What equipment do you need to cook sous vide?

In order to maintain the precise control of temperature, sous vide cooking requires a tightly temperature-controlled water bath and a means to vacuum seal the foods to be cooked. One of the easiest ways to cook sous vide is using a self-contained water oven, such as the SousVide Supreme, which allows you to set the temperature and let it do the cooking for you with no monitoring required. The key is accuracy and the SousVide Supreme offers technology that maintains constant temperatures within +-0.5 degree C or 1 degree F. To seal foods for sous vide cooking requires nothing more than a common kitchen vacuum sealer and food grade plastic vacuum seal pouches, approved for cooking.

Can I buy replacement bags for the SousVide Supreme Vacuum Sealer?

Absolutely. Cooking pouches are available in, 1-quart/.95-liter or 1-gallon/3.79-liter sizes, as well as pouch rolls that can be cut and sealed to your desired size. We also offer zip pouches, which can be used without a vacuum sealer, particularly useful for liquids or liquid-rich foods. All of our pouches have been third party tested and verified to be free of Bisphenol-A, lead, polyethylene and any phthalates, and to withstand and remain stable at high cooking temperatures for extended periods of time.

Will any other bags work with the SousVide Supreme Vacuum Sealer?

For the best quality sous vide cooking bag, we recommend using only the SousVide Supreme Vacuum Sealer bags. However, our system will also work with some other bags, such as those by Food Saver. Any bag used for sous vide cooking, however, should always be made of food grade plastic and approved for cooking.

What kind of foods can you cook sous vide?

All kinds! Any type of meat—such as beef, pork, lamb, game, or poultry—is ideal for sous vide. It works especially well with fish and seafood, ensuring that these delicate foods are not overcooked. Almost any vegetable can also be cooked sous vide with delicious results, as can eggs and many fruits. You can even use it to make custard-style ice cream base, béarnaise sauce, crème Anglaise, custards, cheese, yogurt, and even cakes. Just about anything that requires a precise temperature to cook can be a candidate for sous vide cooking.

How do you season food to be cooked?

The sous vide process locks in a food’s natural flavors and infuses the seasoning into the food which means seasoning can be lighter than with other methods. When applying seasonings, start with a light hand and work your way up. For example, you can experiment with fresh or dried herbs, seasoning blends, sliced lemons/ limes, and chilis.

How much food can you fit in the SousVide Supreme?

Generally speaking, the SousVide Supreme Demi holds approximately twelve 4 ounce portions of food. The amount of food that will fit comfortably into the water oven depends on the food in question. The general requirement is that the food pouch (es) should not completely cover the perforated grill on the bottom of the unit. Convection circulation of water through the grill holes and between pouches is important to maintaining constant temperature throughout the bath.

The pouch rack solves this problem by keeping the pouches up off the perforated grill and apart from each other as well as allowing you to cook a surprisingly large quantity of food. Insert the rack horizontally to hold up to four large (gallon) cooking pouches. The rack can also be removed to accommodate large food items, such as a 6-pound leg of lamb, beef or pork roast, or beef or pork tenderloin. The key here is to make certain that the water can flow freely around the pouches to ensure even cooking.

Can you cook an entire meal in a SousVide Supreme?

There are some one-pot meals and pasta meals that work in the SousVide Supreme we’re working to develop more. In general, vegetables require a higher temperature to soften and become tender than fish, poultry, or meat. Thus fish, meat, or poultry cooked at the same time as vegetables will be somewhat overcooked, as would be the case in a slow cooker. To cook them together, however, you can quickly sauté the vegetables in the skillet and then add them to the meat and cook at the lower temperature required by the meat, fish, or poultry in the SousVide Supreme.