6
Cooking Basics
Sous Vide Cooking
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 flavours 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 tenderizes
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 Sous Vide Stick has a temperature range of between 40°C
and 90°C, with increment options of 0.1°C. 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 11
for more information.
Time:
The cooking time depends on the thickness rather than the weight of the
food. The default cooking time of the unit is 8:00 hours. Time can be set from 10
minutes to 72 hours.
See the Temperature and Time Guide on page 11 - 12 for more Information.