When it comes to cooking techniques, the list is seemingly endless. Of course, some are more friendly to beginning and amateur cooks than others, and some even make it possible for an inexperienced cook to make dishes that believe the level of experience they have. One of those is sous vide cooking.
What Is Sous Vide Cooking?
Sous vide cooking is a cooking technique that cooks food using a water bath. The water is heated and held at a consistent temperature, with the food placed in the water bath for cooking. Because the water is held at a set temperature, this technique allows you to cook food to a specific temperature far more precisely than you can with virtually any other method. You don’t have to worry about overcooking that perfect cut of steak again.
What Equipment Do I Need?
Given that the term sous vide translates to “under vacuum”, it makes sense that you would use vacuum sealed bags for this style of cooking. These bags make it easy to seal in flavor and prevent juices from escaping, making them ideal for this style of cooking, though it is possible to get by without them. If you opt to use vacuum sealed bags, you’ll need a vacuum sealer as well. Beyond that, you’ll need an immersion circulator and something to hold the food in. Plastic containers, like Cambros, make good options for sous vide cooking, since they hold heat better than pots generally tend to.
Is It Supposed to Look Like That?
Because of the way sous vide cooking works, you won’t get that beautiful browning from your water bath that you would if you used a different cooking method. That can mean that your meats won’t be browned on the outside, even if they’re perfectly cooked. To fix that problem, you can sear the meat in a hot skillet. It will look a little different than it would if you seared it before cooking it, but it should help the finished product look more like how you might expect it to.
Sous vide cooking is one cooking technique that should be on everyone’s list of cooking techniques to try. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and gives you the ability to turn out remarkably consistent dishes each time. While the details in terms of seasoning and flavor can take some trial and error to sort out, once you’ve mastered this cooking style, you’ll be able to recreate the dish again and again.
Want to give sous vide cooking a try? Check out our Sous Vide Cooking Equipment and Supplies so you can get yourself set up with everything you need to get started.