Sous vide

January 1, 2013 

Sous vide is a method of cooking that maintains a water bath at a constant temperature, just above the target temperature of the food, which is sealed into a watertight plastic pouch.  It results in precise control of the final temperature (and thus doneness) of the food, as well as the ability to hold a food at a specific temperature for a long time, allowing precise control of certain processes, such as the breakdown of collagen into gelatin.
 
The equipment to do sous vide at home has been in the several hundred dollar range, but just recently some more affordable options have come to market.  I paid around $100 for a controller that cycles an appliance (in my case, an old multi-cooker) on and off to maintain temperature.  And since we already have a FoodSaver vacuum sealer, this small controller is the only extra equipment I needed.

The first experiment was soft-boiled eggs.  This link shows the result of eggs cooked to specific internal temperatures.  Since an egg is waterproof to begin with, there’s no reason to vacuum seal it.  I cooked these for 90 minutes at 145 degrees F.

 

Unfortunately, I found that while the yolks were perfect, the whites had a funny consistency: both set and runny at the same time. Since I like my white fully set, this is not the result I was hoping for. Next time I think I will cook them to a lower temperature, and finish in boiling water for a minute or so to set the white.

 
I’m sure to continue experimenting with sous vide, and so you’ll see more photos from this Project as time goes by.