The benefits of sous vide

The sous vide cooking technique has been used in the catering industry for some time, mainly by (star) chefs. One of the main reasons that the cooking technique is now also used by hobby chefs is the price drop of sous vide equipment . The equipment is now affordable and easy to obtain. That is why we are going to zoom in on the biggest advantages of sous vide cooking in this blog. We will also compare the cooking technique with traditional cooking methods.

Traditional cooking methods

Traditional cooking methods include cooking the products in an oven or a pan. Heating the pan using gas, an induction hob or a ceramic hob makes no difference. When cooking in the traditional way, the food is cooked using a heat source that heats the pan. The food is then heated by the pan. When using an oven, the air around the product is heated. The pan or the air is much hotter than we want it to be. In fact, much too hot; if the food is left for too long, it burns…

Traditional cooking techniques refer to the following techniques:

• Baking or searing
• Steaming
• simmering
• Stewing
• Roast
• To stew
• Boiling or blanching
• Preserve
• Poaching
• Stir fry

Preparation temperature

The temperature of traditional cooking methods is often too high. This makes it difficult to determine when the product is perfectly cooked, because it is cooked very quickly at a high temperature. If you take it out of the pan or oven too early, the product is still raw, but if you take it out of the pan or oven too late, it is overcooked. In the traditional way of cooking, chicken fillet is cooked in the oven at, for example, 200 ℃ for twenty minutes. However, this temperature is much too high. Chicken is already cooked at a minimum temperature of approximately 60℃. The chicken fillet is therefore cooked in the oven at a temperature that is more than three times as high.

Prepare to core temperature

Sous vide cooking is the perfect solution for this. With sous vide cooking, the product is cooked by means of the heat that is transferred through the water. Because you can set the temperature very precisely, the food cooks exactly as you want it.

Do you want a rare steak? 51 degrees. Prefer medium-rare: 61 degrees. Still well done? 67 degrees.

Time is less important here. Depending on the thickness, a certain time is chosen, because the heat must have enough time to reach the core of the product and convert the proteins. After the minimum cooking time has elapsed, the food can remain in the water bath until the rest of the dish is ready. Even then, you still have a perfect cuisson .

The 8 Biggest Benefits of Sous Vide

1. Consistent result
   With sous vide, the temperature is constant, so the food is cooked to exactly the temperature you want every time.
2. You determine the result yourself
   The temperature can be set to the nearest degree, allowing you to determine exactly how you want your food to be cooked.
3. Prepare larger quantities at once
   Want to cook 6 steaks at the same time? With sous vide cooking that is no problem at all. And with a larger container you can even cook for 20 people at the same time with ease!
4. Tastier food
   Thanks to sous vide preparation, your food becomes more flavourful. Meat remains extremely tender. Fish remains juicy. Vegetables keep their lovely bite.
5. Healthier
   Because the products are packed airtight, nutrients and vitamins are preserved. This makes you eat healthier.
6. Simple
   Everyone can cook sous vide, from home cooks to chefs. Knowledge of cooking is a plus, but certainly not a must.
7. Effortless
   Just season or marinate, then wrap and cook. While your product is cooking sous vide, you don't have to look after it. Easy, right?
8. Culinary
   Serve the most flavoursome dishes. Products that are normally difficult to cook (asparagus, saddle of hare, etc.) now turn into culinary masterpieces.

Because the temperature never exceeds a certain temperature, the proteins in the product cannot be converted further and the product does not cook any further. In short: sous vide cooking is easy, takes less effort and the result is better!