What is the story with sous vide?

Part 1: Meat 

 It seems like whenever you look at a menu these days, you see the term “sous vide”. What does it mean, and why do we do it?

What does it mean?

The words translate from the French term “under vacuum”, referring to raw food being placed in vacuum sealed bags then immersing them into a water bath for cooking.

The temperature control mechanism clamped to the side of the water bath is able to keep the water at a precise temperature for a long period of time.

The low temperature of this water bath is where the magic of sous vide comes from.

Why does this matter?

When we normally roast, our foods they are submitted to a much higher cooking temperature than the desired internal temperature .
For example, a perfect medium rare rib roast requires an internal temperature of 145 degrees, but we cook it at 325 degrees.
What happens to all of this meat that is being exposed to this high temperature? It sure isn’t cooking to medium rare!

Imagine, with sous vide you are guaranteed no part of this meat is cooked over the desired 145 degrees.

The result? Uniquely cooked foods that have not had undesirable cellular breakdown thus retaining all the beautiful moisture and flavor.

Are there problems when cooking sous vide?

The only thing missing when meats are cooked sous vide is the “Maillard Reaction” …the lovely, browning and crispy, caramelized parts that are created from high heat. This is nothing that a quick flash in a pan or grill can’t replace before service.

As an added bonus, a sous vide provides vacuum packing, which is amazing for marinating, compressing and storing our foods.

Watch for Sous Vide Part 2: Vegetables and Eggs