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Read MoreSome people love to cook and don’t mind whatever time or complications may be involved. Others love kitchen appliances that simplify their lives and concern themselves with questions like in the sous vide vs slow cooker comparison, which is better?
If this is a question that’s been weighing on your mind, read on. I’ll outline the different characteristics of each, and why one might be ultimately better than the other, depending on your needs.
Typical slow cookers cook at low, medium, or high. Your food may still taste juicy, but it’s often overcooked. In contrast, sous vide always cooks your food to the exact desired temperature, often lower than the temps a slow cooker is capable of. Your food is never overcooked.
Did that whet your appetite for more information? Then let’s get cookin’.
Perhaps what you really want to know first is how to pronounce it. No one likes to sound like a dork when they’re talking to a salesperson.
As I hinted at above, this is a cooking technique that uses exact temperature control. It’s not just used by chefs who work in expensive restaurants like it once was.
The advantage of precise temps means that food is never over or undercooked. Have you ever been to a restaurant and had to explain how you liked your beef? That has to translate into a temperature that your meat needs to cook too. With sous vide, your cooking results are always consistent.
The direct translation of sous vide is under vacuum, and if you have ever seen the process, you’ll know why. Food is vacuum packed before cooking. Does that mean you need to buy a vacuum sealer as well as a sous vide cooker?
You certainly have that option if it’s your preference, but Ziploc bags will work just as well. However, you’ll need to use the water displacement method to remove all the air from the bags.
Water displacement method steps:
Just a word of warning here on food bags. If you are looking for a cheap brand, please make sure they are heat safe not just freezer safe. You don’t want the heat of the cooking process leaching harmful chemicals into your food.
Once your food is vacuum-sealed it’s placed in a pot of water that has reached your precise, desired temperature to cook.
After your food is cooked you can finish it by searing or grilling it.
To recap, sous vide follows these three basic steps:
And that will net you a perfect meal, every time.
Unlike some cooking methods where you are unable to precisely control temperatures, sous vide lets you do exactly that. With a lack of control of heat, food is often unevenly cooked, overcooked, dry and chewy, or flavorless.
Cooking sous vide means:
A quick browse through Amazon shows you’re going to spend about $80 at the low end and all the way up to close to $1,000 at the high end for a sous vide machine.
Most mid-range machines are about 1000 watts, with the more expensive at 1500 watts. But does wattage really matter?
If you have a small family and you’re only using small pots of water, the lower wattage is fine. If you are heating huge tubs of water to cook meat before throwing it on the grill for a big family BBQ, then you might want that 1500-watt model mentioned above.
For the most part, anything in the 1000-watt range is just fine for most families.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Always cooked to desired temps | Can take a long time to heat |
Food is evenly cooked | Pan gravy is impossible |
Larger yield / less volume loss | Temperature can fluctuate |
Set and forget | Some foods float to the top |
Enhanced flavor | Flavors can be too pronounced |
Very low heat doesn’t kill pathogens |
Okay, enough about sous vide. What about the slow cooker part of the sous vide vs slow cooker debate?
Slow cookers are uncomplicated cooking appliances that do exactly what they say. Cook your food slowly.
The inner pots of slow cookers are usually made of porcelain, ceramic, or stainless steel. These pots sit within an outer housing that contains the heating element. Some have an element that completely surrounds the inner pot on all sides, others just heat the bottom of it. All slow cookers are covered with a lid to keep moisture from escaping.
Most slow cooker recipes call for cooking at the lowest temperature for the longest time. Part of the problem here, unless you have a slow cooker that has an actual temperature gauge, you have no idea what temperature low really is.
Slow cookers are great for tougher, inexpensive cuts of meat as the slow cooking process tenderizes them.
Slow cookers come in a variety of sizes, typically from 4 quarts to 10 quarts. More expensive models can be up to around $300, but you can buy a very good programmable model for under $100.
Slow cooker features to look for:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Energy efficient | Advanced planning is necessary |
Convenient | No quick meals |
Food safety | You can’t use canned food |
It’s impossible to burn your meal | Uneven results |
Tender meat | Nutrient loss due to long cooking times |
Full of flavor | Beans need to be boiled first |
So, sous vide vs slow cooker. Which is better for you?
You should choose sous vide if:
You should choose a slow cooker if:
And now that you’ve read all of that, I’m going to tell you a secret. But don’t tell anyone you heard it from me.
You can buy an Instant Pot that has functions and can handle both slow cooking and sous vide. Two appliances for the price of one!
Hopefully, you’ve found the info you’re looking for! Why not check out below to see if there’s anything else we can help you with?