What Does Sous Vide Mean?
Many at-home chefs are quickly discovering the sous vide cooking method and deem it their new personal favorite. Sous vide, a French term pronounced soo-veed, is a relatively simple and cost-effective way of cooking. However, it’s also a perk that the sous vide method helps to prepare healthy meals for you and your family!
The sous vide method is an innovative cooking method that was once thought to only be used in higher-end restaurants. It involves cooking your desired meal low and slow in a water bath to get it thoroughly cooked to the chef’s desired consistency. It entails vacuum-sealing your food into an airtight bag and then cooking it at a low temperature in a water bath for an extended period of time. The process of cooking the food low and slow allows the food’s natural integrity and flavors to truly come to light! Because of this, little to no preparation work is required as well as very minimal cleanup. Many chefs prefer this method because of its simplicity, and the fact that tenderizers, seasonings, and marinades aren’t required for the food to be flavorful and delicious.
However, it isn’t to be misconstrued that preparation work isn’t allowed when cooking sous vide. The great thing about cooking sous vide is that there is room for adaptation depending on each chef and their unique preferences. If you would prefer to marinade or season your food before cooking, that is completely acceptable! The options are truly endless when it comes to cooking sous vide, however, the result is always the same. Consistently cooked and delicious food every time!
Is The Sous Vide Cooking Method Expensive?
Because the term sous vide sounds rather elegant, many at-home chefs avoid learning about the cooking method because they fear that it’s costly. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is the sous vide cooking technique requires very minimal equipment and is very cost-efficient. The only equipment that is actually required to carry out the sous vide cooking method is a Ziploc-style bag and a larger cooking vessel to submerge the vacuum-sealed food into. Other than that, any other equipment you may purchase to carry out the sous vide cooking method is completely optional!
Another great thing about the sous vide cooking method is that there truly isn’t a cheaper cut of meat. In other words, many people struggle to cook meats that are considered to be cheaper because they are oftentimes tougher with more muscles and tendons throughout. Some examples would include pork chops, chicken, duck, or turkey. However, the sous vide cooking method helps to break down those muscles and tendons, ultimately leaving tender and delicious cuts of meat every time! This is another way that the sous vide cooking technique is cost-efficient, as you can truly use it to cook just about any cut of meat regardless of the toughness or cost.
What Healthy Meals Can I Cook Using the Sous Vide Method?
The sous vide method can help you to prepare healthy meals for either yourself singularly, or your entire family! According to Top Sous Vide, there are several different health benefits associated with the sous vide cooking method, primarily because it involves far fewer fats, salt, and oils. The food also is better able to retain its natural nutrients and vitamins. It’s a great way to help improve the healthiness of foods that we oftentimes view as being relatively bad for ourselves.
But what healthy meals can you cook using the sous vide method? The answer is, just about anything you’d desire. The sous vide method isn’t solely used for cooking meats as it is oftentimes thought to be. It can also be used to cook a plethora of different vegetables, eggs, yogurts, or custards to name a few. It’s as simple as doing a quick internet search for the best sous vide recipe or prepared sous vide meals, then following the designated cook time and water temperature outlined. Who knows, you may become the newest sous vide enthusiast after trying out a few of these meals.
