Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog
5. Rest, Dry, and Sear (If You Need to)
Once your steak/chicken/salmon/whatever is cooked to the desired temperature, take it out and let it rest, in the bag, for 15 to 20 minutes. (To be honest, we’re not sure if this actually does anything, but we’re hoping it gives the protein a chance to soak up any of the seasoned juices in the bag.) At this point your meat is fully cooked, and is safe to serve. Some proteins are delicious served as-is—boneless, skinless chicken breasts, say, or a delicate fillet of salmon are ready to be sliced, plated, and served. But others, like a perfectly medium-rare steak or a slab of tender pork belly, want to be crisped before serving for optimum deliciousness. In that case, remove the meat from the bag, dry it off as thoroughly as possible with paper towels, and sear it off on all sides in a ripping-hot pan until a beautiful, crackling crust forms—since the meat is already fully cooked, this should only take a minute or two on each side.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog
6. Serve (or Save)
Et voilà! Dinner is served. But the real beauty of sous vide cooking is in the possibilities for meal planning and prep that it opens up. If you aren’t serving your sous vide creation right away, dunk it in a bowl of ice water to cool it down as quickly as possible, and then transfer it (still in the bag) to the fridge, where it should stay good for up to 7 days, or to the freezer where it will keep for up to a year. Cook up four or five chicken breasts and bring them for lunch all week. Get a bunch of steaks to a perfect medium-rare on Thursday night, and all you have to do is give them a quick sear on Friday night for a nearly hands-off dinner party. The possibilities are endless—go forth and sous vide!
