8 Perfect Sous Vide Recipes

Sous vide is a cooking technique of placing raw ingredients in a vacuum-sealed bag, then immersing the bag in a circulating water bath heated to a precise temperature. Sous vide, which is French for “under vacuum,” is the name of the process, but many people also refer to the immersion circulator devices that heats the water as a “sous vide.”

The temperature of the food is set on the immersion circulator, and the food will never exceed that temperature. This means that a sous vide machine is a foolproof way to cook a dish to the right temperature, avoid food safety issues, and prevent overcooking.

You can use this cooking method to prepare a cut of meat, poultry, fish, fruits, and vegetables. With many sous vide recipes, you can set the immersion circulator and then go perform other tasks while the food is cooking, making it a convenient way to cook a weeknight dinner. Try the following sous vide recipes:

1. 1. Sous vide steak: To sous vide a steak, season the steak, place it in the sous vide bag, and run it through the vacuum sealer. Cook the steak at 134 degrees Fahrenheit for one to four hours for medium-rare doneness. At the end of the cooking time, remove the steak from the bag and sear it on the stove in a hot pan with olive oil and butter until the outside is crispy. You can use this method for any cut of meat: sous vide ribeye, sous vide pork chops, sous vide pork shoulder, sous vide chicken breast, sous vide chicken thighs—though cooking times and temperatures will vary.
2. 2. Sous vide salmon: Using a sous vide cooker makes salmon tender and flaky. Cook the fish at 142 degrees Fahrenheit for 17 to 18 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, then remove the salmon from the bag and finish it with lemon and salt before serving. You can use this method to prepare seafood or other foods that don't need to be seared on a pan after, such as sous vide scallops or sous vide eggs—though cooking time and temperature will vary.
3. 3. Sous vide short ribs: Season short ribs with salt and pepper and cook with a sous vide to make them tender. Cook the short ribs at 143 degrees Fahrenheit in the water bath for 48 hours. Remove the meat from the plastic bag and sear it in a cast iron pan. You can serve the short ribs with noodles, pasta, or mashed potatoes.
4. 4. Sous vide caramelized fennel: You can cook raw fennel with a sous vide cooker with a seasoning of thyme and garlic. Cook the fennel in the sous vide at 185 degrees Fahrenheit, then brown the raw fennel in a pan with olive oil to achieve a caramelized flavor. This will make a delicious side dish alongside a sous vide cut of meat.
5. 5. Sous vide turbot: Turbot is a fish with a firm white flesh and a tender flavor. To sous vide this fish, season the turbot with salt, and vacuum seal it in the plastic bag with butter and tarragon. Cook the turbot at 135 degrees Fahrenheit in the water bath for 6 minutes. Serve it on a bed of petits pois à la française and glaze with warmed sauce suprême.
6. 6. Sous vide pearl onions: You can get pearl onions tender quickly with a sous vide. Drizzle the onions with olive oil, salt, and sugar. Place the onions in the plastic bag and vacuum seal it shut. Cook the onions in the water bath at 185 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Shock the onions in a cold water bath after. You can serve the pearl onions as a side dish.
7. 7. Sous vide white asparagus: For this asparagus recipe, snap off the fibrous bottom sections of the asparagus. Then add the asparagus to the plastic bag alongside sugar, salt, and milk. Vacuum seal the bag, then cook the asparagus in the water bath for 185 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Arrange the asparagus on a serving plate. Top with the butter and finish with Maldon sea salt.
8. 8. Sous vide glazed carrots: To make sous vide carrots, place the carrots inside a plastic bag with sugar, salt, butter, and 100 grams of water. Vacuum seal the bag. Cook the carrots in the water bath at 185 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes. Pour the contents of the bag into a stovetop pan and cook the carrots until they are glazed and the liquid has evaporated. Plate the carrots and finish with sea salt.

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