At a Glance:
Air Sous Vide vs Water Sous Vide
Cooking is a pastime of many, and often, it doesn’t just serve as a hobby. To some, it is a passion, a way of life, and there is nothing better for them than the experience of cooking the perfect meal. However, to do this, you must have the right tools, such as an oven with sous vide cooking capabilities, which is all the rage right now. A great chef will tell you that this cooking method is a great way to ensure your meal will turn out moist, nutritious, and decadent.
If you’re like others wondering “what is sous vide cooking” and whether the cooking process could enhance your mealtime routine, we have the answers you’ve been looking for. Learn more as we take a behind-the-scenes look at sous vide cooking, what makes it so special, and how you can integrate it into your kitchen with the latest appliances.
Discover the Best Cooking Appliance Deals
The latest in cooking appliance innovation starts with the best selection in the Pittsburgh area at Don's Appliances.
Shop NowWhy is Sous Vide Better?
Have you wondered recently “what’s new in appliances?” Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “sous vide” tossed around, but have wondered, “What is sous vide?” In short, sous vide cooking is one of the latest appliance features found on premium products, which promises restaurant-quality results. The sous vide process offers precise temperature control, ensuring consistent and evenly cooked food. By vacuum-sealing ingredients and immersing them in a water bath, it flavors retain their natural taste, moisture, and nutrients that are commonly lost through traditional cooking methods.
This technique also allows for extended cooking times without overcooking, resulting in tender and flavorful dishes. Aside from these benefits, home cooks are catching onto the other perks of sous vide cooking, such as the ability to prep meals that can be refrigerated or frozen until ready for the final finishing step, making sous vide a preferred method for achieving restaurant-quality results at home.
How Does Sous Vide Work?
Sous vide cooking involves vacuum-sealing food in a plastic pouch and immersing it in a precisely controlled water bath at a consistently low temperature, usually lower than conventional cooking. This technique ensures even cooking throughout while the sealed pouch prevents moisture loss and preserves flavors. The water bath, regulated by a sous vide machine, maintains the desired temperature, slowly cooking the food to the exact doneness desired. This gentle, precise process enables proteins to retain their natural juices, textures, and nutrients, resulting in tender, flavorful dishes that are consistently cooked to perfection.
Appliance shoppers have two options when it comes to purchasing sous vide appliances: cooktops and ranges or built-in ovens. Whereas cooktops and ranges typically provide an advanced heating element that maintains low temperatures, using sous vide in oven applications is different. In ovens with sous vide capabilities, food is still preserved in vacuum-sealed bags, but instead of using water, an oven uses extremely low-temperature air that is kept at a setpoint, creating a similar effect to cooking food in a water bath.
Is Sous Vide Healthy?
Sous vide cooking can be a great way to cook healthy food in your home because it requires no oil (although you can certainly add oil and butter for more flavor). Its unique cooking process also locks in nutrients and natural flavors, resulting in more flavor that is good for you. Plus, the precise temperature control it offers minimizes the loss of vitamins and minerals that can occur in traditional cooking methods.
One of the major concerns involves cooking food directly in plastic bags. Luckily, bags made specifically for sous vide cooking methods are free of harmful BPA contaminants. Overall, it is an excellent choice for those looking for tasty, flavorful food that is healthy and nutritious.
Air Sous Vide vs Water Sous Vide
Water sous vide cooking involves immersing vacuum-sealed food in a precisely controlled water bath, ensuring there is even heat distribution and consistent cooking. This method is known for maintaining moisture, preserving flavors, and allowing precise temperature control for longer cooking periods.
On the other hand, air sous vide (also known as dry sous vide or combi-oven cooking) uses a combination oven that controls both the temperature and humidity levels. Instead of submerging the food in water, it is cooked in a sealed, low-humidity environment, offering precise control over both moisture and heat. While water sous vide is known for gentle, precise cooking, air sous vide offers a different technique, which relies on controlled dry heat to achieve desired results with potentially faster cooking times.
Benefits of Sous Vide
What is sous vide good for in terms of benefits? Sous vide cooking boasts several benefits, and having a sous vide kitchen appliance is well worth the purchase. Having the tool ensures precise temperature control, resulting in consistently cooked food. Another advantage of sous vide is that it allows for extended cooking times without overcooking, resulting in tender and flavorful dishes. That reduces the chances of accidentally ruining dinner, and since ingredients that are cooked sous vide style don’t go over a set temperature, meals can remain hot and ready for hours after they’ve been prepared.
Learn More: 6 Speed Oven Features That Are Worth It
Our Top Sous Vide Appliances
In terms of trending kitchen appliances, ones that feature a sous vide mode are becoming some of the most sought after for ambitious home cooks who want to take their meal prep to new levels. Are you ready? Here are our top appliances with sous vide you should consider then.
GE Profile™ 30" Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel Slide In Induction Range
Shop This GE Profile Induction Range with Sous Vide
This sous vide oven range includes a gentle cooking mode, which allows for precise temperature control through induction technology. This feature aids home cooks by ensuring consistent and precise cooking, eliminating guesswork and potential overcooking. The sous vide on induction cooktop function addresses common kitchen challenges by simplifying the process and allowing users to achieve professional-quality results easily, enhancing their cooking experience. A full force of features all around, this premium GE Profile slide-in range with sous vide cooktop also provides advanced upgrades like an in-oven camera and air fry baking.
★ Featured GE Profile PHS93XYPFS review:
“I absolutely love it! The precision of this range is incredible! Cooks & bakes perfectly!”
Electrolux 30" Stainless Steel Single Electric Wall Oven
Shop This Electrolux Sous Vide Oven
Ever so chic and modern, Electrolux throws its name in the game with this premium oven with a sus vide cooking mode. integrates sous vide functionality with its built-in Precision Cooking feature. It eliminates the need for a water bath for a neater approach to the cooking style with all the benefits. Fully functional via Wi-Fi with the Electrolux Connect Technology, stunning meals await your culinary imagination alongside features like steam baking, air fry, and powerful convection baking.
★ Featured Electrolux ECWS3012AS review:
“I am loving our new double oven! The rolling racks make removing heavier foods so much easier. The app is easy to use and allows you to preheat from anywhere and monitor cooking times even when you aren't in the kitchen.”
Fisher & Paykel Series 11 24" Stainless Steel Steam Oven
Shop This Fisher & Paykel Sous Vide Oven
This oven features sous vide cooking mode, maintaining precise temperatures for extended periods. It’s from the Series 11 line, Fisher & Paykel’s latest collection of premium appliances, which this model demonstrates in full style with a total of 23 cooking functions, including steam baking and the exclusive AeroTech convection. At 24” wide, this is a smaller air sous vide oven than a standard 30” model, but it makes up for it with powerful performance/
Learn More: A Deeper Look at Steam Ovens (& Why We Love Them!)
Signature Kitchen Suite 48" Stainless Steel Dual Fuel Pro Gas Rangetop
Shop This Signature Kitchen Suite Sous Vide Rangetop
This six-burner rangetop incorporates an integrated sous vide function, allowing precise temperature control for water-based cooking. At 48” wide, it provides ample room to whip up culinary creations with top features, including two induction zones for the best of gas and electric cooking. Fan of Asian cuisine? Then you’ll love the integrated wok grate on this model’s cooktop that can be used for both wok and everyday applications. In short, this is an incredibly versatile cooking station that adventurous home cooks can get a lot of mileage out of.
Frigidaire Gallery® 30" Smudge-Proof® Stainless Steel Pro Style Gas Range
Shop This Frigidaire Gallery Range with Sous Vide
This premium gas range from Frigidaire Gallery comes equipped with cooktop features for serious cooks like up to 18,000 BTUs of heat output and a center burner for greater cooking flexibility. You’ll enjoy exploring new menus and recipes with all of its cooking functions, from powerful convection to an air fry mode and steam baking, all for a price point under $2000.
Learn More: What is Sous Vide? How Do You Use It?
Hopefully, now you are no longer wondering, “What is sous vide” and have become aware of its many benefits. Sous vide appliances are well worth the purchase, as they offer many benefits. When you decide to take the plunge and purchase a sous vide appliance, Don’s Appliances is the best place to start your shopping journey. With incredible inventory, kind and helpful staff, as well as extras like installation and delivery, Don’s is the best place in the Pittsburgh area for all your appliance needs—shop online or in-store today!
Why Trust Don’s Appliances?
Founded in 1971, Don’s Appliances is a family-owned, independent appliance retailer based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Don’s has since expanded to 10 locations selling, delivering, installing, and servicing all major appliance brands. Large enough to offer competitive pricing yet small enough to continue offering the “white glove” service we pride ourselves on, our focus is always on the customer experience — from the first step into a showroom to the purchase transaction to well after your new appliance has been installed.
When our customers are remodeling or building a new house, Don’s has all the expertise, product knowledge, inventory, brands, displays, and services to meet and exceed your needs. And in the event an appliance breaks, we are there, right on time and with the right product, delivery, installation, and service.
Shop Sous Vide Appliances at Don’s
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and shop cooking appliances online at Don’s Appliance. Our friendly experts are always happy to help you answer what is sous vide by showing you our selection of appliances — whether you call us at 866-544-1711, email us, or use our online chat feature. Better yet, stop by any of our Don’s Appliances Pittsburgh, PA warehouse locations. Visit us today!
Learn More: What is Sous Vide? How Do You Use It?