Ideas & Inspiration

Photo Credit: ChefSteps

Vacuum sealing is an important step in optimizing the perfectly reproducible cooking that sous vide technique offers (after all, the term sous vide itself means ‘under vacuum’). But while it’s immersion in an precision heated water bath that cooks the food perfectly, the compression itself offers advantages on its own. Compressing fruits and vegetables (and even chicken breast, but that’s another subject!) alters the texture and even appearance of the food, particularly if done with a chamber vacuum sealer that can really put the press on. Pressure makes fruits denser and sweeter and more translucent; it changes their character in interesting ways. Check out how our friends at ChefSteps explain its benefits. Don’t have a SousVide Supreme ChamberVac? You can still experience the joy of compression—if to a somewhat lesser degree–using your suction sealer. Try this:

Prep the fruit

• Cut 1-inch/2.5 cm-thick rounds of watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, or pineapple, rind on; scoop out the seeds in the center, if present, and pat the surface dry with paper towels. Or use thick slices of cucumber, thin slices of tougher fruits, such as apples or pears, wedges of peaches and nectarines, or halves of strawberries instead.
• Sprinkle both sides with a bit of balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper or a dusting of vanilla sugar, whatever suits your mood.
• Put the fruit in a single layer into vacuum pouch(es).
• Add some citrus zest or mint leaves to the pouch(es), if desired.

Compress

• Open the sealer and position the open end of the pouch(es) under the pouch tabs or just under the sealing portal and close and lock the lid.
• Pick the sealer up, raising it at least a foot off the counter, and activate the vacuum seal.
• As soon as the pouch collapses, force the seal to prevent excess moisture from entering the suction chamber.

Chill and Enjoy

• Chill the vacuum sealed fruit to use in salads or as a cool refreshing accompaniment to grilled meats or omelettes, or as a simple dessert.

We’re always on the lookout for novel and interesting ways to use our SousVide Supreme water ovens, so a recent article by Christopher Staten in Draft Magazine detailing a sous vide technique for making beer did not go unnoticed! Needless to say, we were maximally intrigued. So we reached out to the author, who kindly put us in touch with the man whose magic he’d chronicled, Karlos Knott, the head brewer at Bayou Teche Brewery. (Their Cajun brewery is situated on the family farm in Acadiana and was named by Southern Living magazine as the best brewery in Louisiana.)

In a happy bit of synchronicity, we learned Mr. Knott is a huge sous vide fan, who has had a couple of our SousVide Supreme water ovens for several years, using them almost daily for making yogurt, small test batches of new beer recipes, and cooking up Boudin and other Cajun delicacies.

At our request, he has very kindly provided us all with a pair of great, small batch sous-vide-cooked beer recipes: Sous Vide Biere, a traditional amber concoction, and a gluten-free version, called Sous Vide Pas La (Cajun French for ‘not there’). We’re going to let him tell you all about it – take it away Karlos!

Brewin’ up a Batch!
by Karlos Knott

Let me begin by saying that I love my Sous Vide Supreme water ovens and am honored to share this technique with all of you in the beer-loving, sous vide community. The water oven has really been a game changer in our family; we use it 7 days a week!  But, let’s get on to beer.

Before we get started, let me stress that the main issue with beer brewing–and it can’t be emphasized enough–is everything has to be very clean, in fact, it MUST be sterilized. Most of a professional brewer’s career is spent cleaning equipment; just a few wild bacteria or yeast can ruin a whole batch of beer. With that caution, making sous vide beer is fun and very easy to do. These two recipes are real beginner recipes, and if any of you has a question or would like to know how to do the sous vide beers using whole grains instead of syrup (which would mean a bit more equipment, time, and cost) just comment here and I’ll be glad to help you out.  So, let’s get you started.

EQUIPMENT you’ll need to gather
(available online at home brewing supplies stores)

• 2 large (1 gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouches
• 1 gallon (3.8 liter) fermenter jug with cap and airlock
• Large wire mesh strainer
• Funnel
• Auto siphon with hose
• Bottle filler
• 12 12-ounce bottles
• Bottle capper and caps
• Sanitizer solution

INGREDIENTS you’ll need on hand
(available online at home brewing supplies stores)

For Sous Vide Biere

• 1 1/2 pounds amber malt extract syrup*
• 7 g Cascade hop pellets*
• 3.5 grams Perle hop pellets*
• 0.5 ml Hopshot* (HopShot is CO2-extracted hop resin packaged in a syringe)
• 1/2 packet US-05 dried ale yeast*
• 12 Fizz Drop tablets*

For Sous Vide Pas La (gluten-Free beer)

• 1 ¼ pounds sorghum extract*
• 5 ounces honey
• 3 ounces dried rice extract*
• 1 ounce maltodextrin*
• 0.5 ml Hopshot (HopShot is CO2-extracted hop resin packaged in a syringe)*
• 1/4 ounce Citra hops*
• US-05 dried ale yeast*
• 12 Fizz Drop tablets*

Here’s what you’ll need to do…

Cook the wort
Mix together all the ingredients except the Fizz Drop tablets and yeast for whichever beer you’re making (for the Biere, that’s the malt extract syrup, hop pellets, and Hopshot and for the Pas La, it’s the sorghum extract, honey, dried rice extract, maltodextrin, hops and the Hopshot. (A note about the Hopshot: the amount you use can be modified, but be careful; it is pretty powerful stuff. However, if you like more bitter or hoppier beer feel free to add a bit more.) Divide the mixture evenly between two large (1 gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouches and add enough filtered water to each pouch to bring the total liquid up to 1/2 gallon (1.9 liters) and use the displacement method (Archimedes’ Principle) to evacuate the air and seal the pouches. Submerge the pouches in the Sous Vide water oven at 165F/73.5C for one hour. You are making what is called wort, or unfermented beer.

Sterilize the fermenting equipment

While the bag is in the water bath, sterilize the gallon fermenter jug, cap, airlock, funnel and wire mesh strainer per the Sanitizer instructions. You’ll place the funnel in the neck of the jug, with the strainer propped up in it.

Set up the fermentation 

Remove the pouches and submerge them in a sink filled with cold water to cool the wort. Keep the pouches submerged in the sink until the wort gets to approximately 60–70F/15.5-20C — the pouches will be cool to the touch. Pour both pouches of the cooled wort through the strainer and funnel setup into the fermenting jug (do not fill past the one gallon mark on the jug). Use sanitized scissors to cut open the yeast pack and pour HALF of it into the wort in the jug. (Either discard the other half or use it soon for another purpose, such as bread making.) As to the choice of which yeast to use–there are many and each gives its own special character to the beer–I would start with the US-05. It is the cleanest and gives the best results for a beginners batch, but feel free to substitute another style of brewer’s yeast in the recipes….it would still turn out awesome. Just remember to let it ferment in a fairly cool and dark place, keep everything clean and sanitized and you can’t fail!

Seal the fermenter – fill the sanitized airock with approximately 1 tablespoon/15 ml of sanitizer solution, and fit the airlock into the hole in the screw cap. Move the fermenter to a dark, cool, quiet spot until fermentation is complete – about 2 weeks.

Wait

Two weeks after Brew Day, your beer is ready to bottle. Note: you’ll want a helper around for the filling step!

Sterilize the bottling equipment and bottle your beer

Get everything ready to bottle. Sanitize the auto-siphon’s hose, bottle filler, about a dozen each of 12-ounce bottles and bottle caps. Connect one end of the hose to the auto-siphon and the other end of the hose to the bottle filler. Remove the airlock and stopper from the jug and place the auto-siphon into the beer; while holding down the bottle filler to keep the valve open, have your helper pull up, then push down on the siphon piston to begin the flow of beer. Just lift up on the filler to stop the flow of beer. Try to leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of headspace in each bottle.

Add one Fizz Drop tablet to each bottle. This is a small charge of sugar and will carbonate the beer. To cap the bottles, put a sanitized bottle cap onto a filled bottle. Center the bell of your bottle capper on the cap and push down on the levers, then release. Put the now-filled bottles in a dark and cool spot for 10 days.

Wait some more…then try one out!

While you’re waiting for your beer to develop its character, treat yourself to a visit to a nearby independent brewery — you’ll especially enjoy it now that you know the care and passion that it takes to craft a beer. We encourage y’all to support your local brewers; these guys and gals work hard to bring a fine, locally-crafted product to your beer market as the little Davids among the Goliaths of the gigantic beer industry.

After 10 days, it’s time to test it out.  Put one of your beers upright in the fridge and let it chill well. Pry off the cap and you should hear a nice pop and hiss (typical of the same sound as a commercially-brewed beer). Drink the beer! If not quite carbonated enough, allow the other bottles to stay at room temperature another week, then chill upright and enjoy.

One thing to note is you are brewing a bottle conditioned beer. There will be a small amount of yeast that settles on the bottom of the bottle during carbonation. This is natural. To enjoy, store your beers upright in the fridge and pour slowly out of the bottle into a glass, leaving behind the yeast sediment in the bottle.

Enjoy or as we say in Louisiana Santê!

There are certain universal benchmarks which remind us that yes, fall is upon us. The days get shorter, mornings are crisper, school supplies are in demand, and blog writers can’t help but make obvious statements about fall.

The change in seasons also marks a change in what we eat. As cooler weather sets in, there is little more comforting than a warm, hearty meal such as a stew or soup. Unfortunately, cooking a good stew on a stovetop or in an oven can be an involved process – the ingredients must be periodically stirred and the pot must be watched to ensure it doesn’t boil. Even experienced cooks often find themselves eating an overcooked stew with dry, tough meat.

Sous vide stews and soups, on the other hand, mean that dinner will be ready whenever you are, with fork-tender meat no matter how long it cooks. Stews and soups are perfect make-ahead meals, ideal for nights when you want a home-cooked meal but don’t want to be stuck cooking as soon as you get home. There are many great recipes out there for soups and stews, but here are some of our favorites:

The ingredients for the Sous Vide Beef Goulash can be prepared the night before and will be ready for the following night’s dinner. The Traditional Irish Lamb Stew Sous Vide is a hearty meal that can be prepared in the morning and serve six that evening. Large batches of Meat Week (Chicken) Soup can be cooked then quick-chilled, to be reheated for easy lunches at work.

Of course, if soups and stews aren’t your meal of choice (we once heard soup described as being “too wet”), there are plenty of other perfect-for-fall recipes available in our recipe section.

Do you have a favorite fall recipe, stew or otherwise? Share it in our comments section or on our Facebook page. And don’t forget to tweet us a pic of your finished creation, @SousVideSupreme!

There is nothing quite like home-made key lime pie.

It’s the perfect summer dessert, tart and creamy with a buttery crunch. I also love the sunny yellow color of this dessert. You could make it with normal Persian limes, but key limes really give this tart that distinctive and delicious edge. Some key lime pies are covered with a meringue topping; however I prefer fresh cream which complements the tart lime flavor so well. The original recipe for key lime pie did not require any cooking.

The lime juice mixed with the egg yolks caused the proteins to coagulate and thicken naturally. Nowadays, we are more concerned about the dangers of consuming raw eggs, so key lime pies are cooked in the oven for a short time. However, cooking key lime pie in a conventional oven, usually means cooking at a high temperature.  The beauty of cooking key lime pie filling in a SousVide Supreme is that it can be cooked at a lower and very precise temperature. This ensures that the key lime filling is perfectly cooked through and retains that silky, creamy texture.  This key lime pie is a cinch to make. The hardest part is juicing all those tiny key limes! It’s worth it though, as fresh key lime juice is way nicer than anything from a bottle.  This key lime pie is a stunner and sure to impress your guests.

Ingredients

For Key Lime filling

1. ½ cup (118 ml)of key lime juice, from fresh key limes
2. 14 oz (396 g) can of sweetened condensed milk
3. 4 egg yolks

For the crust

1. 1 teaspoon  (5 g) of butter , to grease tin
2. 6 tablespoons (85 g)of butter, melted
3. 1 ½ cups (150 g) of graham cracker crumbs
4. 2 tablespoons (30 g) of granulated white sugar

For the topping

1. ½ a cup  (118 ml) of heavy whipping cream
2. 2 extra key limes for decorating

Directions

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 180°F/82°C.  Put the lime juice, condensed milk and egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl. Stir together with a spoon/ small hand whisk, until all ingredients are well combined.
2. Place a large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch into a baggy rack. I find this gadget invaluable when I need to pour any liquid into a bag. If you don’t have a baggy rack, you can always ask someone to hold the bag open while you pour in the contents.  Pour the egg mixture into the large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch, and use the displacement method (Archimedes’ principle) to remove the air and zip the seal closed. Once the seal is zipped closed, submerge the pouch in the preheated water bath and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile you can make the graham cracker crust. Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) round spring form tin / pie dish with a little butter.  In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter with a spoon. Pour the crust mixture into the prepared tin / pie dish.  Using the back of a spoon, gently press the crust into the base of the tin.  Make sure it is even, and then place the crust into the fridge to harden.
4. After thirty minutes, remove the pouch from the SousVide Supreme. Open the zip seal and using a spoon, give the mixture a quick stir. Then, simply pour the key lime filling onto the hardened graham cracker crust. Allow to cool for about thirty minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool further. I like to leave my key lime pie cool in the fridge for about two hours, to let all the flavors develop.
5. To decorate the key lime pie, beat the heavy whipping cream with electric beaters until it forms soft peaks.  Place the whipped cream into a piping bag with a medium sized nozzle.  Pipe small circles of cream around the edge of the cake, and one large circle in the center. Place thin slices of key lime on top of the pie.

Guests take hands-on direction from Chef Vivian Peterson to prepare dishes for a five-course meal

On May 29, SousVide Supreme joined forces with The Velvet Underground Dining Experience (VUDE) in Seattle to host a sous vide cooking class and dinner.

Chef Vivian Peterson led guests in a dynamic, hands-on, 3-hour class on the sous vide technique, culminating in a five-course sous vide meal, complete with wine pairings from Hand of God Wines. The menu for the evening included sous vide Copper River salmon, potatoes au gratin, and poached pear in spiced red wine. View more photos from the event here.

Recipes from the class, to your kitchen:

• Infused Cocktails
• Copper River Salmon
• Hanger/Sirloin Steak
• Rainbow Carrots
• Beets
• Potatoes au Gratin
• Red Wine Poached Pears
• Rhubarb Compote
• Vanilla Custard

Sous vide … You’ve heard it mentioned on cooking shows and you suspect your favorite steak restaurant has been cooking sous vide behind those closed kitchen doors. Perhaps you are tempted to try this whole sous vide thing out for yourself. So, if you are on the fence and toying with the idea of buying a SousVide Supreme, here are just a few reasons why your home needs one.

1. The SousVide Supreme makes incredible, perfectly cooked food. The SousVide Supreme allows you to cook at a very precise temperature, making it virtually impossible to overcook or undercook your food. Conventional ovens or stove top cooking requires an amount of skill (or guesswork) that is totally eliminated with SousVide Supreme. For a steak that is guaranteed medium-rare, simply set the device to 134°F/ 56.5°C. As the temperature is so precise, the meat will be cooked the same all the way through. So, no more dry edges or rare centers. Another great advantage is, if your guests are late, you can leave the steak in the water bath for hours – it will stay the exact same temperature and will still be medium rare. Do you need any more reasons than that to get one?

2. The SousVide Supreme is simple and consistent. We all have bad days in the kitchen- food gets burned and tempers get frayed. As the SousVide Supreme has a very precise temperature guage, it’s really very hard to mess up. If you aren’t a very good cook – not a problem! Sous vide is as simple to use as a microwave. You put your packaged food in, set the timer and once the bell rings, your food is ready to eat.

3. The SousVide Supreme makes healthier and more nutritious food. Cooking food in a vacuum pouch means that all the natural juices and vitamins are retained. They aren’t boiled off or steamed away like in conventional cooking. Food cooked in the SousVide Supreme retains its color and form. You don’t need added butters and oils to moisten dry meat or vegetables anymore. Everything cooked with the SousVide Supreme is perfectly delicious on its own. Natural flavours are enhanced with this type of cooking. Dry gritty meats and limp discolored vegetables can become a thing of the past.

4. The SousVide Supreme is a lean, green machine. This device will use very little electricity compared to most of your kitchen appliances. Once heated to temperature it uses about the same amount of electricity as a 60W bulb. It’s also very well insulated which means your kitchen won’t feel like a furnace when you’re cooking on a hot summer’s day.

5. The SousVide Supreme will save you money. The SousVide Supreme makes flank steak taste like filet mignon. By cooking meat in a closed vacuum pouch; it creates a humid environment that essentially braises the meat. It can turn cheap cuts of meat into a five-star meal. This means a huge saving on your butcher’s bill.

6. The SousVide Supreme will mean fewer dirty dishes. Sometimes life is just too busy, and you don’t have the time or energy to wash pots and pans. With the SousVide Supreme, you can make a perfectly cooked chicken breast, which is moist and tender, and have very little washing up to do afterwards. You could sear it for a few seconds in the pan, or you could eat it straight away in a warm chicken salad, meaning all you need to clean is your salad bowl.

7. The SousVide Supreme helps meal planning. If you are cooking something like salmon steaks or lamb chops, why not cook six extra for use another time. Then all you need do is quick chill and freeze them. This way, you can pluck that ready cooked meat (fish, chops, steak, roasts, or poultry) from the freezer whenever you need it.

8. The SousVide Supreme makes gourmet cooking easy. Some recipes, like home-made custard, crème brulee, or béarnaise sauce are just too finicky and time consuming to make at home. They are hard to get right and there is nothing worse than making custard that is a curdled mess. However with the Sous Vide Supreme, it’s effortless to make these types of recipes. You can make flawless custards, impressive butter sauces and home-made ice-cream bases without breaking a sweat.

9. The SousVide Supreme will impress your guests and make entertaining a breeze. Sometimes it’s hard not to get caught up in a conversation, and suddenly dinner is ruined. With the SousVide Supreme you can have dinner cooked and ready to go before your guests even arrive. Plus it will stay perfectly cooked, so you can enjoy the evening. When guests taste your sous vide cooked food, they are going to be impressed. In fact, you might find that all talk around the dinner table will revolve around the SousVide Supreme. You can be pretty sure that by the end of the night, they will all want one too. One commenter wrote to us and said, ‘I never get tired of hearing my guests say it is the best meal they’ve ever eaten!’

10. The SousVide Supreme will unleash your creative genius. It’s so versatile, the possibilities are endless! With this device, you can make infused spirits, such as Limocello. You can temper chocolate like a pro, and make all your food taste like it came straight from a fine dining restaurant. The SousVide Supreme will make you feel like a culinary professional in your own home.

It’s comfort food weather and nothing is more comforting than savory slow-cooked pork and apples. We recently ran across this recipe from the Salty Seattle blog that made our mouths water.

Give dad a break from the barbecue this Father’s Day and wow him with your grill skills thanks to SousVide Supreme.

Barbecue can be intimidating – will the meat be cooked enough or will it be burned to a cinder? How do I know when my burger is cooked without slicing into it and spilling all those lovely juices? Well, thanks to the SousVide Supreme all the guess work is eliminated. You can cook your burger to perfection in advance and keep warm in the water bath until your guests arrive. Then, all the burger needs is a quick flash on a hot grill and they will be perfectly cooked every time. It’s your secret weapon to becoming master of the grill.

This delicious burger with salty blue cheese and soft sweet cipollini onion is sure to melt your dad’s heart. I cooked the burger medium rare in my SousVide Supreme, then seared on the barbecue to get that lovely smoky flavor. I cooked the sweet cipollini onions in the SousVide Supreme until they were meltingly tender. I then charred them for a few seconds on the barbecue. Cipollini onions this sweet, tender and still robust enough for barbecuing could never be achieved without the SousVide Supreme. Barbecued burgers are so often dry and gritty. The SousVide Supreme cooks burgers at a precise and consistent temperature, so that they are evenly cooked and retain all their juices. A sous vide barbecue burger is like no burger you’ve tasted before.

The SousVide Supreme takes all the worry out of barbecuing. If your guests are late, you can still enjoy the day, knowing that your perfectly cooked burgers are waiting in the water bath for when they arrive. You can guarantee that your barbecued food –whether burgers, ribs, chicken, fish or veggies won’t be overcooked or underdone. In fact, dad might be so impressed that he hands you over the barbecue tongs for good!

Sous Vide BBQ Beef Burger with Cipollini Onions and Blue Cheese
Serves 2

Sous vide cooking time 60- 90 minutes for the burgers, plus 35 minutes for the onions

Ingredients:

Onions

• 6 cipollini onions
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) smoked salt

Burger

• 1/2 pound (8oz / 227g ) ground sirloin
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) smoked salt

Extras

• ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml)  oil with a high smoke point
• 2 burger buns
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) mayonnaise
• 2 lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cup (2oz/50g) of blue cheese
• ½ Beefsteak tomato cut into two thick slices

1. Fill and preheat the water in the SousVide Supreme – 185 °F (85°C). Top and tail the cipollini onions and remove the skin with a paring knife. Place the prepared onions into a small (quart /0.95 liter) food-grade cooking pouch in a single layer. Add the butter, salt and pepper to the cooking pouch, and then vacuum seal the pouch. Once the SousVide Supreme has reached the set temperature, submerge the pouch into the water bath and set the timer for 35 minutes.
2. After 35 minutes, remove the pouch from the water bath. Place the pouch in a bowl of iced water until you are ready to barbecue them later.
3. Next, place the ground meat, salt and pepper into a bowl. Using clean hands form the meat into two equal sized patties. Place the burger patties on a large plate and cover with cling wrap, then place them in the freezer for 1 -2 hours. I freeze them before putting them in a vacuum seal bag, as the burgers keep their shape better when they are frozen.
4. Set the water temperature in the SousVide Supreme for the burger – 134 °F (56.5 °C) for medium rare; 140°F (60 °C) for medium; 150 °F(65.5 °C) for well-done.
5. Once the patties are firm and frozen, place them in a large (1 gallon / 3.8 liter) food-grade cooking pouch in a single layer and seal using a vacuum sealer.  As soon as the water has reached the right temperature, submerge the pouch in the SousVide Supreme and cook for 60- 90 minutes.
6. While you are waiting for the burgers to cook, you can prep the other ingredients. Slice the blue cheese, cut the tomatoes, wash and dry the lettuce, and put them in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  Preheat the grill to high heat.
7. Once the burgers are cooked, remove from the cooking pouch and pat them dry with kitchen paper (paper towels). Remove the cippolini onions from their pouch and pat dry. Brush the burgers and the onions with a little oil and then sear them on a hot barbecue grill. I like to toast my burger buns on the grill at the same time. Once the burgers and onions are nicely seared on both sides, take them off the heat. Place the bottom burger bun on a plate, cover one side with mayonnaise, tomato, lettuce, and then place the burger on top.  Slice the cipollini onions in half and arrange over the burger with the blue cheese. Close the burger bun and serve.

With Good Friday and Easter Sunday falling on the same weekend as Passover this year, the coming weekend promises to be a busy one full of good food and guests. But even with a packed holiday weekend approaching, there’s always room for some sous vide in your kitchen. Here are some of our Easter and Passover-approved recipes that will wow you guests … with lots of egg recipes, of course!

• Using your SousVide Supreme to color Easter eggs will quickly become one of your favorite tricks. Keep your hands and counters dye-free by using our zip pouches to dye the eggs.
• Homemade gefilte fish is a rarity these days. Good homemade gefilte fish is even rarer. You’re guaranteed a delicious hit with Yair Feinberg’s recipe for Gefilte Fish Sous Vide.
• Serve up a delicious Easter Ham and Egg Scramble Sous Vide to your guests if you’re having company for Easter brunch. Or turn brunch into a Sous Vide Omelette Party by letting your guest make their own omelettes.
• Lamb is a traditional part of both the Passover and Easter meals. Create a flavorful dish that will keep your guests talking till next year with the Herb Roasted Spring Lamb Loin Sous Vide.
• Whether you’re dashing through the garden or just observing the organized chaos, it’s important to be well-fueled for that Easter egg hunt. The Perfect Sous Vide Eggs Benedict will give you the energy you need to keep pace with even the most enthusiastic egg-hunters.
• It’s easy to overlook the hardboiled egg on a seder plate because it feels so mundane. Make even your hardboiled egg serve as a reminder of why this night is unlike all other nights by hardboiling the egg sous vide.

These aren’t our recipes, but we’re pretty crazy about them:

• A poster over at Cooking Sous Vide bought a semi-cooked supermarket smoked ham and cooked the ham sous vide. The results were so good, the poster concluded, “You will never, ever bake another ham, I guarantee.”
• Don’t let the lamb shanks from your seder go to waste! Cook them sous vide, then create Sous Vide Lamb Shank Wraps – minus the pita, of course, if you’re observing Passover.

If all these recipes aren’t enough for you, two years ago we compiled a huge post of great egg recipes from amazing food blogs like Serious Eats and Sleepless Foodie. Check out our High-Tech Easter Eggs post for tons more egg-centric recipes!

Longing for something light, but savory, that won’t heat up the house in the hot weather? Try this delicious recipe for Udon with 36-hour Pork Belly, brought to us courtesy of the culinary genius of Stephane Lemagnen of the Zen Can Cook blog.

The belly cooks for 3 days–yes, 3 days–but unlike traditional cooking methods, the SousVide Supreme won’t heat up the kitchen doing it! The water oven rapidly heats up and then maintains hour after hour and even day after day using no more energy than a 60 watt light bulb. It’s the most energy efficient way to cook, which is especially nice if the electric bill is going sky high already from the a/c!

The summer grilling season officially begins, in the US at any rate, with Memorial Day weekend. For folks who love to picnic or dine al fresco, it’s a red letter day when the covers come off the grill and patio furniture and living moves outdoors.

Whether your favorite main dish is steaks, baby backs, tender pulled pork, chicken, or the great American cheeseburger, adding sous vide cooking to your routine can make it simple and foolproof to put a perfect barbecue on the table.

• No more sweating over the grill while your guests party–you can do most of the cooking in advance, quick chill, bring back to temperature and sear on the barbee when you’re ready to serve
• No more worries about undercooked hamburger making someone ill.
• No more risk of chicken charred on the surface and still bloody at the bone.
• No more need to perfectly time everything and, as often happens, miss and find yourself apologizing when the charred results of the medium rare steaks your guests requested shows nary a trace of pink when it’s cut. Oops. Sorry.

First, step away from the grill. At least as the instrument of cooking the feast. Instead, turn that duty over to the little silver box and go chill out with a brew. With the SousVide Supreme as your ally, your barbecue can be cooked to perfection ahead of time–beef, chicken, pork, veggies, even ice cream bases. The meats will need at most just a short finishing sear on the grill, when you and your guests are ready to eat. Check out this sous vide barbecue video series in which Master Chef’s Sharone Hakman does just that for tips on how to cook like a rock star chef in your own back yard.

To get you started thinking along those lines, here’s is a recipe for a kicked up burger that will put a little sweetness and spice into this year’s Memorial Day celebration. Pair it with sous vide cooked Corn on the Cob, a big tossed salad, and some cold beer or iced tea and you’re sure to not only be the hit of the party, but actually even have time to enjoy it yourself.

From the first card you made for her in kindergarten (the one with the heart snipped out of construction paper with your blunt-nosed scissors and glued on with Elmer’s school paste) nothing says ‘I Love You, Mom!’ quite like something you make yourself. Anyone, after all, can phone the florist or make a brunch reservation, but those can’t hold a candle to something you hand-crafted with love especially for her.

So this year, treat Mom to something delightful, delicious, and delovely. The gift that keeps on giving: a hand-crafted sous-vide-infused cordial or syrup.

The method is simplicity itself.

How to make sous vide infusions:

1) Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme. (135F/57C  in the case of limoncello)
2) Put alcohol (e.g. vodka, brandy, or tequila) or simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar to water dissolved over stove top) , or both, into a large SousVide Supreme Zip Pouch
3) Add the flavoring agent(s) of choice — this could be fresh fruit, herbs, spices, even tea leaves or coffee beans — whatever her favorites might be.
4) Remove most of the air (using the displacement principle) and zip the pouch closed; submerge and cook in the water oven for the prescribed time, which usually ranges from a few minutes to a couple of hours.
5) Quick chill in an ice water bath, then strain into a clean, bottle with a cap or stopper.

The possible combinations are endless, the process is quick and easy, and the result is nothing short of amazing. Instead of weeks or months to make limoncello, for instance, you can do it in 3 hours, tops. You can even glue the cut out construction paper heart to the front of the bottle, if you like!

Or, if lemon isn’t Mom’s thing, try this Raspberry Syrup that you can use to make a pretty in pink Clover Club cocktail or splash into a flute of champagne (or sparkling cider) to toast her on her day.

Need more ideas? Check out this blog post on sous vide infusions or the SousVide Cocktails cookbook, which is filled with intriguing infusion combinations and the tasty adult libations you can concoct with them.

Oh, and you might want to make several bottles while you’re at it. In addition to making Mom beam with love and pride, a bottle of hand-crafted cordial makes an impressive hostess gift that will ensure you’ll earn a spot right at the top of any guest list.