The Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking

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There are so many amazing benefits of sous vide cooking - from cooking restaurant quality dishes, to meal prep and healthier eating, anyone can benefit from this cooking method!

Cooking sous vide has become my favorite way to cook. I love that everything I make just comes out SO PERFECT.

No more over cooked chicken I have to choke down, no more disappointing overcooked steaks, tender, crisp vegetables, and the creamiest custards and eggs you'll ever eat.

Head over and read "What is Sous Vide Cooking" for even more information about the technique and if you're ready to start cooking, check out all the sous vide recipes!

You'll also want to check out the best sous vide recipes and these amazing sous vide breakfast recipes!

Jump to:

• How Does Sous Vide Work?
• How Much Does Cooking Sous Vide Cost?
• The Pros and Cons of Cooking Sous Vide
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Key Takeaways: Is Cooking Sous Vide Worth it?
• 💬 Comments

How Does Sous Vide Work?

Sous vide is a cooking method in which food is sealed in an airtight bag and then placed in a water bath that is held at a precise temperature. This is how you're able to prevent over or undercooking your food - it's always cooked to the temperature you set.

The term "sous vide" is French for "under vacuum," which refers to the vacuum-sealed bags that are often used in sous vide cooking. This can be slightly misleading as not everything is cooked in a bag or even vacuum sealed. But that's just semantics.

The process of sous vide cooking involves using a temperature-controlled water bath to cook food evenly and consistently (AKA the water bath as I refer to it in many of the recipes).

The food is first placed in a plastic bag and then vacuum-sealed to remove all the air (or using the water displacement method if you don't have a vacuum sealer). This ensures that the food is evenly cooked and prevents any loss of flavor or nutrients.

The vacuum-sealed bag is then placed in a water bath, which is heated to the desired temperature using a sous vide machine or immersion circulator. The temperature is controlled precisely, and the food is cooked slowly over a long period of time, ensuring that it is evenly cooked and perfectly tender.

One of the benefits of sous vide cooking is that it allows you to cook food to a precise temperature, which can be difficult to achieve with other cooking methods.

For instance, typical methods have you roasting a chicken breast anywhere from 350-400F degrees. You don't want chicken that is cooked to that high a temperature, so you monitor it and wait until the interior reaches 165F degrees before serving.

And it's typically dry because it is difficult manage the cooking temperature and doneness. With sous vide, you cook it to the exact temperature you want it (140F degrees is my go to every time).

Sous vide is ideal for cooking delicate foods like fish or eggs (or chicken breast like in the example), as well as tougher cuts of meat that need to be cooked for a long time to become tender (think RIBS and oxtails and guys!).

How Much Does Cooking Sous Vide Cost?

The cost of cooking sous vide can vary depending on a few factors, such as the type of equipment you use, the cost of the food you're cooking, and the amount of energy consumed during the cooking process.

For reference, this is the equipment I use, and we discuss it more in What is Sous Vide Cooking as well as a complete guide to the best sous vide containers, best sous vide torch, best sous vide machines, best sous vide weights and the best sous vide bags:

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum seal bags

You'll want to consider some of these factors when estimating the cost of cooking sous vide:

1. Equipment: You'll need a sous vide machine or immersion circulator to cook sous vide. The cost of these machines can range from around $50 for basic models to several hundred dollars for more advanced models. You may also want to purchase a vacuum sealer (not required) which can run around $50-$100.
2. Energy consumption: Sous vide cooking typically requires keeping the water bath at a constant temperature for several hours, which can use a lot of energy. The exact cost will depend on your local energy rates and the efficiency of your equipment (we have solar panels so it's a non-issue). That said, one way or another, you'll be using an energy source to cook this food!
3. Food cost: The cost of the food you're cooking will vary depending on the type and quality of ingredients you use. Sous vide cooking can be used for expensive cuts of meat or delicate seafood where the chance to ruin your meal is greatly reduced, so food costs could be higher. That said, it also provides the option of taking cheaper cuts of meat and turning them into gold through long cooks (think sous vide chuck roast or sous vide london broil).

Overall, while the initial investment in sous vide equipment can be a few hundred dollars, the ongoing cost of cooking sous vide can be relatively low.

Plus, the precision and consistency of sous vide cooking can also help reduce food waste by ensuring that food is cooked perfectly every time, which can help save money in the long run.

The Pros and Cons of Cooking Sous Vide

If you couldn't already tell, I'm all about sous vide cooking and love many many aspects of it. That said, there are both pros and cons to every cooking method that you should know about before deciding to jump in headfirst (my MO).

**check out this sous vide gift guide or these 10 Best Sous Vide Cookbooks for the sous vide lover in your life!

Top 10 Benefits of Sous Vide

1. Perfect Results, Every Time

Like I've reiterated a few times, cooking sous vide allows you to precisely control the temperature and cooking time of your food, which can result in perfectly cooked, food every time.

2. Can be Healthier

Sous vide cooking can be a healthier cooking method in some ways, but it depends on the specific recipe and ingredients used (this sous vide fried chicken probably isn't a healthier option lol).

A potential benefit of sous vide cooking is that it can help to preserve the nutrients and flavors of your food, since the vacuum-sealed bags can help to prevent the loss of moisture and nutrients during the cooking process.

Also, because sous vide cooking may require less added fat or oil than other cooking methods, which can make it a healthier option. In many recipes, it is actually recommended to not use fat in the bag as it can leach flavor from the meat!

However, it is important to keep in mind that the healthfulness of a dish depends on many factors beyond just the cooking method. For instant, if you are cooking high-fat or high-sugar foods using sous vide (ahem I'm looking at you sous vide flan), it may not be a healthier option than other cooking methods.

**the flan may not be healthy, but good god is it amazing. Probably my all time favorite dessert.

Overall, sous vide cooking can be a healthy option for certain recipes and ingredients, but it is important to consider the overall nutritional content of your dish and not rely solely on the cooking method to make it healthy.

3. Perfect for Meal Planning or Bulk Cooking

Sous vide can be a great option for meal planning because it allows you to cook large batches of food in advance and store them in the refrigerator or freezer until you're ready to eat.

This has actually been a huge life saver for us. We find ourselves cooking up large batches of sous vide chicken breast on Sundays so we can eat it all week long.

**You can use any kind of meat, we just use chicken because it is healthy and cheaper than trying to eat porterhouse every night LOL.

We individually vacuum seal each breast, using whatever seasonings we like, sous vide, then throw it in the fridge. A quick zap in the microwave to warm it up and you've got an ultra juicy chicken breast (and it's healthy!).

You can also freeze your food right in the bag you cooked in and heat it up straight from frozen. It's ultra convenient!

4. Extended Shelf Life

By cooking food at a low temperature for an extended period, harmful bacteria and pathogens can be effectively killed or reduced. This process also helps to maintain the quality and texture of the food for longer.

Vacuum-sealing the food (or using the water displacement method) before sous vide cooking creates an airtight environment, which further inhibits the growth of bacteria and slows down spoilage.

Foods will typically stay good several days longer (in the fridge) than if cooked using traditional methods due to the above.

However, it's important to note that while sous vide cooking can enhance the shelf life of food, it does not replace proper storage practices and food safety guidelines.

5. Increased Food Safety

As mentioned above, sous vide cooking can be considered safer than some other cooking methods in certain respects, but it also has its own unique safety considerations. Here are the advantages of sous vide cooking in terms of safety:

1. Reduced risk of foodborne illness: Because sous vide cooking involves cooking food at a precise temperature for a longer period of time, it can help to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens that may be present in the food. This can help to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
2. Controlled environment: Sous vide cooking takes place in a sealed bag, which can help to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of bacteria from one food to another. Additionally, because the temperature is controlled throughout the cooking process, there is less risk of uneven cooking or undercooked food.
3. Reduced risk of burns: Sous vide cooking does not involve open flames or hot surfaces, which can reduce the risk of burns and other kitchen accidents.

However, it is important to keep in mind that sous vide cooking also has its own safety considerations. For example, it is important to make sure that the equipment is functioning properly and that the bags are properly sealed to prevent leaks.

Additionally, it is important to use food-grade bags that are specifically designed for sous vide cooking, as other types of plastic may release harmful chemicals when heated.

Overall, sous vide cooking is a safe and effective cooking method when proper safety protocols are followed. As with any cooking method, it is important to take appropriate precautions to prevent foodborne illness and kitchen accidents.

6. It's Mostly Hands Off

Sous vide cooking is often a hands-off cooking method, meaning you can set it up and leave it to cook while you attend to other tasks.

It may take longer for food to cook, but as long as you plan properly, it saves you so much time in the long run. Hello Netflix.

7. Food Is Never Overcooked

Sous vide cooking involves cooking food in a precisely controlled water bath, which can help ensure that the food is cooked to the exact temperature you want.

Basically this means your food is never overcooked. For instance, if you set a water bath to 135F degrees, your food will never cook to a temperature higher than that.

This is literally my favorite part of sous vide. I never have to eat an overcooked steak again (or curdled custard).

**Look at this beautiful sous vide beef tenderloin...a cut that can be easy to overcook comes out just perfect here.

8. Great for Preparing Food in Advance

Because sous vide cooking involves vacuum-sealing food, it can help preserve the flavor, texture, and nutrients of your food for longer periods of time. Not only does this help with meal planning (see above), but it amazing for dinner parties or even holiday dinners.

You can cook pretty much anything in advance, pop it back into the water bath for a couple minutes to warm it up, sear it (if it's meat) and serve it. That way you can enjoy your own party (or holiday).

**we love this sous vide duck confit - easy to make in advance and perfect to impress your guests.

9. Recipes are so Versatile

What I mean by this is that you can cook many meats with just a simple seasoning of salt and pepper, then use the cooked meat to make so many things! Or create fun, amazing sauces, gravies, etc.

For example, you can sous vide beef, slice it and serve it in this Thai beef salad or use it to make Mongolian beef. You can also sous vide short ribs and serve with polenta, grill them with bbq sauce, or shred them into tacos.

So many options! Plus, these amazing sous vide vegetables and sous vide desserts will knock your socks off!

10. Prepare Restaurant Quality Dishes

Sous vide can produce restaurant-quality results by allowing for precise temperature control and retention of moisture, resulting in tender, juicy, and evenly cooked food.

Paired with purchasing higher quality ingredients, home cooks can easily achieve restaurant style results if they have a basic understanding of seasoning and flavors.

If you ever wondered how that duck breast came out so tender and delicious, it may have been sous vide. How did they get perfectly poached eggs? Sous vide. Etc., etc. etc.

**Look at that sous vide poached egg...I broke it up in the photo, but you can keep it in poached for too!

Disadvantages to Sous Vide Cooking

Now, I'm all about cooking sous vide...I absolutely love it and will tell anyone who will listen about it. That said, there are a couple drawbacks you do want to consider:

Longer Cook Times

Sous vide cooking typically requires more time than other cooking methods due to the slow cooking process. You will need to plan your meals further in advacne.

That said, most meats can be cooked sous vide straight from frozen with a little additional time added.

Use of Plastic

Some people don't like the idea of cooking their food in plastic for fear that the chemical may leach into the food.

Cooking in plastic for sous vide is generally safe, as long as you follow some basic guidelines.

Firstly, it is important to use bags that are specifically designed for sous vide cooking, as they are made from food-grade plastic (typically good quality freezer bags are ok as well) that is safe for cooking at high temperatures.

These bags are also designed to withstand the heat and pressure of the sous vide cooking process without rupturing or leaking.

It is important to make sure that you do not exceed the maximum temperature that your bags are rated for. Most sous vide bags are safe to use up to around 195°F (90°C), which is higher than the maximum temperature used in most sous vide cooking.

Cost

The initial investment in sous vide equipment can be a few hundred dollars, and sous vide cooking may require more expensive cuts of meat or seafood if you're looking for restaurant quality results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaways: Is Cooking Sous Vide Worth it?

Whether or not cooking sous vide is worth it depends on your personal preferences, cooking style, and budget. If you ask me, it's a vehement yes. But that's me - I like restaurant quality food.

Overall, there are many benefits to sous vide cooking and it can be a great option for those who value precision, consistency, and convenience in their cooking. And of course, deliciousness.