21+ Mouthwatering Instant Pot Sous Vide Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Can I use my Instant Pot as a sous vide? ›

The original Instant Pot functioned as a pressure cooker, slow-cooker, sauté pan, steamer, and yogurt maker. The new Instant Pot Max now boasts a home canning function, automatic stirring—and a sous vide capability that allows you to precisely control water temperature.

You technically can sous vide in certain models of the Instant Pot (the Pro, Max, and Duo Plus), but this appliance is considerably less accurate than using an immersion circulator. Instant Pots take longer to preheat and do not maintain water temperature as reliably as a purpose-built sous vide machine.

Medium: 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C), 1 to 4 hours. Medium-well: 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C), 1 to 3 1/2 hours. Well done: 156°F (69°C) and up, 1 to 3 hours.

Ziplock and Glad brand bags are made from polyethylene plastic, and are free of BPAs and dioxins. A good rule of thumb is that when a bag is rated as microwave safe (which requires FDA approval) you can use it for sous vide. Even Dr. Schaffner agrees.

At its most fundamental level, sous vide cooking is the process of sealing food in an airtight container—usually a vacuum sealed bag—and then cooking that food in temperature-controlled water. In French, the term translates to "under vacuum," which makes sense.

With sous-vide, you get the benefits of poaching (extremely tender proteins), but you lose out on the delicious flavor compounds that develop when searing and roasting. For this reason, some chefs recommend searing your meat or chicken before cooking sous-vide, to enhance the flavor.

When you're working in a professional kitchen, there's no room for error, and things have to be done exactly by the book. This is where sous vide really comes into its own, allowing chefs an unparalleled level of control over their dishes.

Sous vide is a great cooking method but it's a one trick pony. If you want to cook a piece of meat to an exact internal temperature, perfectly, sous vide is the best method. A long slow soak in a sous vide bath will transform a tough piece of meat into a hunk of tenderness as well, but that's all sous vide is good for.

Sous vide is a French term for “under vacuum” which is also known as reduced oxygen packaging (ROP). Food is vacuum-sealed and cook in water at a low-temperature; typically, 130–160°F/ 55–71°C.

Starting with warm water will help the sous vide circulator bring the water to the right temperature more quickly. Try a square vessel. Square is a much more space efficient shape than a circle. So with a square container, you'll have an easier time fitting both the circulator and the food.

Is it safe to sous vide under 130? ›

Steaks cooked under 130°F (57°C) should not be cooked longer than 2 1/2 hours at a time for food safety reasons.

The Instant Pot's burn message simply means that your Instant Pot has detected that its inner pot has gotten too hot. There may be a slight amount of burned food at the bottom of your pot, but not enough to ruin whatever you're cooking.

Sous vide cooking is really great for certain applications but some chefs over use it. I use it frequently when cooking meat that is to be served as the center point of the meal.

The sous vide method basically involves heating food just enough so that it reaches the exact "doneness" you desire, with no risk of over- or under-cooking. Tools like immersion circulators and Sous Vide Supreme baths do make the process faster and easier, but they are not a requirement.

More nutritious.

Researchers say that food cooked sous vide holds more nutrients than food cooked using traditional methods.

An immersion circulator works by heating and circulating water in a container to maintain a precise cooking temperature for sous vide cooking. It allows for consistent and controlled cooking, resulting in tender, flavorful, and evenly cooked food.