If you’ve ever ordered a perfectly cooked steak at a restaurant and wondered how they get it that perfect pink color, there’s a good chance that sous-vide had something to do with it. Sous-vide has become a favorite cooking technique among professional and home chefs because it allows you to cook food to an incredibly precise temperature while maintaining the moisture, tenderness, and consistency. Sous-vide used to require a waterbath and special immersion circulator, but now…now you can get almost identical results in your oven.
Air sous-vide brings the precision of traditional sous-vide into select ovens by using carefully controlled air temperature instead of a water bath. I know that it sounds like something out of the future, but the concept is actually pretty simple. So, how does it work, and is it a feature worth looking for in your next oven?
Traditional Sous-Vide
Before we talk about the air sous-vide, it helps to understand exactly what traditional sous-vide is. The term sous-vide is actually a French phrase that translates to “under vacuum,” which refers to the traditional method of placing food in an airtight bag before cooking it in a precisely controlled water bath.
And, as you can guess, that’s literally how traditional sous-vide works. The food is placed in a vacuum-sealed or airtight bag, and the bag is then submerged in a water bath maintained at a specific temperature. An immersion circulator heats and circulates the water to keep the temperature consistent throughout the cooking process. Unlike traditional high-heat cooking methods, sous-vide cooks food slowly and gently; if you want your steak medium-rare, you can set the water bath to the exact temperature you want the steak to be and can walk away until it’s finished! There’s no need to stand above a hot grill waiting. It’s not just about the perfectly cooked piece of meat, though. Sous-vide can help transform tougher cuts of meat. Cooking certain foods at a low temperature for an extended period of time, allows connective tissue and collagen to gradually break down, resulting in more tender meat without the risk of it drying out.
Though it’s a great bit of technology, there’s one main complaint: too many extra things to keep in storage. This is where air sous-vide comes into play.
Air Sous-Vide
You may be asking yourself, “If you can’t control the temperature of the water, what is there to control?” Well, the answer is actually in the name itself: the temperature is maintained through the air.
Air sous-vide uses an oven’s precise temperature controls and sensors to create an environment that mimics many of the benefits of traditional sous-vide cooking. Instead of placing food in a water bath, you place it in a sealed bag and cook it inside your oven just like you would almost anything else. Select ovens use specialized heating technology, temperature sensors, and precise air circulation to maintain a consistent cooking environment.
The result is similar in concept to traditional sous-vide: precise temperature control, consistent results, and juicy, tender food. The biggest difference? You don’t need any additional counter space.
Benefits of Air Sous-Vide
Air sous-vide isn’t just a fancy feature designed to make your oven sound more impressive, it can genuinely change the way you cook.
Precision Cooking
One of the biggest benefits of sous-vide cooking is precision. Instead of estimating when your food is done based on time, appearance, or the classic “cut it open and see what happens” method, you can cook food at a specific temperature. This can be particularly useful for foods where temperature makes a huge difference, such as steak, fish, and poultry.
Consistent Results
Ever make something absolutely perfect one night and then completely fail to recreate it the next time? Sous-vide can help with that! Because you’re cooking at a controlled temperature, you can achieve much more consistent results from one meal to the next.
Moisture and Flavor
Traditional sous-vide is known for helping food retain moisture, and air sous-vide aims to provide similar benefits. Cooking food in a sealed bag helps prevent moisture from escaping while allowing it to cook gently.
Tenderizes Tougher Cuts
Low-and-slow cooking isn’t just for your backyard barbecues! Cooking certain meats for longer periods at controlled temperatures can give the toughness time to break down; the result can be incredibly tender meat without requiring hours of traditional braising.
Less Equipment
Perhaps one of the biggest conveniences of air sous-vide is that it’s built into your oven.
No immersion circulator. No large container of water. No figuring out where you’re going to store another kitchen gadget. If you’re already investing in a high-end oven, having sous-vide capabilities built right in can give you another cooking method without adding another appliance to your countertop.
How to Use Air Sous-Vide
While the exact process varies depending on your oven, air sous-vide generally starts with preparing your food and placing it in a heat-safe, airtight bag. From there, select the air sous-vide cooking function and the appropriate temperature for your recipe. Your oven handles the controlled cooking environment while your food slowly reaches the desired temperature.
Once it’s finished, some foods (particularly meats) may benefit from a quick sear afterward. This gives you the best of both worlds: the tender, evenly cooked interior you get from sous-vide and the delicious browned exterior you expect from traditional cooking.
According to Thermador, air sous-vide can be used for a variety of dishes, including:
- Steak and other cuts of beef
- Chicken and poultry
- Fish and seafood
- Pork
- Vegetables
- Eggs
- Desserts
Need some inspiration? Check out these recipes!
Should You Upgrade?
As with pretty much every appliance feature, whether air sous-vide is worth it depends entirely on you.
If you’re someone who loves experimenting in the kitchen, enjoys trying restaurant-style cooking techniques, regularly cooks meat or seafood, or wants more precision and consistency from your meals, an oven with air sous-vide could be a fantastic addition to your kitchen. It’s also a great option if you like the idea of sous-vide cooking but don’t want to purchase, store, and clean another piece of equipment.
On the other hand, if you’re more of a “throw it in the oven and check it when the timer goes off” kind of cook, air sous-vide might not be the feature you use every day. If you rarely cook meat, prefer quick meals, or aren’t interested in experimenting with different cooking techniques, there are probably other oven features that will have a bigger impact on your everyday cooking.
And that’s okay! Not every appliance feature needs to be for everyone.
The Bottom Line
Air sous-vide combines the precision of traditional sous-vide with the convenience of an oven. By using carefully controlled air temperatures and sealed cooking bags, you can achieve a restaurant quality meal in your own home.
Is the technology revolutionary? Maybe not.
Is the technology really cool? Absolutely!
If you’re unsure whether an oven with air sous-vide is right for you, stop by Hallock’s and speak with our team. We can help you compare your options and find an oven with the features that is right for you and your family.