What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is the process of using temperature-controlled water to cook food in vacuum-sealed pouches. While it sounds complicated, the cooking process is actually quite simple – you add the food product to the water tank, then set the desired temperature and the cooking time. The sous vide can also be used as a holding tank once it’s brought the food to the correct temperature.
Once your product has been cooked, some items, such as pre-seared proteins, sauces, and sides, will be ready to be plated right away. Others will need to be finished with searing to provide a crisp or caramelized exterior.
Because your food is vacuumed-sealed, you won’t lose any juices, nutrients, or flavor. This cooking method also helps preserve the integrity of the food, as once you set the desired temperature, that is the hottest the food will get.
The most important components of a sous vide are the thermal circulator and the temperature probe. The thermal circulator handles heating and moving the liquid around your product, and the temperature probe allows the sous vide to accurately measure when the correct temperature has been achieved.
What are the Advantages of Sous Vide?
- Consistent results – Even the best cooks can’t achieve the same doneness every time. A sous vide can.
- Shorter ticket times – You can have items like steak or pork chops fully cooked and held at the perfect temperature. All you need to do before serving is quickly sear both sides!
- Eliminates cross contamination – The vacuum-sealed bags prevent illness-causing bacteria from contaminating the equipment.
- Ventless – Hood space in a kitchen is incredibly valuable. Having a sous vide allows you to quickly and easily expand your cookline.
What Does a Sous Vide Station Need?
Having the right equipment and accessories at your sous vide station can ensure maximum effectiveness.
Alongside your sous vide, we recommend a vacuum pack machine, so you can easily prep your food right there, a blast chiller to shorten the amount of time your food is in the danger zone if you aren’t immediately serving it, and a label printer so your staff knows exactly what’s in the vacuum pack and when it was sealed.
Interested in adding a sous vide station to your kitchen? Contact our Rapids Contract & Design team today!
