Sous Vide @ Home: what you need to do it in your kitchen

Curators of Good and Green Stuff for the Kitchen, Home and Beyond

Sous Vide @ Home: what you need to do it in your kitchen

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The good vacuum sealer

Sous vide. A revolutionary process of heating meats and vegetables by submersing them in heated water, up to 140 degrees, over a long period of time. This technique is part of the whole “molecular gastronomy” movement – where gourmet chefery meets science.

People who cook sous vide say it’s the best way to make really moist fish, that it brings out the colors and lively fresh flavors in vegetables and that cooking a steak sous vide renders the most tender delicious meat that melts in your mouth like meat flavored ice cream.

The process of cooking sous vide is fairly straightforward: you seal the food in plastic to keep the water out (we are not poaching it, we wan’t to keep the flavor in) – it is recommended to use a vacuum sealer and to sear each side after the sous vide soak using a fry pan or grill to get that brown crispy outside.

Food Sealer:

1) Deluxe: FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing Kit

2) Affordable: FoodSaver V2440 Advanced Design Vacuum-Packaging System

3) Ghetto: ZipLoc Freezer Bags

The next step is to heat the water. The key will be to keep a consistent temperature so it gradually raises the heat. The more accurate you can be the better. Chefs in a kitchen will employ the use of a water bath or a special immersion circulator that will heat/cool as necessary. You can use a stove top and thermometer, but it will require attention to keep it at the correct temperature.

Water baths:

1)Ultra Deluxe: Sous Vide TW20 Water Bath (note: it can even get more deluxe than this…but this is more than AMPLE for homes)

2) Deluxe: Immersion Water Heater: Sous Vide ED Heating Immersion Circulator

3) Ghetto: Stove top. This method requires attention as it’s crucial to keep the temperature steady. You’ll want a decent thermometer, a large pot and some cold water or ice nearby (in case it gets too hot…)

From there out, you monitor the food…cook it for a decent amount of time (this will vary depending on what you’re cooking) (here is a great article on it)…but really that’s it.

A good cookbook on the process is one by Thomas Keller called Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide

Warning: cooking food like this can grow botulinum bacteria…be careful and know the safety guidelines.

Let us know how it turns out!