Is sous vide dead?

Sous vide is nothing more than cooking plastic-wrapped meat (and perhaps vegetables) in a bath of heated water. Modern sous vide uses technology that accurately heats water to within decimals of the temperature of a chef’s choosing. And the technology is very, very good. Sous vide is exact. You will never overcook a steak again if you use a quality sous vide machine (and even the at-home sous vide machines are pretty good). To many, it is the pinnacle of modernist cooking, the collision of cutting-edge technology and ancient culinary artistry.

Others, like famous chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, are more skeptical of the technology. She believes that sous vide produces dead food and paint-by-number, lazy chefs who don’t really know how to cook a steak. So, what’s it gonna be? Modern godsend to change food for the better, or trendy extravagance that produces mediocre trash? That’s what we’re going to explore here today: the good, the bad and the ugly of sous vide cooking.

The good

I remember when Modernist Cuisine was first published back in 2011. It made a big splash in the culinary world and was somehow also popular among those of us who weren’t in the food industry, despite the tremendous price tag of $500. I splurged and bought myself a copy. The book introduced me to sous vide cooking, which I hadn’t heard of at the time. I bought my first sous vide cooker shortly thereafter and haven’t looked back since.

Modernist Cuisine completed the puzzle for sous vide cooking. They gave time and temperature tables for every cut of meat imaginable. The results were lab tested and repeatable. They made a science out of cooking. Suddenly, even the largest of my dinner parties (of which I had many) were a breeze. Any moron could cook multiple pieces of tough cuts of beef to perfect medium rare with a quick sear at the end for texture. Oh, and did I mention it was set and forget? It was like a dream come true.

There are also advantages to cooking in a plastic bag. The meat is trapped with its juices and whatever herbs and spices are added to the bag. This ensures that we don’t lose any of that delicious jus during the braise and that our meat comes out perfectly seasoned, even if there was no lengthy brining. Modern, convenient, and delicious slow cooking.

The bad and the ugly

The first time you sous vide, you’ll probably notice that there is a tremendous amount of waste: tons of water, dozens of individual plastic wrappers for meat, and lots of electricity. Like most modern things, sous vide is very wasteful. Many would say that sous vide is not environmentally sustainable (though whether environmental sustainability should be a concern for fine dining is up for debate).

On the topic of plastic, there are now many concerns about heating food inside of plastic. Even food grade plastics may release harmful chemicals that disrupt human hormone production and cause cancer. Beyond health concerns for humans are the health concerns for the environment. All of those plastic baggies used to cook food will be dumped in a landfill after they are discarded.

What is the final verdict?

There are also some, in my opinion, unfounded concerns regarding sous vide cooking. I often hear that food “comes out better” when cooked with some other traditional cooking implement. As long as you don’t forget to give your meat a good sear after the sous vide, or cook it to the point of becoming mushy, sous vide will usually be better than other cooking methods. You just can’t get that kind of consistency on the broiler.

All that said, I’ve decided to give up my sous vide machine at home. If every household in America owned a sous vide machine, the results would only add to the ongoing environmental disaster. I’m okay with eating a sous vide meal at a restaurant as an occasional indulgence, but I’m going to leave this technique to the professionals for now.