What are the basic steps to cooking Sous Vide?

1. Vacuum seal food in food-grade plastic pouches certified as suitable for cooking.

2. Place pouch in circulating water bath that has reached desired temperature and is precisely controlled by a Sous Vide Professional™.

3. Let food cook for minimum time. Compared to traditional techniques, food can generally stay longer in water bath without overcooking.

4. Remove and serve! Some foods require a quick sear in a hot pan or on a grill to create a browned surface and impart a caramelized flavor.

What equipment is necessary to cook Sous Vide?

• A thermal immersion circulator, such as the PolyScience Sous Vide Professional™

• A tabletop food sealer or chamber vacuum sealer

• Food-grade plastic vacuum pouches, rated to boiling temperatures

• A vessel to serve as a water bath, such as stock pot or Camwear tank

What kind of food can you cook Sous Vide?

• Any type of delicate or tougher cuts of meats—such as beef, pork, lamb, game, or poultry. Beef tenderloin will turn out perfectly cooked every time. Spare ribs will be so tender and juicy like you’ve never had them before.

• Excellent for delicate fish and seafood, ensuring that these delicate foods are not dried out or overcooked.

• Root vegetables and potatoes benefit very much in flavor and consistency with Sous Vide cooking. Green vegetables (broccoli, green beans, etc) lose their vibrant color due to longer cooking times. Chefs often choose to cook these in a more traditional manner.

• Eggs can be cooked very precise in a Sous Vide circulating bath. See our temperature reference guide which illustrates the dramatic changes at each degree. Eggs do not have to be vacuum packaged.

• Fruits, in particular delicate ones like peaches, apples and pears become very tender, and benefit when cooked with flavor infusions.

• Cook custard-style ice cream base, béarnaise sauce, Crème Anglaise and custards without worrying about curdling. The Sous Vide Professional™ water bath is excellent to hold these custards and sauces at serving temperature. (see iSi Whip Canister Holder)

How do you season food to be cooked?

Because food is packaged in food-safe bags and cooks in its own natural flavors, it does not give up aroma and moisture to surrounding liquid or the air. Seasoning will be more efficient and requires less than usual. With herbs we recommend to use only 30% of what you usually would use. Salt and pepper would not be applied much differently than with other methods. It is important to evenly distribute the seasoning in the bag or on the food. Otherwise there will be parts that have more seasoning than others. As an example: if you cook carrots in cumin butter, simply melt the butter and mix in the cumin powder before introducing it into the bag.

One difference to traditional methods is the use of raw garlic. Raw garlic added to foods like steak, chicken or fish does not cook at Sous Vide temperatures. The result is an overpowering flavor. To avoid this, we recommend adding garlic after it has been sautéed or roasted.

Alcohol in wine, beer, liqueurs, or distilled spirits will not evaporate as it does on the stove top or in the oven and can potentially develop a harsh, unpleasant flavor. We recommend pre-cooking any alcohol-based liquids that are added as flavor when cooking Sous Vide.