Sous vide has the power to revolutionize cooking.
When mastered, it’s a time-saving and flavor-exploding game-changer. It can be a little intimidating to get started, but with a little know-how and a bit of practice, sous vide will become a go-to approach for getting the most out of meals.
Tamme McCauley discusses everything you need to know about sous vide below.
What is Sous Vide
French for “under vacuum,” sous vide is a cooking technique once solely used by professional chefs that is now quickly gaining in popularity with home cooks.
Sous vide revolves around putting ingredients into a bag that is vacuum-sealed and then placing the bag into circulating water, fully immersed, and heated through a precise temperature.
How Sous Vide Works
The water circulator is the sous vide machine itself. A pot is filled with water to cover all of the food being cooked. Some machines come with a built-in water level recommendation sensor. To preheat the water, the circulator is put in the pot to rise to a set temperature.
Once it is completely heated, food is placed into the plastic bags fully seasoned (think of it as a built-in marinade, since food is cooked and marinated simultaneously.
The bags should be vacuum sealed or resealable. Then all one needs to do is use the sous machine to perfectly cook food. Typically, a machine’s manufacturer will outline recommended temperatures, such as 130 degrees for steak, and the time needed for a perfect cook, for example, 1-4 hours.
Many foods cooked sous vide can be eaten as soon as it is taken out of the bag. However, some require some extra steps depending on preference. For example, to sear a steak it should be finished in a pan.
Sous vide is particularly effective in cooking hardy vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, tenderloins, tuna and salmon filets, and boneless chicken breasts.
Benefits of Sous Vide
Immersion cooking techniques like sous vide often take longer than conventional cooking in an oven or on a stovetop. But while it is considered an advanced form of cooking, it’s not overly complicated and sous vide tools can now be found in popular retail stores across the country.
Other benefits include:
It Cooks Food Just Right
It’s easy to overcook meats and vegetables. Sous vide uses lower temperatures and ones that are always maintained during long periods, making dry meats and mushy vegetables a thing of the past. Plus, one can use their favorite pots and other kitchen tools in coordination with the sous vide machine.
It’s Healthier
Sous vide usually requires far less salt, oil, and fat than other methods since the food is sealed via a vacuum. Nutrients are also better preserved during slow cooking methods.
It’s Great for Meal Planning
Sous vide makes meal prep easy since multiple types of food can be organized, seasoned, and vacuum sealed at the same time, cooked, and then reheated in minutes. Sous vide is also perfect for reheating meat without drying them out in the process. It’s also great for freezing leftovers.
