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All About Sous Vide Cooking: Reviews, Recipes, How-to Guides

Sous vide cooking is an incredibly simple, foolproof method for cooking everything from eggs to steak to vegetables. Learn everything you need to start cooking this way in your home kitchen.
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Published Sept. 26, 2017.

All About Sous Vide Cooking: Reviews, Recipes, How-to Guides

We have sous vide fever in the test kitchen these days. This game-changing technique of cooking food in a precisely controlled water bath offers exceptional results for foods such as eggs, seafood, meat, and much more. Learn everything you need to know to start cooking this way in your home kitchen.

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The Best Sous Vide Machines (Immersion Circulators)

Sous vide machines are cheaper, sleeker, and smarter than ever before. Though sous vide technology is rapidly evolving, we decided to take a look at all the major immersion circulators on the market right now. We evaluated seven models marketed for home use, with prices ranging from $129.99 to $274.95. Three of the models were wifi-enabled, with accompanying mobile apps. We tried the circulators in a variety of different sized containers and cooked food to a range of temperatures, testing with eggs, salmon, flank steak, pork loin, and beef short ribs. Behind the TestingComplete Results Chart

Our Favorite Sous Vide Machine: Joule

This slim, lightweight machine heated water almost as fast as the biggest circulators and was the most accurate in our lineup. Though it doesn’t have a display and requires a smartphone to work, its app was intuitive and simple, and its enclosed electronics meant we didn’t have to worry about getting any part of the circulator wet.

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Sous Vide Cookbook

Want to learn more about sous vide techniques that will take your cooking to the next level? Sous Vide for Everybody: The Easy, Foolproof Cooking Technique That's Sweeping the World is an approachable cookbook that demystifies sous vide cooking and demonstrates how it can make your life easier, while also giving you the tools to try exciting new dishes.

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Sous Vide for Everybody

Sous Vide Quick Start Guide

Sous vide cooking allows you to achieve perfect results with eggs, poultry, meat, and more. Learn everything you need to get started in our step-by-step guide. Read Guide & Watch Video

Sous Vide Equipment Buying Guide

An immersion circulator isn’t the only piece of equipment you need to successfully sous vide. We’ve put together a collection of all the essential tools, including all the important extras, from the right-sized vessels to a top-notch timer and our favorite vacuum sealer. Ready, set, sous vide! View Buying Guide

Sous Vide Recipes

Now that you've gotten your equipment, let's get cooking. Here are some foolproof sous vide recipes to get you started. Browse more sous vide recipes and goodies.

Recipe

Sous Vide Soft-Poached Eggs

Eggs are the poster child for sous vide cooking: the technique produces eggs with unique texture; the method is hands-off; and it’s easily scaleable. And with the ability to make these eggs ahead of time, this method is perfect for the brunch crowd.
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Recipe

Sous Vide Butter-Basted Thick-Cut Rib-Eye Steaks

The risk of over or undercooking—and therefore ruining an expensive cut of meat—can make the task of cooking a thick-cut rib-eye at home an intimidating endeavor. But with the help of sous vide, preparing steak at home is a sure bet.
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Recipe

Sous Vide Cochinita Pibil

Traditionally, this recipe is made with a whole suckling pig, wrapped in banana leaves, and then buried in a pit with a fire at the bottom. Instead, we use pork butt, and pre-grill it before sealing the meat in a plastic bag and cooking it in a water bath for up to 24 hours. The result? Exceptionally succulent pork, no pit required.
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Recipe

Runny Yolk Sauce

Egg yolks are one of nature’s top-notch emulsions—a creamy mixture of water, protein, and fat (a full 34 percent!). This recipe uses the process of sous vide to produce a perfectly thickened, pasteurized yolk sauce that’s always ready to drizzle on toast, a burger, pasta carbonara, you name it.
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Recipe

Charred Beet Salad

Burn your beets in this fresh take on a classic salad combination that uses the sous vide cooking method to yield a final product with perfect texture, better flavor penetration from the aromatics and seasoning that the beets are cooked with, and no moisture loss due to evaporation. 
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Recipe

Poached Rhubarb with Balsamic, Caraway, and Labneh

Perfectly cooked rhubarb—tender but intact, with a hint of crispness—is fleeting before the stalk turns into goo. The best way to avoid this problem? Sous vide, of course.
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Recipe

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Steaks

We've all suffered through dry, chalky, or tough pork tenderloin. Sous vide guarantees the opposite results. Submerged in a 140-degree water bath, the pork remained moist and tender and cooked evenly from edge to edge. (And because smaller families shouldn't miss out, we also have a version that serves two.) 
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Sous Vide Science

Want to dig deeper into the science of sous vide? Read on to understand the how and why sous vide cooking works.


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