Dorkfood DSV Temperature controller

[muebe]

Introducing the Dorkfood DSV Sous Vide Temperature controller...

http://www.dorkfood.com/



The box contains the controller, quick start guide, and specifications sheet...





The temperature probe is plastic with a heat shrink sleeve. The probe wire is silicone coated...



The power plug is double end. Plugs into the wall and the cooking device plugs into the back of it...





So to start you fill your cooking vessel with hot water. Leave room for water displacement when you place whatever you are cooking in there...



Your cooker cannot be digitally controlled. The device manipulates the water temperature by using a relay to control power to the cooker. A digital will not work correctly.

Set your cooking device to it's highest setting...



Place the temp probe into the water...



Plug your cooker into the back plug of the DSV...



Now plug the DSV into power(I am using an extension cord)...



When you plug it in the display will show the water temperature detected by the probe. Here we see the water is at 111F...



Then press and hold the set button for a few seconds and the display will start to flash. This is where you adjust the setpoint. The default is 135F...



You then use the up and down arrows to adjust the temp. I adjusted it to 131F for testing...



Once you move it to the desired setpoint simply press the set button again and the display will change for a few seconds and then flash back to the temp of the water...



Reading a water temp of 115F...



Verified accurate with the super fast green Thermapen...



It took about 30 minutes for the crock pot water to reach 130F...



Water temp verified...



So for the last couple hours it has been right at temp every time I went in to check it. It is making adjustments on the fly to keep the water at that exact temp.

I can hear the relay that some people have complained about. It is not very loud although in a quiet room I am sure you can hear it. It is not clicking constantly. It is just clicking on and off periodically.

Not a deal breaker IMHO.

Tomorrow I am going to do a Sous Vide Tri-Tip to give the DSV a workout and see how it performs.

Stay tuned.

[pz]

That does it... I'm hooked.  It's already in my Amazon wish list and I'm going to get it.

Excellent post muebe, just the right amount of detail with great photos - thanks for taking the time to do this.

[drholly]

Thanks for the great review, muebe!

[pz]

This link to a beef short rib sous vide recipe (derrived from the dorkfood site) explains the process of collagen dissolution quite well, and makes the method even more appealing to me

[fishingbouchman]

very interesting.  See what you make and this could be on the xmas list .

[muebe]

This link to a beef short rib sous vide recipe (derrived from the dorkfood site) explains the process of collagen dissolution quite well, and makes the method even more appealing to me

pz I actually picked up 2 packs of short ribs to do that recipe with. I am going to start them after I cook my Tri-tip today.

[veryolddog]

Do you notice a difference in taste? Obviously, the pictures of the finished meat, show that it is very moist and juicy.

If you do ribs, are you going to season them like you would for cooking on your Mak?

I looked up the unit on Amazon and it moderately priced along with a few alternatives. It is a very interesting process.

Keep sharing your information as we will all learn from you.

Ed

[Keymaster]

Looks like a Ranco controller for the Brains. There very good for controlling temperature.

[muebe]

Looks like a Ranco controller for the Brains. There very good for controlling temperature.

It is a very smart controller. Once it settled it kept the temp within 1/2 a degree every time I checked with the Thermapen. For $100 I am very impressed!

[muebe]

Do you notice a difference in taste? Obviously, the pictures of the finished meat, show that it is very moist and juicy.

If you do ribs, are you going to season them like you would for cooking on your Mak?

I looked up the unit on Amazon and it moderately priced along with a few alternatives. It is a very interesting process.

Keep sharing your information as we will all learn from you.

Ed

Ed the meat took on the M-3 seasoning completely through. And the texture was moist and juicy. It is tough to get pork that moist and juicy without undercooking it. And I would never cook pork that low of a temp but with Sous Vide you can.

This is all new to me also so I am learning but I really like the results. And as I cook more I will get better

[spuds]

Excellent review,Im for sure going to get into this when I can.

[muebe]

Bump!

I thought maybe one of the mods might want to move this review to the new Dorkfood section...

[GusRobin]

One thing I found with mine:
The controller won't kick on until the temp readout stabilizes to reflect the starting water temp. In other words if the ambient temp of the probe is 75* and you put it in your water bath which is at 110*, the controller waits until the probe readout reaches 110*. Which makes sense in that it needs to know the true temp of the water before it starts controlling it.
I only mention that because the first time I thought mine wasn't working correctly or I set something up wrong.

[muebe]

One thing I found with mine:
The controller won't kick on until the temp readout stabilizes to reflect the starting water temp. In other words if the ambient temp of the probe is 75* and you put it in your water bath which is at 110*, the controller waits until the probe readout reaches 110*. Which makes sense in that it needs to know the true temp of the water before it starts controlling it.
I only mention that because the first time I thought mine wasn't working correctly or I set something up wrong.

Gus I never noticed this but very cool. The controller is smart enough to wait and see when the temp stabilizes before heating. Nice feature