Your cart
There are no more items in your cart
If you're a passionate cook, or simply an epicurean looking for a new culinary method to enrich your preparations, the art of sous vide cooking is a technique you should learn. This cooking method offers unrivalled flavor and texture to food, while preserving its nutrients. Let's explore together the techniques and tips that will help you succeed with sous vide cooking.
Understanding sous vide cooking techniques
The history of sous vide cooking
Sous-vide cooking was developed in the 1970s by French chef George Pralus. He was looking for a way to improve the quality of foie gras, which lost much of its weight during traditional cooking. Since then, the method has become popular the world over, thanks to its many advantages.
Initially invented to meet the specific needs of gastronomic establishments, sous vide cooking has also conquered the homes of culinary enthusiasts looking for a new, innovative and practical way to prepare their favorite dishes.
.jpg)
Basic principles of vacuum cooking
The basic principle
This technique involves cooking food in a sealed plastic bag at low temperature over a long period of time. It was initially used by professional chefs for its efficiency and reliability.
The main advantage of this method is that it allows food to be cooked evenly, ensuring that the inside is not overcooked while the outside remains intact. As food is cooked in its own juices, it retains all its aromas and nutrients.
Low-temperature sous vide cooking process
Sous vide cooking is based on the principle of cooking food at a constant, precise temperature over a long period of time. Food is placed in an airtight bag, often made of plastic, then immersed in a water bath heated to a specific temperature.
The food remains moist as all humidity is trapped inside the bag during cooking.
Why is precision important?
In traditional cooking, it can be difficult to achieve temperature precision. With sous vide cooking, you can set your equipment to a precise temperature to ensure that your food is cooked exactly the way you want it.
This virtually eliminates the risk of overcooking or burning, and also helps preserve food nutrients.Even heat distribution also ensures that every part of the dish is cooked evenly.
Before opting for this method, our suggestion is to have a clear understanding of the tools required.
Choosing the right equipment for sous vide cooking
The essential equipment: the bain-marie or circulatory immersion system
In order to excel in this particular culinary method, our recommendation is to have the right equipment. To begin with, you'll need a tool capable of maintaining the water at a precise temperature throughout the cooking process: this can be either a bain-marie with built-in thermostat, or even better, a more compact and precise circulatory immersion device.
You can also invest in a dedicated vacuum machine that combines these two functions if you plan to use this method regularly.
With these modern appliances, you no longer need a large professional kitchen to produce a tasty sous-vide recipe!
Complementary accessories: food-grade plastic bag
To pack your food before immersion in the bain-marie, special food-grade plastic bags are required to prevent any contact between the water and your preparation. Follow our guide to vacuum bags to make the right choice.
These bags must then be hermetically sealed with a special machine(external vacuum machine or , even better, a bell machine) so that no air can come into contact with the food during cooking.
Major advantages of sous vide cooking
Tasty results guaranteed
One of the undeniable major advantages of sous-vide cooking is its ability to naturally enhance flavors. Because ingredients are cooked in their own juices, they retain their natural flavors that can otherwise be lost when exposed directly to an intense heat source such as pan-frying.
Also, as mentioned above, this method almost totally eliminates the risk of overcooking, giving meats in particular exceptional tenderness while preserving their natural juiciness.
Enhanced nutrient conservation
Cooking foods at low temperatures not only prevents them from drying out, but also greatly helps to preserve their nutritional values, compared with traditional methods where they can be significantly destroyed by excessive exposure to heat or direct contact with boiling water when boiled, for example. The result is healthy dishes that are just as tasty!
However, despite all these interesting advantages, there are still a few negative points that need to be pointed out.
Potential disadvantages of sous vide cooking
Potential inaccessibility
Even if some people improvise with existing household equipment, getting the best possible results with this method often requires fairly expensive equipment, which can be a barrier for many. Overall, it's a substantial investment in terms of both time and effort, especially when compared with other, faster methods such as sautéing or grilling, where the return on investment is almost instantaneous.
Increased health risk
If not carried out correctly, this method can rapidly turn into a potential source of serious food infections. Indeed, certain pathogens, notably botulism, thrive in the anaerobic (airless) environment typically obtained when we 'sous-vide' our ingredients. Hence the crucial importance of strict compliance with the good practices mentioned above. Following this mitigated observation, it's time to weigh up our findings against those of our good old traditional method.
Traditional cooking versus sous vide cooking
| Traditional cooking | Vacuum cooking | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Simplicity/accessibility | High | Low | |
| Speed | Fast | Slow | |
| Health risk | Low (if performed correctly) | High (if badly executed) | |
| Temperature/cooking control | Low (varies according to heat source) | High (precise constant time) | |
| Flavor/Nutrient preservation | Medium | High | |
| Taste/Texture | Good | Very good |