A technique that has been popular with top chefs for many years is becoming more and more common in private kitchens: Sous vide – known as Vacuisine at V-ZUG – creates taste sensations that can’t be achieved with any other method of preparation. Try the difference and indulge your guests with Michelin-star cooking.
In our blog post «The perfect host – impress your guests», we will introduce you to the topic of Vacuisine, what accessories are needed and what the advantages are. In this post we will provide you with more interesting information as well as tips and tricks on how you can hone your cooking skills with Vacuisine.
Sous vide – French for ≪under vacuum≫ – is a cooking method which involves cooking food slowly at low temperatures in vacuum-sealed bags. It is also known as vacuum cooking.
With Vacuisine, you don’t have to choose between conjuring up an elaborate menu or spending a lot of time with your loved ones. Thanks to sous vide cooking, you can enjoy a relaxed evening with your guests – but it won’t be at the expense of a great culinary experience.
The advantages of sous vide cooking
• Easy to prepare in advance
• Nothing burns or boils over
• Intense flavours
• Food is juicier and does not dry out
• Meat and fish are cooked until incomparably tender and juicy
• Guaranteed success when cooking meat
• Best possible preservation of the texture of the food
• Nutrients and colours are optimally preserved
• Low level of oxidation – food lasts longer
• Less seasoning required
• No food odours in the kitchen or home
Tips and tricks
You might already be using sous vide cooking, but there’s sure to be something new to learn with the following tips and tricks:
Clean filling
Before filling, turn the top edge of the bag inside out – this keeps the top clean. You can use a funnel to pour liquids into the bag.
Cooking to keep
To keep food cooked with Vacuisine for longer, you should plunge the bag into iced water immediately after cooking.
Vacuum bags instead of preserving jars
Be it vegetables in marinades or chutneys – there are many things that can be vacuum-sealed in bags so they keep perfectly. The bags take up less space in the refrigerator than preserving jars.
Barbecuing meat
Vacuisine can also be used for barbecues. The meat is cooked in the bag and then placed briefly on the barbecue, so that the meat ends up with the characteristic chargrilled look.
For a roasted flavour
If you still want your food to have a roasted flavour after sous vide cooking, brown the cooked meat or fish briefly in a hot pan with a bit of oil or on the barbecue. Make sure that you only brown the food very briefly and at a high heat. In professional kitchens, a blowtorch is often used for this purpose: meat cooked in the Combi-Steam is brushed with a bit of oil and browned in a cold pan, for example, using the blowtorch.
You can find further tips at our website or in the new Vacuisine cookbook.
Cooking Charts
Play it safe with the cooking tables: from artichokes to zander, they provide optimum values for temperature and cooking time as well as handy tips for preparation, ensuring that your meals will be a hit.
To the Cooking Charts
You can also find a detailed cooking table in the Vacuisine cookbook.
NEW: Food probe and sealing pads – meat cooked to perfection
Mit dem Gargutsensor und Dichtungspads kann Fleisch perfekt auf den Punkt genau gegart werden – genau so wie Sie es wünschen
Are you serious about cooking meat to perfection? Then you will be delighted: thanks to special sealing pads, you can now also use the food probe of your combi-steam cooker with Vacuisine. The pads make it possible to insert the probe into the meat without losing the vacuum so the food probe temperature can be monitored precisely. You are free to enjoy a relaxing aperitif with your guests while your meat is brought slowly to the desired temperature.
The V-ZUG sealing pad can be used to insert the food probe through the vacuum bag into the meat without losing the vacuum and without oxygen entering the bag. The food probe temperature can thereby be monitored with ease during cooking
Meals are ready when the time is just right
There is a practical advantage to Vacuisine too: You can leave the meat in the combi-steam cooker for up to an hour longer even after the desired temperature has been reached. Together with your guests, you can decide when you want to start eating – it’s easy and stress-free. In the meantime, the appliance keeps the cooking space temperature stable.
Your reputation as the perfect host is secured
It’s now or never. Everyone is hungry and it’s the perfect time to show your guests to the dining table. And there’s one other thing you can count on – not only will it make guests’ eyes sparkle with glee, but also the hosts’.
Find further information about the food probe and pads here
NEW: «Vacuisine» application integrated in steam cooker
The new Vacuisine application is integrated into the GourmetGuide
As of February 2017, the new Vacuisine application will be integrated into the GourmetGuide. This allows for a steaming phase lasting up to 48 hours, without having to refill the water. Thanks to the long, stable steaming phase, you can even conjure up culinary creations from meat streaked with fat. By cooking the meat over a number of hours, even roast meat or pork belly will end up with a succulent texture.
Product tip: Steam cooker
Top Chefs in Conversation
Designed in collaboration with top Swiss chefs, Vacuisine combines brand new culinary knowledge with inspiration for a modern, healthy lifestyle.
We met with two of Switzerland’s best chefs for a round-table discussion: Tanja Grandits and Andreas Caminada talk about dos and don’ts in the kitchen, the role of technology and what really matters when it comes to cooking. The complete interview is available in the latest Vacuisine cookbook. A few questions from the book:
• How does sous vide cooking fit into your own kitchens?
• What are the main things you should look out for?
• Should you cook at home following a recipe or your own intuition?
• What about ideas in general? Do they come to you or do you have to go out looking for them?
• What’s the key thing to remember for the supposedly simple things like rösti?
and many other interesting questions.
You can buy the cookbook here: accessories shop
All of this is possible with Vacuisine – and more
With Vacuisine, you can prepare many delicious recipes: starters, main courses with fish or meat, and delicious desserts.
An evening with Vacuisine could look something like this:
The step-by-step videos show you how easy it is to prepare these menus:
Recipes:
Beetroot with white grapes and mesclun salad
Confit Asian-style salmon with rapeseed oil foam and avocadomashed potato
Fillet of beef with grilled onion and pea purée
Pineapple with coconut caramel, raspberries and vanilla ice-cream
Vacuisine cookery course
Would you like to learn the art of Vacuisine with the help of our professional chefs? Do you want to participate in discussions, find inspiration and enjoy food beyond comparison? Now you can register for a Vacuisine cookery course near you. More Information
Get an insight into the Vacuisine cookery course. Watch the film >>
Questions? More information?
Do you have any questions about Vacuisine? Would you like to receive some personal advice about the advantages of the vacuum drawer and the steam cooker? Then visit one of our ZUGORAMA exhibition centres and get a consultation without obligation. Overview of ZUGORAMA
NEW: Vacuisine cookbook with many exclusive recipes
Keen to find out more about Vacuisine? In our new «Vacuisine» cookbook, we dive into the world of sous vide cooking and give you inspiring, exclusive recipes and fascinating interviews from our top chefs. Available in our accessories shop
You may also be interested in the following blog post: The perfect host – impress your guests
Further information about the topic of Vacuisine can be found at www.vzug.com:
Product tip: Steam cooker
Product tip: Vacuum drawer
Vacuisine from V-ZUG
The fascination of V-ZUG: Culinary inspiration from the world of top-level cuisine
1 Comment
Trish Walkin - 3. April 2017 10:59
The Food is juicier and does not dry out and you are guaranteed success when cooking meat . The meat and fish are cooked until incomparably tender and juicy.
Answers