A year ago for Christmas, my wife gave me a sous vide. It sat in the box for a year.

This year for Christmas, my wife gave me several sous vide accessories and cookbooks. Hint, hint.

Why I didn't use for a year I suspect was a combination of ignorance and apathy. Not only had I never heard of it, once I looked at it, I decided why bother?

This year, I promised I would use it. Today was the day. I cooked pork chops in it, pulled them out to brown briefly in the skillet.

They were delicious. Moist, juicy. But are they better than pork chops that braised in a dutch oven for the same amount of time? I don't know.

That said, I am embarking on cooking a wide variety of food using this cooking technique. I am starting this thread here for others interested in this cooking method. Interested in tips, questions, and shared experiences.

Since my first post, I have now cooked three other meals using the sous vide method:

1. Boneless skinless chicken breast
2. Sockeye salmon fillet
3. Filet Mignon and lobster tail (New Year's Eve!)

The boneless chicken breast came out excellent. I added some homemade pesto to the vacuum bag. Very moist. Leftovers made a great chicken salad.

The salmon fillet was okay. Similar to eating poached salmon. My favorite way of cooking the salmon fillet, under the broiler with butter, lemon and chopped dill, is better.

Lobster tails were fantastic. I had to parboil them quickly and chill them down to take the shell off of them, lest risking the shell puncturing the bag. Added butter and a couple of sprigs of tarragon to the vacuum bag. Cooked the steaks at the same time, then quickly seared them in the cast iron skillet. I can't I noticed that they were any juicier that just cooking the steaks in the skillet, skipping the sous vide step.

Next up: I have seasoned chuck roast in the freezer I bought from Ryan's in Jordan back in October. Already vacuum sealed and in the bag. I will cook it in the sous vide for a long time and roast some potatoes, carrots and parsnips to go with it.

I recently got a sous vide as well. Have done a pork loin with it. I did it from frozen, about 3 hours and then browned it in a skillet. I thought it was more tender and juicy than the usual grill method we've used. My husband, who usually grills, didn't think it was anything special. I plan to use it more - just have to think ahead.

I have to report that the sous vide chuck roast from Ryan's is to date the best thing the sous vide method of cooking has produced so far. I started it at noon Friday at 130°F and pulled it out at 5 p.m Saturday for a total of 29 hours of cooking. It turned that chuck roast into a prime rib. I am now sold on that way to use it.

Next up: I am sous viding tri tip steaks for our annual chili cook off on the ice this Saturday.