What is Sous Vide?

So, this post is dedicated to my ventures into sous vide cooking!  Ben bought the sous vide cooker for me for Valentine's Day and I thought, well this is....cool ? But I was excited. We watch cooking competitions; namely Top Chef on Bravo and some other fancy ones.  The chefs use sous vide but I really didn't know what it was completely.
I usually get paralyzed with something new until I read up on it and get comfortable...

What is Sous Vide?
Here are a few descriptions...
"Although sous vide literally means “under vacuum” in French, the defining feature of the sous vide method is not packaging or vacuum sealing; it is accurate temperature control. A computer-controlled heater can warm a water bath to any low temperature you set, and it can keep it there for hours—, or even days, if needed."

In my words- you cook your food in a plastic bag that is vacuum sealed (in my world, sucking the air out of the plastic bag) and immersing it in water that is constant and accurate temperature controlled by the sous vide cooker.

I will dive in with pictures and instructions- 


I just tried Turkish Lamb Meatballs-

First, you set up the sous vide-
You attach the sous vide cooker to the side of a pot filled with water and then set it for the temperature you want it to remain at- it will start circulating and heating up the water.  (This is done via my phone/bluetooth)

In the meantime, I prepped the meatballs...

Then you place the meatballs in a plastic (I used a gallon bag) bag and get the air out...you can press it out or in my classy way-suck the air out by putting my mouth on it : ) 

Next, immerse the bags in the water (once the goal temp is reached) and clip the bags to the side of the pot. 
This recipe called for the meatballs to be in the water for TWO hours- *note* This method typically does not save any time, but you can stick it on and leave, which I did : ).  I had to pick Luke up from school and it was all good. 

After, your sous vide is done, you typically want to brown the meat or "finish" it off. I broiled the meatballs for 3 minutes in the oven to brown them. 
Voila!  I made it with brown rice, carrots and tzatzki sauce.

Eve saw me taking pictures of the food and wanted me to take pictures of her plate!!! 
Verdict: **I like sous vide, but not a time saver.  **Virtually no dishes to clean because you are cooking in a plastic bag.  **Great, even temperature cooking for consistent results. **I definitely want to try more! 





Comments

  1. To be clear...you left a pot of boiling water on your stove top and then left the house??? Mmmkay.

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  2. To be clear...you left a pot of boiling water on your stove top and then left the house??? Mmmkay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha-ha..so it is NOT on your stove top! You set it on a counter and the sous vide generates the heat. And it was 56.5 Celsius, which is 133.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Boiling is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. We were all good. ; ) Probably still not the best idea though!!

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