Electrolux ECWS3012AS Complete Owners Guide - Page 29

Air Sous Vide Air Sous Vide is ideal for cooking meats to achieve tenderness without overcooking. How Sous Vide Works Sous vide is a French phrase meaning "under vacuum". In sous vide cooking, food is vacuum-sealed in plastic pouches, which are then placed in a cooking medium of hot water or air. Your appliance uses hot air circulating around sealed pouches to cook food slowly at relatively low temperatures: 100°F to 205°F (38°C to 94°C). Sous vide cooking is not fast, but with a little planning, it can be very easy. Advantages of Sous Vide • Food does not lose flavor or aroma due to evaporation. • Vitamins and minerals do not escape during cooking. • The low cooking temperature leaves meat and fish more tender. • Less spice is needed, as food keeps more of its natural flavor. • The low cooking temperature greatly reduces the risk of overcooking. The food never gets hotter than the intended serving temperature. • Timing is less critical. If different dishes are finishing at different times, food that has reached serving temperature can wait, since it stays at serving temperature in the cooking medium. 29 SETTING OVEN CONTROLS Food Safety Because sous vide cooks at relatively low temperatures, safe food handling is especially important.: • Always keep raw food in safe conditions before you start cooking. • Clean the raw food before you start cooking. • Use Table 1, "Recommended Sous Vide Cook Settings," to find the recommended cooking time and temperature for the food. • Only use temperatures below 140°F (60°C) to cook foods that can be safely eaten raw. • Food should be between 34°F and 37°F (normal refrigerator temperatures) when preparing to place food in sous vide vacuum pouch. • Sous vide dishes are best served immediately after cooking. If food is not served immediately, use an ice bath to chill it quickly and then keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days. • Do not use sous vide to reheat leftovers. • Do not allow raw food to contact cooked food during preparation. Do not use the same tools on different food items without washing them. • If the recipe includes raw eggs, keep the whites and yolks from touching the outsides of the shells. • Blanching in boiling water or searing in a pan before sous vide cooking can destroy surface bacteria to improve food safety. • Do not use Delay Start with the Sous Vide function. • Do not use a meat probe with the Sous Vide function. Food needs to be sealed air-tight in a pouch for sous vide cooking.