When most people think of sous vide they think of steak, and with good reason—sous vide and steak are a match made in heaven. But when it comes to sous vide, the possibilities are pretty much endless. Here are five delicious (not-meat) things you can cook with sous vide.
Vegetables
Undeniable truth: Sous vide works gangbusters with veggies. But which ones benefit the most from the precise temperatures that sous vide provides? Asparagus, carrots, brussels sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, and artichokes all taste great when prepared using sous vide.
Eggs
Without a doubt, sous vide is the secret to the perfect soft-boiled egg. The consistent temperatures that sous vide offers allow you to cook never-fail soft-boiled eggs to your heart’s content. And, if whole eggs aren’t your thing, sous vide scrambled eggs are something everyone should try at least once!
Tempered chocolate
Tempering chocolate, as I discovered recently, is quite the arduous process! Getting the required temperatures at the right time is fairly fiddly; it’s easy to get it wrong and end up with a chalky, chocolaty mess. By comparison, tempering chocolate using sous vide is almost laughably easy. All you need to do is seal some chocolate in a vacuum bag and get the water to a high enough temperature to melt the chocolate. Then drop the water temperature to about 80°F and raise it again to 90°F. Once the chocolate reaches 90°F it will be perfectly tempered.
Infused Oils
I’m a big fan of infused oils—in particular, chili-infused oil! Infusing oils using sous vide is incredibly easy and does away with the overwhelming smells that stovetop infusing can cause. The precise temperatures result in wonderfully flavorful infusions that you can add to any number of dishes.
Desserts
Don’t have a bain-marie but have access to sous vide? Congratulations, you have everything you need to make wonderfully sweet, custardy desserts. Pumpkin pie filling, custard, creme brûlée, cheesecake filling, and pot de crème are all desserts that can be made using the razor precise temperature control of sous vide.
