Gravy's Cooking Thread

For one thing, it simply can't do everything that a sous-vide device can. Sous-vide cooking excels at tenderizing typically tough cuts while maintaining juiciness through prolonged, often multi-day cooks that break down connective tissue while also conveniently storing released juices in its bag. These types of cooks are impossible on the Cinder. For one, its open surface (juices evaporate off of it) and direct contact heating doesn't conform to the shape of the food you are cooking in it. That means only foods that can be somewhat flattened on two parallel planes are able to make adequate contact with the plates (You can sous-vide a beet or a lamb shank easily, but you can't Cinder 'em).

The Cinder also doesn't allow you to take advantage of moist cooking methods. Salmon poached in olive oil comes out flavor-packed with a sous-vide device but can't be done in the Cinder. Add some fresh aromatics to your vacuum seal bag when you cook chicken breasts and the flavor will be evenly distributed over the meat's surface as it cooks. Not so with the Cinder.

That said, the Cinder offers clear advantages in certain arenas. Slapping a steak onto it and hitting go is way easier than bagging a steak and heating up a water bath. Because it cooks in the open air, you also end up with dryer surfaces on that steak, which means that searing will be more efficient, ultimately leading to better end results.

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