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Sous vide can be an easy and time-saving technique for cooking different kinds of foods. It has become a popular method for steaks and filets. Yet, is sous vide worth it for vegetarians? If you find a few great vegetarian recipes, will it be an easier technique with better results? Find out all about it.
Is Sous Vide Worth It for Vegetarians?
Sous vide is great for all vegetarians because it can be used to create various kinds of recipes without any supervision. The food cooks in the bag while you can carry out other chores. This technique is best for all kinds of foods and people who may need more time to cook a dish on the stove while giving it their full attention.
Since this special method of preparing vegetables requires cooks to vacuum seal the food items with seasonings in the bag, it can give you a flavorful and delicious result every time. If you follow the time and temperature requirements, the results will be similar every time. However, many vegetarians believe that this method is only suitable for meat recipes.
Vegetarian Guide for Sous Vide
The French style of preparing meals in a vacuum bag heated in water has become a new favorite. There are many benefits in this process for vegetarians as well. If you go through all of them, you would want to cook all vegetables this way.
- It preserves the nutritional value of vegetables
- It kills bacteria and pasteurizes the food
- It provides an excellent texture to your foods
When you stir-fry or cook vegetables on high heat, many nutrients get wasted, and the food becomes tasteless. Moreover, there is no nutrition in what you eat, so the whole vegetarian concept of organic and healthy eating diminishes. However, this style of cooking preserves essential minerals and vitamins.
Additionally, the texture will always be soft as the vegetables cook from the center, and the even heat distribution pasteurizes the food while killing bacteria. You will always get the same kind of results when you follow the technique well.
Vegetarian Recipe Ideas
There are so many delicious recipes that you can prepare in the special cooker with a water oven and immersion heater. Apart from vegetables, there are many vegetable-based and vegan desserts that you can cook up without spending extra time in the kitchen. A few of the popular sous vide vegetable items include:
- Mashed potatoes
- Glazed vegetable mix
- Corn
- Roast marinade potatoes
- Brussels sprouts
- Peas
- Cauliflower steaks
You can follow the recipes from famous chefs for vegetables and desserts that you can prepare with this style of cooking, and each of them will be a masterpiece because of the heating effect of sous vide. The vegetables are tender and juicy and do not lose their aroma and natural color.
You may have noticed that green vegetables become dark and unappetizing when cooking on high heat. However, when you cook them in a vacuum bag at a lower temperature, the color and taste remain the same.
Can Vegans Benefit From This Technique?
Vegans can benefit from this style of cooking too because all kinds of pulses and plant-based foods can be prepared without a lot of time consumption. You can even create vegan desserts like custards and cakes in the vacuum bag or sous vide silicone bag.
Vegan diets are heavy on pulses and grains; if you are a salad person, you might think there is nothing that a sous vide can do for you. However, the popular vegan foods that can be prepared with this technique of cooking include:
- Nut butter
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Pulses
You can innovate the recipes that you are used to creating on a stove and the results will always be good. Adapting to this cooking process might seem doubtful for some vegan and vegetarian recipes like soup. However, once you try it you will probably never cook food on a stove again.
Related Questions
Can You Overcook Vegetables While Using This Cooking Technique?
You can overcook vegetables if you leave them in the warm water oven for too long. When you remove the vacuum bag from the water oven after the time is complete, open it because as long as the food is vacuumed, it can cook on its own.
Overcooking will not burn the vegetables in the bag, although they might not have the desired texture anymore. The trick is to follow the temperature for sous vide cooking and the time closely so that the food you prepare is easy enough.
Is This Cooking Technique Worth a Try for Vegetables Only?
Yes, this special cooking style will give your food a great texture, and more flavor, and the best part is that the nutritional value is higher. With stove-cooking on high flame, a lot of vitamins and minerals are squeezed out of the vegetables and destroyed.
When you cook raw vegetables with seasoning in a vacuum bag, all the nutrients and water remain inside. The result is moist, flavorful vegetables with all the nutrients intact.
What Should You Not Sous Vide?
You can cook almost all kinds of foods with this special cooking method. However, there are a few precautions and definite Nos. These avoidable items include freezer bags, cling wraps, plastic plates and cutlery inside the bag, and many items that are not heat resistant. These items can give off poisonous and dangerous fumes and contaminate the food with toxins.
Conclusion
Is sous vide worth it for vegetarians? All people who eat vegetarian or vegan food can find a lot of delicious recipes to prepare with this style of cooking. You will find each of these methods worth the time.
