What is Sous Vide? And 5 Ways to Use It In Your Kitchen

However, the sous vide trend has come to the boil once again, with sous vide cooking equipment becoming more widely available and affordable for restaurants and home chefs alike! In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the sous vide style and 5 ways to use it in your cooking. Is it time that you became immersed in this top food trend?

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Do You Even ‘Sous Vide’? The Benefits of Water Bath Cooking

It might be all the rage in the most modern of restaurants, but the technology behind sous vide cooking actually dates back hundreds of years, and was fully embraced by the restaurant trade in the 1970s.

If you’re a sous vide newbie, it is a form of precision cooking, in which the food is vacuum-sealed before immersion in a water bath that circulates water heated to a specific temperature. Then, it is simply left for the hot water to work its magic. Oh, and in case you were wondering: the English translation of ‘sous vide’ is ‘under vacuum’.

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Generally speaking, sous vides are able to cook food at lower temperatures than other cooking methods, and are able to hold them to temperature too. This means that there’s less chance of under or over-cooking your dish, so you don’t need to watch the food so closely.

Sous vide cooking does require some forward-planning and prep however; due to its slower cooking style, a dish that my take 20 minutes to cook in the pan can require hours in the water bath. However, dedicated sous vide users firmly believe that the dishes are worth the wait – and along with freeing up your hands and time to focus on other tasks in your restaurant kitchen, cooking sous vide allows you to achieve finishes and textures that aren’t easily possible with other traditional cooking methods.

Take the Plunge with Sous Vide Cooking

If you’re ready to try sous vide in your restaurant, you can find everything you need to get started as part of our Sous Vide Poly Pro Package. It contains a countertop sous vide with container, plus a vacuum packer to prepare food for submersion.

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Alternatively you can choose from a variety of water baths or immersion circulators, in an assortment of sizes and capacities to meet your restaurant’s needs, such the type and volume of food that you wish to cook. Don’t forget your thermometer to check for temperature consistency and safety, and for finishing dishes such as steaks and chops with lovely brown chargrill marks, you’ll require a skillet or grill pan too.

5 Ways to Use Sous Vide In Your Restaurant

To understand the full scope of what sous vide could help you achieve, you need to begin with where this type of cooking really excels.

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Sous vide cooking means that meat, fruit, or vegetables are cooked in their own juices, keeping them packed full of flavour and nutrients. The slow-cooking method is perfect for tenderising, and being able to hold the food at the required temperature could make your service a lot simpler. Here are just a few tips on how to use a sous vide, and they’re not all food-based!

1. MEAT – Chefs delight in the ability of a sous vide to cook a steak to perfection. From well-done to just-rare, whatever the cooking preference, there’s a temperature to match. Simply ‘seal’ in the pan afterwards and it’s ready to serve. A sous vide can also help you unlock new layers of flavour with slow cooking too; pulled pork and lamb shanks in your choice of rub or marinade fall apart effortlessly.

2. EGGS - There’s a reason why perfectly-cooked, runny egg yolks win all the ‘likes’ on Instagram. As any chef knows, the proteins in eggs set at different temperatures, so a minute out either way spells disaster for your poachies. However, use a sous vide to suspend them at just the right temperature and they’ll lie in waiting, ready to be plated for the pass. Now, wouldn’t that be a time saver for the brunch rush?

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3. SEAFOOD - There’s no doubt about it, there’s skill in serving a perfectly cooked scallop or prawn. No one likes chewy, rubbery seafood. Cooking sous vide can take the guess work out of cooking the best of the ocean; from octopus to lobster, you can pack in the flavour.

4. DESSERTS - It’s obvious how a sous vide can shave time and effort off protein prep, but how about introducing it to your dessert menu? Say goodbye to custard sticking to your pans with crème brulee, panna cotta, and even ice cream prepped sous vide!

5. INFUSED ALCOHOL - We recently wrote on the blog about the huge molecular mixology trend and believe it or not, a sous vide could be just what you need to help your cocktails stand out. Pop your alcohol base, such as vodka or gin in a bag along with items to infuse it. and a few hours later you’ll have your own uniquely flavoured spirit.

If you’re feeling ready to get started with sous vide, take a look at our sous vide cooking equipment collection now and turn up the heat on your restaurant menu,

Have you dabbled in sous vide cooking or are you a kitchen purist who believes pans and ovens are indispensable? We’d love to hear your views - why not get in touch on Twitter over at @BunzlLockhart.