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Sous Vide, a French term meaning “under pressure” is a cooking method where you place a protein or vegetable into a plastic bag and vacuum seal it, or use the water displacement method with a freezer Zip Lock, (this information can be found on YouTube), cook it in a water bath at a specific and constant temperature as recommended by food safety guidelines*. This technique was very popular in upscale restaurants in the mid 1970’s and is stilled used today.

By cooking foods at lower temperatures for a specified period of time pasteurizes the food making it safe to eat as well as changing the texture and keeping in the moisture and nutrients that would be otherwise lost using traditional cooking methods at higher temperatures. For instance, you have a tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked for a long period of time to tenderize it, typically you would braise this cut of meat which results in a well done piece of meat that has the potential to dry out if overcooked. But, by cooking the same cut using the sous vide method, you can successfully cook that same piece of meat not only keeping it moist, but also have the ability to control whether you want it well done or medium all while resulting in a tender and juicy piece of meat. For a complete guide to answer questions about time and temperature to reach pasteurization I would recommend going to douglasbaldwin.com*. If you’re seriously wondering about giving this a try, I would recommend his book, Sous Vide For The Home Cook.

There are many other things you can cook using the sous vide method like chicken, fish, pork, ice cream bases, yogurt, eggs, vegetables and much more.

As an example, the picture above is a 2lb. tri-tip cooked sous vide for 6 hours at 132°. Once finished, I removed the meat from the bag, reserving the juices or purge as it’s referred to, and patted it dry, seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled it for about 2-1/2 minutes per side just to seal in the juices. The purge can be used for making a sauce for your meal if desired.

A pretty convenient advantage of this style of cooking is you can make it all ahead! I mean days or even a couple of weeks in advance. Once your food is cooked, drop it into an ice bath for 20-30 minutes prior to refrigeration to bring the temperature to a quick and safe level to avoid bacteria growth. Once it’s completely cooled you can either freeze it for another time or hold it for a few days in the refrigerator. Once you’re ready to serve, preheat your sous vide water to about 10 degrees less than your original cooking temperature and reheat the item for 20-30 minutes. Then remove from the bag, pat dry, season, then either grill it or use a skillet to sear the meat. No need to let it rest, you can slice it right away.

This technology has become extremely popular with the home cook giving the ability to cook a gourmet meal over and over for an affordable price. These units run anywhere from $89-$200 depending on the brand and bells and whistles you desire. Some of these units will connect with your Bluetooth so you can control the time and temperature that you desire from your phone or computer. Others have the capability to connect to your home Wi-Fi Network as well. Happy cooking!

Visit Dorothy’s website at http://ddimarzo2002.wix.com/thymethief.