Slow cooker vs sous vide device

For the real cooking enthusiasts, there are always new techniques to discover. At the moment, there is a lot of fuss about the concept of slow cooker, a device that is aimed at slowly cooking products. In this blog, I will compare the sous vide cooking technique and the slow cooker, two progressive slow cooking techniques, so that you get a clear picture of the advantages and disadvantages of both cooking techniques.

 

How does a slow cooker work?

A slow cooker, known to many of you as a Crockpot, is a machine that offers the possibility to cook dishes slowly at a low temperature. This is possible due to the electric heating element that heats the inner pot of the slow cooker. If you are going to use a slow cooker, you should take the following steps:

1. Find a “slow cooking” recipe.
2. Prepare the ingredients.
3. Add some liquid to the slow cooker (depending on the recipe).
4. Place the ingredients in the slow cooker.
5. Set the slow cooker to the desired setting for … hours (depending on the recipe).

 

How does a sous vide device work?

A sous vide device is slightly different from a slow cooker. With sous vide cooking, it is not a pan or oven that cooks the food, but the heated water in which the food is vacuum-packed. The sous vide device can be attached to a sous vide container or pan containing x number of liters of water.

Then you set the desired time and temperature for the product on the sous vide device. As soon as the core temperature is reached, the sous vide cooker gives a message that the food can be cooked. Before this happens, it must be marinated and packed airtight.

How to pack food for sous vide preparation can be read here. When the food is in the sous vide container, start the timer and the water circulates through the container at the constant core temperature of the product. The sous vide cooker stops automatically after the timer has expired. The use of a sous vide cooker is as follows:

1. Find a sous vide recipe.
2. Prepare the ingredients.
3. Pack the food in an airtight container.
4. Fill the sous vide container with water (preferably warm water).
5. Set the desired temperature and time.
6. Put the food in the container (time depends on the product).
7. If necessary, edit it afterwards (grill, roast).

 

Advantages of a slow cooker

Healthy

A slow cooker cooks the food at a low temperature, so that the food is not 'cooked to death'. This means that many of the food's nutrients are retained. In addition, little to no fat is needed for preparations in a slow cooker, since a little moisture together with the juices from the food is sufficient.

Safe

Of course, it remains equipment, but using a slow cooker is relatively safe compared to cooking on an open fire. There is no chance of a flame catching fire in the pan and there is no need for continuous monitoring. Of course, there is always the chance that a fuse will blow or that another electronic defect will occur.

Durable

The slow cooker maintains a constant temperature that is maintained by the lid on the pan. The closed environment prevents heat loss.

Accessible

It is a very simple way to give your dishes at home a boost. In fact, every hobby chef can handle it and the results are often good.

Cleaning

Depending on the model, a slow cooker is easy to clean. Some inner pans are removable and can go in the dishwasher.

 

Disadvantages of a slow cooker

Contents

There are different sizes of slow cookers, but if you want different sizes you will need to buy multiple cookers.

Baking

It is not possible to bake in a slow cooker. This can be remedied by searing the meat beforehand or afterwards. However, this does mean an extra step.

Humidity

When cooking in a slow cooker, moisture is added and a lot of juices are released from the meat and vegetables, which can cause some foods to become soft or soggy.

Preparation time

There are no recipes that can be prepared quickly in a slow cooker.

 

Benefits of sous vide

Constant

The sous vide device can be set to the degree, this ensures that the product always cooks constantly at the desired temperature. The timer on the device will never cook the food longer than it should.

Quantity and quality

Because the sous vide cooker circulates the water at a constant temperature in the container or pan, it is possible to cook large quantities at the same time with a perfect result each time. When preparing large quantities, we recommend the larger sous vide container.

Flexibility

Unlike a slow cooker, a sous vide appliance is mobile. This is due to the fact that the heating element is not integrated into a pan, as with a slow cooker. It is easy to take the sous vide cooker with you to a friend's house, for example, and attach it to a pan or container there. In addition, it offers the possibility of using a smaller container or pan for a small meal and one with a larger capacity for larger meals. This way you save water. I recommend using one of our sous vide containers, as they have a lid and a suitable recess for the appliance, so that as little heat as possible is lost.

Vacuum

Because the food is packed airtight, all vitamins and nutrients are preserved. The vacuum packaging also ensures that the products have a shelf life of up to 5 times longer. Two birds with one stone!

Texture

All foods retain their natural texture. This ensures that meat becomes beautifully tender under sous vide cooking, fish remains juicy and vegetables are deliciously crispy.

Simplicity

It is easy to use and produces high-quality results. You can get started right away with the recipes and blogs on our website.

 

Disadvantages of sous vide

Preparation time

Depending on the product, the cooking time can be long. Spareribs can cook for up to 24 hours. Other products, such as salmon, only need to cook for 15 minutes.

Baking

As with a slow cooker, it is not possible to bake with a sous vide device. Our recipes also recommend that you then process the food afterwards for a nice crispy crust.

 

Similarities between sous vide and slow cooker

They are both slow cooking techniques, slow cooking leads to beautiful results and these methods are both leading.

When using the slow cooker and the sous vide device, the nutrients and vitamins of the products are preserved. This ensures that you eat tastier and healthier.

Baking is a functionality that neither technique has. For this you need to use another kitchen tool.

These techniques are really for everyone. They are very user-friendly, safe and require little to no attention once they are in operation.

 

Differences between sous vide and slow cooker

Vacuum packaging is the biggest difference between the two slow cooking methods and also the big advantage of sous vide compared to a slow cooker. All the flavors and juices of the product remain packed in the bag, where this is less in the slow cooker. Extending the shelf life of the product is also a big advantage. Especially if you prepare large quantities this is advantageous, since you can freeze a large part and on the day of use you only have to do the post-processing.

A sous vide device is somewhat more flexible to use because of the simple way of attaching it to any pan, provided it has the right depth.

The sous vide cooker prepares the food to the degree of precision , while a slow cooker often has the high and low settings as an option. This means that a sous vide appliance always cooks at the core temperature and never overcooks. With a slow cooker, it can happen that a product does not cook far enough, because no temperature can be set (depending on the model).

 

Cost comparison

If you decide to buy a sous vide appliance or a slow cooker, it is useful to know what the price category of both products is. There are different models of both appliances with more/less functions and therefore also with different prices. For that reason, I have highlighted a comparable model of both the sous vide cooker and the slow cooker. That means that both appliances have an adjustable timer and temperature.

 

Sous vide device

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Specifications

Assets	1300 Watt
Capacity	20 liter
Temperature	0 – 95 °C
Timer	0 – 60 hours
Brand	Wartmann
Type	WM-1507-SV
Weight	1.1 Kilograms
Dimensions (lwh)	41 x 10 x 5.7 cm

 

Consumption

Many people will say "10 hours of cooking, that uses an awful lot of power, doesn't it?" To clarify, I will compare the energy consumption for 10 hours of sous vide cooking with 10 hours of cooking in an oven, based on the average wattage for an oven of 2000 watts.

The calculation is as follows: (power in watts * number of hours of consumption)/1000 = consumption in kWh à consumption in kWh * average price per kWh

Oven : (2000w * 10h)/1000 = 20kwh to 20kwh * €0.22 = €4.40

Sous vide device : (1300w * 10h)/1000 = 13kwh to 13kwh * €0.22 = €2.86

 

Slow cooker

Price

Crockpot Slow Cooker Next Gen – €119 | €149

Specifications

Assets	250 Watt
Capacity	5.7 liters
Temperature	0 – 95 °C
Timer	0 – 20 hours
Brand	Crockpot
Weight	7.4 Kilograms
Dimensions (whd)	39 x 30 x 28 cm

Consumption

For the consumption of the slow cooker I use the same calculation as for the sous vide cooker.
Oven: (2000w * 10h)/1000 = 20kwh to 20kwh * €0.22 = €4.40
Slow cooker: (250w * 10h)/1000 = 2.5kwh to 2.5kwh * €0.22 = €0.55

 

Prepare

Sous vide preparation of pulled chicken

Ingredients

• 800g chicken
• Half a head of iceberg lettuce
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 avocado
• 4 ciabatta's
• 2 tbsp brown caster sugar
• 1 onion
• 100 ml water
• Tikka masala

 

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan or sous vide container filled with water, set the sous vide cooker to 64°C and heat the water.
2. Marinate the chicken with the tikka masala and add salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken in the sous vide bag with a knob of butter. Set the timer to at least 1 hour.
3. Put the chopped onion with water, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, salt and brown sugar in a saucepan and let it boil for 20 minutes. Then add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika powder. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
4. When the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the sous vide bag and shred it with 2 forks. Then mix the shredded chicken strips with the now cooled barbecue sauce.
5. Cut the baked ciabattas open to make the roll. Top the rolls with thinly sliced ​​tomato, avocado and lettuce.
   Tip: Burn the avocado with a kitchen torch to create a slightly roasted flavor.
6. Come on in!

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Slow cooker preparation pulled chicken

Ingredients

• 2 chicken fillets
• 1½ cups tomato ketchup, preferably with as little sugar as possible
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Ground red pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder

 

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and place in the slow cooker. Add the chicken and cover well in the sauce.
2. Set the slow cooker to high and set the timer for 3-4 hours.
3. After the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the cooker, grab 2 forks and pull the chicken apart.
4. Place the torn chicken pieces back into the cooker and toss with the BBQ sauce until all the chicken pieces are coated.
5. You can leave the chicken in the cooker on the keep-warm setting while you cut the rolls and prepare any salad.
6. Serve the pulled chicken on a bun with a fresh salad on the side.

 

Conclusion

Slow cooking offers a wealth of possibilities, both in a slow cooker and with a sous vide device. Both cooking techniques have advantages and disadvantages as you can read above. There are a few points that stand out:

• The flexibility that the sous vide cooker has compared to a slow cooker.
• Vacuum packaging which extends shelf life and preserves taste and nutrients.
• The capacity of a 20L sous vide container compared to 5.7L of the slow cooker
• The cost difference in energy consumption of the slow cooker compared to the sous vide appliance.
• The possibility to also prepare dishes quickly sous vide.

One point that comes with the sous vide appliance is that there are variable costs involved in the form of sous vide bags or vacuum bags. However, these also have an added value, because they offer the possibility of cooking for the long term while maintaining the quality of the food.

I sincerely hope you have learned more about all the pros and cons, similarities and differences of slow cookers and sous vide devices.