Sous-Vide Cooking

Appears in

Published 2021

About

I am sure everyone is familiar with using sous-vide – a vacuum – as a way of storing food, as we see vacuum-packed food all over the place, from spices and coffee to cured meats and rice. It is a great way of packing food for transport. But, although it has been around for a while now and is used a lot in professional kitchens, you may not be so familiar with cooking sous-vide.

In my restaurant, we sometimes use this method, and we have a professional vacuum-pack machine that seals the food ready to go in a special water bath. It’s usually a great way of cooking, although I have to confess it has gone wrong once or twice and given us all a good laugh – although laughter is not quite the reaction if it happens in the middle of a busy service! If a bag is not sealed properly – or the cling film (plastic wrap) isn’t tied securely if you are trying it at home – and no one notices in time, it can cause a mini disaster, and you could find yourself with an empty bag or a chicken breast swimming in water. So just watch those knots and tie them tightly!