You may not know what it is but chances are you have eaten it. This popular cooking technique, meaning “under vacuum” in French, has been a part of fine dining since the 1970s. It spread throughout Europe and eventually landed in American in the 1990s.
Sous Vide refers to vacuum sealing foods to a specific degree of pressure, infusing them with marinades, oils and other flavors combined in the same plastic bag, then submerging them into a controlled-temperature water bath for cooking. This allows chefs to achieve reliably consistent results in their food’s outcome in a quicker amount of time. Some foods may then be seared on a grill before serving. Most chefs prefer this style of cooking because the vacuum-sealed packs of food can be stored easily and the Sous Vide method is known for yielding maximum flavor and tenderness.
Having become one of the top cooking methods used in Europe, New york and other high-end restaurants in America its no wonder that many more casual dining establishments have began to explore Sous Vide. Because of the concern about potential bacteria growth in an airless environment for food, the cooking style’s growing popularity has yielded many extra health regulations for restaurants using Sous Vide equipment and machines. However the benefits of utilizing Sous Vide in their kitchen far outweighs the extra standards for many food service establishments.
The entry into the market is relatively inexpensive, requiring the purchase of only a vacuum packaging machine , plastic bags and an immersion circulator for the water bath. Because the food needs to be infused with marinades and other flavoring before cooking the bags and vacuum sealer must be approved for use with liquids. A restaurant can also save on food costs by purchasing secondary cuts of meat without compromising the integrity of the dish. An Immersion circulator is submerged into the bath which may have to be purchased separately as well as a cover. Complete units take up minimal counter space, can operate unattended and have a great window of forgiveness compared to traditional cooking methods which saves time and prevents waste.
With it’s high economic yield and dependable results Sous Vide is quickly spreading through the foodservice industry and is already a favorite among high-end restaurant chefs.
