Why I No Longer Cook Sous-Vide

Why I No Longer Cook Sous-Vide

00:00 Intro
01:06 Even Cooking: a Feature or a Bug?
02:31 Food Gets Cold Too Fast
03:19 It’s Just Not Fun
04:14 Men vs Women

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[rodrigolima]

As a home cooker who works from home and has only one hour to cook AND eat lunch, I find sous vide very convenient and tasty. It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare my meat and I usually do it while I'm preparing my breakfast. When the time comes I put it on the water bath knowing I will have perfectly cooked meat with almost no effort. It is so easy that even when I have the time I prefer it to regular methods because it is almost impossible to mess it up and the flavour of the meat is more pronounced.

[kleinebre]

I use sous-vide under two circumstances. The first is when I want to cook a pricey protein that's not on the menu very often (say, lobster or halibut) - and I want to make absolutely, positively sure that I get it right. Would be terrible to serve Xmas guests a rubbery lobster, but sous-vide it at 50-52 degrees C for 45 minutes and I can be certain it's gonna be fine. No immersion circulator needed for that, of course - a thermometer and a pot of water will do just as well.

But where sous-vide really shines is keeping a piece of protein at a given temperature for a LONG time. Working muscle is flavourful, but due to the high amount of collagen it will be too tough for a quick medium-rare pan sear. 24 hours in sous-vide, however, will convert the tough collagen to gelatin - but that would take a marathon cooking session. Instead of trying to stay awake for that long, you simply delegate the work to a robot to produce results that are impractical to achieve by human prowess alone.

[thomsukalac]

This is funny. The whole reason I found your channel several years ago was because I was trying to learn more about Sous-Vide cooking. I ultimately stopped using the method but have stayed a loyal follower of the channel. I have learned so much. Thank you.

[jeffdrew]

My perception of sous vide is slow cooking in a water bath. My preferences tend toward older methods with today’s expensive ingredients, like fresh anything. I like the sounds, smells, feelings of working with food in the moment. Btw; I’m an old man that’s cooked in food service and family settings for decades. I’d like to thank All those wonderful cooks who labored for hours perfecting techniques and recipes over the past hundreds of years! 🥰

[michaelcharge]

As a husband that does most of the cooking, I appreciate the fact I can buy the meat in bulk, vacuum seal, and then pop in the sous vide for a couple hours and then throw on the the grill with amazingly consistent results. The ability to never mess up any piece of meat for me or my family is amazing. I can't afford to experiment and lose expensive proteins. While I can't compete with the big boys, I can at least provide consistent VERY good results for my family.

[Pistolmike]

So for me, Sous Vide is another tool I use depending on circumstances. I think it is especially useful when cooking for more people as I can prepare a lot of other things while doing Sous vide. It is excellent for taking a cheap cut of meat such as a round roast, rump roast, or brisket and creating a tender moist result. I use it for lobster tails as I never seemed to get them tender through traditional cooking. I can take tougher cuts of meat and make them tender using the Instant pot but the meat is well done, even tho I like the IP as another useful tool. Sous Vide gives excellent results for Prime Rib and has become my go to method for family dinners even tho I think my Big Easy smoker roaster grill produces better tasting prime rib but is easier to overcook if you’re busy doing other things.

[qiaoyang]

I’ve been using sous vide for a long time, the best it brought me is the fact that I can prepare a big patch right after getting my groceries in minutes and store it much longer in refrigerator since it’s pasteurized. Time saving preparation and longer storage.

[Hierax]

Most of the reasons you name can be resolved with a nice torch. The sous-vide gives you an outstanding base to start with. You can then spend 5 minutes playing with your torch, it will give it the inconsistency your after and keep the food hot for longer. I also enjoy watching the color change/smoke and smell. Watching grey sous vide steak turning into a caramelized red char under a glowing torch is just as fun as bbq but it takes 5 minutes and there is 0 fear of over/undercooking it.

[annaquan]

Cooking has become increasingly hard for me over the last few years due to disability, and my sous vide has been a lifesaver. I wouldn't say there's joy in the process, but it simplifies cooking the lean meats we favor. Many of the recipes I use don't even include a searing step (chunks of chicken breast in BBQ sauce, for instance), or I figured out that I can skip it if I need to (yes, pork loin is better seared, but it still makes very good sandwiches if you don't have the energy to bother). I also found my sous vide absolutely invaluable this summer, living as I do in a no AC/no outdoor grill household--some weeks we pretty much lived on sous vide "poached" chicken breasts (added to salads, quick soups, etc).

I doubt I'd use it much if I was healthier and had a more reasonable amount of energy. I certainly wouldn't call cooking with it fun. I am however intensely glad I got it for Christmas last year.

[elazarwitchel]

As I work in a food establishment I appreciate sous vide for it's consistency and repeatability. Also with regards to braising/confit in sous vide you use far less liquid than you would use in traditional cooking which cuts down on cost especially when using more expensive ingredients.

[rep]

Sous Vide is a life saver for cooking the Christmas Prime Rib. I chunk it onto two sections, cook one rare and the other medium and finish up in the oven to bark it a bit. I get consistent results, keep both the rare and medium people happy and have time to enjoy the company without worrying about ruining dinner, which I have done before. I do all my steak sous vide as well as pork that I can cook rare and not have to worry if it is cooked through.

[bcbock]

You should pick the method you like the most. I do like sous-vide for steaks and eggs because I’ve never ruined a steak or eggs with it. They always turn out to my taste. It’s easy to mess up a steak. Very easy to over or undercook it with any other method. And as long as you dry the steak and sear it with flame, or a broiler, or a very hot pan with enough fat (I like to use ghee), you can’t really go wrong. I don’t mind the process. I can focus on all the other elements of the meal. The other reason I like sous-vide is that it’s not time sensitive, to a point. I can hold it in the water before searing for an hour or so with no change in quality. As for the steak getting cold while you make the sauce, I don’t understand that. Use a warmed plate and foil tent and it stays warm for the few minutes a sauce takes. You’re supposed to rest a steak using the conventional methods anyway. So what’s the difference unless it takes you more than 15 minutes to make a sauce. I think sous vide also has an advantage if you are doing a LOT of steaks for a party. You can only do a few in a pan. But you can do a lot under a broiler or on the grill with sousvide. Cooking a steak conventially in a pan is pretty easy, but I think the grill is too fraught with variables to ensure a great steak. But if you’re just searing on the grill, it’s pretty fool-proof and fast.

[jitsorooney]

I use sous vide once a year and that’s on Christmas for the turkey lol.

1. Because I do think it produces a better turkey it’s a lot more moist and easier to control.

2. It frees up the oven for the beef, which I do think taste better when roasted.

Other then that I agree, it’s not something I particularly go for and it’s actually quite a bit more hassle to set up.

[williamleoppky]

Hi Helen, as requested, I am sharing my thoughts.

I tend to agree with everything that you have said here, including the more masculine versus feminine tendencies, in general. And I stress, generally speaking. The one thing that prompted me to make this comment was your suggestion that the sous vide protein runs cold too quickly, and that is not necessarily ideal for timing.

To me, I love to use the sous vide for my protein because it helps with one less worry in regards to timing. I am nowhere near a “seasoned“ expert! I just like to leave the protein at the perfect temperature, until it is time to serve. However, I have found that chilling the protein in the fridge, for however long, is ideal for me. The creative joy for me comes in searing the crust with a utility grade electric heat gun! The time it takes to do that can be synchronized with other dishes, and everything comes out absolutely perfect regarding temperature.

I also totally agree that different ways of cooking the same thing will always provide individually different results. I truly enjoy the difference in tastes and textures, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be some of my Mom’s and my Granny’s.
My Granny had the ability to cook an absolutely incredible meal with beautiful, complementary and diverse textures with nothing more than a pot, vegetables, protein, a few spices and an oven. A juicy chicken, with a perfect crust and vegetables, a perfect meatloaf with perfect vegetables that were not too mushy and a roast, or anything for that matter, was all so incredibly delicious! There is nothing that can replace experience and love!

[paulstevens]

We can agree to disagree! Sous vide saves me from myself: I will ALWAYS overcook steak and salmon using traditional methods. Yes, I have instant-read and leave-in thermometers, but even following the temperature guidelines, I still always overcook it, probably partly due to unpredictability in the carryover cooking.  

I've tried reverse sear, and I just can't deal with how unpredictable the timing is. Normally, I need to put dinner on the table at 5:00. I can't say "well, dinner will be ready at 5:00 plus or minus an hour, depending on the exact thickness of the steak, was it thawed or frozen, what cut of steak, the nuances of the oven, where exactly I put the thermometer, where the steak gets placed in the oven, etc." I need to know exactly when it's going to be ready. By simply eyeballing the thickness of the steak and using an app with a chart, I know when the sous vide steak will be done, but I STILL have a lot of flexibility in the timing. If something unexpected comes up and the family isn't ready to eat at the normal time, that's okay, the steak will be perfectly fine 30 minutes later, and I don't need to do anything different. And if I just start a little earlier, we can have the flexibility to eat earlier too. It'll be excellent in a very large window of time, with no additional effort.

I don't sear the steak/salmon until people are pretty much ready to eat, and all other dishes are ready. If I need to warm it up a little more, I just have a hot butter sauce ready to go (this is a good idea anyway!). This solves the issue of sous vide steaks not being hot.

Maybe a reverse-sear steak, executed with perfect timing and an excellent sear, is in some ways better than a sous vide steak. But that's never happened for me. I get much better results with sous vide, the timing is much more flexible, and as you said, the results are consistent, reproducible, and predictable.

[marksadventures]

I like your honesty. I am an ex chef so, I didn't use sous vide much in the kitchen there and I would still sear the meat and finish off in a pan or under a grill or in the oven. Yes the control is there. I worked in kitchen for over 20 years, but I like sous vide for fish and vegetables more than meat protein. Steak, chops, fillets of chicken are far better cooked conventionally. I trained in a 2 rossette kitchen in Southern England after training in France and Italy.

[garykitzis]

Your point is well taken. I like sous vide because timing is flexible and the results are consistent. The "fun part" of sous vide cooking is when I take out my industrial 300, 000 BTU blow torch to sear the beef, lamb pork or other red meat. Poultry and fish are always pan seared. I wish I had a high powered salamander for restaurant quality broiling. I have found the important thing with sous vide is to have all your seasonings prepped and worked out before you bag the food--and then let it marinate in the bag for 24 hours in the refrigerator before cooking sous vide.

[marksac]

I disagree. Many of your concerns can be addressed during searing. If you don't want a steak medium rare edge to edge just adjust your technique. Same with vegetables. Sear the steak a bit longer to get a crispy charred outside, medium to medium rare doneness to center of your meat. I think all you need to do is up your cooking skills and techniques so you can appreciate and improve the outcomes of your sous vide cooking. Just like pan fry a steak is different for cooking it on a charcoal grill. Is one method better than the other? It depends on your skill level. You can make a delicious steak in a pan or on a grill. Sous vide is a tool that is as good as your cooking skills. I wish internet influencers would get away from talking about what's the "best way" to do something. There is no such thing as "the best" of anything.

[firstlast]

My favorite use for sous vide actually isn't for meat, sous vide creme brulle and flan in little mason jars are the absolute way to go for them. My other big thing with it is I'm not a fan of using it for cuts that can just be cooked conventionally (your ribeyes etc) but I do like using it on meat that otherwise wouldn't make a pleasant rareish steak cooked conventionally like chuck. It lets you put it at a temp over a very long period to break down the connective tissue while not overcooking it which you just can't realistically do in another way at home.

[AJBTemplar]

The big advantage for me is thrift. We produce a LOT of home grown produce like French beans. A surfeit. We have a Miele vacuum drawer which is very effective and so I prep and blanche the beans (or whatever), add a small amount of sauce or butter and herbs, and vac pack them and put straight in the freezer. When needed they are just cooked SV in the bag and it is both quick and economical. I do similar things with fish eg buy large pieces of Salmon cheap, prep them and vac pac for the freezer. SV saves energy and time for us and gives great results.