Techniques › Heat and cooking methods
Sous vide
Intermediate Heat and cooking methods
Sous vide is sealing food in a bag and cooking it in a water bath held at the exact temperature you want it to finish at.
Written with AI help from the sources listed, and published by Cory. Sources: USDA safe minimum internal temperatures, USDA on the danger zone (40-140°F). Spot a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
How do you do it?
- Season the food, seal it in a food-safe bag, and push out the air (the water-displacement trick works with zip bags).
- Clip the bag in a water bath set to a temperature and time taken from a tested sous vide chart for that food and thickness.
- Never hold food below 130°F for more than a few hours; if unsure, cook to the USDA temperature instead.
- Pat it very dry and sear 30-60 seconds per side in a ripping-hot pan, or chill it in ice water and refrigerate.
Why does it work?
Because the water never gets hotter than the target, proteins can't overshoot: the whole piece reaches the same doneness edge to edge. Killing bacteria depends on temperature AND time, so chicken held at a lower temperature long enough can be as safe as chicken cooked hotter for a moment. That only holds if the center actually reaches and stays at that temperature for the full time.
What are the common mistakes?
- Guessing times — thicker food needs much longer to heat through and be pasteurized.
- Searing a wet surface — it steams and the outside overcooks before it browns.
- Leaving cooked bags at room temperature — anaerobic bags still need fast chilling.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
More heat and cooking methods
- SearingBrowning the surface of meat or fish in a very hot pan for flavor.Beginner
- BraisingBrowning food, then cooking it slowly, partly covered in liquid, in a covered pot.Intermediate
- SautéingCooking pieces quickly in a little fat over medium-high heat, moving them often.Beginner
- SweatingCooking onions and other aromatics gently so they soften without browning.Beginner
- PoachingCooking gently in liquid kept just below a simmer (about 160–180°F).Intermediate
- Simmer vs. boilA simmer has small bubbles gently breaking the surface; a boil is big, constant, rolling bubbles.Beginner