28 Sous Vide Recipes for Perfectly Cooked Meals, Every Time (2024)

FAQs

What is the best thing to make in a sous vide? ›

Drawbacks of Sous Vide Cooking

Additionally, sous vide cooking can take longer than traditional cooking methods, since the food must be cooked for a longer period of time at a lower temperature.

Steak is held up as the best example of just what sous vide can do, so it's probably one of the things that you'll want to try first. It's heartbreaking when you leave an expensive piece of steak just a little bit too long and wind up making it tough and dry, but thankfully, sous vide takes away all the guesswork.

Sous vide is a French cooking technique and the term translates to “under vacuum." In the sous vide technique food is vacuum-sealed in a cooking pouch and heated at a precise temperature in a water bath. Instead of relying on perfect timing, sous vide relies on precise temperature control.

The best meat to sous vide for 48-72 hours at 135°F (57°C) is beef brisket, while pork shoulder can be cooked between 24-36 hours at 165°F (74°C). Results are always tender and juicy, making for perfect leftovers in sandwiches, tacos, or any other dish calling for shredded meat.

These risks include the potential for survival and growth of bacteria that can grow under the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions created by the vacuum packaging, e.g. Clostridium botulinum. Remember, some foods may not be suitable for sous vide cooking.

Longer is not always better You don't always get better results by keeping food in the sous vide machine for longer. For example, many chefs recommend that sous vide steak should not be cooked for longer than four hours because the connective tissue begins to break down and the steak can become mushy.

Harmful bacteria can't grow above that temperature, and at around 135ºF, most bacteria will actually be destroyed after a few hours, making pasteurization possible. The precision temperature control of sous-vide cooking means it actually has the potential to be safer than traditional cooking methods.

For those who don't know, sous vide is a cooking method where food is vacuum sealed and cooked in a water bath under low temperatures, making it extremely tender and perfectly evenly cooked. Heston Blumenthal, the celebrity chef and master of molecular gastronomy, is one of the many big-name sous-vide fans.

In the kitchen, you have to produce flavor, and then lock in that flavor. This is why we sear the meat before cooking sous vide. During the cooking process, the flavors are enhanced and reach the core of the steak. Finally, the flavor is secured in the meat during the chilling process.

Can I sous vide with Ziploc? ›

Ziplock and Glad brand bags are made from polyethylene plastic, and are free of BPAs and dioxins. A good rule of thumb is that when a bag is rated as microwave safe (which requires FDA approval) you can use it for sous vide.

Sous-Vide Egg Cooked to 165°F (73.9°C)

If hard-boiled is how you like your eggs, then a 165°F sous-vide egg should do you well. This is the ideal temperature for an egg salad that has distinct chunks of tender, non-rubbery egg. Loose white: Opaque and firm, but still tender.

Sous Vide Chicken BreastTop

One of the things that sous vide excels at is cooking chicken breasts. Chicken becomes tough and overcooked so easily and it's so hard to do properly. Using sous vide makes cooking chicken breasts so easy and they turn out moist and tender every time.

Resealable Bags

Brands like Glad and Ziplock offer cost-effective, BPA-free options that are easy to find in most supermarkets or on Amazon. Stick with gallon-sized freezer bags for a durable, versatile option that our customers recommend for all types of dishes.

Most types of meat work well – including beef, pork, lamb, game and poultry. As does almost any kind of vegetable. Eggs cooked sous vide have a superior, uniform texture that you just can't get with conventional methods. And fish, as long as it's not overcooked, comes out beautifully moist.

Sous vide is a technique used by chefs for decades to ensure food quality and safety in kitchens of all sizes both efficiently and effectively.