Cooking Basics
7
Sous vide has been a popular cooking method in restaurants for
several years. Sous vide is a French term which means “under
vacuum” and is used to describe the process of packaging food
in vacuum-sealed pouches and then cooking it in a water bath.
Food slowly cooks at precise low temperatures over a long
period of time to achieve succulent, delicious meals. Sealing food
inside pouches allows it to cook in its own juices; you can also
add any marinades or seasonings you like. Vitamins, minerals
and juices are retained within the food and natural flavors are
intensified. This allows the food to be healthier, more tender and
tasty. Sous vide cooking is great for tougher and lower grade cuts
of meat, such as chuck steak, for example, as the process tender-
izes the meat. As it’s difficult to overcook using the sous vide
method, you get perfectly cooked food every time, although you
may notice slight alterations in texture.
The ability to cook food in individual pouches makes the sous
vide method perfect for families and entertaining, as you can
easily cater to personal tastes and nutritional requirements and
food can be prepared ahead of time.
Temperatures: The immersion circulator has a temperature
range of between 40 °C and 90 °C / 104 °F to 194 °F, with incre-
ment options of 0.1 °C (or 1 °F). Different cooking temperatures
are required for different types of food and you can always make
adjustments for different degrees of doneness. See the
Temperature and Time Guide on pages 12 for more
information.
Time: The cooking time depends on the thickness rather than
the weight of the food. The default cooking time is 08:00 hours.
Time can be set from 10 minutes to 72 hours.
Sous Vide Cooking
