First I should answer the question: Whatย is sous vide?
Sous vide is French for “under vacuum,” and maybe you will think of it as some kind of scientist technique, but basically all you’re doing when you sous vide something is vacuum-sealing it in a plastic bag and cooking it in a warm water bath at the exact temperature you desire for the final result.
I’ll admit that, to the uninitiated, the immersion circulator, can seem like just another kitchen gadget that will end up gathering dust in your already-crowded cabinets.
Now that you know what it is, let’s address some of the arguments:
1. It’s expensive
There are a handful of immersion circulators on the market at $200. I realize this isn’t cheap, but it’s a price more accessible than it once was.
2. It’s not “real” cooking
You can tell me that sous vide feels like cheating. It makes cooking so foolproof that it feels like now everybody can do it!
But it’s just another great tool to help you. It can help build confidence when you’re just starting out and, after a while, you can use it to get really creative.
3. It takes longer
A traditionally cooked steak goes from fridge to plate in 15 to 20 minutes; sous vide steak will take an hour or more. A barbecue pork shoulder on an outdoor smoker can take 6 to 8 hours; with sous vide, it can take over a day.
4. It requires plastic bags
While many people are concerned about the use of plastics in their kitchen, modern food-safe plastic bags do not have BPAs or phthalates that will leach into your food. And there’s a plus to cooking in plastic: Leftovers are easy to store because your meal is already in a bag.
5. Eliminates anxiety
Sous vide cooking relies on timing and the immersion circulator to do the precise cooking, taking much of the guesswork out of cooking.
And the final results tend to be pretty stunning; a steak or chicken breast is more tender and succulent than traditional methods.
6. Enormously practical
If you’re cooking for a range of food preferences or allergies, it can make life easier: you can cook chicken marinated in a lot of spices as well as chicken just sprinkled with salt and pepper at the same time so both parents and kids are happy.
7. Lets you be hands-off
Sous vide cooking means you can spend more time with guests since, once the pouch (with all the front-loaded prep) drops into the water, most of the hard work’s over and you can relax.
8. Less cleanup
The receptacle of water holding the immersion circulator doesn’t need to be washed out and the water can be reused, so all you have to do is throw out the plastic bag the food was sealed in.
BONUS
If you’re thinking of the environment, cooking sous-vide is more energy-efficient than using your gas range or electric stove. Once it gets to temperature, it only uses as much energy as a light bulb.
This technique can seem so foreign and fussy: Who needs plastic pouches and High-tech gadgets in the kitchen? But the advantages of sous vide can also be enormously helpful to the home cook.
xoxo,
Arianna
(Image credit: Sansaire)