Sous Vide: What it Is, How to Do It, and 3 Recipes to Try

Sous vide: This is not just a mysterious cooking method reserved for top chef contestants. Although it may seem scary initially, we are here to tell you that you don't need a cooking degree to cook at home. But let's support it and gain a deeper understanding of what vacuum cooking is all about.

Sous vide is known for its precise cooking, ranging from perfect protein to vegetables. The best part is that it is simple and easy, especially when using Durbl bags and containers. Let's have a deeper understanding of the significance of vacuum cooking.

What is sous vide?

Sous vide is a cooking method that involves sealing food in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooking it at a precise and consistently low temperature in a water bath. This cooking technique is known for its ability to produce food with precise doneness and enhanced flavors.

Due to the proteins being sealed in a bag along with the sauce or marinade, they are slowly and gently heated to the temperature of the water. This process aids in breaking down the food, making it more tender, and is an exact cooking method that yields consistent results.

How do you start your sous vide?

• Preparing Ingredients: Choose the ingredients for cooking and process them appropriately, such as cutting into pieces, marinating, or seasoning.

• Prepare Durbl Bags: Use Durbl bags designed explicitly for vacuum cooking, ensuring they can withstand high temperatures of 450℉. Place the ingredients and seasonings into the bags, leaving enough space to ensure effective sealing.
• Vacuum Seal: Utilize a vacuum sealer to extract air from the bags, ensuring a tight seal. Follow the instructions of the sealer to complete the process.
• Preheat Water Bath Equipment: Start your sous vide machine or prepare a water bath with a constant temperature. Set the water bath temperature, typically based on the ingredients being cooked.
• Place in Reusable Durbl Bags: Insert the sealed bags into the preheated water bath. Ensure the bags are entirely submerged in water to guarantee even heating.
• Cooking Time: Determine the appropriate cooking time based on the selected ingredients and set temperature. Considering that vacuum cooking often requires longer durations, plan accordingly.
• Finish Cooking: After cooking, remove the ingredients from the bags. To enhance color and texture, you can consume them directly or undergo a brief surface treatment, such as searing or grilling.

• What is the origin of the sous vide?

The concept of sous vide cooking traces back to the early 1970s when French chef Georges Pralus introduced it. He discovered that placing foie gras (goose liver) into a vacuum-sealed bag and slow-cooking it at low temperatures resulted in a more tender texture without significant loss of volume. Over time, sous vide cooking gradually transitioned from professional kitchens to home cooking, gaining widespread recognition worldwide.

What are the benefits of sous vide?

1. Texture and Mouthfeel: Slow-cooking at low temperatures and sealing ingredients in a durable freezer bag allows sous vide to maintain the original texture and mouthfeel of the ingredients. Meats tend to be more tender, and vegetables retain their crispness.
2. Nutrient Preservation: Low-temperature cooking aids in preserving the nutritional content of food, causing less damage to vitamins and proteins compared to traditional cooking methods. This promotes healthier food preparation.
3. Precise Control: Sous vide enables exact control over temperature. This means you can set an accurate temperature, ensuring that ingredients reach the desired level of doneness throughout the cooking process, avoiding overcooking or undercooking.
4. Consistent Results: Thanks to precise temperature control, sous vide produces consistent cooking results. Similar temperatures and time settings yield comparable textures and appearances, ensuring predictability and satisfaction with each cooking session.
5. Flavor Infusion: Since ingredients are in a Durbl bag, they can absorb seasonings and spices more effectively, resulting in more prosperous and intense flavors.
6. Extended Shelf Life: Vacuum sealing allows ingredients to be stored in refrigeration or freezing for a longer time, slowing the impact of bacteria and oxygen and extending the shelf life of ingredients.
7. What are the best bags to use for sous vide?

You can sous vide in a vacuum-sealed bag, a reusable silicone bag, or a silicone container. Most sous vide bags sold are plastic, but we're partial to food-grade platinum silicone Durbl Bags and Containers because they are reusable, plastic-free, and BPA-free.
Durable bags also have the added benefit of being dishwasher-safe, making them easy to clean up once you're done cooking. Bonus: they're endlessly reusable, so you don't have to worry about single-use plastic waste from those plastic sous vide bags.

What about sous vide recipes?