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Sous-Vide

What is Sous-Vide cooking?

Sous-Vide - which literally translates from French as 'under vacuum', was originally developed in France by Georges Pralus during the early 1970's.

The process evolved when Georges Pralus and a Food Scientist joined forces to devise the perfect method for producing foie gras.
The best method was found to be vacuum packing the food in a pouch before slowly cooking it at a controlled low temperature.

George Pralus then asked Multivac to develop a Vacuum Packing Machine with the accurate control he required for the Sous Vide cooking process.

With the right Sous-Vide equipment the gentle cooking process results in tender textures and enhanced, intense flavours, which are now part of every serious professional chef's life. Sous Vide Cooking has many advantages including:

Taste and Texture Benefits
The Sous Vide technique involves ingredients being vacuum packed and then slowly cooked in water at an accurately controlled temperature.

The exclusion of air in the vacuum bag greatly reduces the growth of aerobic bacteria, and this delays the contents from spoiling.

Benefits of Lower Temperature Cooking:
• Minimal loss of moisture and weight
• Preservation of flavour and aroma as water soluble substances -
• especially aromatics - are not lost
• Flavours are enhanced, colours retained and little or no salt is required
• Nutrients are preserved as water-soluble minerals are not leached into• cooking water as cooking in a vacuum bag eliminates this
• Research has shown that Sous Vide gives the highest retention of
• vitamins vs. steaming and boiling
• Little additional fat is required during cooking
• Consistent results every time a dish is cooked

As Chefs the world over are aware, these benefits result in enhanced textures, flavours and tenderness.

Because Sous Vide involves specific cooking times and precise temperatures, the risk of human error is eliminated provided the right equipment is used. The Clifton Food Range of Water Baths offers users unparalleled accuracy in temperature control.

Operational Benefits
Sous Vide allows kitchens to maximise advance preparation. Provided the food is chilled quickly after the cooking process has finished, it can be safely stored until needed.

It also reduces wastage, making Sous Vide a highly cost effective cooking method.

Sous Vide gives kitchens substantial operational benefits:
• Minimise wastage by advance preparation of controlled portions
• Minimum shrinkage of contents during cooking process, typically from
• 30% to less than 5% in most cases resulting in greater yield.

Cheaper cuts of meat can be used for Sous Vide:
• Technique dramatically improves tenderness
• Extra demand can be drawn from cold store or less used in quieter
• periods
• Low energy consumption compared with ovens and gas ranges
• Non-use of gas reduces ambient kitchen temperature and fire risk
• Several meals from starter to dessert can be regenerated
• simultaneously in the same bath reducing clean up time
• With minimal training, unskilled staff can use Clifton Water Baths, this • simplifies service and is especially useful for room service during the
• night
• Work planning, preparation and cooking outside of service times is
• improved, e.g. planning ahead for banquet preparation
• As garnishing plates/mis en place work can take place whilst service
• items are poaching, valuable time is saved

Creativity Benefits
• The amount of time saved creates an opportunity for more
• development work, which leads to improved job satisfaction
• Extending menu content and planning

Operational Procedures
When using the Sous Vide method, it is vital to establish procedures and policies to demonstrate that all efforts have been taken to minimise the risk from anaerobic bacteria e.g. clostridium botulinum.

Typical Steps to Establish a Food Safety Policy:
• Source only the highest quality ingredients from known suppliers and
• have a system of traceability in place
• Separate food areas for raw and cooked
• Establish minimum cooking temperatures for meat and fish.
• Adhere to maximum storage temperatures and times.
• Strict labelling of contents with date (including expiry date) and
• identification of contents
• Consider using disposable sterile gloves when filling Sous-Vide bags.
• Use two separate vacuum machines, one for raw food and another for
• cooked foods

Put in place HACCP - Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point Programme

This covers the movement of food from delivery to service.

Identify points of risk - which may include the following:
• Quality of water in kitchen
• Potential breaks in the 'cold chain'
• Unnecessary 'holding' time
• Potential contamination points with other foods/ items in the kitchen
• environment
• Improper stock identification and rotation
• Time taken to cool cooked food for storage

Cooking Temperatures
It is recommended that the cooking temperature should be greater than 65ºC to ensure pasteurisation. However enough time to ensure that the core temperature has been reached must be allowed. This can be done at trial stage by using the a probe and digital thermometer.Ideally temperatures should not exceed 70ºC to ensure that the moisture and flavour is not lost. Cooking in this way is ideal for mis en place (indirect) as the storage and preservation of the product will last a great deal longer.

Direct Cooking
This can be done at lower temperatures as long as the food is consumed immediately. The risk of bacterial multiplication is small as the length of time the ingredients stay in the risk zone is minimal. It is vital however that the ingredients are as fresh as possible.

Sous Vide Water Baths
Multivac has been working in partnership with Clifton Food Range Water Baths for a number of years to provide a complete Sous Vide solution for professional chefs.  We were both looking for a partner who produced top quality equipment that we would be happy to recommend. Clifton Food Range part of Nickel Electro is a traditional family owned British Engineering business producing a very wide range of high quality stirred and unstirred water baths and sizes from a small 4 litre bath right up to 56 litre water baths and even bespoke water bath installations.  Today Sous Vide is widely used by everyone from small restaurants to large hotels and event caterers, all with the same basic goal: “To provide consistent first class food every time”.    

Clifton Food Range have a very long pedigree in Scientific Equipment and Water Baths in particular. Like Multivac their water baths have been developed in consultation with leading professional Chefs to ensure they have the accuracy, simplicity and robustness required in a professional kitchen.

Clifton Food Range part of Nickel-Electro Ltd
Oldmixon Crescent, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset. BS24 9BL

To Buy Clfton Food Range Water baths
Tel: +44 (0)1934 626691
email: info@cliftonfoodrange.co.uk
Web: www.cliftonfoodrange.co.uk

 

Sous Vide expert on hand to help
Chef Olly Rouse is one of the leading experts in Sous Vide cooking and regularly uses Multivac Vacuum Packing Machines and Clifton Food Range Water Baths at shows and exhibitions to demonstrate the advantages and benefits of temperature controlled Sous Vide cooking.
If you are interested in Sous Vide cooking and would like to hear from a Professional Chef about the benefits the Sous Vide method could bring to your business, please visit his website covering all aspects of the method including Business Planning, Menu Development, Staff Training or contact Olly on:

Tel:  +44 (0)776 741 5663
email: enquiries@sousvidesolutions.co.uk
Web: www.sousvidesolutions.co.uk

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