How to Sous Vide: Easy, Delicious Perfection Any Night of the Week

For those craving new adventures in the kitchen, food blogger Shumski (How to Instant Pot) reveals the restaurant method of sous vide (under vacuum) cooking in this terrific how-to. Sumptuous but simple recipes dispel the “misconception that sous vide cooking is complicated.” A survey of minimal equipment (circulator, vacuum sealed containers, stock pot), a quick explainer on the cooking method itself (food is vacuum sealed in plastic and then cooked in a water bath using an immersion circulator), and a few food safety rules (including temperature guidelines, selection and sealing of bags or jars, cooling, and storage) make enjoying the advantages of sous vide’s precision and mastering its “reliable, replicable and delicious results” a snap. Centerpiece dishes such as lamb chops with pistachios and pomegranate drizzle and set-it-and-forget-it duck leg confit make for luxurious, surprisingly hassle-free meals. Elsewhere, vegetables present “special challenges—and special rewards... neither overdone nor underdone, every time,” and seafood dishes (though “swimmingly simple”) require care with proper temperatures, while luscious desserts feature “the world’s best and easiest” berry cheesecake made in canning jars. In Shumski’s estimation, this cooking method is forgiving, flavorful, and foolproof—and his enticing recipes go a long way to prove it. (Oct.)