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Sous Vide
Most people think this is a fad in the culinary world, but actually it has been around for many years and is only becoming popular now in South Africa. It has been around since the early 1970’s.
It is not a very complicated cooking technique, but the correct equipment is required to achieve a good result. You will need a good vacuum pack machine and a baine marie( heated water bath) with a temperature regulation system to control the water temperature. The purpose of the vacuum machine is to seal the food in an air tight environment for cooking in the water bath. The vacuum pressure must not be too great that the item being placed inside is distorted by the pressure. The vacuum pack protects the food from the water while delivering a precise cooking temperature which is being monitored. A temperature probe is placed into the item which is being cooked to check the core temperature is correct to determine if the item is cooked. This probe will penetrate the vacuum bag, but does break the vacuum as it is placed through a thick section of foam which adheres to the vacuum bag. Once the probe is removed the foam takes it’s shape again not allowing the vacuum bag to loose the pressure inside. This is essentially the heart of Sous Vide, the controlled application of low cooking temperatures.
The important things to remember when cooking in Sous Vide is that all items to be cooked must be cold/ chilled before they are vacuum sealed at a temperature of 3◦C, especially Fish, poultry and meat, and must remain at this temperature until the item is to be cooked. The item must also be cooked to a temperature above 60◦C to kill all bacteria that may be present on the items. If the item is not to be consumed immediately it must then again be chilled to below 3◦C as fast as possible to prevent bacterial growth. It must not be stored for more than 2 days in the vacuum sealed bag at 3◦C before it is consumed, freeze the item if this is the case.
Cooking in this method allows food to retain all the natural juices found in the item, there fore retaining all the natural flavour, vitamins and minerals that are lost in other cooking techniques.
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