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You’ve been wanting a sous vide machine for a while, and you finally got your hands on one. Now it’s time to take this baby out for a spin. Luckily for you, we’ve already done all the digging and research, and we’re here to share what we discovered about sous vide cooking. Spoiler alert: this machine is going to totally change the way you think about cooking.
The Equipment
Here’s what you need to get started on your sous vide adventure:
- A sous vide machine—technically referred to as an immersion circulator
- A large, heat-proof container
- Sealable plastic bags
- A vacuum sealer—optional, but highly recommended
A sous vide machine is technically called an immersion circulator; however, no one will give you grief if you call it by its street name. Luckily, as sous vide cooking becomes more popular, so does the availability of the machine itself. Popping up at mass retailers and in the online market, immersion circulators are more affordable and available now than ever before.
Anatomy of an Immersion Circulator
Sous vide machines generally come in two models: the first is a wand-shaped machine that sits in a bath of water, and the second is a circulator built into a container for water. Whichever model you have, the core of the machine is the same. There’s a heater that circulates water, bringing it to an ideal temperature, and a container to hold that water.
If you’re the owner of a wand-shaped immersion circulator, you’ll also need a heat-proof container for the water bath. We recommend using a container with readable measurements on the side, like a clear tub from the Cambro brand. There are special containers made for sous vide cooking, manufactured to trap humidity inside the tub, but truly, any large heat-proof pot will do.
What Kind of Bags to Use for Sous Vide
For the food to properly cook, the bag holding the food needs to be as close to airless as possible. To make this happen, you can’t go wrong with a vacuum sealer. There are other ways to remove air from the bag that the food is cooked in, but without a vacuum sealer, it’s impossible to eliminate all of the air. Vacuum sealers are a bit on the pricey side, but if you are even remotely interested in the idea of meal prep, a vacuum sealer is a great investment. Vacuum sealing prevents freezer burn, allows you to prepare whole meals in advance and freeze them for later in sterile conditions and prevents food waste.
If you’re not quite ready to splurge on a vacuum-sealer, there are other methods you can use. You can use a Ziploc™ bag to hold your food and remove most of the air by slowly submerging the bag in water allowing the water to push the air out, then sealing it shut.
