About This Site, and Why You’ll Like It 😉

There are dozens of sous vide sites out there, most of which appeal to people like me who love food science, modernist cuisine, foodie stuff, and are willing to experiment with different techniques and equipment. But, I wasn’t always that way, and I wanted to create a site for people who are new to sous vide, or just curious about it.

I did the same thing several years ago with BBQ4Dummies.com, which appeals to the same introductory stage for new or would be grillers and BBQers. That site is now in the top five of all BBQ sites, and the articles often appear on page 1 of the Google search results for common keywords. It’s my hope that SV4D will follow the same path, but without your help and suggestions, as we received with BBQ4D, it’s going to be a little more work.

Here’s how I think you can benefit from our site:

• You’ll be able to decide if sous vide cooking is for you. It isn’t for everyone
• Through more initial failures than successes, I’ll share what I’ve learned about how to make much tastier food than you’ll often get with sous vide without these hacks
• You will read honest reviews and recommendations for equipment and materials, and we’ll tell you where we think the best values are
• I have no secrets, and will share recipes that worked great, and those that just sucked
• You’ll see what foods work well with sous vide cooking, and some that do not
• I’ll try to update you on the latest equipment developments. This is a fairly new process for most of us, and the technology is improving constantly
• You’ll be invited to comment on articles, and share your own experiences
• There will be some giveaways too. These are bribes for helping me grow the site.

My Story

My name is John Wallace, and I live in the Sacramento, CA area. My background is commercial real estate development, now I’m a project consultant for retailers. That’s code for being kinda sorta retired, but not ready to quit, but not wanting to build any more shopping centers. I’m one of those guys who has decided when enough, is enough.

In the mid 2000s when the markets crashed, we weren’t immune with our shopping centers. The income dried up for a few years, and I wanted to get some cash flow. I’ve been interested in traditional southern BBQ for decades, and have worked my way into the back of some great joints in the Deep South especially, and frankly just loved the study and process. So, I took a freelance job writing for the Examiner.com as the Outdoor Cooking Editor. Lots of those articles are still out there on the net.

The “Ex” was OK, but I thought maybe a website would be more fun, with more options and freedom. I created bbq4dummies.com, and it did well from the start. I spent hours testing equipment people sent me for reviews, or stuff I bought outright, and still do, but then Jason called me one day.

Jason Rogers is a good friend who is a wizard in the kitchen, and a long time guest writer. “DUDE! You GOT to do this sous vide stuff, it’s AWESOME!” So WTF is THAT? He described it to me, and it sounded like boil-a-bag to me, and I had no interest. But, he kept talking in absolutes. The BEST STEAK, the MOST AWSOME BURGERS, and on and on, until I said jeez OK, I’ll try it.

I bought a $100 immersion controller from Dorkfoods, and a $25 crock pot from Amazon, and started looking at recipes. Jason kept telling me that a $6pp top sirloin tasted like a $15pp New York strip with the texture of a Filet Mignon. So, I went up to Safeway and bought a Top, and tried it.

That was all it took, that one steak. I have NEVER tasted meat like that! I could not believe how anything could be ALL medium rare, not just the center. Next was the burgers, and he was right–best I’ve ever tasted. To say I was hooked would be minimizing my quickly acquired passion for sous vide.

I started this site in 2013, but up until this year had only two articles on it. Reason–I wasn’t good enough to teach you, to be a true authority. I am now, because I’ve spent so many hours and days screwing with different equipment and techniques. Not that I’m not still learning, I am of course, but I’ve found some hacks that I haven’t seen elsewhere, and I think I’ve got some pretty slick procedures that are easy to implement, and don’t require you spending much if any money, down to the science.

That’s what I want to share with you, and I want to learn from you too. Welcome to the site, thanks for reading, and please visit often.

John

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