Sous vide cookers can be an excellent part of your home. But compared to all the potential cooking methods, it may not stand out as a favorite.
But what are the benefits of sous vide cooking?
Sous vide cookers are incredibly simple and involve boiling food in a vacuum-sealed bag.
Precise temperatures are required, but those can quickly be addressed using modern immersion circulators and pots.
Below we will go through a pros and cons list for reasons for and against cooking sous vide. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better idea of using this or other methods.
The Benefits of Choosing Sous Vide
There are several benefits to cooking with a sous vide machine. Here’s a list:
Easy To Do
Sous vide cooking is one of the easiest cooking methods out there. Immersion circulators clip onto the side of any pot. The pot then boils, allowing you to stick your food inside.
Sous vide cookers work with a consistent temperature. As a result, this cooking style requires little need for you to check in.
When it comes to cooking food, there aren’t many methods easier than sous vide cooking.
No Need to Defrost
Sous vide cooking doesn’t require defrosting time. Instead, you can place frozen food already inside of a freezer bag to cook it.
The bag does not have to be vacuum-sealed. You just need to press any remaining air out.
Other cooking methods see more wait time due to waiting for defrosting. Precision cookers from sous vide do not have the same wait time.
Easy to Set A Precise Temperature
- Never over or undercook your food again. The Anova precision cooker sous vide (pronounced “sue-veed”) circulates water at the exact temperature required for perfectly cooked meals, no matter whats on your menu.
- Sous vide cooking s the perfect level of doneness for nearly any food of your choosing. Chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, beef, lamb, pork and more are all ideal candidates for sous vide circulation.
- Now with more power, faster heat up times, and improved Wi-Fi connection all in a smaller and more durable body, The Enova precision cooker is the perfect option for any home chef.
Many immersion circulators, like the Anova Precision Cooker, allow for easy temperature control.
So when you create temperature-controlled water baths, you just need to hit the temperature change controls right on top.
That way, if you want a tender cooked steak or chicken breast, it isn’t hard for you to get to precise temperatures. Just remember to sear the steak using a cast-iron pan afterward.
It Is Affordable
Standard sous vide cookers’ cost was out of a home cook’s price range for the longest time. Today, these kinds of cookers are affordable, making them approachable for cooks on a budget.
It is Flexible
The only food that this cooking technique can’t cook is sharp food. Sharp foods can pierce plastic bags, meaning no asparagus or nuts.
However, sous vide can cook any piece of meat or vegetable outside of asparagus. When it comes to making firm food soft and enjoyable, any cuts of meat or veggies will do.
It’s Great for Batch Cooking
Sous vide cooking makes it easy for you to batch cook multiple food items. With numerous bags and a large stockpot, you can quickly cook for large groups of people.
Sous vide cooking also can be stored and transported in coolers. Putting food in an ice bath to suddenly bring it to cool temperatures is not uncommon.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Cook Sous Vide
Sometimes Has a Long Wait Time
Much of sous vide cooking involves waiting for the food to be done. Sometimes, cooking times can take as long as an outdoor smoker, leading to two to four hours.
Even the pre-heating time of some immersion circulators can be up to 20 minutes. This temperature varies depending on the preferred temperature you want to reach.
Overcooking Can Lead To Food Mush
With other forms of cooking, burnt food is a reality. But there are some cases where you can just chip off the burnt parts. While sous vide cooking is easy, it’s also easy to forget.
Overcooking sous vide meals leaves no survivors. Because of the steady temperature that comes with sous vide, all is cooked evenly.
As a result, all food items in the bag will be overcooked evenly.
It Requires One Specialized Item
With some cooking techniques, you can get away with using a similar item. But when it comes to sous vide cooking, you are required to have one specialized thing.
This item can sometimes come in the form of a setting on a slow cooker, but it still means you need something specialized.
At the same time, you could technically get away with boiling a pot of water and putting it in a bag. Good sous vide cooking requires circulation.
Traditional methods of sous vide allowed you to stir it with a spoon or another item. That requires a bit more attention and takes away from the “easy cooking” bonus.
Conclusion – Is Sous Vide Cooking Worth It?
The short answer: yes. Sous vide is an excellent and straightforward method of cooking. Because of its simplicity, it can save busy parents time and effort on making a delicious meal.
You just need to be sure you’ve got the time if you want to try some longer recipes.
If you’d like some extra help with your sous vide, check out our blog on using Ziploc bags for this cooking method. Thanks for reading!
