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 drop in the price of sous vide equipment . Now the equipment is affordable and easy to obtain. That is why in this blog we will take a closer look at the biggest advantages of sous vide cooking. We 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 plate 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 you use 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, way too hot; If the food is left for too long it will burn…

Traditional cooking techniques include the following techniques:

• Fry or sear
• Steaming
• Simmer
• Stew
• Braden
• Braising
• Boiling or blanching
• Preserve
• Poaching
• Stir fry

Preparation temperature

The temperature with traditional cooking methods is often too high. This makes it difficult to determine when the product is perfectly prepared 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 will be 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 cooked in the oven at a temperature that is more than three times higher.

Prepare at the core temperature

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

Would you like to have a steak rare? 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 cooking experience .

The 8 biggest benefits of sous vide

1. Constant results
   With sous vide the temperature is constant, so the food is cooked exactly at the temperature you want every time.
2. You determine the result yourself
   The temperature can be set accurately to the degree, so you can determine exactly how you want to cook your food.
3. Prepare larger quantities at the same time
   Do you want to cook 6 steaks at the same time? This is no problem at all with sous vide cooking . And with a larger container you can even easily cook for 20 people at the same time!
4. Tastier food
   Thanks to sous vide preparation, your food becomes tastier. Meat remains extremely tender. Fish remains juicy. Vegetables keep their nice bite.
5. Healthier
   Because the products are packed airtight, nutrients and vitamins are retained. This makes you eat healthier.
6. Simple
   Absolutely anyone can cook sous vide , from home chef to chef. Cooking knowledge is an advantage, but certainly not a must.
7. Effortless
   Season or marinate briefly, then wrap and let cook. You don't have to worry about it while your product is cooking sous vide. Easy, right?
8. Culinary
   Put the most tasty dishes on the table. Products that are normally difficult to cook (asparagus, saddle of hare, etc.) now turn into culinary delights.

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