Sous vide (French for 'under vacuum')
has experienced a huge surge in popularity as a cooking method.
What was once seen as a method reserved strictly for the elite
has become much more broadly accessible.
What is Sous Vide?
Very simply, sous vide entails vacuum sealing meat or fish into a plastic bag and placing in a water bath until a target temperature is reached, or a specific time has elapsed.
The food is removed from the bag once it reaches the target temperature and quickly seared or finished. Nothing could be easier.
Interested? Try out the method before investing in sous vide equipment; any cooker that can hold a desired temperature to within a degree or two will suffice for the short term.
Key Benefits
For those still not convinced, here are just a few of the benefits of the sous vide style of cooking.
- Achieves results almost impossible to gain from traditional cooking methods.
- A perfect finish is easier to attain wherever the window of desired readiness is slight.
- Retains the weight of meat, locking in juice and moisture.
- Internal temperatures are reached without the surface becoming overcooked.
- Efficiently kills potential harmful pathogens to improve food safety without drying out or toughening of meat and fish.
- Offers consistency allowing you to achieve perfection every time.
- Noticeably juicier and more tender results, the sealed bag creating a humid environment that braises the food.
- Though not immediately finished to perfection once cooked, quickly searing after removal from the water bath will add traditional presentation and flavour when necessary.
- Chefs don’t need to stand guard to get the best results, allowing time to be spent on other areas of food preparation.
TOP TIP: if experimenting with the sous vide technique before investing in equipment, don’t skimp on the quality of the cooking bags you use. To optimise food safety it is vital to use food grade polyethylene storage bags; steer well clear of cheap bags manufactured using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as when heated could pose a risk of chemical transference to the food.
Why not try a new way of cooking and discover that sous vide is a brilliant technique for every style of business.