Sous vide
A precise low-temperature water-bath cooking method.
Sous vide, also known as low-temperature, long-time (LTLT) cooking, is a method of cooking in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar and cooked in a water bath for longer than usual cooking times at a precisely regulated temperature. The temperature is much lower than usually used for cooking, typically around 55 to 60 °C for red meat, 66 to 71 °C for poultry, and higher for vegetables. The intent is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and to retain moisture.
- Invented by
- Georges Pralus
- Field
- Culinary technique
- Key pioneers
- Georges Pralus, Bruno Goussault
- Also known as
- Low-temperature, long-time (LTLT) cooking
Lore & Background
Preparation of food under vacuum, with or without heat, was developed by American and French engineers in the mid-1960s as an industrial food preservation method.
Reader's Guide
Sous vide cooking is characterized by low temperatures, durations longer than conventional, and containers that separate food from the heating environment. Sealing food in sturdy plastic bags retains juices and aroma. Placing the packaged food in a water bath set at the desired final cooking temperature prevents overcooking, because the food cannot get hotter than the bath. Precise temperature control allows very even cooking throughout the food, even with irregularly shaped and thick items. The use of temperatures much lower than conventional cooking is essential; tough collagen in connective tissue can be denatured into gelatin without toughening the meat. A limitation is that browning (Maillard reactions) happens at temperatures above the boiling point of water, so chefs often brown meats before or after sous vide cooking. Food safety depends on both time and temperature; Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow in the absence of oxygen, so sous vide must be performed under carefully controlled conditions to avoid botulism poisoning.
Did You Know?
- Pasteurization kills botulism bacteria, but hardy botulism spores can survive and reactivate once cool.
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