The sous vide method yields results that are nearly impossible to achieve by traditional means. In the photo above, both of the tenderloins started at the same weight. The steak on the left was cooked in a pan to a core temperature of 52 Â°C / 126 Â°F, but more than 40% of the meat was overcooked. The other steak was cooked sous vide to the same temperature and then seared with a blowtorch to yield a juicier steak that is done to perfection from edge to edge. Similarly, beef short ribs braised at 58 Â°C / 136 Â°F for 72 hours are melt-in-your-mouth tender, yet pink and juicy.
These stoves typically have capacities from 12,000 to 22,000 BTUs. Commercial-grade stoves generally have six burners and often feature accessories such as griddle plates or burners for indoor grilling. Like conventional gas stoves, they can be adjusted down to about 1,000 BTUs.
Propane gas is ideal for grills because, when pressurized, it compresses and turns to liquid, making it easy to store in tanks. It also contains more cooking energy than natural gas as measured in British Thermal Units (BTU). A BTU is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water 1Â°F. There are about 2,500 BTU in one cubic foot of propane and only about 1,000 BTU in one cubic foot of natural gas. Manufacturers tout the number of BTU their grills can produce, but the number can be very misleading. BTU is not indicative of the heat it can generate.