The term sous vide (pronounced soo–veed) is a French term, meaning under vacuum.
Sous vide is a culinary technique in which vacuum-sealed food is immersed in a water bath and cooked at a very precise, consistent temperature.
This cooking technique typically involves cooking food for longer periods of time at a lower temperature. The precise temperature control allows you to cook food to perfection, while the forgiving nature of this cooking method also eliminates concerns about overcooking.
Sous vide cooking is extremely simple and fool-proof, and produces extraordinary results.
The History of Sous Vide
This method of cooking was developed in the mid–1970s by chef Georges Pralus (at the internationally renowned Michelin Three-Star Restaurant, Troisgros, in Roanne, France) initially as a means of minimizing costly shrinkage of and optimally cooking delicate foie gras.
Chef Bruno Goussault subsequently adopted and expanded the technique to consistently provide gourmet-quality meals to first class travelers on Air France.
In the last two decades, sous vide cooking has sparked a wave of culinary innovation and creativity, and has become the secret of top chefs at major restaurants around the world.
Why Sous Vide?
What’s exciting about the sous vide method is that it is a new and unique way of cooking that yields different and better results.
Foods cooked sous vide develop flavors and textures that simply cannot be duplicated using any other traditional cooking method.
There are many benefits to cooking sous vide:
- Easy and foolproof. Perfect results, every time.
- Gourmet taste. Capture the full, true flavor of foods.
- Hands-off, time-saving meal preparation. Just set it and walk away.
- Added nutritional value. Natural juices and nutrients are retained in the vacuum seal bag.
- Saves you money. Tenderizes inexpensive cuts.
How to Sous Vide: The Simple Steps of Sous Vide Cooking
The simple steps of sous vide cooking -- Season/Seal, Simmer, and Serve—require little hands-on time to dial in perfect results every time.
- Season & Seal– Because the sous vide technique locks in the flavor, the food cooks in its own juices, intensifying its natural flavors. This means that you can season with a lighter hand or in many cases, after the fact. Vacuum/seal the food in air tight cooking pouches.
- Simmer – Drop the pouches into the precisely controlled water bath.
- Serve – Many foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and one-dish meals are delicious straight from the pouch. Proteins (meat, poultry, fish) are delicious out of the pouch as well, but may benefit from a quick sear in a hot skillet, under the broiler, on the grill, or with a kitchen torch to impart the beautiful golden color and savory caramelized flavor to these foods.
The Science Behind the Sous Vide Cooking Technique
The technique of sous vide cooking relies on the superior ability of water to transfer heat to food. To cook in a traditional oven, in heated air or on a hot piece of metal, the temperature must be set much higher than the desired cooked temperature of the food. Because of this, timing becomes quite critical.
Consider, for example, broiling or grilling a piece of steak. The broiler or grill set to high--400F/204C to 500F/260C—into or onto which you put a steak that you would like to cook to 134F/56C for medium rare. The outside of the steak will become charred and well done before the interior reaches the desired degree of doneness even in the short space of time the steak is exposed to the aggressively high heat. A few minutes too long in this super-hot environment and the steak will be overcooked and tough.
With the sous vide method, because water transfers heat to and through vacuum/sealed food about 10 times more efficiently than air does, the food can cook gently and precisely at the desired serving temperature, without ever exceeding it. The steak, in this example, would be cooked at 134F/56C and be perfectly medium rare from edge to edge. Food cannot overcook and timing isn’t a critical factor.
David DiCorpo is the manager of our East Cobb store and an avid foodie and well-known chef as well as big fan of sous vide cooking, needless to say.
