36
UK
Foods for sous vide cooking
Meat is particularly suited to sous vide cooking,
as it makes it more tender, juicy and flavour-
some, but vegetables and fish can also be
cooked in this way.
We recommend sous vide cooking for the fol-
lowing foods:
•
Beef, veal, lamb, pork and game
•
Chicken, turkey and duck
•
Lean and oily fish, lobster tails and scal-
lops
•
Root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots,
parsnips, beetroot and turnips
•
Crisp vegetables such as peas, aspara-
gus, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, auber-
gines, onions and squash
•
Hard fruits such as apples and pears
•
Soft fruits such as mango, plums, apricots,
peaches, nectarines, papaya and straw-
berries
SOUS VIDE COOKING STEP BY
STEP
1. Seasoning
You can marinate the food or add spices,
herbs, butter or oil before you seal the vacuum
bag.
2. Vacuum sealing
The food must be vacuum sealed in a bag to
remove air and moisture. This ensures the
foods retain their natural flavour and nutritional
content. Vacuum sealing also helps to open
the pores of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish,
so that the marinade and spices are absorbed
better and the food is more flavoursome.
Oxygen and moisture in the ambient air reduc-
es the flavour, nutritional content and structure
of food, and it is therefore important to use a
high-quality vacuum sealer to remove air and
moisture before the bag is sealed to ensure the
food is optimally vacuum packed.
3. Cooking
Once the water in the pan has reached the
required temperature, the vacuum bags
containing the food should be placed gently in
the water. Make sure the bags are completely
under water, and that the water can circulate
around the bags, so the food cooks evenly.
4. Browning
When foods are cooked sous vide, it may be
necessary to brown meat in particular in a fry-
ing pan or grill in order to enhance its appear-
ance and flavour. Remove the food from the
bag and brown it quickly on a very hot frying
pan or grill rack. This causes the fat and pro-
teins to caramelise and enhances the flavour.
PREPARING FOODS
•
Foods for sous vide cooking must be
absolutely fresh.
•
Check that meat, poultry, fish and shellfish
have been stored correctly below 5 °C
before cooking.
•
Only use brand new and clean vacuum
bags.
•
Keep fresh and cooked foods apart.
•
Wash your hands and work area thorough-
ly before handling food.
•
The thickness of the food must be as de-
scribed in the table of sous vide tempera-
tures and times.
