Sous vide cooking has become an increasingly popular technique in recent years. It involves sealing food in a plastic bag and then cooking it to a precise temperature in a water bath. This results in food that is perfectly and evenly cooked. While typically used for cooking meat and fish, many cooks are now exploring how to use sous vide for other culinary applications, like marinating.
What is sous vide?
Sous vide is French for “under vacuum.” In sous vide cooking, food is sealed in an airtight plastic bag and then submerged in a temperature-controlled water bath for an extended period of time, typically 1 to 4 hours. The water bath is kept at a precise temperature, anywhere from 130°F to 200°F depending on what is being cooked. This allows the food to cook evenly throughout without over or undercooking the outer surfaces.
A sous vide setup requires only a few key pieces of equipment:
- A water bath or sous vide machine to heat and circulate water
- Plastic bags, typically vacuum seal bags
- A vacuum sealer to seal food in the bags and remove excess air
- Time and temperature controls
Sous vide offers several advantages over traditional cooking methods:
- Very evenly cooked food without over or undercooking
- Precise temperature control for perfect doneness
- Intensified flavors and textures
- Food remains moist and tender
- Minimal shrinkage or moisture loss
Why marinate in sous vide?
Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned liquid to add flavor and tenderize prior to cooking. Traditional marinating involves letting food sit in a marinade in the refrigerator for hours or up to a day. However, there are some advantages to marinating in a sous vide setup instead:
- Faster infusion of flavors – Sous vide’s vacuum seal helps force marinade ingredients deeply into food.
- Temperature control – The warm water bath softens food more quickly while chilling is not required.
- No dilution – Sous vide seals in marinade so it cannot be diluted by juices leaking out.
- Intensified flavor – Marinade is infused directly into the food rather than sitting on the surface.
- Food safety – The temperature-controlled water bath prevents bacterial growth.
Many cooks are finding you can achieve more flavorful, tender results marinating sous vide in less time. It makes it convenient to marinate foods right before cooking them with no advance planning required.
Steps for marinating sous vide
Marinating food in a sous vide setup takes just a few simple steps:
- Make your marinade – Pick fresh herbs, spices, oils, acids and other flavorful liquid ingredients. You want enough marinade to fully cover and surround the food.
- Seal food in bags – Put food in vacuum seal bags with marinade liquid. Seal most of the air out but leave a little room for circulation.
- Submerge bags – Place bags in preheated sous vide water bath, ensuring bags are fully submerged. Clip bags to sides if needed to keep them under water.
- Marinate – Allow food to marinate for anywhere from 30 minutes up to 4 hours depending on intensity desired.
- Cook – Food can be cooked sous vide right in the marinade if desired. Or remove from bags, pat dry and cook another way.
One tip is to freeze marinade in the bag into ice cubes before vacuum sealing. This helps distribute marinade evenly around food as it thaws in the warm water.
Best foods to marinate sous vide
The sous vide marinating technique works best for foods that normally require longer marinating times to infuse flavor and become tender. Great options include:
- Meat: Steak, chicken, pork chops, ribs, lamb
- Seafood: Fish fillets, shrimp, scallops, mussels
- Vegetables: Potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, onions, garlic
- Tofu: All types of tofu
Fruits can also be infused with flavors like herbs and liqueurs using the sous vide marinating process. Denser vegetables and meats that don’t absorb flavors easily benefit the most.
Marinade ideas
Any liquid ingredients can be used to make a marinade for sous vide. Consider combinations of:
- Acids: lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, wine
- Oils: olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil
- Fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley
- Spices and seasonings: garlic, onion, pepper, cumin, chili flakes
- Sweets: honey, maple syrup, brown sugar
- Savoriness: soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce
- Dairy: yogurt, buttermilk, coconut milk
Some classic marinade ideas include:
- Indian: yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, cumin
- Mexican: lime juice, chili powder, cilantro, oregano
- Mediterranean: olive oil, lemon, rosemary, garlic
- Asian: soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, sesame oil
- Jamaican Jerk: pineapple juice, soy sauce, thyme, allspice
Get creative mixing and matching global flavors based on what ingredients you have on hand and cuisines that match the protein or veggies you are cooking. Herbs, spices, citrus and acids are key for really boosting and enhancing flavors.
Benefits of sous vide marinating
Compared to traditional marinating methods, using a sous vide setup offers several advantages:
- Shorter time: 30-60 minutes sous vide equals 8+ hours refrigerated.
- No dilution: Vacuum sealing prevents marinade from leaking out.
- Intense infusion: Heat and vacuum pressure drives flavor deep into food.
- Temperature control: Warm water bath speeds up infusion.
- Food safety: Warm temperature prevents bacterial growth.
- Convenience: Marinate and cook in one step.
With sous vide, you can marinate foods in under an hour with results that would normally take overnight in the fridge. The flavors get absorbed directly into the foods rather than sitting on the surface.
Sous vide marinating tips
To get the most out of sous vide marinating, follow these helpful tips:
- Use 1-2 cups marinade per 1 pound of food. You want food fully surrounded.
- Trim excess fat and score surfaces of meat for better absorption.
- Soak wood chunks in marinade then add to bag for smoky flavor.
- Pre-freeze marinade in ice cube trays then vacuum seal frozen.
- For quick weeknight meals, marinate for just 30-60 minutes.
- For maximum flavor, marinate for 2-4 hours.
- For safety, don’t marinate for more than 4 hours.
- Pat food dry before searing to prevent steaming or diluting crust.
Also be aware that some marinade ingredients can create an unpleasant flavor or texture when cooked sous vide, like raw garlic, peppercorns, or alcohol. Consider straining marinade before cooking if using stronger spices and herbs.
Common questions
Does marinating work the same for meat, fish and vegetables?
Yes, the sous vide marinating technique works for all types of proteins and vegetables. However, less dense foods like fish and vegetables may marinate faster, so they may only need 30-60 minutes in the water bath. Denser foods like red meat may need 2-4 hours for flavors to fully penetrate. Just adjust marinating time based on the density of the food.
Do you need to pat food dry before cooking?
It’s generally recommended to pat sous vide marinated foods dry with a paper towel before searing, grilling or roasting. Leaving too much marinade liquid on the surface can prevent browning and lead to steaming instead of searing. Quickly blotting steaks, chops, fish fillets and other foods before cooking will help get the best sear.
Do you have to cook food right after marinating?
No, one benefit of sous vide marinating is that food can go straight from the water bath into the fridge until you’re ready to cook. Since it marinates in a sealed bag, it will retain all the moisture and flavor. Just be sure to cool it down quickly first by placing bags in an ice bath before refrigerating. Then cook within 2-3 days.
Can you reuse marinade?
It’s best not to reuse marinade after sous vide marinating for food safety reasons. The uncooked proteins and juices can contaminate the marinade, allowing bacterial growth during storage. Discard any leftover marinade. Make just enough fresh marinade for each use.
Is sous vide marinating safer than traditional marinating?
Yes, sous vide marinating has some safety advantages over traditional marinating in the refrigerator. The warm temperature of the sous vide water bath helps prevent bacteria growth. And vacuum sealing prevents contamination from outside sources. Just always practice good food handling and hygiene for safest results.
Common marinade mistakes
While sous vide streamlines marinating, there are still a few mistakes to avoid:
- Not fully submerging bags in water – Marinade won’t circulate evenly unless fully under water.
- Overcrowding water bath – Too many bags can drop the temperature and prevent even heating.
- Over-marinating – More than 4 hours can make food mushy.
- Under-marinating – Less than 30 minutes may not allow full flavor infusion.
- Reusing marinade – Old marinade can harbor bacteria.
- Not sealing bag properly – Marinade can leak out of loose bags.
As long as you seal food properly in bags, allow enough space for circulation, and stick to the recommended marinating time, sous vide marinating is a very foolproof technique.
Sous vide marinade safety
Proper handling is still important when marinating sous vide to avoid foodborne illness risk:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients for marinades.
- Rinse produce and herbs thoroughly before use.
- Trim and clean meat, poultry and fish thoroughly first.
- Only marinate for the recommended time; don’t exceed 4 hours.
- Chill foods quickly after marinating before storing.
- Clean equipment and surfaces well after each use.
- Never reuse marinade after it has touched raw food.
As long as you follow good food safety practices, sous vide technology helps prevent harmful bacterial growth during marinating. But always throw out used marinade and cook to proper temperatures.
Conclusion
Marinating in sous vide offers a convenient, foolproof way to infuse foods with flavor and moisture in less time. The vacuum sealed bag concentrates marinade ingredients directly into food while the warm water bath speeds up the marinating process. In just 30-60 minutes, you can achieve intense flavor infusion that would normally require overnight marinating. Sous vide marinating works well for all kinds of proteins, seafood and vegetables. Just be sure to seal bags properly, allow space for circulation, and follow recommended times for perfectly flavored results. Give this simple kitchen technique a try for easy weeknight meals full of flavor.