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The term "sous vide" comes from French and means "under vacuum".
The process is gentle, healthy, and dishes with delicious flavors are created with little effort.
Now the trend is also conquering the hobby kitchen.
We tell you what is behind it and what you should pay attention to if you want to buy a sous-vide cooker.
Sous-vide cooking: what is special about it?
The sous-vide cooking method is suitable for all foods that can be roasted, grilled, steamed, stewed or boiled, i.e. meat, fish, vegetables and even eggs.
The method was perfected in parallel in France and the USA in the 1970s.
In France, the star chef Georges Pralus discovered that his foie gras (goose liver) loses less weight and therefore the tasty fat if he cooks it in a vacuum instead of boiling it.
In the USA, the scientist, chef and inventor Bruno Goussault was investigating which temperatures and cooking times are ideal for different types of food in Sous-Vide cooking.
Both developments laid the foundation for Sous-Vide cooking to be used in many restaurant kitchens today.
The principle is simple: whether unseasoned, marinated or seasoned with herbs, minerals, oils or fruits, the ingredient is sealed airtight in a vacuum bag in a first step.
Airtight already means that the foil tightly encloses the ingredient.
Packaged like this, it goes into a water bath at a low temperature.
The exclusion of oxygen and heat below 100 degrees sets a gentle cooking process in motion.
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Due to the exclusion of air, the nutrients and vitamins are completely retained and the aromas can develop.
Meat and fish cook in their own juice, do not lose any liquid and the low temperature preserves the cell structures.
This is particularly evident with meat: the pieces do not contract and become tender.
If roasted aromas are also supposed to ensure the perfect taste, the meat is briefly seared.
Which temperature between 45 and 90 degrees is the right one for which ingredient and how long the cooking time should be depends on the food.
Both are kept in tables, which are usually available on the Internet free of charge or can also be bought as a book.
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Sous-vide devices: there are
There are two different versions of devices: On the one hand, the Sous-vide stick, which is attached to the conventional saucepan in which the food has been previously placed.
One advantage: The devices are space-saving and can be installed in pots with different capacities.
On the other hand, a sous vide cooker as a pot with a water basin that contains all functions in one device.
The advantage of the Sous-Vide pot is the lid: it prevents the water from evaporating and optimizes the thermal insulation.
Both variants can have a circulation pump that circulates the water in the pot and thus ensures that the heat is evenly distributed.
Depending on the requirements, the maximum cooking time is a relevant factor before deciding on a device.
It is usually 24 hours, but there are also devices with a cooking time of up to 100 hours, such as the Wancle Sous Vide precision cooker circulator *.
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Vacuum cooker
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Before you start: Sous-vide cooking requires a vacuum sealer and a device for the preparation.
For the vacuum sealer, the more watts, the better.
The wattage provides information about the suction force with which the oxygen is drawn from the bag and a vacuum is created.
A negative pressure of -0.8 bar is desirable, which leads to a vacuum performance of around 90 percent.
A weld seam that is as dense as possible is also important for a perfect seal.
Further factors are a liquid separator and a pressure regulator that regulates the pressure of the vacuum process with a button.
This is important for foods that contain a lot of liquid and should not change their consistency through excessive ventilation.
There are also differences when it comes to vacuum bags.
Some manufacturers of vacuum sealers also supply the bags for their devices.
But you can also buy them individually packed in entities.
You should make sure that they consist of several layers so that no plasticizers can escape from the films.
The CASO VC200 vacuum sealer * has a double weld seam and the vacuum strength can be regulated with a stop button so that pressure-sensitive foods such as berries retain their juiciness.
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Vacuum sealer
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Sous vide pot: the thermalizer
A sous vide pot with an integrated water basin - also called a thermalizer - is a separate pot.
So it is not placed on the stove, but requires its own electrical connection.
Sous-vide pots have a frame in the water basin that ensures that the food remains under the water and does not move.
The thermalizers are particularly suitable for long cooking times at a constant temperature.
You don't need much energy because the lid holds the energy.
The models differ mainly in the capacity, the adjustable time, the temperature control and the information on the display.
Some pools can be removed, others cannot.
Most devices are equipped with a non-stick coating on the inner pot so that they can be cleaned easily.
As a separate device, they need more space.
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The SEVERIN SV 2447 * convinces with a capacity of the inner pot of 6 liters, which can be removed for cleaning.
The Sous-Vide pot has 550 watts, a 24-hour timer and can be set to a temperature between 40 to 99 degrees.
A signal tone indicates when the selected cooking time is over.
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Vacuum cooker
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The Sous Vide Garer LONO from WMF * has electronic temperature control up to 90 degrees and also has a slow cook function.
The temperature can be regulated very precisely.
The device also has a timer of up to 72 hours.
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Vacuum cooker
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Sous-Vide-Stick: Easy to use & flexible in use
Easy to use, practical to stow away and flexible to use with different
volumes
of pots are arguments in favor of a Sous Vide Stick.
The manufacturers give minimum and maximum information on both the pot heights and the capacity.
Operation is then almost intuitive: Sous vide sticks are hung on the edge of a heat-resistant pot, where they are usually attached with a clamp.
Cooking time and temperature can be set in the display.
Since the pots cannot be additionally provided with a lid, water evaporates during the cooking process.
That is why - in contrast to the sous vide pots - many sticks are equipped with an automatic switch-off.
It takes effect when the water level in the pot gets too low.
The Allpax SVU * has achieved good results in test results.
The all-rounder with 1,200 watts keeps the temperature precise and constant.
It is suitable for containers from 17 cm high and with a water volume of 7 to 20 liters.
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Vacuum cooker
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Vacuum cooker
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The Klarstein Quickstick * also impressed in tests.
With 1,300 watts, the sous vide stick heats up to 0.5 degrees with a water temperature between 50 and 95 degrees.
This article was first published on August 27, 2019.
* If you complete a purchase using the links marked with an asterisk, WELT will receive a small commission. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at axelspringer.de/unabhaengigkeit.