For #9 I wish they offered a clear better alternative, I wonder if they would agree on any one technique, probably not.
For me I haven’t found a better, easier way than reverse sear, I know sous vide is good but I refuse to go there for now.
Yeah, it takes some equipment, and like everything else there's a bit of a learning curve. For a lot of foods we like it works exceedingly well.
One thing though is that an item (poultry, fish, steak, etc.) cooked sous vide is essentially poached, probably not how you'd like to serve it. One way to deal with this is searing cooked meats rapidly in a cast-iron skillet. An alternative (that I prefer) is using my trustworthy Bernzomatic propane torch for the job. A quick "painting" with the flame gives a nice appearance and taste. Fun to do especially when we have dinner guests, a little dramatic flair never hurts.
And of course when not "incinerating" the evening meal, the torch is great for welding aluminum parts, a true multi-use tool.