Sous-vide: a highly efficient cooking method
Sous-vide (French for “under vacuum”) is not a new cooking method, but it has garnered at lot of attention recently, and has come to be associated with the type of cuisine produced by modern high-end restaurants on the vanguard of innovation. Basically, this culinary technique involves thoroughly wrapping or sealing a portioned food item (meat, fish, vegetables etc.) and submerging it in a carefully controlled water bath, where exactitude of water temperature and duration of submersion results in a precisely cooked product. This is achieved with a container of water, and a device to precisely heat the water and control its temperature.
So if a chef, or a curious home cook wanted to achieve say a “perfect mid-rare” on a steak, she would have to consult a simple formula, taking into account the weight and density of the meat, plus the desired temperature, then cook it in the water bath for the appropriate amount of time to achieve the desired result (the right temp). Keep in mind, this is not boiling or poaching where food is generally in contact with liquid, rather the food item (in this example the steak) remains completely sealed during cooking.
Why use this method as opposed to a nice hot cast iron pan?
The answer is simple: precision.
If you can follow a prearranged formula, adhere to standards of food safety and set a timer, then sous-vide produces a near perfect result every time. This is especially important to chefs, who when their cooking is concerned, tend to value control above all else. The steak, which is now “mid-rare” all the way through (impossible to achieve in a pan), is then removed from the vacuum bag, and quickly seared off to achieve that delicious caramelized outside texture.
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Posted in: Cooking Tips & Recipes