Cooking sous vide doesn’t mean cooking with plastic. Rather it is a method of heating food to make sure that it tastes amazing. It’s also about eating well and living a good lifestyle. Most times, when you prepare food using this method, it is packaged in public. Well, here’s what you need to know about cooking sous vide.
Is It A Safe Way Of Cooking?
Preparing food using the plastic can be quite overwhelming and confusing. There are many reports and conclusions from different people about the safety of the whole process. However, preparing food sous vide has been used many people all over the world with good results.
Keep in mind that food contamination has become one of the leading causes of food poisoning in restaurants as well as a home kitchen. In comparison, cooking sous vide, is one of the best ways to prepare clean, healthy and safe food for people.
Recent research studies reveal that most of the safest plastics are food grade and all the recommended plastics for use in the sous vide method are safe. Some of the commonly used plastic bags are made from polyethylene and polypropylene. Various plastics manufacturers have constantly demonstrated the safety of their products, and that’s why it’s safe to use them when preparing food sous vide.
It’s not recommended to use other plastics in your kitchen with harmful plasticizers. Therefore, if you want the best results, you should only stick to the renowned brands. Of course, if you’re still worried about preparing food in plastics, you can use sous vide method that relies on canning jars.
Is A Vacuum Sealer Necessary?
The term Sous Vide is a French word that means under vacuum. Therefore, it’s understandable for most people to question whether they need a vacuum sealer when using this method to prepare food. You don't have to go for the most expensive vacuum sealer but nor should you go to the cheap end of the spectrum either. A good quality machine will last for a long time. Check our guide for recommended vacuum sealers.
If you have regular zip lock bags in your home, you’re ready to get started preparing food sous vide. In most cases, they are even more preferable to vacuum sealed plastic bags. Of course, you can always use high-grade bags without necessarily using a vacuum sealer.
Should Cooking With Plastic Bags Be Considered Wasteful?
If you’re worried about the environmental impact of preparing food with sous vide, there is nothing to worry about. By using high-quality plastic bags, you have the options of washing and re-using them. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about how many plastic bags you’re using as long as you’re re-using them after every session for the best results. On the other hand, there is no wastage of water because it can always be re-used for washing dishes, filling the swimming pool or general cleaning around the house.
What Other Materials To Buy?
To prepare your food successfully using sous vide, there are materials you need to buy. These include the following.
1. Ziplock bags
– You can find them online or in your local store and can be used to prepare any food using this method. Of course, they are not advisable for use in temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius.
2. Sous Vide Bags
– Can be found online as well and used in temperatures higher than 70 degrees Celsius.
3. Plastic Wrap
– Usually used to cover Tupperware, you can find a good plastic wrap online or in your local supermarket. You should always rely on the high-quality stuff.
4. Canning Jars
– If you’re considering this food preparation method but are afraid of using plastics, you need to get canning jars.
Sous Vide has become quite popular in most kitchens because of the flavor of the food that it brings out. When serving the food, you should consider adding oil, not overcrowding the plate, weight the food down, keep the food moving around to prevent it from sticking together and much more. If you’re always wondering what your favorite restaurant does to the food, maybe it’s sous vide, something you can try at home and get the best-flavored food right in your kitchen.
