Hip and Happening at the moment Sous vide cooking | vacuum cooking | but did you know it’s a 1970s cooking technique?
Sous vide cooking is a technique developed in the 1970s by the Frenchman Georges Pralus. This French caterer used the technique to make his famous Jambon au poivre vert. In the 1980s he opened a cooking school and from there the vacuum cooking became really known in the culinary world.
Getting started with Sous vide cooking at home what do you need for that
- Vacuum cleaner (for sale in all shapes and sizes)
- A vacuum bag suitable for sous vide cooking
- Large container with lid and a sous vide stick
- A thermometer to measure the core temperature of your product
- A plastic strip to maintain the vacuum during measurement
- You can also use the steam oven
The points above are the minimum requirements for good vacuum cooking. If you have a Sous vide device, it’s even easier. Plastic bags with a clothespin, zipbags and more of those things don’t work if you seriously want to cook Sous vide. If you Google , you can find everything online.
The Sous vide cooking process
First read the 3 tips for cooking safe Sous vide before you get started at the bottom of the article! If you use these tips, you can safely cook Sous vide without any problems.
The whole process of Sous vide cooking takes place in the water bath. So fill the container with water sous vide stick to set the correct temperature and the device do the rest. If I can give you another tip, it’s this one. Fold the top edge of the vacuum bag before filling it. Then the bag stays clean and always seals tightly.
The dangers of Sous vide | Vacuum cooking
Are there any dangers? Especially since what are you going to do? You will put a raw product (meat, fish, poultry, game) in a bag and then let this bag gently well in warm water for hours. Chances are that if you don’t work hygienically you’re going to get pretty sick.
Safe Sous vide cooking 3 tips
- It starts with hygienic work. The cutting board, knife, bag or your hands should always be clean.
- Make sure your product is really fresh!
- If you’re not going to eat your dish right away, cool it back as soon as possible. You can do this by placing the bag in a container of ice water.
And how long do you have to cook Sous vide | vacuum cooking |
The time when your dish should cook sous vide vide (actually it’s soft yarn) depends on the product you’re going to prepare. On the Internet you can find all kinds of tables for a global time that your product needs. Please note that you take into account the thickness of the ingredient you are going to prepare! This has quite an impact on the time you have to keep.
Prepare large pieces of meat Sous vide | vacuum cooking |
I myself came across a nice example on a site that was going to cook a Cote de Boeuf Sous Vide. You had to do that for three hours at 51c. But what is your core temperature? It is still a difference whether that piece of meat is 1kg or 3 kg. It is best to measure the core temperature of your product. Then stick a strip on the bag before putting it in the water. Then measure the temperature by pushing the thermometer through the strip. The bag will remain vacuum in this way and no moisture will enter. The picture below shows that principle with a whole pike perch.
The benefits of sous vide cooking
- Low vitamin loss
- You can make low-calorie dishes
- Court of First Instance will last longer
- The ingredients become fuller in taste
Can you cook everything sous vide
Actually, almost everything works. I personally think that green vegetables do not stay nice in color if you cooked this Sous vide. You can keep green vegetables in a good vacuum. When preparing a nice piece of meat, you will have to fry the meat before serving.
What else can you use your vacuum machine for
The device was once conceived to extend the shelf life of products. When there were no appliances for it, food was put under salt or oil, for example, to prevent spoilage.
Outside of Sous vide cooking, you can use the technique for:
- Marinating in vacuum
- Brining in vacuum
- Yarn in vacuum ( Ceviche)
- Fermenting in vacuum (e.g. fermented garlic)
- Pasteurizing products so that they have an even longer shelf life
The best cookbooks about Sous vide cooking | Vacuum cooking |
The first Dutch language book about sous vide cooking is by Felix Alen (Vacuum Yarn). The Sous vide technique is also discussed in the first cookbook by our Dutch cooking hero Cas Spijkers. The cookbooks about today’s Sous vide cooking technique are.
- Under Pressure van Thomas Keller
- Sous Vide by Hubertus Tzschirner
- Vacuum cuisine van Joan Roca
- Vacuum yarn by Felix Alen
If you want to delve into whether Sous vide cooking is for you first, this might be an option: Sous vide cookbook for complete cooking at home. A free book you can download.
Recipes times and tables for Sous vide cooking | Vacuum cooking
This site gives a lot of good information about Sous vide cooking. It says, among other things. also how long you need to cook taking into account the thickness of a product. If you are looking for recipes for Sous vide cooking of fish, meat, crustaceans, vegetables or fruits, you can find that on this site.
Have Fun with cooking!
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