Cooking method
Sous vide
Cooking sealed, in a precisely held water bath, so the whole mass approaches one temperature instead of passing through a gradient.
What conditions it creates
-
Sous vide operates in the low temperature, precisely controlled regime.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide holds food in sealed, no-loss conditions.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide has absolute dependence on equipment.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
How the heat gets in
-
Sous vide transfers heat by conduction.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide deposits its heat into the whole mass at once.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide heats slowly and steadily.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide produces a near-isothermal gradient through the food.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
Why it works
-
Sous vide is governed by time-temperature dependence of collagen conversion.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide is governed by thermal protein denaturation.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide is governed by collagen conversion to gelatin.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
-
Sous vide is governed by protein coagulation.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
What it does to the food
-
Sous vide reduces springiness.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- controlled experiment
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture) authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction lowers
-
Sous vide increases juiciness.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- professional consensus
- Confidence
- medium
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 2.3 (Texture Changes During Sous-Vide Cooking) authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction raises
-
Sous vide increases moistness.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- professional consensus
- Confidence
- medium
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 2.3 (Texture Changes During Sous-Vide Cooking) authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction raises
-
Sous vide reduces firmness.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- controlled experiment
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture) authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction lowers
-
Sous vide increases tenderness.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture), Changes in Muscle Composition During Sous-Vide Cooking authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction raises
-
Sous vide reduces chewiness.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- controlled experiment
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sensory and Chemical Changes in Muscle Foods Induced by Sous-Vide Cooking: A Review (Foods 14(17):2967) 3.2.1 (Effects of Protein Changes on Meat Texture) authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction lowers
How it compares with microwaving
| Compared on | Sous vide | Microwaving |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | low temperature, precisely controlled | volumetric / dielectric |
| Heat arrives by | conduction | dielectric heating |
| Heats most at | into the whole mass at once | throughout the food |
| Moisture | sealed, no-loss | dry, evaporative |
| Rate | slowly and steadily | very rapidly |
| Needs equipment | absolute | absolute |
Not compared: Gradient. FoodHQ has a published value for only one of the two, and a half-filled row would read as a difference it has not established.