Sous vide
Precise low-temperature cooking for even results and retained moisture.
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Sous vide (French for 'under vacuum'), also known as low-temperature, long-time (LTLT) cooking, is a method of cooking, invented by the French chef Georges Pralus in 1974, in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar and cooked in a water bath for longer than usual cooking times (usually one to seven hours, and more than three days in some cases) at a precisely regulated temperature. The temperature is much lower than usually used for cooking, typically around 55 to 60°C for red meat, 66 to 71°C for poultry, and higher for vegetables. The intent is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and to retain moisture. The technique was independently developed by several pioneers, including French chef Georges Pralus and scientist Bruno Goussault.
History
In 1974, Pralus discovered that foie gras cooked at higher temperatures kept its original appearance, lost minimal fat, and achieved a better texture. The method builds on earlier developments: low-temperature cooking was first described by Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford in 1799 using air as a heat-transfer medium, and vacuum-sealing of food (sometimes called Cryovacking) was developed by American and French engineers in the mid-1960s as an industrial preservation method. Another key figure is Bruno Goussault, chief scientist of Cuisine Solutions, who in 1991 established the Centre de Recherche et d'Études pour l'Alimentation (CREA) to research temperature effects on food and train top chefs.
Essential features
Goussault pioneered combining vacuum sealing with low-temperature cooking, and both he and Pralus are considered foundational figures in modern sous vide. Essential features include sealing food in sturdy plastic bags to retain juices and aroma, then placing it in a water bath set precisely at the desired final cooking temperature. This prevents overcooking because the food cannot exceed the bath temperature. Unlike conventional high-heat cooking, where food must be removed before it reaches the target temperature to avoid overcooking, sous vide allows very even cooking throughout, even for irregularly shaped or thick items.
Quick Facts
- Invented by
- Georges Pralus in 1974
- Field
- Culinary technique
- Key pioneers
- Georges Pralus, Bruno Goussault
- Also known as
- Low-temperature, long-time (LTLT) cooking
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Low-temperature cooking was first described by Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford in 1799. He used air as the heat-transfer medium. Preparation of food under vacuum, with or without heat, was developed by American and French engineers in the mid-1960s as an industrial food preservation method. The method was adopted by Georges Pralus, a French chef, in 1974 for the Restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, France.
He discovered that when foie gras was cooked at higher temperatures it kept its original appearance, did not lose excess amounts of fat, and had better texture. Another pioneer is Bruno Goussault, the French chief scientist of food manufacturer Cuisine Solutions. Goussault and Pralus independently worked on development of sous vide in the 1970s and eventually became collaborators.
Reader's Guide
Seal food in sturdy plastic bags to retain juices and aroma. Place the packaged food in a water bath set at the desired final cooking temperature. The food cannot get hotter than the bath.
For tough meat, collagen can be denatured into gelatin without overheating proteins. For vegetables, low-temperature cooking allows them to remain succulent as cell walls do not burst. Browning (Maillard reactions) happens above the boiling point of water and cannot be obtained with only sous vide; chefs may brown meats before or after using techniques like torching or searing.
Food safety depends on both time and temperature. Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow in the absence of oxygen; food heated and served within four hours is considered safe, but meat cooked longer to tenderize must reach at least 55°C within four hours and be kept there for sufficient time to pasteurize the meat. Pasteurization kills the botulism bacteria, but hardy botulism spores may survive and reactivate once cool; precise chilling requirements are needed for cook–chill.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sous vide (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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