Sous vide in a slow cooker?

[harryharry]

Does anyone know if this is possible? Does it keep a low enough temp? Does it keep a steady enough temp?

[alanbarnes]

Great idea! A probe thermostat (probably ~$50) would make the job a lot easier and control the temperature much more carefully. Plug the cooker into the thermostat and the thermostat into the wall, and it will shut the power off when the liquid hits 140, then turn it back on when the temperature drops. With the lid on you shouldn't have much "swing" from hot to cold.

As to vacuum-sealing, FoodSaver and similar devices are widely available.

[roasted138]

I believe there's also a step involved where the meat or what have you is vacuum-sealed, another rarely owned kitchen device.

[Antilope]

Most new slow cookers have a cooking temperature range of 195F to 220F. This can fluctuate by five or ten degrees. Sous vide cooking usually takes place at 140F. According to some sources, differences of even one degree can affect the finished product. So sous vide is probably not possible in a slow cooker.

[harryharry]

Shoot... I thought I had come up with really good idea!

[MarkC]

I tried it once. You can do it by playing with the top, leaving it half off, closing it off a bit when the temperature drops. Keeping the temperature within the necessary range requires constant attention though, and probably not worth it.