A cooking method where food is vacuum-sealed in plastic bags and cooked in precisely controlled water baths at low temperatures for extended periods. This technique ensures even cooking and retains moisture and nutrients.
French for 'under vacuum', the technique was developed in the 1970s by French chef Georges Pralus for restaurant use. It evolved from industrial food preservation methods, becoming popular in high-end restaurants before reaching home kitchens in the 2000s.
Sous vide cooking eliminates the guesswork from cooking proteins—by maintaining exact temperatures, you can achieve edge-to-edge perfect doneness that's impossible with traditional methods. A steak cooked sous vide at 129°F for two hours will be uniformly medium-rare throughout, then quickly seared for texture and flavor.
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