Is your repertoire of go-to recipes and dishes getting a bit stale? Are you willing to try new and adventurous techniques in the kitchen? Try sous vide! Sous vide is a method of cooking foods at a low temperature over a long period of time. While it may sound really intimidating, it’s actually very doable at home. Not only will it impress your friends and family, but it will also impress your taste buds too.
What Is Sous Vide Cooking?
Sous vide is a French term meaning “under vacuum.” In the world of cooking, it refers to a method of sealing food in vacuum-sealed pouches and cooking it under controlled time and temperature conditions in a heated water bath. Compared to conventional high-heat cooking, sous vide cooking occurs at a lower temperature (typically 150○-200○ F) for an extended period of time, ranging from 1-7 hours (1,2). Sous vide was previously limited to fancy restaurants and trained chefs. However, it has gained popularity among home cooks due to its many benefits. It may also have to do with the frequency with which it is used on popular cooking shows (here’s looking at you, Top Chef!).
What Are The Advantages of Sous Vide Cooking?
Sous vide cooking offers many benefits – from convenience, locking in flavor & nutrients, and maintaining safety & quality. Here’s a breakdown of some of its advantages (2,3):
Convenience
- Meal prep for the week (and beyond) – Sous vide is a great option for meal prepping at home. While you can cook and serve meals immediately, you can also store cooked pouches in the refrigerator or freezer until it is time to reheat and eat, allowing for on-demand, quick, convenient meals.
- Longer shelf life – Sous vide food tends to have a longer shelf-life than other prepared foods. The shelf life can be longer than six days depending on the preparation method!
Flavor
- Better flavor – The pouches ensure food is protected from oxidation (or exposure to air). Oxidation is the enemy of freshness, so cooking foods sous vide style protects them from off-flavors and locks in the good ones.
- Foods are tender and moist – Sous vide allows food to cook in their own juices without the risk of evaporation, ensuring flavor and moisture are maintained, which is especially important for the tenderness of meats.
Nutrition
- Maintains more vitamins & minerals – Several nutrients, like vitamin C and B vitamins, can be lost or degraded during traditional cooking methods. Research shows that sous vide can prevent the loss of these minerals and heat-sensitive vitamins during the cooking process, thus ensuring a more nutritious food product.
- Requires less fat – Unlike traditional cooking methods, sous vide doesn’t need butter and oils added to foods to enhance flavor or prevent sticking to the pan.
- Perfect portions – Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just trying to live a healthier lifestyle, sous vide allows you to measure and portion meals to meet your nutritional specifications perfectly.
Quality
- Food safety – Sous vide reduces the chance of bacterial growth due to the decreased exposure to oxygen.
- Control over results – Precise temperature control allows for consistent results and greater control over food doneness, especially meats.
- Less waste – Having the ability to control portion sizes and meal prep allows for a lower chance of throwing away uneaten leftovers.
If you’re convinced about sous vide, but don’t want to be bothered with buying any equipment or doing any of the leg work, give RealEats a try! Real Eats is a meal delivery service that ships sous vide-style, nutrient-packed foods, right to your door. It allows you to bring this innovative cooking technique to your own kitchen and helps to simplify your life. Talk about win-win!
References
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7693970/pdf/foods-09-01537.pdf 2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878450X11000035 3. https://vet-erinar.vet.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1560
