Ever wonder how restaurants serve you a perfectly done, scrumptiously delicious steak in just a few minutes? They likely use a sous vide. My husband learned about sous vide cooking from our son-in-law and we absolutely love it. He makes steaks, pork tenderloin, and barbecue baby back ribs that are honestly the best I have had anywhere.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is French for “under vacuum”. Cooking with sous vide is basically sealing your food in a plastic bag and then cooking that food in temperature controlled water. The food cooks at the same gradual and controlled temperature throughout the cooking process. Since the water is circulated around your food, the food is cooked evenly throughout. Plus, you can leave it in the water bath (with the sous vide still on) for up to an hour after it is finished cooking if you aren’t ready to eat. It won’t overcook because the temperature is kept at a steady constant. Awesome!

Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking

There are many reasons to use sous vide for cooking your food.

• No overcooking – your food is done to perfection every time
• No guessing if your food is done or not
• Seals in flavor and nutrients
• Lower cost cuts of meat are more tender and juicy
• Low stress and low mess
• Absolutely delicious

What You Need for Sous Vide Cooking

Sous vide cooking used to be possible for restaurants only, due to the cost of the equipment. Now anyone can do sous vide because there are low cost and convenient sous vide cooking machines available for home use.

My husband did his research (he does with everything lol) and we purchased the same sous vide cooker our son-in-law uses.

Sous Vide Cooking Machine

We use the ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide (1100 Watts) machine. It is small and easy to store, and uses your phone for control. The phone app is super simple and even includes recipe suggestions. My husband says that it’s so easy a monkey could do it. 🙂

Plastic Freezer Bags (BPA Free)

We use gallon sized Ziploc Freezer Bags. They are heavier than other brands and BPA free. They hold up to some of the higher temperatures you need for some meals.

Cooking Container

The beauty of the ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide (1100 Watts) machine is that you can use any of your existing cooking containers. Just add water and drop in the machine (it has a clamp to attach it).

But if you want to take it up a notch, my husband bought the EVERIE Sous Vide Container 12 Quart. It is made for the ChefSteps Joule and is clear, easy to store, and makes it even easier to use the ChefStep.

Last Step for Meats – Searing

When you cook meat in a sous vide there is no contact with a heat source such as a pan or grill. The meat therefore comes out looking gray and bland. The solution to this is to sear it very quickly on a pan or my husbands favorite – the grill. Searing gives your meat a yummy caramelized look.

Sous Vide Mistake Proofs Cooking

The thing my husband loves most about the sous vide is that it mistake proofs his grilling. He no longer has to worry about overcooking and burning, or under-cooking and grossed out guests. The thing I love most about it is that he does all the work (but don’t tell him that!).

We love everything we cook using our sous vide cooking machine. You will too!