What Is Sous Vide ?
Sous Vide is a french word. The literal Sous Vide definition in English is ‘under vacuum’. The word was coined to describe a cooking technique. As the name implies, food is cooked in a vacuum or more accurately is sealed or vacuum packed and then cooked in a water bath. This ensures that all the flavors and goodness in the product are retained. Given that the food is effectively broiled, it also means that the texture of the food will be different from other methods that are usually used to cook too.
Background To Sous Vide
This method was probably first used in any volume by commercial food producing companies. As the food was vacuum sealed, it meant that it could be preserved longer but still retain a soft texture, unlike say, drying which made meat products tough. This was an obvious boon for commercial food companies.
The technique was brought into the mainstream, so to speak, by Georges Pralus and Bruno Goussault. Pralus started using the technique as head Chef in the famous Restaurant Troisgros. Goussault is a food scientist and pretty much an authority of the Sous Vide technique.
It has become a fashionable cooking technique with many famous chefs, notably Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller and Richard Sousa. There are even home appliances available that mean Sous Vide cooking at home is now possible for cooking enthusiasts and amateur chefs.
The Sous Vide Process
You can cook just about anything using this method however various meats seem to be popular for many people. Again, this is possibly because it allows the meat to retain all the flavor and goodness but with a unique texture. This is appealing to people that might find the fried chicken a bit dull or even roasted meats. It offers a different eating experience.
The food is initially sealed in a Sous Vide bag, which is a plastic bag that can withstand the heat in a water bath but is flexible enough to seal tightly around any kind of foodstuff without being torn or split in anyway.
Once you place the item of food in the bag, you attach the bag to a Vacuum Sealer machine. This sucks all the air out of the bag and seals it tightly around the food. These machines can be tricky to use at times, especially if there is water or any other moisture on or around the food item.
Once you have sealed the bag, you drop it into a water bath. The temperature of the water will differ depending on the types of foods you are cooking and even the effect you want to create with the item. This will also determine how long you leave the bag in the water bath. The bath may have a built in heater or you may use an immersion circulator to get the water to the required temperature.
You will be surprised how low the temperature has to be. This is part of the idea behind sous vide cooking. The temperature is much lower than say broiling a similar item.
However, it is very important that you get the temperature right as the food can be harmful to consume otherwise. This was the main reason why this cooking method was until recently reserved for professional chefs. However, with the release of a number of books by famous chefs on the topic and various appliances, like the SousVide Supreme VSD100 water bath, this type of cooking can be done at home.
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