25 Sous Vide Recipes to Try ASAP (2024)

FAQs

What is the first thing I should make in my sous vide? ›

Let us help you and take the guesswork out of what to make first. These 5 things are a MUST to make with your new immersion circulator! A steak is 100% the #1 thing you need to make with the sous vide! I have not used anything else to cook a steak since!

Timings are all given for steaks 1 1/2- to 2-inches thick. For steaks 1-inch or less, initial cooking time can be shortened to 30 minutes. Steaks cooked under 130°F (57°C) should not be cooked longer than 2 1/2 hours at a time for food safety reasons.

Stay Out of the Danger Zone

The biggest concern, especially with sous vide, is food shouldn't be out of the refrigerator at temperatures below 127°F (52.8°C) for more than 3 or 4 hours.

Sous vide allows for long, slow cooking at a low temperature, which breaks down these tissues and results in tender, juicy meat. Prepare the meat with generous salt and any other desired seasonings, then cook for a long time at a low temperature.

Longer is not always better You don't always get better results by keeping food in the sous vide machine for longer. For example, many chefs recommend that sous vide steak should not be cooked for longer than four hours because the connective tissue begins to break down and the steak can become mushy.

If you're not careful about cooking times (as specified by the product manufacturer), your food can become contaminated. In addition, if your food is not properly vacuum sealed, or your food becomes contaminated during prep, cooking sous-vide poses an additional threat.

Ziplock and Glad brand bags are made from polyethylene plastic, and are free of BPAs and dioxins. A good rule of thumb is that when a bag is rated as microwave safe (which requires FDA approval) you can use it for sous vide. Even Dr. Schaffner agrees.

Sous vide precision cooking is a great method for cooking any type of steak, whether it's a tender cut, like the tenderloin, strip, ribeye, or porterhouse, or a butcher's cut, like the hanger, flap, or skirt.

These are further tenderised in the cooking process by converting the collagen in the muscle into gelatin. At the high temperatures of traditional cooking methods this happens rapidly. However, in the ,ow temperatures of sous vide processing the conversion happens slowly, particularly at medium rare temperatures.

So, while it's certainly very difficult to overcook your food using sous vide, to say that it's impossible is a little bit of an overstatement. Just remember that while you technically can't 'overcook' your food, the quality could start to decline if it's left to cook for a lot longer than is recommended.

Can you sous vide eggs? ›

Sous vide soft-boiled eggs with a just-solidified yolk and those elusive solid whites. Eggs are an excellent candidate for sous vide because you can get consistencies of yolk that are impossible otherwise.

If there is only one thing to remember about cooking in general, and sous vide cooking specifically, it's to not have your food between 40°F (4.4°C) and 130°F (54.4°C) for more than a few hours.

These risks include the potential for survival and growth of bacteria that can grow under the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions created by the vacuum packaging, e.g. Clostridium botulinum. Remember, some foods may not be suitable for sous vide cooking.

Because of the relatively low temperatures used in sous vide, one major consideration is the Danger Zone. The 'Danger Zone' is a range of temperatures where bacteria particularly thrive and multiply. It's generally defined as 40F to 140 F, or 4.4C to 60C .

Bring the temperature down by putting the pouch into an ice-water bath for 10 to 15 minutes to cool the surface and give you a little more leeway to get that nicely caramelized exterior without overcooking the interior. The chill step also stops carryover cooking and improves the final texture of fish and seafood.

Sous viding a fresh steak takes an hour minimum, though you can absolutely leave it in the water bath for longer – up to 3 hours – if desired. Because the water is set at the exact temperature for the doneness that you're looking for, cooking it for longer won't actually compromise the doneness of the steak at all.

Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Place in sous vide bags along with herbs, garlic, and shallots (if using) and distribute evenly. Seal bags and place in water bath for desired time according to charts.

Regardless of your method, you'll also need some sous vide bags that fit your cut(s) of meat – the Half Gallon Bag is great for larger cuts, and the Quart Bag is perfect for smaller steaks. For best results, give each steak its own bag.

In the kitchen, you have to produce flavor, and then lock in that flavor. This is why we sear the meat before cooking sous vide. During the cooking process, the flavors are enhanced and reach the core of the steak. Finally, the flavor is secured in the meat during the chilling process.

Preheat your water bath: Fill your Sous Vide container with warm water and set the sous vide device to the appropriate temperature for the desired doneness. The Sous Vide device should be set as follows: Rare: 122°F.