Sous-vide technology: the complete guide

If this is your first time hearing the term “sous vide”, I envy you a little – after all, you have yet to get acquainted with this cooking technology, which will change all your ideas about tasty and healthy food.

The triumphant march of sous-vide technology (translated from French as “in a vacuum”) began with the food industry and restaurants, but now sous-vide has become available even to the most ordinary housewives.

Getting the most out of all the power of sous vide requires special equipment, but some recipes can be prepared using only what is already in your kitchen. This article is a comprehensive guide to everything related to sous vide. written in understandable human language.

The essence of sous-vide technology

Let’s start with the basics. The essence of the method is very simple: the products are sealed in a special plastic bag, from which air is pumped out, and then cooked in water at a constant temperature, which usually does not exceed 70 degrees (in the case of vegetables, this limit is slightly higher). As a result, several goals are achieved at once:

• If, when frying or baking meat, its surface is exposed to temperatures several times higher than the cooking temperature, the sous-vide technology prepares dishes delicately, and the temperature in the middle and on the surface of the finished product will be the same, nothing will dry out or burn;
• Thanks to low-temperature processing, the cell membranes remain intact, so the dishes are much more juicy;
• Vacuum packing preserves all the flavors and aromas inside the product, and promotes better penetration of spices and marinades into the product;
• The correct selection of the cooking time and temperature softens the food, and in tough pieces of meat, which are usually boiled or stewed, muscle collagen is converted into gelatin: any, even the cheapest cut, can be cooked so that it will have a divine taste and texture.
• In contrast, vegetables that are subjected to this method retain a crisp, crisp texture that is almost impossible to achieve with conventional cooking.

Cons of the sous-vide method

To summarize all of the above, we get the perfect taste, perfect aroma and perfect texture of the finished dish. A dream, not a method, right? However, the sous-vide technology also has some drawbacks. I will list them, the benefit of these shortcomings is not so much:

• The Maillard reaction, which is responsible for the golden brown crust of ready-made dishes, starts at a temperature of about 154 degrees – much higher than it is necessary to prepare any dishes using the sous vide method. This means that in order to give the finished dish an appetizing appearance, it will have to be fried either before or after cooking using this method.
• If cooking using the sous-vide technology takes place at temperatures below 52 degrees and at the same time takes more than 4 hours, there is a risk of multiplication of botulism pathogens, which feel very comfortable in these conditions. To avoid this hazard, select a higher temperature for foods that take more than 4 hours to cook.
• Finally, the practical implementation of sous-vide in the form that is used in restaurants, allowing you to achieve the best result, requires special devices: a vacuum apparatus to seal food in vacuum bags, and a device that will maintain a constant temperature and control it with accuracy fractions of a degree. Next, I’ll talk about how you can try to do without them.
• If cooking using the sous-vide technology takes place at temperatures below 52 degrees and at the same time takes more than 4 hours, there is a risk of multiplication of botulism pathogens, which feel very comfortable in these conditions. To avoid this hazard, select a higher temperature for foods that take more than 4 hours to cook.
• Finally, the practical implementation of sous-vide in the form that is used in restaurants, allowing you to achieve the best result, requires special devices: a vacuum apparatus to seal food in vacuum bags, and a device that will maintain a constant temperature and control it with accuracy fractions of a degree. Next, I’ll talk about how you can try to do without them.

Su-vid in questions and answers

In this section, I have collected all the basic questions that may arise when mastering the sous-vide method. Click on the question you are interested in to reveal the answer, and if you did not find your question, write in the comments, and I will add it to the article.

Sous vid for beginners

I don’t have special sous vide equipment, but I want to try it anyway. Can this be done?

How to do without a vacuum sealer?

Although sous-vide is translated as “in vacuum”, vacuum is not the main thing in this method, and it is quite possible to do without a vacuum sealer. There are two replacements available for this appliance: First, the cling film. Wrap meat or fish as tightly as possible with cling film on all sides in several layers so that there are no cracks where water can penetrate, nor air bubbles that will impede the transfer of heat to the food.

If bubbles do appear, pierce the film, squeeze out the air, and then wrap your bundle in a couple more layers. Second, plastic bags with a zip-lock – a fastener like the usual “zipper” on a jacket or jeans. These bags are the most convenient alternative to a vacuum degasser.

Place the food in the bag, and lower the bag into a large container of water so that only the top of the bag with the zipper remains above the water: the water in the container will squeeze air out of the bag if you lightly help it with your hands, after which you can simply close the zipper. for preparing food using the sous vide method, but since this is not a real vacuum, it is not recommended to store ready-made meals for a long time.

How to do without a sous vide device?

In any of these devices, from the simplest to the most advanced, there are three key elements: a water tank, a heating element and a thermostat that measures the temperature of the water and maintains it at the desired level. This means that you can simulate sous vide cooking by taking any capacious container of water (for example, a large saucepan), placing it on the stove or in the oven and maintaining the selected temperature, for which you need a thermometer. I’ll explain more about how to do this in the next section of this article.

How is sous vide different from conventional cooking?

There are two key differences. First, the barrier between water and the product, which keeps all the juices and all the taste inside. Secondly, the low cooking temperature, due to which more nutrients are retained in the products and they soften without overdrying.

Where can I get recipes for sous vide?

There are a lot of recipes for preparing dishes using the sous vide method, but if you do not speak English and are used to using recipes from the Russian-speaking segment of the Web, I have bad news for you: this topic is almost not disclosed in Runet. From Russian-speaking sources, I can humbly advise my website (by the link you will find a catalog with all the recipes for sous vide) and my e-book of recipes for sous vide, which can be downloaded for free on the Books page.

Questions about using the vacuum degasser

Can I use any plastic bags for the evacuator?

No, there are special bags for the vacuum cleaner. They have microscopic grooves on their inner surface that allow air to escape from the bag, even if it is tightly compressed.

Which bags are better to choose for a vacuum degasser?

In principle, bags of any manufacturer are suitable for any evacuator, so choose the most reliable one. Instead of bags, you can buy rolls to cut a piece and seal on one side, getting a ready-made bag of the volume you need, which can be more economical than buying ready-made bags. Similarly, you can make two smaller bags out of a large bag – but you can hardly make one large out of two small ones.

Already during preparation, it turned out that the bag was not completely sealed, and water got inside. How can you avoid this?

A serviceable evacuator can poorly seal the bag if liquid or fat gets on the inner surface of the bag near the seam. To avoid this, wrap about 2 centimeters of the bag outward before placing food in it. In addition, after packaging the product, I recommend making a second seam half a centimeter higher than the first, just in case.

When I try to vacuum-seal food with a sauce or marinade, the liquid gets into the vacuum machine and the bag cannot be sealed. How to be?

There are several ways to pack food with liquid: firstly, the liquid can be frozen in an ice mold, and the food can be packed together with ice cubes before they have melted; secondly, by fixing the edge of the bag in the vacuum drawer, the bag itself can be hung from the table so that it is pinched by the edge of the table. In this case, the force of gravity will not allow the liquid to rise to the top, and if this does happen after the vacuum drawer has pumped out almost all the air from the bag, press the button to seal the bag before the liquid enters the vacuum drawer. the product together with the liquid in a ziplock bag, and then expel the air from it in the way described above. Finally, if there is enough liquid to completely cover the food, the bag is not needed at all – just put the food in a glass jar, fill with liquid, close the lid and place jar into heated water.

Questions about sous vide cooking

When should you add spices and seasonings when cooking sous vide dishes?

At the very beginning, before sealing the product into a bag. Different spices behave differently in vacuum bags, which sometimes leads to interesting effects, mostly positive ones – for example, one small sprig of thyme or a pinch of grated zest will give a very strong aroma – and you can and should experiment with this.

Can the food be served immediately after cooking?

In principle, it is possible, but in most cases, products prepared using the sous vide method, especially if it is meat or fish, are lightly fried before serving in order to achieve an appetizing crust. Use butter and above average heat for this – your task is to get a ruddy color, and not seriously fry the dish, since it is already ready. By the way, some chefs fry food before packing it in a bag, in which case the fried crust acts as a condiment (see previous question).

Is it possible to prepare dishes using the sous vide method in advance and then reheat them?

Not only is it possible, sous vide is one of the most convenient ways to prepare a semi-finished product, which then turns into a ready-made dish in a matter of minutes. To do this, after preparing the dish, remove the bag from the hot water and immerse it in ice-cold water to quickly reduce its temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator. Depending on the food used, the finished dish can be stored perfectly in the refrigerator from several days to several weeks. Before serving, heat the water again to the temperature of the recipe, dip the bag with the finished dish into it, letting it warm up evenly, and then serve, pre-frying, if required by the recipe.

What happens if you cook for too long?

It will not be possible to “fry” the dish in sous-vide with all the desire, but long-term heat treatment will irreversibly change its texture. It is good when we turn a tough piece of meat into the most tender steak – and not very good if, together with soft meat, we get something like a baby food consistency. Sometimes too soft is a disadvantage, not a virtue.

Security questions

Is it dangerous to dip food in plastic bags in hot water? Indeed, in this case, plastic can release all sorts of harmful substances.

In order to avoid this, you need to use only bags or film made of food grade plastic. This type of plastic begins to disintegrate at temperatures well above 100 degrees, so it is safe for sous vide cooking.

I am afraid that the cold temperature will not be enough to kill the parasites that may be in meat or fish.

There are special pasteurization tables, where for each temperature the cooking time is indicated, if observed, the product will be pasteurized and safe against parasites. You can find these tables, in particular, in my recipe book for the sous-vide method. If compliance with these parameters for some reason is impossible, use products that have spent at least 2 days in deep freeze – it also allows you to get rid of parasites.

Sous vid at home

The simplest home vacuum cleaner is cheaper than a blender, but at first you can do without it. The main beauty of a vacuum-packed product is that it can be cooked and thrown into the refrigerator, quickly warmed up and served if necessary – a function that is useful both in a restaurant and at home, but in general is not required.

Instead of a vacuum sealer, you can do with cling film or a plastic bag with a zip-lock – I described in detail how to do this in the previous section. Well, if you cook in a liquid (sauce, juice, syrup, broth, etc.), a completely ordinary food bag will do: fold the food, fill it with liquid and tie the bag so that there is no air in it. let’s deal with water.

The main news: the temperature of the water will have to be measured and constantly monitored, so it will not be possible to do without a thermometer: I myself used a meat thermometer, although there are more suitable devices. However, everything is not so difficult: in home appliances for sous-vide, an error of one degree is quite acceptable, and with a short cooking (after all, it is better to start with those dishes that will take no more than half an hour to cook) the difference will not be very noticeable and a few degrees.

Over the years that I have been writing about sous vide, I talked a lot with craftsmen who offered their own ways to control the temperature of various degrees of sophistication – from cooking in a dishwasher (!) To using a multicooker paired with a thermostat. A multicooker is really one of the most affordable ways to maintain the required temperature, fortunately, the latest multicooker models allow you to set the desired temperature with an accuracy of a degree. Well, with those who do not have such a multicooker, I will share my own experience.

Absolutely any food is suitable for cooking in sous-form, but it is better to train on fish or meat. Season the food and rub it on all sides with suitable spices, then wrap it in plastic wrap or zip-lock bag as described in the previous section.

Dip it into a saucepan with preheated water, if necessary, press down with something on top so that your bag does not float, and bring it to readiness: for fish it is 12-15 minutes at a temperature of 60-70 degrees, for red meat – 20-30 minutes at temperature 55 degrees for medium rare, 60 degrees for medium. To maintain the water temperature at the desired level, put the pan on a low heat with a divider or in an oven preheated to the desired temperature, and check the temperature: first often, then every 5-10 minutes.

To quickly remedy the situation, keep a kettle with boiling water and ice cubes at hand, and if you manage to find the right heat, consider that it’s in the bag. The cooking time should be selected depending on the thickness of the piece, and after cooking it is recommended to wipe the meat with a paper towel and quickly – no longer than 30 seconds – fry in hot oil to form an appetizing crust. I am sure that a new acquaintance with the most ordinary products awaits you, and if you want to cook something more interesting, I invite you to my Catalog of recipes for sous vide.

PS: For those wishing to dig a little deeper into sous-vide, I recommend referring to the extensive tutorial on this method. Of course, in English – we do not have such sensible manuals yet.