General Tips for Sous Vide Cooking | Blue Jean Chef - Meredith Laurence (2024)

General Tips for Sous Vide Cooking | Blue Jean Chef - Meredith Laurence (1)

Here are a few quick tips I’ve discovered along the way that I hope will help you in your sous vide cooking.

Become a Master of your Sous Vide Cooking.

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Quick Tips

  • Use the best freezer bags possible.Good-quality freezer bags generally have better zipper locks and have less chance of tearing or leaking.
  • Re-use bags, but not for sous vide cooking.You can re-use the bags after you’ve finished cooking, but I find they are a little weaker after one use and are better used for general use in your kitchen, like storage.
  • Fill your sous vide water bath with hot tap water.Starting with warm water will help the sous vide circulator bring the water to the right temperature more quickly.
  • Try a square vessel.Square is a much more space efficient shape than a circle. So with a square container, you’ll have an easier time fitting both the circulator and the food.
  • Use a trivet.While the water in a sous vide water bath doesn’t get extremely hot, it can still be quite warm. Use a trivet or hot pad under your vessel to protect your countertop.
  • Cover up the water bath.It’s not advisable to add water to the sous vide water bath once it has been cooking your food because it is next to impossible to add the same temperature water. Adding hotter or colder water will interfere with the cooking process. So, if you are cooking for a long period of time where more evaporation is likely to occur, cover the water bath with aluminum foil, plastic wrap or a lid to minimize water evaporation.
  • Use weights to make sure it sinks.With some foods (vegetables especially), it’s difficult to get all the air out of the bag and have it weigh enough to sink in the water bath. In these instances, try putting a heavy spoon in the bag with the food to help weigh it down.
  • Finish stew-like meals with heat. Sometimes the sous vide temperature is not as hot as some people would like their food to be for serving at the table. For meals like stew or chilli, finish by heating the food in a saucepan just to a slight simmer and then serve.

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Comments (1)Post a Reply

  1. I cooked a 4-1/2 lb chuck roast in my Sous Vide for 48 hours. When it was down to about 24 hours, I noticed a tremendous water loss. I wasn’t aware of the cover as this is new to me. I figured I could add water at the same temperature so I put hot water in a receptical and used a thermometer. I put in almost a gallon over the whole cook and it turned out fine. Next time I will just cover it. 🙂

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General Tips for Sous Vide Cooking | Blue Jean Chef - Meredith Laurence (2024)

FAQs

General Tips for Sous Vide Cooking | Blue Jean Chef - Meredith Laurence? ›

Most dishes require only a few minutes to prepare the ingredients and seal them in a vacuum pack. After this, it's a case of simply heating up the water bath to the desired temperature, drop in the ingredients and leave them to cook for at least the required time to ensure a properly-cooked dish.

How do professional chefs use sous vide? ›

Most dishes require only a few minutes to prepare the ingredients and seal them in a vacuum pack. After this, it's a case of simply heating up the water bath to the desired temperature, drop in the ingredients and leave them to cook for at least the required time to ensure a properly-cooked dish.

What are the 6 safety steps for sous vide cooking? ›

To make sure vegetative forms of pathogenic bacteria will be destroyed, always sous vide food at a temperature of 132.8℉ (56℃) or higher.
  • Double check your circulator. ...
  • Use the right kind of plastic bags. ...
  • Don't reuse plastic bags. ...
  • Don't vacuum pack room-temperature food. ...
  • Be smart about storage.

What is the first thing I should 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!

What should not be sous vide? ›

Produce that no longer looks completely fresh or already smells strange is, of course, no longer suitable for the sous vide procedure. This particularly applies to fish and meat that is cooked at relatively low temperatures.

Do you start sous vide with hot or cold water? ›

Starting with warm water will help the sous vide circulator bring the water to the right temperature more quickly. Try a square vessel. Square is a much more space efficient shape than a circle. So with a square container, you'll have an easier time fitting both the circulator and the food.

Do Michelin star restaurants use sous vide? ›

Over two decades ago, Thomas Keller introduced sous vide technology to the kitchens of his three-Michelin-star restaurants, The French Laundry and Per Se .

How to sous vide for dummies? ›

All it requires is filling a pot with water and inserting a heating element (a sous vide cooker) into it so it sets a specific temperature. Then, you add your ingredients, sealed inside plastic or silicone bags, to the bath for a set amount of time, and it's 99% cooked.

Do major steakhouses use sous vide? ›

Do Steakhouses use Sous Vide Cooking Methods? Pre-cooking juicy steaks using sous vide is common in steakhouses across the United States. This might come as a surprise to frequent steakhouse customers, but using the technique allows chefs to cook great tasting steaks every time.

What is sous vide danger zone? ›

Sous vide has foreseeable hazards that regulators try to guard against: food held in the temperature danger zone (5°C–60°C) for extended periods being potentially subject to bacterial growth.

What hazards can you get from sous vide? ›

Risks
  • food held in the temperature danger zone (5°C–60°C) for long periods could allow harmful bacteria to grow.
  • food stored in the fridge for long periods could be a risk for food poisoning bacteria able to grow at low temperatures such as listeria.

Can bacteria grow in sous vide? ›

A: Sous Vide Cooking Process

With improper food handling, some of the most dangerous bacteria can grow, such as salmonella and botulism. Safe food handling and hygiene standards should always be maintained. Food cooked at low temperatures for extended periods of time can cause bacteria to multiply rapidly.

What is a disadvantage of sous vide? ›

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.

Can you use Ziploc bags for sous vide? ›

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.

What are the two main factors in cooking sous vide? ›

Cooking Time and Temperature

Sous vide cooking is all about mastering time and temperature. These two factors determine the final texture and flavor of your dish. Selecting the correct cooking temperature is all about knowing your desired doneness. Cooking time is less strict, but still important.

What is the best thing to sous vide? ›

The Best Foods To Cook Sous Vide
  • Tougher Cuts of Meat. What's important to remember here is that a 'tougher' or 'cheaper' cut of meat, doesn't necessarily mean a 'worse' cut. ...
  • Eggs. Eggs are one of the most popular foods to cook sous-vide for a couple of reasons. ...
  • Pork. ...
  • Lamb. ...
  • Carrots. ...
  • Filleted Fish. ...
  • Liver. ...
  • Fillet Steak.

What are the four characteristics of the sous vide technique? ›

Sous vide cooking is characterized by low-temperature cooking, a longer period of cooking than conventional cooking, a container (such as a plastic bag) that separates the food from its heating environment, and pressurized enclosure using full or partial vacuum.

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