DIY Sous Vide for $75? Here's DIY Sous Vide for (Almost) Free

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How to do this, for cheap

The DIY movement has led to lots of great things -- bacon jam, moonshining, Sam Mason's artisanal mayonnaise. Er, right. But the homemade aesthetic has also gone beyond matters of taste. The New York Times profiles several crafty folks who have created innovations in machinery, including Scott Heimendinger, who created a $75 home sous vide cooker using off-the-shelf components.

Now, $75 is still a comparative bargain to $1,200, but Fork in the Road can do you one better. Here's the $1 sous vide method.

1.Place your meats and flavorings inside a ziplock bag (do not use a slide-lock bag).

2.Fill a large pot up with cold water and place it in the sink.

3. Gently lower the ziplock bag into the pot of water until almost completely submerged, then zip the bag shut.

4. Bring a pot of water to whatever temperature you need. Place your ziplock bags in the pot of water. Maintain the temperature by adding ice cubes to the pot as needed. (A digital thermometer is helpful for determining the water's temperature.) Cook for the requisite amount of time.

5. Laugh at everyone who spent hundreds on fancy sous vide machines.

Granted, the process is a bit more labor-intensive, but we've done this several times at home and can vouch for its efficacy. It might not be quite as perfect, but hey, it's mad cheap.

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