Sue’s what? SOO-vEEd. It means “with vacuum” in French. It sounds way fancier than it is. Here’s the gist of it: toss your meat of choice in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag with all spices that you like. Seal it and place it in a pot full of water. Tighten your sous vide to the inside of the pot and set the temperature and time. Then step away and do something else.
It is impossible to overcook your food with a precision cooker because it will not exceed the temperature you designate. For chicken, that’s 160 F. You let it cook for about an hour to make sure the center is no longer pink, and when it’s done, you get all of the great juices that the chicken cooks in. (You can even make a sauce with those juices…) Give the meat a quick braise in the pan to get a golden color on the outside, and you’re ready to go!
Below are some guidelines on how long to cook different meats at the various required temperatures.
Sous Vide Cooking Times and Temperatures Guide
Chicken
Thickness: 2″
Temperature: 150 F
Cook time: 1 hour
Steak
Thickness: 1″
Temperature: 130 F
Cook time: 1 hour
Pork
Thickness: 2″
Temperature: 140 F
Cook time: 2 hours
Eggs (soft boiled)
Temperature: 143 F
Cook time: 45 minutes
Salmon
Thickness: 1″-2″
Temperature: 125 F
Cook time: 30-45 minutes
Root Vegetables
Thickness: 1″
Temperature: 183 F
Cook time: 1 hours
Basic Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe by Baker’s Theory
Serves 2-4
Place 1 – 1 1/2 lbs raw chicken breasts in a gallon-sized freezer type Ziploc bag.
Add 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning to the bag.
Pour in 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain milk with a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Add 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil.
Seal the bag and place in a large pot. Put the sous vide in the pot and fill the pot with water up to the minimum fill line designated on the sous vide. Plug in the sous vide and set to 160F for 1 hour.
The water will begin to recirculate until it reaches 160F. Then the countdown timer for one hour will begin. After an hour, remove the chicken from the bag and reserve the juices to make a sauce. Braise the chicken in a hot pan for color and transfer immediately to a plate.
For the sauce, combine 4 tbsp butter with the reserved juices from the chicken in the same pan you used for braising. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Whisk together until thickened and pour over chicken. Serve immediately.
I don’t have a gadget like this, but I like the recipe!