Time for New Tricks with Sous-vide Cooking

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of FoodSaver®; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Spice Up Your Life

We all know that cooking each and every night can get a little tedious sometimes. That’s why we order pizza and Chinese food, right? The family gets tired of having similar foods while mom and dad get tired of making the same foods, too! But in today’s busy world, familiarity and ease often drives our nightly menu choices. So what if there was a way to not only spice up your cooking life but to also cook easily and healthily as well?? I’m talking about Sous-vide cooking. Think tried-and-true dinner staples, like Sous-vide chicken breast, sirloin steak, a salmon filet, or a side of nutritious veggies!

Sous-vide Cooking

I think that Sous-vide is the best way to reinvigorate the way you cook at home for a number of reasons. Sous-vide is a method of cooking in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar. The food is then placed in a water bath or steam environment for longer cooking times at lower temperatures. For at-home chefs, sous-vide is a technique that illustrates ultimate sophistication and gourmet prowess in cooking.

The intent is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and to retain moisture. In my experience, using FoodSaver® Vacuum Seal Bags and Rolls with a FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System (like the FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System) leads to the best performance! Time for a quick recipe!

Effective Cooking Temperatures

When the chicken bag is sealed place the bag in hot water. Be sure to not boil the water, as it would be too hot for this method of cooking. Sous-vide is all about steady, lower temps for longer durations. Almost like a wet “slow and low” barbecue. Don’t worry about not cooking it at high enough temps, you’d be surprised how easy it is to pasteurize the chicken. Take a look:

As you can see, you don’t have to kill the chicken. On the contrary, Sous-vide is meant to be the exact opposite! By cooking at lower temps, your chicken will be more moist and juicy. Trust me!

Sous-vide Chicken Breast

While steak, chicken, pork, and really any protein works really well with Sous-vide, my family typically prefers using chicken breast. The most amazing part of using chicken for this cooking method is the massive difference you will see in the moistness and flavor of the chicken. It’s mind blowing!!

When you season, be vigorous and make sure to season both sides. I like to simply spice the chicken with dry-rub mix of:

• cracked black pepper
• sea salt
• oregano
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• coriander
• dill seed
• caraway seed
• chili pepper
• lemon juice.

With Sous-vide, you really don’t need any oils for your cooking, but you can add a touch if you’d like to. Once your chicken it ready, simply place it in the vacuum seal bags and put them in the FM2000 until there’s no air left in the bag. Seal it up! Cook for 55 minutes at 150 °F. 

If you absolutely need the outside to be browned and crispy, just place it on a grill or in a pan for a short time on both sides.

Sous-vide Hot Veggie Slaw

I’m all about the protein, baby, but you need to balance with veggies too! When cooking your veggies, you can really use almost any type you want to! I love using carrots and broccoli. I love it even more when it’s in slaw form. However you’d like to chop your veggies (or not chop at all), simply season your veggies with:

• sea salt
• cracked black pepper
• lemon juice
• a SLIGHT hint of olive oil

Place your seasons veggies in the vacuum seal bag, place it in the FM2000 and seal it air tight! Place that bag in the same pot as the chicken and cook them together! To keep them firm, only cook them for 20 minutes or so.

FoodSaver Sous-vide Vacuum Seal Bags and Vacuum Sealing System

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – but you certainly can teach an at-home chef new techniques with Foodsaver®!! FoodSaver® sous-vide bags are really perfect for sous-vide cooking because you vacuum pack the food to lock in freshness and flavor. The FM2000 system seals your seasoned food in completely airtight, so there’s no floating at all. This is how you can cook your food with evenly for consistent cooking results. This is all key to making your sous-vide cooking the best it could be.

The sous-vide bags are really well made and come in a variety of sizes. The multi-layer construction are really durable, so don’t worry about punctures, tears, or leaks. The bags are also safe for microwave, fridge, and freezer. Finally, you don’t always have to plan hours in advance!!! The bags can go straight from the freezer to a hot water bath, with no separate defrost required.

Foodsaver®  is really perfect for sous-vide culinary adventures with its superior safety, reusability, quality, and variety. Period. It’s a home run for our family and I think it will be equally as awesome for your and yours!

FoodSaver at Target

I have some fantastic news to share with you, too. FoodSaver® Sous-vide Vacuum Seal Bags and FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System will be available in store or online at Target this month (July)!!!! Foodsaver® products from Target are what I think you need to really step up your kitchen adventures and reap the benefits of the sous-vide cooking technique. That’s right, baby, and even better you will get 15% off both products during July. So act now!

To find out more, check out FoodSaver.com, find FoodSaver on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or just search #FoodSaverSousVide.