What is Sous Vide Cooking and How Does It Work?
Unlock a World of Culinary Perfection with Sous Vide Cooking.
Sous-vide cooking has become increasingly popular in recent years to cook food to the perfect temperature and retain juices and aromas. One of the key tools for sous-vide cooking is a vacuum sealer, which allows food to be vacuum-sealed in a plastic pouch (or sometimes a glass jar is used) before being placed in a water bath.
What Kinds of Food Can Be Cooked With Sous Vide Cooking?
Meat, seafood, and eggs
Vegetable side dishes
Vegetable side dishes
Sauces and infusions
Why Use Sous Vide Cooking?
Precise temperature control: Sous vide provides precise temperature control for consistent and optimal preparation, which is often useful in restaurants and in catering. Your meals will be less prone to overcooking since it can be cooked at a lower temperature over a longer period.
Moisture retention: Because your food is vacuum sealed in a plastic pouch, all of the juices and flavors are retained during cooking, resulting in a more flavorful and moist end product.
Convenience and versatility: Sous-vide cooking is a convenient way to cook – you can prepare your food in advance and cook it when you’re ready. There’s also no need to constantly monitor your food as it cooks, and you can use it with a wide variety of foods.
What Do I Need to Start Sous Vide Cooking?
A Heated Water Bath
This is the container that you'll use to cook your food. It needs to be large enough to hold your pouches and maintain a constant temperature. Often, an immersion circulator is attached to a pot, or a sous vide water oven is used to heat the bath to a precise temperature and circulate the water.
Heat-Resistant Plastic Bags
There are pouches that are specifically designed for sous-vide cooking that are heat resistant. These pouches are made from a food-grade plastic that are made to withstand high temperatures and are ideal for commercial cooking applications.
A Vacuum Sealer
This is the machine that will vacuum-seal your food in the plastic pouch. While not strictly necessary, vacuum-sealing your food in bags helps ensure efficient heat transfer and prevents water from entering your bags.
Other Optional Equipment:
Lid or cover
You can also use a lid to prevent extensive water evaporation.
Sous vide tape
Often used in commercial kitchens to seal the bag around a temperature probe to ensure the food stays at the right temperature.
Clips and weights
May be used to keep food submerged under water.
How Does Sous-Vide Cooking Work?
To cook sous-vide, you’ll first season your food and place it in a plastic pouch. Then, using your vacuum sealer, you’ll remove all the air from the pouch and seal it so no air or water can get in. Next, you’ll place the pouch in the water bath and set the temperature to the desired cooking temperature. The water bath will maintain a constant temperature, cooking your food to perfection. There are hundreds of simple recipes online that can get you started!
To wrap up, sous-vide cooking using a vacuum sealer is a fantastic way to cook food to the perfect temperature every time. With precise temperature control, moisture retention, convenience, and versatility, it’s easy to see why this cooking method has become so popular.
Want to learn more about the best bags and equipment for sous vide?
Share this post
Have a project in mind?
Get in touch today for a custom quote.