What is Sous Vide Cooking?

What is Sous Vide Cooking? Isn't that for high-end fine-dining restaurants? Fear not, fellow home cooks, this cooking technique is surprisingly simple, and I will show you how.

this recipe

You'll love the precision and accuracy of sous vide cooking. Try my Sous Vide Ribeye Steak and see a perfect medium-rare from end to end.

The food cooks in its juices leading to more intense and concentrated flavors. My Sous Vide Corn on the Cob has a rich corn flavor that is so delicious!

Once the food is sealed in the bag and placed in the water bath, it requires minimal attention. This allows you to focus on other tasks or preparations while your food cooks perfectly.

Around the holidays I will make my Sous Vide Spiral Ham to free up oven space for the festive sides.

I love the variety of food I can cook, such as my Sous Vide Eggs Benedict for brunch or Sous Vide Lemon Curd for dessert.

Every Thanksgiving my Sous Vide Turkey is served and cooked to perfection! Gone are the days of overcooked turkey breast. You'll love this tender and juicy recipe.

Jump to:

• What is Sous Vide?
• Types of Sous Vide Machines
• How does Sous Vide Work?
• What is the Advantage of Cooking Sous Vide?
• Sous Vide Pros
• Sous Vide Cons
• Sous Vide Equipment
• More Sous Vide Recipes
• 💬 Comments

What is Sous Vide?

Sous Vide is the French word for under vacuum. This cooking technique cooks your meat, seafood, and vegetables to a specific temperature.

Sous Vide cooking uses a precision cooker clamped onto a pot of water and recirculates the water keeping it at the set temperature.

Since you are cooking food at a precise temperature you will never overcook your food.

Types of Sous Vide Machines

There are several devices on the market, each with its features and benefits.

Immersion Circulators

These devices clip onto the side of a pot or container filled with water. They heat the water and circulate it to maintain a constant temperature.

Water Ovens

These are self-contained units that come with a built-in water bath and heating element. You fill the unit with water, set the temperature, and place the food inside.

Sous Vide Multi-Cookers

These are multi-functional kitchen appliances that can perform sous vide cooking along with other functions such as slow cooking, pressure cooking, and steaming.

I use the Anova Precision Cooker, which is an immersion circulator. I love that it's small and I can take it anywhere.

How does Sous Vide Work?

A sous vide machine consists of a metal coil that heats the water, a built-in thermometer for setting the desired cooking temperature, and a propeller to recirculate the water.

1. Preheat Water Bath

Fill a stainless steel pot or a food-grade plastic container with water.

Lower the immersion circulator (sous vide stick) into the water bath and clamp it to the side of your pot or container. Tip - Make sure the water level is between the min and max on your sous vide stick.

Set the desired temperature. You can manually adjust the temperature or sync with your smartphone.

2. Season Your Meat

Season both sides of your steak with salt and pepper. I like to season my protein on a plate to mop up the extra season that falls off.

3. Bag It Up

Place your seasoned steak into a food-grade sous-vide bag or a ziplock bag. Add aromatics, I like to use fresh rosemary and thyme. Add a tablespoon of butter or a drizzle of olive oil to finish.

4. Vacuum Seal

Follow the manufacturer's instructions if you are using a vacuum sealer. I like to double-seal the bags to prevent liquid from escaping.

If you go the ziplock freezer bag route, use the water displacement method. Below I have instructions on how to execute this method.

5. Start Cooking

When your sous vide machine reaches temperature lower the steak into the hot water bath.

Medium-rare steak cooks for 1 hour at 130°F. Check out this time and temperature chart for sous-vide cooking.

6. Pat Dry and Sear

After your sous vide timer goes off, remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.

Place a cast iron pan over high heat and sear your steak for 1 minute per side until the exterior develops a caramelized crust.

7. Serve

Slice your steak against the grain and serve with your favorite side dishes. Sous Vide Steak goes amazing with my Boursin Mashed Potatoes, and Green Bean Almondine.

What is the Water Displacement Method?

Slowly submerge an open ziplock bag in water to push the air out of the top.

Use a clip (binder clips work well) to secure the bag to the side of the container, preventing it from floating and allowing air or water inside. You can also use sous vide weights.

What is the Advantage of Cooking Sous Vide?

• Sous Vide cooks your food perfectly without ever overcooking.
• Cooking in vacuum-sealed bags retains the natural juices, resulting in enhanced flavors.
• Enjoy tender and juicy pieces of meat due to the precise low and slow cooking process. A great example is my Sous Vide Corned Beef. Give it a try.
• Bring your sous vide stick with you camping, hunting, or on vacation.
• Save your oven space for your casseroles and sides with sous vide cooking.

Sous Vide Pros

• Enjoy a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak every time!
• No well-done edges of a steak with sous vide, a perfect medium-rare from end to end.
• Set it and forget it cooking method without overcooking your food.
• Vacuum sealing enhances the flavor, so when you make things like Sous Vide Beets, you amplify the flavor.
• I love breaking out the Sous Vide stick around the holidays to save oven space for casseroles and vegetable sides.

Sous Vide Cons

• It can take a long time to heat the water to its desired temperature.
• Some food will float, so I recommend using these Sous Vide Weights.
• Longer cooking times when braising meat like short ribs.  Instead of 3 hours in the oven, they will take 24 hours in sous vide.

More Sous Vide Recipes