Have you ever cut into a steak thought was perfectly cooked to medium rare, only to find it completely bloodless and unbearable to chew? Or perhaps your roasted chicken has the same texture as paper towels? Don’t be discouraged. Sous vide cooking can help you avoid these kitchen disasters. It may sound fancy and complicated, but it’s literally a foolproof method for cooking your every meal to just right. If you’ve never tried it before, here’s a practical, straightforward guide to what sous vide cooking is, why to cook this way, what equipment you’ll need, and how to get started.
What Is Sous Vide Cooking?
You may have heard of it in high-end restaurants, but sous vide cooking isn’t a new culinary technique. Its origins can even be traced back to the 1960s, when NASA was preparing food for astronauts. Although it wasn’t the same as today’s method, it laid the groundwork for what was to come. It wasn't until 1974 that French chef Georges Pralus introduced the method to the culinary world, which is why it retains its French name meaning “under vacuum.”
Sous vide cooking essentially involves vacuum-sealing food and seasonings in a soft, heat-resistant freezer bag, and cooking it in a water bath at a precise temperature for several hours, sometimes over ten. Basically, it is suitable for most cuts of meat, such as steak, chicken breast, pork chop, lamb shoulder, ribs, lobster tail, and even eggs, as long as you want them to be tender and juicy.
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Why Cook Sous Vide? The Benefits
So, what’s the point of sous vide? Why bother? The benefits are what make chefs and home cooks alike absolutely rave about it.
Consistency
This is the biggest advantage of sous vide. Simply set your sous vide machine to the desired temperature, and it will maintain the water bath at that exact level, avoiding any risk of overcooking. And, with reliable recipes, you can expect the same results every time.
Tenderness
When you cook meat on the grill or in the oven, up to 40% of meat juices can be lost. But with sous vide, all the juices are trapped in the bag, keeping the meat tender and juicy. This is especially true when you’ve bought an expensive meat like wagyu beef, where you definitely don’t want to mess it up.
Convenience
Just drop your vacuum-sealed food into the water bath and let it do its thing while you go about your day. What’s more, you can even prepare meals for the entire week ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator with the packaging. Since the food is vacuum-sealed, there’s no need to worry about oxidation or spoilage.
Nutritional Value
Traditional cooking methods not only strip away moisture, but also nutrients from food. In contrast, sous vide, which cook ingredients in a bag, can effectively preserve those essential nutrients. However, it’s important to note that prolonged cooking can still lead to nutrient loss, particularly of vitamins. In fact, some studies even suggest that cooking for extended periods may deplete nutrients more than quicker methods like stir-frying.
And the Downsides?
While sous vide cooking certainly comes with its benefits, it’s fair to say it does have some drawbacks.
It takes a long time. It's really low and slow. Unlike pan-frying or boiling chicken breasts, which typically takes about 10-15 minutes, sous vide can take 40 minutes or even longer.
Additional equipment is required. Sous vide cooking means you’ll need to invest in some extra gear, including a sous vide immersion circulator, a vacuum sealer, and a container for a water bath. The good thing is that you can find quality equipment at reasonable prices. For example, a complete set from INKBIRD costs less than $200.
The finishing touch is crucial. Sous vide can cook the meat to perfect doneness on the inside, but when you pull it out of the bag, it looks unappetizingly gray. You’ll want to give it a quick sear in a hot pan or on the grill to get that Maillard crust.
Is Sous Vide Cooking Safe?
This question often arises about whether it’s safe to cook meat at temperatures lower than those recommended by the USDA. While sous vide cooks at a low temperature, it’s done for a long enough time to kill most harmful bacteria that can cause spoilage and foodborne illness. This sterilization method is also known by a name - you might have heard of it - as pasteurization.
Furthermore, many people may feel uneasy about using plastic bags for cooking, and this is totally understandable. As long as the bags you use are food-safe and specifically designed for sous vide, you can avoid harmful chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA).
That said, there are still some potential risks. Certain foods, such as mushrooms, beans, and soy milk, can be toxic if not cooked at the right temperature or duration. For instance, red kidney beans must reach at least 212°F for several minutes to ensure they are safe to eat.
Is Sous Vide Cooking Healthy?
The healthiness of the final dish depends largely on the ingredients you cook, but in many ways, sous vide cooking is undoubtedly healthier than traditional cooking methods, especially when compared to deep-frying and grilling.
You may already know that high-temperature cooking methods can form potentially harmful substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which can cause DNA changes and increase cancer risk.
Furthermore, multiple studies have shown that sous vide vegetables retain more vitamin C and carotenoids than even steaming or boiling. Plus, sous vide cooking requires less seasoning for a better flavor, helping you reduce your intake of fat, salt, and sugar.
Equipment You Need to Get Started
The barrier to entry for sous vide cooking is actually lower than you might think. You don’t need to spend $2000 on lab-grade equipment. Instead, a few key items will set you up nicely.
- A sous vide machine: This is the heart of the operation, which heat and circulate water at a precise temperature. Brands like INKBIRD are popular, user-friendly, and affordable choices.
- A container: You can purchase a specialized sous vide container, but really, any large pot will do.
- A vacuum sealer: While it’s possible to seal bags using the water displacement method, a dedicated vacuum sealer will yield better results.
- Sous vide bags: These are the only supplies you’ll need to repurchase. Make sure they’re specifically designed for sous vide cooking, food-grade, and heat-resistant.
How to Sous Vide?
Although sous vide cooking may take several hours or even dozens of hours to complete, you don’t have to worry about it most of the time, and the process is surprisingly straightforward. It’s basically divided into three main steps:
- Season and Seal. Season your food as desired, then vacuum seal it in a sous vide bag.
- Cook in a Water Bath. Submerge your food in the preheated water bath, and wait for the cooking time to complete.
- Finish with High Heat. Remove the meat from the bag, pat it dry, and give it a quick sear in a hot pan, on the grill, or under a torch.
That’s it! Easier than you thought, right? And if you’re making sous vide egg bites, sous vide cocktails, or chocolate lava cake, you don’t even need the last step.
FAQs
Is sous vide worth it?
Yes, especially if you’ve ever been disappointed by a dry chicken breast or an overcooked steak, it’s a total game-changer. It feels a little fancy, but it honestly makes cooking easier and way more consistent.
Can you sous vide without a machine?
No. You could try to babysit a pot on the stove with a thermometer, but it’s a huge pain and you’ll never keep the temperature steady. So, you will need a sous vide machine to do all the work for you.
What foods are best for sous vide?
It has to be said that sous vide cooking works well with almost everything, but meat and protein are where it really shines, as it makes meat juicy and tender, even that tricky chicken breast.
How long does sous vide cooking take?
Here's the deal: it's not always fast, but it's weirdly flexible. A steak might take 1 to 3 hours. A big tough roast could take a full day. But the cool part is that once it's done, it can usually just hang out in the water bath for a while longer without ruining. So you have a window to get everything else ready, which is great for dinner parties.
