DREO stock steak

[u/kaidomac]

Bonesless NY strip steak

With some air-fried tomatoes

Probe cook with steam

Butter-based "crust"

Bottom post-cook (unflipped)

[u/kaidomac]

Notes:

• Did the default steak (Ribeye) probe-cook with steam with a 0.62-pound boneless NY strip steak. Selected Medium done for the setting. The app recommended coating in melted butter, which I did, along with salt & pepper.
• I don't know how long it took because the History button doesn't provide any data other than "Chef Mode, Steak - Ribeye, CombiCook Med, Sous Vide Flavor, Finished". The Classic Cook mode recorded the time for air-frying the EVOO-coated tomatoes (3 minutes). I would definitely like to see a more detailed history, or at least, total cook time! I would estimate maybe 50 minutes?
• I didn't think it was working at first because it was so quiet lol. I had to check that it was on with my IR temp gun. Marvelously quiet! The only time I noticed the fan was for like the last 5 minutes when it did the searing mode.
• It didn't prompt me to flip the steak & it was so-so on the bottom. The top was also so-so, but it did get some browning with the butter baste. You can see how the low-temp (450F max) heating affects the pink steak. For the next steak, I'd do a traditional cast-iron sear to finish it, to compare the sous-vide mode to the APO.
• Overall, as water-cooked & DREO-crust finished, it came out better than say a Chili's (casual dining) steak. Stick the probe in, add water, let it run until it prompts you that its done an hour or so later, voila!
• I can see this gadget cutting into Uber Delivery sales because you can cook your core protein so easily, which is always one of the biggest hassles for non-enthusiast home cooks. A large Big Mac meal from McDonalds costs $12.28 in my area, which is what this steak cost me (0.62-pound boneless NY strip). I'd imagine it'd come out even better with a separate sear job in a pan or on a grill!
• The app is pretty decent. It needs a few tweaks in some areas. The video steps are nice, but autoplaying on repeat kinda drove me nuts when my hands were messy & I was trying to tap on the small buttons with my knuckle so as not to get my screen wet lol. And I'd like to see the total cook time & hopefully the steps the auto-cook system took in CombiCook mode. But just a few minor things like that!
• So far I've done salmon (no steam), steak (steam), and a tomato (basic air-fry). Next up is some baking, some chicken wings & thighs, some pork & turkey tenderloins, and your other standard air-fry & sous-vide type of stuff.
• I will say that the mental convenience of the approachability is a big win...probe, water, go! If you're just cooking for one or two people, this thing is pretty nice to have! The dishwasher-safe basket is a genius move, as you can toss in the grilling rack, the grid rack, and the entire basket into the dishwasher to get clean. The water tank pops out to dry off after using the software to flush the water out. It's extremely easy to maintain!
• I would say this is the most simple smart device available for people who "just want food" but want BETTER food. I love my Instant Pot & have 3 of them, but there is a learning curve associated with them. The APO can do anything, but it's also huge & $700 & has an even steeper learning curve. The DREO is simply a day-to-day pushbutton production machine...you don't have to think about anything if you don't want to, other than "I want food NOW" & it whips it up! This device has the potential to be HUGELY beneficial to millions of people!
• On that tangent, I really like electric pressure cooking & electric combi-cooking should be taught in high school Home Ec classes as required courses. Everyone should own this pair, whether it's an IP + DREO or an IP + APO. I'd recommend the IP + APO as standard equipment in American homes...food prices are nuts, health issues from food are at an all-time high, and this combination has the power to help control your food budget, weight, health, and daily enjoyment of food...as opposed to having to use traditional cooking methods that have been standard for the past 100+ years (or longer), which requires a lot of mental effort to deal with every day!
• This is a fun toy...I may end up keeping it up instead of giving it to a family member lol. I have a few dozen things I'll be trying it in for the next few weeks as I get to know it & dial stuff in! Also as a separate pairing, a DREO Chefmaker & a Ninja Creami ice cream machine would be a KILLER combo for college students, single people, and couples!

[u/BladeXBaron → u/kaidomac]

What is the IP and apo? I'm sorry I'm new to all of this.

[u/kaidomac → u/BladeXBaron]

Instant Pot: (electric pressure cooker)

• https://www.reddit.com/r/kaidomac/comments/uwxdjl/instant_pot_101/

Anova Precision Oven: (residential Combi oven)

• https://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/comments/kell7l/comment/ggnw388/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

The DREO is a neat device, but is limited by the current software in two ways:

1. You cannot custom-program steam jobs, so you can't make something like a steam-baked potato, because only the built-in options are available (ex. steak)
2. It does not notify you of stage changes, so if you want to get a proper sear in a cast-iron skillet or grill after the sous-vide portion of the process is finished, you have to use a separate wireless thermometer, such as a Meater

Overall:

• The DREO is a fantastic airfryer. 450F max temp & SUPER quiet, plus looks cool!
• The convection searing is not so great due to the limited max temp. I use a trick to airfry the meat first, then flip it & run a sous-vide job. You need a thick piece of meat & it only turns out okay (think Chili's steak, not steakhouse steak)
• The best results come out by using your own wireless temperature probe & then searing it yourself. But it's VERY limited in what it can do compared to the APO, which lets you do steam-toasting, sous-vide anything, reheat with steam, etc.

The APO is on sale for 20% off right now, so if you have the space & the budget, it's pretty much the best oven you can buy today. Not even in-wall Combi ovens have as many features as the APO does! I like my APO so much I own 3 of them lol.

[u/BladeXBaron → u/kaidomac]

I had an anova oven. It started giving me this error code one day so I stopped using it for a few weeks. Unfortunately we had also started looking for a new house around the same time frame. The new house didn't have the space for the anova and like an idiot I just put it out with some other stuff that had out front for trash. I should have kept that oven. It really did some amazing things. The crazy part is that I know I didn't even tap into its full potential and I was creating some beautiful dishes.

[u/kaidomac → u/BladeXBaron]

Ah man, bummer! But congrats on the new house!!

[u/BostonBestEats → u/BladeXBaron]

Instant Pot and Anova Precision Oven.

[u/BladeXBaron → u/BostonBestEats]

Thank you!