If you’ve dined at a banquet lately, your meal may have been prepared hours, or even days, earlier using sous vide technology.
Sous vide was developed in France during the 1970s to improve cooked foie gras. Food scientists discovered that if the foie gras was hermetically vacuum-sealed in a pouch, and then slowly cooked in the pouch at a slightly lower temperature, it showed little sign of shrinkage compared to conventionally cooked foie gras.
The method was subsequently used to cook other foods, and sous vide has been a mainstay in French cooking for nearly 30 years. But, in recent years, industry experts in the United States have begun to take notice.
For the last several years, leading chefs have taken sous vide and run with it. World-renowned Chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and other restaurants has been touting the benefits of sous vide, unequivocally stating that, with sous vide, “there is no mistake possible” as long as the process is properly conducted. Ferran Adrià of Spain’s El Bulli, and Heston Blumenthal of England’s The Fat Duck, both of whom were trained by Bruno Goussault, chief scientist, Cuisine Solutions, Alexandria, VA, are also using sous vide while experimenting with other forms of molecular gastronomy.
Sous vide is even poised to trickle down to consumers. In fact, in “Home Cooks, Meet Molecular Gastronomy,” from the Nov. 24, 2008, issue of Time, sous vide was cited as an idea that is changing the culinary world—an idea so revolutionary that it may enter the average household sooner than expected.
Manufacturers who add sous vide to their roster of cooking techniques have the ability to create wholly unique products with unrivaled tenderness and flavor.
Slow and low
Sous vide cooking is a method of vacuum-sealing products and then slow-cooking them in water at low temperatures. Cooking at low temperatures in a sealed bag prevents the loss of natural juices, yielding consistently tender, fully cooked, delectable entrées.
Cooking times and temperatures vary quite a bit depending on the composition and size of the product and desired quality and microbial result. Products destined for storage should be pasteurized, which depending on the product, requires temperatures in excess of 130°F to 140°F. In a foodservice preparation that will be eaten immediately, pasteurization may not be essential; however, this poses a microbial risk.
Products may cook at various temperatures throughout different phases of the cooking process. Depending on the thickness, products such as fish might cook for less than 30 minutes, and meats for as long as 72 hours.