Eat this Word: Sous-Vide

by jbfauthor on March 03, 2010

WHAT? Haute boil-in-bag cooking. Conceptually the opposite of pressure cooking, sous-vide is a technique whereby foods are vacuum sealed in plastic bags and cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath. It was developed by Georges Pralus in 1974, while he was working at Troisgros. Sous-vide spread throughout the Michelin three-star set, but it didn't make a large impact in the United States until now, when it seems to be filling a vacuum. Because most sous-vide dishes are prepared individually, it aids in portion control and increases efficiency on the hot line. Cooking in a sealed environment also minimizes product shrinkage. And rather than evaporating into the air, the juices and flavors remain trapped inside the bag. The sous-vide technique also proves helpful as chefs increasingly travel to cook guest dinners; they can literally just boil in the bag, slit it open, and serve. WHERE?

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