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Ask Jason: What Type of Whipping Siphon Should I Buy

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Hey Jason, which size of whipping siphon should I get? I'm looking at either the .5 liter or the 1 liter, what do you think is best? Do I need to get the iSi Thermo siphon? I'll normally be cooking for 4-10 people, if that matters.
-Dan

Hi Dan, that's a great question! Because I just got done writing my book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: The Whipping Siphon so I'm pretty up to speed on siphons and how they're used in different applications and group sizes. Here's what I've found.

Whipping Siphon Type

When it comes to the type of siphon, there are 3 main ones to look at: insulated thermos-style, heat-resistant, and standard. For all my testing I used the iSi Gourmet Whip and I never missed the thermo function. I always have either a refrigerator or hot water bath (or just a pot with hot water in it) around so I didn't need it to stay insulated.

I also like how I can change the temperature quickly with the Gourmet Whip. For instance, fill a siphon the day before, refrigerate it overnight until 30 minutes before dinner, then put it in a water bath to serve it hot. The Thermo one can't do that as quickly or easily. If you're going to be away from a fridge or water bath then the Thermo function might be more valuable.

I do highly recommend getting a heat-resistant whipping siphon. From pouring in hot liquids to cool or heating up the siphon to serve soups or sauces is something I use a lot.

Whipping Siphon Size

Siphons come in a few different sizes ¼ liter, ½ liter, 1 liter (½ pint, 1 pint, 1 Quart). When trying to determine what size to buy, the best answer is "It depends".

For my testing, I used both the .5 liter and 1 liter versions and they both were perfect at different times. I typically cooked for 2-4 people, with a few parties of 8-10 or larger. I could manage most dishes with either siphon, but each one had it's strengths.

For accents like froths, sauce-like foams, infused alcohols, and other things served in small portions the ½ liter was more than enough for all sized groups, while the 1 liter could be too big for the smaller groups.

For mousse, aerated soups, carbonated beverages, carbonated fruit, marinated vegetables, and other large portions the 1 liter was the better one for all group sizes since it held more.

I didn't use the smaller siphon, but I rarely found myself wanting something smaller than the ½ liter siphon. If you are planning on doing a lot of small infusions, or other very small servings then this size might be good for you.

So I'd just look at what applications you plan on using it for most of the time and start with the size that matches that. For accents and alcohols go smaller, for full dishes / carbonation go larger. And if you end up buying a second bottle, I'd probably get the other size, then you can get a real good feel for which one you're using more.

I hope that helps some. Whipping siphons are awesome, there's so much you can do with them so enjoy!

• Concepts: Ask Jason, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Vegetable
  
  Info: Mike Asked Jason: Another challenge for me has been getting creative with vegetables. I love your sweet and spicy carrots recipe, especially the convenience of dumping everything into the bag to cook and then you just put it straight on the plate and you don't do anything else with it. There are a lot of vegetable recipes you can do that with as long as you don't mind them being a little watery. Remember my 80% good enough mantra? When I'm cooking for a basic weeknight meal, I don't want to spend extra time and dirty more pots. I'll throw some vegetables in a sous vide bag with a little bit of olive oil or butter and a few herbs and spices. I'll cook them through until they're tender, put them on the plate and serve. I find besides being really flavorful, they're healthy to eat and the vegetables are perfectly cooked. It's a good way to kind of maximize my "golden rule". Getting Creative with Vegetables - Ask Jason
• Concepts: Ask Jason, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Beef , Sous Vide Tri-Tip, Sous Vide Tri-Tip Roast
  
  Info: My local stores and butchers don't carry much tri-tip meat, so I've only cooked it a few times. So I turn to sirloin steak and strip steak as a replacement meat. Unfortunately, I don't have many personal good tips for tri-tip specific, but I know a lot of people who love it. It's my understanding that you sous vide tri-tip to a steak-like temperature. You could select 131°F (55°C) if you like a medium rare steak. Some people enjoy tri-tip just heated through for 2 or 3 hours but others like to cook it a little bit longer to tenderize it. Sous Vide Tips on Tri-Tip - Ask Jason
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  Info: Timm Kuster says "We need more pickled vegetables on our plates!" That's a good comment because I also think pickled vegetables are great. I didn't do much pickling until my last cookbook Amazing Food Made Easy: Healthy Sous Vide. In that one I did 2 different pickled vegetable recipes and it showed me just how easy it is to use sous vide for pickling. Need More Pickled Vegetables? - Ask Jason
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  Info: Both Costco and my butcher regularly sell meat that is prepackaged in cryovac packages, is it safe to sous vide these store bought packages? Or do I need to repackaged them before cooking? It seems like it would work fine but I wasn't sure. - Jonathan Out of all of the questions I'm asked, this is probably the most common one! It makes sense because the allure of buying some pre-sealed meat, placing it directly in the sous vide machine, and having a great meal is so enticing. Unfortunately, as with most common questions, the answer really is "It Depends". Can You Sous Vide in Store Packaging - Ask Jason
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  Info: This Ask Jason article answers how to sous vide two steaks to different temperatures with only one sous vide machine. How Do I Sous Vide Steaks to Two Different Temperatures - Ask Jason
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  Info: The latest Ask Jason articles answers "How does the amount of food I add to sous vide affect the cook time?" and "How many chicken breasts can I put in one sous vide bag?". Click through to find out the answers! How Much Food Can I Put Into a Sous Vide Bag? - Ask Jason
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• Concepts: Alcohol, Cocktails, Drink, Foam, Fruit, Gelatin, Gelatin Foam Recipes, Gelification, Gelling, Gels, Infusions, Recipe, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Drink , Sous Vide Infusions, Sous Vide Recipes, Whipping Siphon, Whipping Siphon Gelatin Foams
  
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• Concepts: Appetizer, Cheese, Foam, Infusions, Party Foods, Recipe, Whipping Siphon, Whipping Siphon Foams, Whipping Siphon Infused Food
  
  Info: Honey goat cheese is already light and airy but in this recipe it gets a modernist cooking twist by using a whipping siphon to turn it into creamy clouds. I serve it on small flatbreads with port-infused figs for a fun texture and taste combination! Honey Goat Cheese Recipe with Port-Infused Figs
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  Info: Tequila has a bad reputation as a party drink but you can tame it if you replace the shots with this sophisticated cocktail. The paloma is a traditional Mexican cocktail and is much more common than a margarita south of the border. It is usually made with tequila and a grapefruit soda, such as squirt, served over ice, and is both easy to make and delicious. Paloma Recipe with Grapefruit Foam
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  Info: There are so many different things you can do with a sous vide machine that it can be hard to figure out what you want to try first. I think there's two categories of sous vide foods, things you can use sous vide to cook better, and things you can only do with sous vide. Here's some of my favorite things to do sous vide. Ask Jason: What Should I Sous Vide First?
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  Info: While a chambered vacuum sealer is the best way to do sous vide, they are several hundred dollars and overkill for many home kitchens. Many people turn to FoodSaver-type sealers, which can be convenient but they are expensive to buy bags for and can't really be used with liquids. So what is a home cook to do? Ask Jason: How to Use Ziploc Bags for Sous Vide
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  Info: In the latest Ask Jason, Leif asks "I am interested to know the shelf-life after opening these products, and how best to store them" so I take a look at it with help from Modernist Pantry. Ask Jason: How to Store Modernist Ingredients
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  Info: A whipping siphon is basically a reusable whip cream container. You can pour some cream in it, add some powdered sugar, charge it with N2O and it will instantly dispense whipped cream. It can be used in a similar manner with many fluid gels to create foams of different thicknesses. The heat resistant ones can also be used for hot foams and sauces. Whipping Siphon
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  Info: I recently purchased an iSi whipping siphon for easier creation of foams and also to carbonate various liquids. One of the first things I used it for was to create whipped cream (how can you not start there!). How to Make Whipped Cream with a Whipping Siphon
• Concepts: Ask Jason, Sous Vide
  
  Info: One of the most common questions we get asked about our sous vide recipes is some variation of "the recipe says to cook it for 3 to 6 hours, but when is it actually done". The short answer is that anytime within the given range the food is "done". As long as the food has been in the waterbath for more than the minimum time and less than the maximum time, then it is done. There isn't a specific magical moment of true doneness that can be generalized. For those that want more information, here's the explanation why. Why the Range? Sous Vide Times Explained

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This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm an adventurous home cook and professional blogger who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.

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