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Sous vide translates literally to “under vacuum” as it involves cooking food in plastic bags that are vacuum sealed and cooked in water baths at precise tempera

by fnbr 3y ago

Sous vide translates literally to “under vacuum” as it involves cooking food in plastic bags that are vacuum sealed and cooked in water baths at precise temperatures. The technique, however, is much more useful for the temperature control elements than the vacuum. The reverse sear method mimics the temperature control element of the technique, but is just done in an oven, so it’s very much not under a vacuum.

dragonwriter 3y ago
> The technique, however, is much more useful for the temperature control elements than the vacuum The vacuum sealing (which doesn’t actually leave a vacuum, because its not done in a rigid container, so name aside, sous vide cooking is not, in any substantive sense, cooking under vacuum) is a technique in achieving temperature control, because it means the food is in direct contact with the bag which is in direct contact with the water bath, rather than there being air in the bag insulating the food from the water bath. > The reverse sear method mimics the temperature control element of the technique, but is just done in an oven, so it’s very much not under a vacuum. In an oven, the food is in direct contact with the thermal medium without a layer in between, but the thermal medium is air rather than water; air has a similar specific heat but much lower density than liquid water at constant pressure, so even if your heat control is as good as in a sous vide system (with most ovens, it is not) you still aren’t really getting the same effect. Reverse sear is a faster, hotter, less even method than sous vide, with the advantage (for steaks, and things where this is an advantage) of producing greater surface evaporation which provides a better sear.
- userbinator 3y ago
  cooking under vacuum I imagine if you tried to cook in an actual vacuum, you'd end up with dessicated food instead, as all the volatiles will evaporate.
  - krisoft 3y ago
    I heard that space smells like seared steaks.[1] Now we know why. Clearly someone tried the real sous vide. :) 1: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/what-space-smells-like/259903/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/what-...
    - samstave 3y ago
      Or its from all of the millions fried in the Explosions of the Deathstars and Alderon. Or better known as 'The Battle of Sous Vader'

by fnbr 3y ago

dragonwriter 3y ago

> The technique, however, is much more useful for the temperature control elements than the vacuum The vacuum sealing (which doesn’t actually leave a vacuum, because its not done in a rigid container, so name aside, sous vide cooking is not, in any substantive sense, cooking under vacuum) is a technique in achieving temperature control, because it means the food is in direct contact with the bag which is in direct contact with the water bath, rather than there being air in the bag insulating the food from the water bath. > The reverse sear method mimics the temperature control element of the technique, but is just done in an oven, so it’s very much not under a vacuum. In an oven, the food is in direct contact with the thermal medium without a layer in between, but the thermal medium is air rather than water; air has a similar specific heat but much lower density than liquid water at constant pressure, so even if your heat control is as good as in a sous vide system (with most ovens, it is not) you still aren’t really getting the same effect. Reverse sear is a faster, hotter, less even method than sous vide, with the advantage (for steaks, and things where this is an advantage) of producing greater surface evaporation which provides a better sear.

userbinator 3y ago
cooking under vacuum I imagine if you tried to cook in an actual vacuum, you'd end up with dessicated food instead, as all the volatiles will evaporate.
- krisoft 3y ago
  I heard that space smells like seared steaks.[1] Now we know why. Clearly someone tried the real sous vide. :) 1: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/what-space-smells-like/259903/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/what-...
  - samstave 3y ago
    Or its from all of the millions fried in the Explosions of the Deathstars and Alderon. Or better known as 'The Battle of Sous Vader'