Sous vide cooking has taken the kitchen world by storm as more food enthusiasts become eager to try it out. And since it seems like it’s simply about dipping plastic-wrapped food in boiling water, you might wonder if it’s in any way different from boiling.
So, is sous vide the same as boiling?
Sous vide and boiling are different from one another. When cooking sous vide, the food is placed in sealed bags to stop the water in the pot from diluting the taste. Unlike boiling, where the food is in direct contact with the water that’s cooking it. Sous vide is a low-temperature cooking method that cooks food to perfect texture while preserving as much flavor as possible.
You’ve probably heard of the praises regarding sous vide. Things like “Sous vide food is simply the best I’ve ever tasted,” “The best part about sous vide is I can cook delicious dinner while at work” — and so on.
And you want to know more. Well, in this article, we’ll show you how different sous vide is from boiling and walk you through the relevant basics regarding this fascinating cooking method.
How Is Sous Vide Different From Boiling?
Sous vide is quite different from boiling, not in the things it uses to get the job done but in the process itself too. And therefore, the results vary from those of boiling as well.
Check out the differences of sous vide from boiling:
- Sous vide is low-temperature cooking while boiling is only done using the boiling point of a liquid.
- Sous vide ensures predictable results of the food being cooked while boiling makes it easy to undercook or overcook.
- Sous vide is a “set it and forget it” kind of cooking while boiling in absence can easily lead to the burning of your food.
- Sous vide uses a little water while boiling can use lots of water due to high evaporation levels.
- Sous vide temperatures are safe with food-grade plastic bags, while boiling can prompt their melting or release of toxins.
As you can see, sous vide is definitely different from boiling in a bag. It uses a sous vide machine which is designed with controls that facilitate particular results that boiling can’t make happen. But what makes it useful for you?
What Are The Advantages Of Sous Vide Cooking?
You’ve heard the praises, but you can’t stop wondering, “Is it as good as they say?” You might wonder if you need sous vide at all in your life. Well, check out sous vide advantages to see if it might be the best cooking technology for you.
Consistency
With traditional cooking, you mostly can’t guarantee a perfect cook. You’ll generally get unevenly cooked food, and you’ll have to be satisfied with that.
However, since sous vide involves consistent exposure of the food to a water bath of the same temperature, you can now get a perfectly cooked steak without agonizing about numerous factors.
In restaurants, this means that they can produce similar food results for their customers day in day out. Therefore, if you liked their steak the previous day, you can go back and enjoy the same thing, thanks to the temperature and time control in sous vide.
Predictability
You know the ideal temperature for cooking the perfect steak, and you know the duration you need to cook it for. So what would deter you from cooking the perfect steak?
With sous vide, you can be sure that what you produced yesterday would be the same today, as long as you set the same temperature and timeline. Even those who aren’t that good at cooking can bring out chef-grade results at home. How cool is that?
Retention Of Nutrients, Taste, And Moisture
Since the vacuum sealing prevents oxidation, the moisture, nutrients, and the food’s rich taste get retained. Even better, the added flavors in the bag seamlessly get absorbed in the food.
Sous vide food often feels soft and tasty since it’s also moisture packed. The size of a steak, for instance, will remain almost similar to the raw size. You now know why most people claim that sous vide tastes incredibly amazing.
Dependability
Think about it: you sous vide your food, go to work, and come back to find out that dinner is ready — perfectly cooked and tasty.
Traditional cooking methods mostly require close monitoring, but with sous vide, you can start cooking dinner while eating breakfast. So, you don’t have to worry about your busy schedule — sous vide has your back.
Suitable For Mass Production
Maybe you have a party, but you keep wondering how you’ll cook the huge steak that your friends love. With sous vide, you can prepare huge chunks of food in a water bath with no hassle whatsoever.
Any Sous Vide Disadvantages?
So, is sous vide cooking flawless? Well, it’s almost perfect since the only disadvantage of it is the long cooking time. You can cook most dishes for 15 minutes yet in sous vide it may take 45 minutes. Therefore, as far as time constraints are concerned, sous vide won’t make sense.
So, What Do I Need For Sous Vide Cooking?
Do you wish to do sous vide too? You must be wondering about where to start. Here’s all you need for sous vide cooking:
Food Containers
Cooking sous vide requires airless bags to ensure a seamless transfer of temperature from the water bath plus other nutrient and flavor advantages. But do you need a vacuum sealer? No.
You can remove the air by immersing the plastic in the water bath to expel the air, use a straw to remove the air, or go for the vacuum sealer.
You can use:
- Food-grade vacuum sealing bags. These sous vide-safe Foodsaver bags are some of the best out there.
- Canning jars. You can use these for deserts, beans, and other foods that mostly pack well in canning jars. Beware of a thermal shock though. You can utilize these mason jars or any that you already own.
- Resealable bags and jars. You can use any heavy-duty, BPA-free resealable bags for sous vide.
- Silicon bags. You can get reusable silicone sous vide cooking bags like these from Platinum Pure. These are meant to handle sous vide masterfully, so you might want to start with them if you don’t desire the other options.
Sous Vide Water Bath Containers
If you prefer to monitor your water levels and make precise measurements, get a dedicated sous vide container. However, you can also use the pots you have at home as long as you can mount the sous vide machine on its walls. Speaking of the machine:
Sous Vide Cooking Device
This is the main tool in this process. The sous vide machine has been around for years but only remained in professional cooking setups. However, you can now access them as long as you are interested in exceptional and hands-off cooking strategies.
The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano is one of the most popular sous vide cooking devices in the market. It is made in the USA — a promise of quality to many users. Most importantly, it comes equipped with the necessary features that impress even the most skilled sous vide chefs.
You can also choose the new, improved Wi-Fi model from Anova Culinary.
Is Cooking With Sous Vide Plastics Safe?
We get it, cooking with plastics can be daunting. However, the sous vide plastic manufacturers promise heavy-duty, safe qualities in their plastics. Also, research has been done, and the Food Drug Administration deems these packages as safe. Just make sure you get the right plastics.
Do Bacteria And Other Pathogens Die In The Sous Vide Low Heat?
Yet another question of safety. Although bacteria don’t die instantly in the low heat, it’s chances of survival diminish as the containers eliminate the air to form a vacuum.
Also, most bacteria get destroyed after a consistent subjection to the temperatures around 135 degrees Fahrenheit and above. It is even safer than most other traditional cooking methods.
Final Thoughts
Sous vide is more advantageous that it is not. So, if you’ve been asking, “Is sous vide worth it?” you now know the benefits and the single disadvantage you can hack.
For most lifestyles, sous vide is worth it. It isn’t that expensive to use, and you get to reap the benefits of highly nutritional and tasty food. That adds up to the overall quality of life. So, would you try sous vide? Speak your mind in the comments!