Have you heard of “sous vide”? It’s a French word that literally translates to “under vacuum”. In more detail, sous vide is a cooking method that involves vacuum-sealing food then placing the packet in temperature regulated water bath.
Chefs have embraced this method of cooking because slow and precise cooking is consistently achieved. Many sous vide products now can be controlled and monitored with a WIFI connection, allowing one to multi-task/tend to other matters while sous vide does its work.
While sous vide does most of the cooking work, meat and fish dishes need to be finished. A hot pan to sear your protein, the grill, broiler and some chefs (and home cooks) even use torches!
The advantages to cooking via sous vide are many:
You can cook anything with sous vide (pork, beef, chicken, lamb, vegetables and eggs)
Economical – you can turn secondary cuts into tasty and tender dishes
Research indicates that more nutrients are retained using vs. steaming
Easy to use and affordable for use in most households
Save on energy costs with less use of stovetop/oven
Achieve consistent results with little chance of overcooking
This last advantage is most important. We use instant-read thermometers, insert thermometers to check temperatures, set timers, or use the sense of touch to press into meat to check if it is cooked as desired.
I recently received an INKBIRD Sous Vide device to review and here are my thoughts after using it:
Easy to read digital display that can be controlled/monitored with your smart phone via WIFI connection. I can watch the progress of cooking at any time. The INKBIRD APP also features an alarm that prompts you to take the food out of the water bath at the right time. The device will even sound an alarm if you’re below or above the minimum and maximum water levels, ensuring safe operation of your device.
The interface is easy to use with: There are some pre-set cooking options already loaded for you to choose (beef, pork, poultry, fish/seafood, mutton) or you can set your own temperature and time for your sous vide packet. Additionally, the device is equipped with a rotary knob that allows you to manually select time, cooking temperature and type of food. You can even create your own cooking program and then have those settings synced to the APP.
Physically, the sous vide device isn’t heavy, the screen is big enough to see the settings with ease, the spring operated clip is a great way to attach the device to a vessel or container
With a sous vide recipe and method, you achieve precision accuracy – each time. We go to our favourite restaurant and order our favourite dishes because it is consistent. The same great dish with every visit.
Many restaurants achieve this consistency by being consistent with recipe execution and one of those ways is using sous vide. The INKBIRD sous vide is temperature is accurate 0.1℃/0.3℉“.
Today, I am going to show you how to cook a steak, using sous vide. If you want to splurge, you will need a vacuum sealer along with your sous-vide device but if you can get by just with a sous vide. You will need your steaks, a vessel to contain the water, resealable plastic bags, a binder clip and your favourite seasonings.
Sous Vide Steak
Course: Featured4
servings15
minutesIngredients
4 steaks (at least 1 inch thick)
2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (canola or sunflower) if finishing in pan
Directions
- You will need to fill a pot (other vessel) with enough water that will fit your steaks and sous vide device. Insert the device into the water, secure to side of vessel and ensure the water comes up above the minimum line and not higher than maximum line. Plug in your sous vide, place in water and set the temperature to 135F and cooking time of min 1 hour – main 4 hours. Be sure to press button (will turn from red to green) to begin warming the the water.
- Ensure your steaks are at room temperature and pat-dry with paper towel. Season the steaks with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. You can place the steaks in one large bag or two in two bags (vacuum seal or zip lock) and lay the steaks flat beside each other. Use the vacuum sealer to remove air and seal or if using a zip lock bag, remove as much air as possible (I like to place bags partially in water and use water pressure to help remove most of the air from the bags then seal bag with your fingers).
- Your bags containing the steaks should be in the water when the set temperature has been achieved. As a precaution, I like to pin the bags to the side of the vessel with a binder clip.
- After 2 hours. you should be ready to finish off your steaks. Take your steaks out of the water, remove steaks from the bags and place on your work surface and thoroughly pat-dry to remove any outside moisture. A wait of 10 minutes will help dry out the exterior of the steaks. Remove sous vide from water, unplug/wipe dry and store.
- Place a heavy skillet (like a cast iron pan) on your stove-top and turn heat to high (you may want to open a window or temporarily turn off your smoke detector). Add oil and once the oil is smoking, sear steaks (in batches if the pan isn’t big enough to hold 4) for about 1 minute a side.
If using your grill, pre-heat for 15 minutes. Clean grill surface and before placing steaks on the grill, wipe the grill surface with a towel treated with vegetable oil. Grill steaks for about 1 minute a side of until nice grill marks have been made.
Notes
- This review of INKBIRD Sous Vide was made in exchange for a complimentary product but the opinions expressed are mine with no prejudice.
