You might have heard of the cooking trend “sous-vide” floating around the internet. Although it is making a splash now, sous-vide has been around for hundreds of years as a fantastic way to make perfect dishes while maintaining moisture. If you are looking to get schooled on a new cooking trend, read on to get into the world of sous-vide cooking.

What is it?

Sous-vide is literally translated to “under vacuum”, and directly relates to placing food in vacuum-sealed bags to be cooked in a controlled water or steam environment. This method of cooking offers precise control over your dinner (steak, fish, veggies, chicken) as it delivers perfect results over and over through controlling the water temperature. The water bath allows for perfect cooking throughout, which takes away the guesswork out of whether the meat is fully cooked or not.

History

Sous-vide cooking was developed hundreds of years ago but was revolutionised in the 60’s by American and French engineers as a cooking method. Although it is a recently popular method, you would be shocked at all of the upscale restaurants and takeaway places that have been effectively using a sous-vide cooking method in their kitchens for years.

Cooking Essentials

So what will you need to take on the world of sous-vide cooking?

One method is using an immersion circulator. An immersion circulator is a device you place in a tub of water. It heats the temperature of the water based on what you set it to, and it “recycles” the water through a spout and will maintain the temperature. This, alongside a sealed bin of water, is the essence of cooking sous-vide style. The final item you would require is a vacuum sealer, for the obvious purpose of vacuum sealing your food!

Method

Cooking sous-vide is extremely simple. Once you have vacuum sealed each food item separately, use the immersion circulator in the water bin to get the correct temperature needed to cook the item thoroughly (this requires research in order to know what the ideal temperature is for certain foods).  Then you simply place the food in the water bath for the desired amount of time. For most meats like chicken and fish, many people suggest to quickly pan-sear the meat afterwards for a golden brown finish.

Diving into the world of sous-vide cooking is an adventurous and thrilling new way to prepare your favourite meals. Looking for a great and simple meal to start with? Try this ginger marmalade chicken to kick up your dinner tonight.