What Is Sous Vide? Guide to Sous Vide Cooking

Lately, it seems like you can’t turn on a cooking show or browse through Pinterest without coming across the term “sous vide.” This cooking trend, which was once reserved for professionals, has become popular thanks to the introduction of affordable cooking equipment that lets you safely and easily do it at home.

What is sous vide cooking, and why would you want to do it? We’re glad you asked! Keep reading to learn everything you need to know.

What is sous vide cooking, and how does it work?

If you’re asking yourself, “What does sous vide mean?” you’re not alone. This French term translates to “under vacuum.” It refers to a method of cooking that involves vacuum-sealing food inside a bag, then cooking it in a water bath until it reaches a precise temperature. Then, the food is typically seared, grilled or broiled to create a crispy, golden exterior layer.

Before you start talking to your friends about it, you’ll also want to make sure you know how to pronounce sous vide. It’s pretty simple, even if you don’t speak French. “Sous” is pronounced like “soo” and “vide” is pronounced like “veed.” So, the proper way to say it is “soo veed.”

How to sous vide

Now that you know exactly what sous vide is, you’re ready to get started! The process of cooking sous vide is actually very simple.

1. Attach your immersion cooker to the side of your pot and set the desired temperature.
2. Season your food and place it in the bag.
3. Remove the air from the bag and clip it to the side of the pot.
4. Once the food has reached the desired temperature, finish it off by grilling, broiling or searing.

That’s it! When you’re done, you’ll be able to enjoy restaurant-quality food right from the comfort of your home.

Benefits of sous vide cooking 

Boiling your food in a bag might seem like a strange way to cook it, but water bath cooking allows you to get results you simply can’t achieve with any other method. The precise temperature control and water circulation create perfectly cooked food every time.

Here are some benefits of sous vide cooking:

• Precise temperature control: Sous vide cooking allows for precise control over the cooking temperature, ensuring food is cooked evenly from edge to edge. This precision helps prevent overcooking or undercooking, resulting in consistently delicious dishes.
• Consistent results: With sous vide cooking, you can achieve consistent results every time. Since you control the cooking temperature, there is little room for error, leading to reliably cooked food with the desired doneness.
• Enhanced flavors and texture: Using vacuum-sealing bags to cook food preserves its natural juices and flavors, which are retained during the cooking process. This slow and gentle method of sous vide cooking helps tenderize meats and vegetables while maintaining their texture, resulting in incredibly flavorful and succulent dishes.

Types of sous vide cookware

While sous vide cooking may sound complicated, it’s actually pretty simple. First, you’ll need to make sure you have three types of sous vide cooking equipment.

1. A sous vide cooker

If you’re ready to start experimenting with sous vide, you’ll be glad to know that there are many affordable options on the market today. A sous vide cooker is a good option for most households. If you want even more cooking options, you may want to purchase a pressure cooker with a built-in sous vide program instead. There are also sous vide products that come with their own water bath, but they can cost upward of $500. 

2. Food packaging

Sealing the food properly ensures an efficient transfer of energy from the heated water to the food while also preventing evaporation. Most people use a resealable freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or vacuum-sealing bag. Whichever option you choose, it’s important to remove as much of the air from the bag as possible. 

Using a vacuum sealer is the easiest and most convenient method. However, if you don’t have one, you can also use the water immersion method. 

Follow these simple steps for the water immersion sous vide method:

1. Place your food in a resealable bag.
2. Slowly lower the bag into a bowl of water, letting the pressure push the air out the top of the bag.
3. Carefully seal the bag just above the water line, making sure most of the air is out.

3. Sous vide container and clip

If you’re using an immersion cooker, you’ll need a container to hold the cooker, the water and your food. Any large pot will work. You’ll also want a clip to hold the bag of food to the side of the pot. A regular binder clip will work just fine.

If you’re using a slow cooker or other sous vide machine that has a cooking vessel built in, you won’t have to worry about finding a pot.

What can you cook using sous vide?

While steak might be the most common food that’s cooked sous vide, it’s certainly not your only option! Here are just a few of the foods you can cook sous vide:

• Meats: Pork, lamb, turkey breast, chicken breast, duck breast
• Seafood: Salmon, tuna, lobster
• Eggs: Scrambled or poached brown or white eggs
• Vegetables: Carrots, potatoes, corn on the cob, asparagus
• Desserts: Cookies, cheesecake, pumpkin pie, crème brulee
• Grains: Quinoa, oats, rice
• Cocktail infusions: Holiday-themed cocktails

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Kitchen scale

Measuring cup

Measuring spoons

Flour

Butter

Milk

Sugar

Olive oil

Baking powder

Is sous vide safe?

If you’re not used to this style of cooking, you may wonder whether it’s actually safe. While the thought of boiling your food in a plastic bag might concern you, numerous studies have shown that there’s nothing to worry about. The plastic bags used for cooking and storing food won’t leach chemicals into your food, and there’s no toxicity risk.

Since sous vide offers precise temperature control, there’s no risk of getting sick from undercooking your food. You can also use a cooking time calculator to find out how long to cook different types of meat.

Can you sous vide frozen meat? 

The answer to this question is yes! You can easily sous vide foods right out of the freezer without defrosting them. All you need to do is add 60 minutes to your cooking time. This will allow the food to completely thaw and cook to the desired temperature. It will be just as tasty as cooking it fresh and is so much more convenient! Check out these easy freezer meals for more inspiration.

Try sous vide today 

Whether you need equipment — like a sous vide cooker or a vacuum sealer — or ingredients to make your next meal, Instacart’s expert shoppers can take care of it for you!

Simply head over to Instacart and create your shopping list. Then, you can either pick up your completed order at your favorite store or have it delivered right to your home. Try it out today!

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