Arguments Against Sous Vide

[Shel_B]

This video popped into my queue today. It's Helen Rennie's take on why she dislikes sous vide cooking.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwIRIcdDLBQ

 

Of course, this is a very personal and opinionated piece, and Ms. Rennie clearly states that in the video.  I don't cook using sous vide, and some of Ms. Rennie's points coincide with my own feelings.  However, never having cooked using the technique, my feelings are, for the most part, just feelings, and I have little to zero experientially based reasons for them.

 

Where she and I are in 100% agreement is the hands-off approach sous vide allows.  I like the sounds, smells, textures, and involvement in cooking that sous vide diminishes or removes. I love it when a visitor says "That smells good. What are you cooking?" 

 

I'm curious about your thoughts on her comments.  I'd love to hear both pro and con about Ms. Rennie's opinions.

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Shel_B
typo (log)

[mgaretz]

She's right about sous vide for chicken - not so great.  But she's off-base about steaks.  She is embracing inconsistency.  She also likes sous vide for fish (at least halibut).  I used to do fish sous vide, but now I prefer my Speedi which uses steam and air frying.  

[gfweb]

Its a technique that is great when applied properly. 

 

I'm not watching the video, because I can tell from your summary that she is a dope.

 

Its like saying I hate baking because it messes up scrambled eggs.

[rotuts]

why not review SV Here :

 

47,000 pages , most insightful and very helpful.

 

Right Here .

[Shel_B]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

Its a technique that is great when applied properly. 

 

I'm not watching the video, because I can tell from your summary that she is a dope.

 

Its like saying I hate baking because it messes up scrambled eggs.

 

You read my summary, so I'm the dope.

 

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Shel_B (log)

[IndyRob]

She's very knowledgeable and I enjoy her videos, but it's hard to react to this one since she says in the title that she doesn't sous vide, but admits in the video that she does use it for certain applications.

 

I think she's really saying that she doesn't have the same level of enthusiasm that others do.  In my case, I can say that I don't use it as much as I used to, but it still remains an important tool that I have at my disposal.  Not so much different from what she's saying.

 

I wonder if it's just a response to people asking her to do more SV content.

Edited 17 hours ago by IndyRob (log)

[Bernie]

Unfortunately, most information on the web these days is about earning advertising revenue and that takes views.

You wont earn much if people don't watch/talk about whatever you post.

It doesn't matter what you (as the poster) know or believe, it is more about what will generate hits. Ideally, you want people on forums (like us) discussing it, because then those people (us) will view the video/blog.

 

So to this end she achieves what she wants 😁

 

The very fact she says she doesn't use it but later says she does is probably just an attempt to inform/indicate (scam?) the viewers that she knows what she is talking about or to not alienate anyone that may use SV

 

Pure politics in its basest form !

[Alex]

8 hours ago, Shel_B said:

I'd love to hear both pro and con about Ms. Rennie's opinions.

 

How about someone who doesn't give a rat's ass what her opinions are?

[IndyRob]

41 minutes ago, Alex said:

 

How about someone who doesn't give a rat's ass what her opinions are?

Well, sure I guess.  What do you have to add?

[haresfur]

10 hours ago, Shel_B said:

This video popped into my queue today. It's Helen Rennie's take on why she dislikes sous vide cooking.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwIRIcdDLBQ

 

Of course, this is a very personal and opinionated piece, and Ms. Rennie clearly states that in the video.  I don't cook using sous vide, and some of Ms. Rennie's points coincide with my own feelings.  However, never having cooked using the technique, my feelings are, for the most part, just feelings, and I have little to zero experientially based reasons for them.

 

Where she and I are in 100% agreement is the hands-off approach sous vide allows.  I like the sounds, smells, textures, and involvement in cooking that sous vide diminishes or removes. I love it when a visitor says "That smells good. What are you cooking?" 

 

I'm curious about your thoughts on her comments.  I'd love to hear both pro and con about Ms. Rennie's opinions.

 

 

In line with other responses, I don't usually pay attention to video opinions because I find them an inefficient way to convey information and because I don't appreciate being treated as a click. This forum would be better served by posting salient points that we can discuss here. That would also serve the eG goal of being a resource for cooking related information.

 

With regards to the one point you posted, there are plenty of other techniques that have long periods with little involvement in the cooking. I don't cook for the smells - they are a side bonus. And I have no problem doing a quick stir fry rather than feeling I have to have a stew pot going all day to make the kitchen smell nice. You get that quick smell hit when you brown meat after sous vide. In fact, I often sous vide beef and add it to a stir fry at the end to get the combination of med-rare meat and charred veg. In that way I suppose you could just consider the sous vide to be part of your prep. 

 

To me sous vide is primarily about precision and flexibility. I don't doubt that a top steak house can produce a better steak with their equipment but I can produce a much better steak with sous vide than any other way I have found. I like a roast chook but sous vide chicken is convenient and delicious for preparing ahead.

 

[nickrey]

I've been using sous vide cooking since around 2008, which was when I joined eGullet having found early posts on the technique.

 

Sous vide cooking has now moved from early adopters to the mainstream and even into the reluctant adopters.

 

At this stage of adoption, it is not unusual to get commentators opining that it has lost its appeal.

 

Those of us who adopted it early on typically now just use it as another cooking technique in our repertoire. The situation, number of people, product type, and desired outcome determine which method you will use. I find in many cases that I use it when I'm cooking for thirty or more as cook and hold or cook and reheat/finish can be easier using this process for certain meat and/or vegetable dishes.

 

 

[AAQuesada]

I pretty much agree and I vacuum seal much more often than I cook sous vide. I'm never going to do a steak that way but I'm glad I have my set up it's great for braising as an example as well as for 'catering' small dinner parties or holidays it can free up the stove (and you)