Want A Sous Vide Under The Tree?

Yesterday New York Times' Dining section featured a new and somewhat unusual food machine called a sous vide. To be honest it was a new one on me (although my Mom had heard of it and said she saw it in a TV infommercial ad) . It's basically another technique for cooking food to insure the best taste and also not lose the integrity of the ingredients.


The article , written, byJulia Moskin, describes what a sous vide is and what it basically does. Sous vide itself means "under vacuum" and isa method of cooking foods in a sealed pouch for long periods of time. Usually the time period can extend up to twenty-four to forty eight hours. It seems like th e perfect way to cook meat however if you want a crispy exterior, the meat has to be quickly pan fried after itt leaves the machine. Baked apples and poached eggs comes out wonderful in it. Sous vide cooking has been around since the early 1960s when Swiss hospital kitchens used it to sterilize and preserve food. An average sous vide machine cost around $450 to $500 and is the size of a bread machine. You can buy Sous Vide Magic a device that turns your Crockpot into one . The cost is a much more affordable $136.

The process does have some serious downsides. The most important being is that it can produce high levels of the botulism toxin which can be deadly. A sous vide should have a thermal immersion circulator to keep the water uniformly heated. Another minus is the fact that you can't cook with spices, seasoning or olive oil. These will detract from any meats' tastes because the spices don't cook in due to the low temperatures being used. They just basically remain the same. To be honest I probably wouldn't get a sous vide for these reasons. If I'm cooking meat I would prefer it oven roasted or grilled over a burner.

A sous vide machine is probably a good gift for the adventurous cook and foodie. It can create some tender dishes and also give cooks the freedom to prepare other things. It is also for the type of foodie who knows how to handle this method - not for the fearful or the neophytes out there.