Sous Vide: The Secret to the Finest Restaurants

FOOD

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Inspired by the World

The secret to the finest restaurants in the world getting your food out perfectly cooked? That would be the sous vide technique, which involves vacuum-sealing the food’s flavors and then cooking it in a water bath. We have the tricks to do this MacGyver style, with a plastic bag and thermometer. Or with your very own sous vide machine.

Check out our video demonstration for sous vide here.

When I first started to sous vide, I learned the technique from our Europe Chef de Cuisine, Patricio (Pato) Fuentes. We met at his culinary school, Mimo in San Sebastian. Pato is one of the most talented chefs I have cooked with around the world. He upped my game in the kitchen with sous vide.

What I like about Pato is he doesn’t require you to have fancy equipment. I learned to sous vide with a ziplock bag, bowl of water and a thermometer. The key to successful sous vide is to vacuum seal the flavors into the food. Without a vacuum sealer, you can do this by placing your fish or meat in bag along with all the seasoning. Then you place that bag in a bowl of water, and allow the pressure of the water to “displace” the air in the bag. This allows you to get a natural seal. With the air out of the bag, you then just seal up the ziplock and you’re ready to start cooking.

With a thermometer, you heat your water to the desired temperature on the stove. Then you crank the heat down low so that it maintains that temperature. Add your sous vide bag to the pot of water, and set your timer accordingly. For halibut, it’s around 125-130 degrees for 30 minutes or so. You have to watch the temperature on the thermometer. You may need to add a little heat along the way to maintain your 130 degrees.

Of course, all of this is easier with the fancy tools like the vacuum sealer and the sous vide machine. The machine will automatically main your temperature, and also serve as the timer. I love though that I was McGyver and did this old school at the start. It wasn’t until my friend Liana gifted me a sous vide – the Darth Vader of machines by the way – that I actually got the fancy tools. Either way, it’s a go-to technique to cook when I have guests in the house. It keeps me out of the kitchen until it’s time to plate. The food also turns out perfectly, every time.

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FAQs

What is a disadvantage of sous vide? ›

If you're not careful about cooking times (as specified by the product manufacturer), your food can become contaminated. In addition, if your food is not properly vacuum sealed, or your food becomes contaminated during prep, cooking sous-vide poses an additional threat.

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Do restaurants really use sous vide? ›

Sous vide is a cooking technique that has been used in professional kitchens since the mid-1970s. Remarkably enough Sous vide has only really been on the rise in recent years. In more and more catering kitchens, (chef) chefs are discovering the possibilities of vacuum cooking.

Read On ›

Do professional chefs use sous vide? ›

The Precision

When you're working in a professional kitchen, there's no room for error, and things have to be done exactly by the book. This is where sous vide really comes into its own, allowing chefs an unparalleled level of control over their dishes.

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What can you not do with sous vide? ›

What not to do

Produce that no longer looks completely fresh or already smells strange is, of course, no longer suitable for the sous vide procedure. ...
Freezer bags, cling wrap and other common household plastic bags should never be used for sous vide cooking.

More items...

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Does bacteria grow in sous vide? ›

Sous vide cooking reduces vegetative bacteria to a safe level in a combination of time and temperature.

Is sous vide healthier than grilling? ›

Sous vide retains more nutrients and vitamins than other methods of cooking. Exposure to heat, water, and oxygen are the things that typically destabilize all of those wonderful nutrients when we're cooking, whether by charring meat to over-carbonization or leaching vitamins into water while boiling.

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Do steakhouses cook sous vide? ›

Sous vide steak is becoming more and more popular in restaurants and kitchens all over the world.

Learn More Now ›

Was sous vide a fad? ›

Some see it as something of a fad due to the way the foodie media world has taken to this fancy-sounding French name, but sous vide is actually so common in fine dining restaurants that half the time they don't even bother to mention it on the menu.

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What are major concerns with sous vide? ›

Concerns about sous-vide cooking generally fall into one of three categories: the safety of cooking in plastic, the safety of cooking at low temperatures, and the safety of vacuum-sealing.

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What are the best foods to sous vide? ›

The Best Foods To Cook Sous Vide

Tougher Cuts of Meat. What's important to remember here is that a 'tougher' or 'cheaper' cut of meat, doesn't necessarily mean a 'worse' cut. ...
Eggs. Eggs are one of the most popular foods to cook sous-vide for a couple of reasons. ...
Pork. ...
Lamb. ...
Carrots. ...
Filleted Fish. ...
Liver. ...
Fillet Steak.

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What are the side effects of sous vide cooking? ›

The main risks associated with sous vide that could lead to food poisoning are: food is held in the temperature danger zone (5°C to 60°C) for long periods of time which could allow harmful bacteria to grow.

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Is sous vide cooking good or bad? ›

Researchers say that food cooked sous vide holds more nutrients than food cooked using traditional methods. In a study of cereals and legumes, those cooked sous vide had a significant increase in minerals like iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, and potassium compared to traditional cooking methods.

What's the big deal about sous vide? ›

This technique stands out from conventional cooking methods in that this method ensures that food (especially proteins like a piece of meat like a pork chop or strip steak) is immersed in a stable, consistent temperature and helps to distribute heat to cook the food evenly and thoroughly.

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Does sous vide waste plastic? ›

Make your favorite sous vide meals, bag up your leftovers for easy storage, and even reheat with your Anova the next day for that same delicious meal all over again - all without increasing your plastic footprint. You can easily remove air from the bag by hand, then roll the top to close.

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Sous Vide: The Secret to the Finest Restaurants - Galavante (Travel & Lifestyle Website) (2024)

Recipes, Cooking Channel + Kitchen TipsInspired by the World