Why use sous vide for entertaining on yom tov?
Cooking sous vide is easier than its fancy name might suggest. You simply seal the ingredients in a plastic bag (you can also use a canning jar) and place them in a water bath. When the food reaches your target temperature or time, you take it out, give it a quick sear or other finish, and serve it. Thats it. Perfectly predictable results with no fuss!
Sous vide is when Food is heated at a consistent temperature in a heated water bath Where we can control precise heat and cooking temps. Precise temperature control and uniformity of temperature has two big advantages. First, it allows you to cook food to an even doneness all the way through, no more dry edges and rare centers. Second, you get highly predictable results. The steak emerges from the bag juicy and pink every time.
This is why Sous Vide is my go to for yom tov cooking and entertaining, I am finally able to focus on the other important aspects of cooking without the worry of going back and forth and checking on that expensive roast in oven, hoping we aren’t messing it up…Which let’s be honest, we all do it!
Issues with cooking with plastic
We have been asked many times about the safety of cooking plastic bags. The bottom line is that bags made expressly for cooking sous vide are perfectly safe as are oven bags, popular brands of zip-top bags, and stretchy plastic wrap such as Saran Wrap.
The plastic that these products are made of is called polyethylene. It is widely used in containers for biology and chemistry labs, and it has been studied extensively. It is safe. But, do avoid very cheap plastic wraps when cooking. These are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and heating them presents a risk of chemicals leaching into the food.
