll restaurants can do it.

Pittsburgh medium

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:39 PM
what is Pittsburg medium? (I'm almost afraid to ask)

Common
04-17-2015, 09:43 PM
Ok back in pittsburghs heyday of Steel Mills, the mill workers would bring raw meat to work for lunch. They would take molten red hot steel beams and take the seasoned meat toss it on let it sizzle catch flame, then turn it and do the same thing.

Its sears the meat on the outside with seasoning and breaks down all the tendons and toughness and keeps the flavor or juices inside.

Retaurants do it with cast iron griddles that they can get red hot, or super gas burners with very HIGH btus and cast iron pan. Some just dip the steak in oil and let it flame. I prefer it seasoned and done that way.

I dont like it rare at all, I like it medium

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:44 PM
I don't like bloody, but I like red....when someone wants a well done steak I wonder why even bother buying a good steak. I try to cook them the way guests like them but it sure seems a waste to me.
I don't like it well done, except if it is an exceptionally moist piece of beef and that is extremely rare. Roast beef on the other hand I need to have cooked. I hate semi-raw roast beef. It just tastes like blood.

Common
04-17-2015, 09:47 PM
Cooking meat well done removes flavor, tenderness and juices.
I dont like rare meat, I like it medium which is pink inside. Well done roast beef to me is only worth the garbage can. Actually any well done meat isnt to my taste, except meatloaf when I do eat it.

Im scared of ground beef unless I grind it myself.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:51 PM
OK - uh no. It's a texture thing - plus I don't really enjoy the metallic flavor of raw beef/blood. I would also prefer to avoid mad cow disease.

I love it. Yummy.

And I am not mad. Yet.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:51 PM
Steak is the only meat I want rare. Roast beef I want med. rare. Everything else: well done. The idea of red chicken or pork turns my stomach.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:52 PM
Cooking meat well done removes flavor, tenderness and juices.
I dont like rare meat, I like it medium which is pink inside. Well done roast beef to me is only worth the garbage can. Actually any well done meat isnt to my taste, except meatloaf when I do eat it.

Im scared of ground beef unless I grind it myself.
Good well done roast beef requires talent and the right cut of meat. Tender, juicy and succulent.

Mister D
04-17-2015, 09:52 PM
Steak is the only meat I want rare. Roast beef I want med. rare. Everything else: well done. The idea of red chicken or pork turns my stomach.

Damn straight.

Common
04-17-2015, 09:53 PM
I love it. Yummy.

And I am not mad. Yet.

umm says who ? grin

Mister D
04-17-2015, 09:53 PM
Good well done roast beef requires talent and the right cut of meat. Tender, juicy and succulent.

I thin you can make up for dryness with gravy.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:53 PM
I love it. Yummy.

And I am not mad. Yet.
You have heard about cattle feed.....

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:54 PM
Steak is the only meat I want rare. Roast beef I want med. rare. Everything else: well done. The idea of red chicken or pork turns my stomach.

You can't eat chicken or pork rare. Some very high end restaurants do offer pork medium rare, and it is good. But you have to trust the cook.

Mister D
04-17-2015, 09:57 PM
You can't eat chicken or pork rare. Some very high end restaurants do offer pork medium rare, and it is good. But you have to trust the cook.

I think I might have mentioned this before but the last time i was in Williamsburg my buddy ordered rare lamb chops. Seriously, i had to look away when we were chatting over dinner.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 09:58 PM
I don't eat pork at restaurants. I love to do a pork roast at home....studded with lots of garlic cloves and rubbed with salt & pepper....then braised with lots of onion & more garlic. Gotta have rice & make gravy. Heavenly

Bob
04-17-2015, 09:58 PM
My husband told me that he had finally cooked a piece of the meat just the way he liked it....charred on the outside, rare on the inside. The problem? It was his thumb.

I swear to god that is not funny. I mean so not funny.

Explain then why I am busted up laughing all over the place? Poor husband.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 09:58 PM
I thin you can make up for dryness with gravy.
You can, but if you sear it on the outside, wrap it tightly in foil to seal in the juices, and roast it, you can even make blade or sirloin tip juicy. Fattier beef doesn't require sealing in foil, although doing that for part of the cooking process will conserve the moisture, but still make enough beef juice for gravy. I usually add onions and garlic to the process.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 09:59 PM
I think I might have mentioned this before but the last time i was in Williamsburg my buddy ordered rare lamb chops. Seriously, i had to look away when we were chatting over dinner.

I get lamb medium rare. Very gamy. I have eaten it rare and it is a slow go.

Bob
04-17-2015, 10:00 PM
I think I might have mentioned this before but the last time i was in Williamsburg my buddy ordered rare lamb chops. Seriously, i had to look away when we were chatting over dinner.

Ahhh Williamsburg. If you mean VA, I love that small town.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 10:00 PM
I don't eat pork at restaurants. I love to do a pork roast at home....studded with lots of garlic cloves and rubbed with salt & pepper....then braised with lots of onion & more garlic. Gotta have rice & make gravy. Heavenly

I make pork with some sort of fruit and then honey, with a bit of olive oil and salt, ground black and red pepper.

Bob
04-17-2015, 10:03 PM
You can, but if you sear it on the outside, wrap it tightly in foil to seal in the juices, and roast it, you can even make blade or sirloin tip juicy. Fattier beef doesn't require sealing in foil, although doing that for part of the cooking process will conserve the moisture, but still make enough beef juice for gravy. I usually add onions and garlic to the process.

I am trying to figure out who the best cook is. I assure you all, not me.

Common
04-17-2015, 10:05 PM
Steak is the only meat I want rare. Roast beef I want med. rare. Everything else: well done. The idea of red chicken or pork turns my stomach.

Raw chicken or pork will kill ya. They say you can eat rare pork today and it wont hurt you. I dont care, I will only eat it well done and chicken has to be a full 180F for me.

Common
04-17-2015, 10:06 PM
Ive always wished I could make a smoked brisket, like a pitmaster.

Peter1469
04-17-2015, 10:07 PM
Chickens from factory farms are not healthy to eat at any heat, IMO.

http://www.secretsofthefed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/depositphotos_6737365-Integrated-poultry-farm.jpg

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 10:13 PM
Ive always wished I could make a smoked brisket, like a pitmaster.

My best friend cooks the best beef brisket I have ever tasted. She marinades it in everything from soy sauce to Tony Chachere's and then cooks it in the oven, wrapped in foil. Its way better than anything I've tasted off a grill.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 10:15 PM
I think I might have mentioned this before but the last time i was in Williamsburg my buddy ordered rare lamb chops. Seriously, i had to look away when we were chatting over dinner.
I like lamb chops so that there are quite pink in the middle, but not red.

Common
04-17-2015, 10:16 PM
Lamb is another thing I need well done. I think it tastes alot better well done. Leg of lamb stuffed with garlic cloves.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 10:17 PM
I thin you can make up for dryness with gravy.
True, but if you either use the right cut of beef (fairly fatty) or if you sear the leaner cuts and then seal them in foil tightly while they cook, they can also be juicy.

PolWatch
04-17-2015, 10:21 PM
Sealing meats in foil to cook is a good way to keep them from drying out. That is how I fix hot wings. I marinade them in spicy Italian dressing. Seal it all up in foil and bake. Take the foil off at the end to brown them and then add the hot sauce. They fall off the bone.

Common
04-17-2015, 10:24 PM
Dr Who, a while ago I used to subscribe to Cooks Kitchen, a testing kitchen that tests different ways to cook items.
In one issue they had the best way to make melt in your mouth roast beef, from any cut.
Season to taste, preheat over to 250 wrap it in foil and cook for 15 minutes a lb, take the foil off and cook it at 300 the rest of the way. I did it and it worked well, it wasnt as good as expected, but it was good.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 11:13 PM
Dr Who, a while ago I used to subscribe to Cooks Kitchen, a testing kitchen that tests different ways to cook items.
In one issue they had the best way to make melt in your mouth roast beef, from any cut.
Season to taste, preheat over to 250 wrap it in foil and cook for 15 minutes a lb, take the foil off and cook it at 300 the rest of the way. I did it and it worked well, it wasnt as good as expected, but it was good.
Makes sense, but I tend to cook at 325 most of the time unless I'm dealing with a large tough piece of meat. Then it's low and slow. However I won't open roast if the meat is either tough or really lean.

Dr. Who
04-17-2015, 11:15 PM
Sealing meats in foil to cook is a good way to keep them from drying out. That is how I fix hot wings. I marinade them in spicy Italian dressing. Seal it all up in foil and bake. Take the foil off at the end to brown them and then add the hot sauce. They fall off the bone.
Best way to eat a wing. Falling off the bone.

Redrose
04-17-2015, 11:20 PM
I use a probe thermometer for thick cuts. Works well for me.


I use my thumb. Soft is rare, etc.