How Are Sous Vide Foods Reheated- Different Methods

Many people have embraced sous vide cooking, claiming it is digital. However, sometimes you are likely to have food leftovers after preparing a delicious dish with the sous vide machine. That’s when questions like how sous vide foods are preheated will be of concern.

How can you reheat the food, now that you use a sous vide cooker to prepare your food? There should be a way to comfortably reheat your refrigerated food without interfering with the food quality. Well, worry less because here is a comprehensive article to help you get away with this.

Should you use a microwave or oven to reheat the sous vide foods? All such questions will be answered after you are through reading this report. Your efforts shouldn’t end here because there is other useful information like tips on reheating sous vide foods and frequently asked questions. Let’s get into the business!

How to reheat sous vide food

You have to understand that reheating does not imply overcooking. Instead, your aim should be to warm the food, retaining its previous taste and texture for enjoyment. There are different methods of reheating your sous vide foods and one of them is to use the sous vide cooker. However, there are some adjustments that you must make to have better results.

The timing for reheating should be based on the thickness of the meat you want to recook. With the 110°F to 175°F temperature assumption, below are some estimates;

Generally, reheating your food with a sous vide cooker should approximately take up to 45 minutes per 1 inch of meat thickness. For example, from the above table, reheating a 1-inch meatball should take less than 45 minutes. On the other hand, a 2-inch thick meatball may roughly take 1½ hours.

The shape of sous vide foods is another factor that plays a pivotal role when reheating your food. This implies that it’s important to understand the shape of your food; odd-shaped or not. For instance, lamb legs can be somehow cylindrical. The reheating temperature should be lower compared to the temp you used to initially cook the food.

Methods of reheating sous vide foods

We have several methods that a person may use to restore the freshness of the already cooked food. However, the choice depends on the availability of each option as some people can’t afford some cooking equipment. Well, there are reheating options like sous vide cooker, microwave or oven, etc.

Method 1: Sous vide machine

Despite being the first reheating option, it’s the most preferable for restoring the freshness of already cooked sous vide foods. With such a machine you may achieve various reheating tasks like;

1. Reheating liquid foodstuffs

Sous vide remains the best option for reheating liquid foodstuffs like sauces, soups, and purees. It’s far much better than reheating such foodstuffs on the stove since it does not affect their flavor and texture. For example when reheating purees, there is needed to ensure it heats uniformly as possible.

It is therefore advisable to come up with smaller pieces and use various cooking bags in the water. Sous vide machine is famous for heating food evenly; try it and never regret.

2. Reheating meat

We usually refer to the meat that is already cooked as tender, mostly when you use a sous vide machine. This is a clear indication that the meat has some moisture, but you are likely to lose it when you use higher temperatures. Reheating temperature should be reasonable since the food is already cooked.

3. Reheating Frozen Food

Sometimes you may wish to consume your food initially stored in the fridge, but don’t know how to reheat it. Sous vide cooker remains the great option for this type of preserved food. Your life will be enjoyable since you can cook food in advance, store it and then retrieve it for future consumption.

However, for an individual to achieve better results, you should be in a good position to own a high-quality sous vide machine. For example, there must be a digital thermometer so that you make the best sous vide foods. This is one of the best features that you should be careful about when it comes to sous vide cookers.

Most of these cookers are equipped with their in-panel thermometer, allowing you to toggle accurate and steady temperature of the water bath. What I mean is that you have to invest in a good sous vide machine that has an accurate temperature readout and thermometer display.

Those fellows who intend to use this method for reheating their sous vide foods know what they are exactly after. It’s the best idea and investment for better results.

Method 2: Microwave

Here is another method that you can use to reheat your sous vide food. It makes a great method if you can’t afford a sous vide machine. It doesn’t matter whether you used sous vide to prepare your food; the microwave will reheat it, ready for consumption.

However, some homeowners have complained that using microwaves to reheat the sous vide foods drains the flavor and juiciness of the food. This happens, mostly on meats; you may end up chewing gum. But, if such downsides don’t bother you, then you can go on and use a microwave to reheat your sous vide foodstuffs.

Tips when reheating sous vide food

• There are some adjustments that you must make to have better results if you choose to use the sous vide method to preheat sous vide foodstuffs.

• Seal/vacuum individual chicken breasts, steaks, fish filets, and chicken leg quarters. You are supposed to cook instantly, label the contents based on the manufacturing date and refrigerate them for something like 2 days.

• For uniform heating, it is advisable to come up with smaller pieces and use various cooking bags in the water.

• The shape of sous vide foods is another factor that plays a pivotal role when reheating your food.

• The reheating temperature should be lower compared to the temp you used to initially cook the food.

• The rule of the thumb, reheating your food with a sous vide cooker should approximately take 45 minutes per 1 inch of meat thickness.

• Using microwaves to reheat the sous vide foods drains the flavor and juiciness of the food.

FAQs:

• Can I marinate food in a sous vide cooker?

It’s quite hectic because there must be a chamber vacuum sealer. Or else, you will be unable to vacuum seal foodstuffs with liquids.

• Can I save time with a sous vide machine?

Yes. You may achieve this by cooking the food and then refrigerating it. if you want to consume it, reheating will restore its freshness.

Final words

With the help of the above discussions, I am sure your doubts and concerns have been cleared. What we have been trying to do is to tell you that reheating sous vide foods is absolutely possible. For this reason, we have discussed some commonly used methods, highlighting their applications.

However if you choose a sous vide cooker, make sure there are necessary supplies like bags, a great immersion calculator, a container, and what you plan to reheat. The result you get will be flavorful and juicy compared to the food reheated using other methods like a microwave. Don’t skip any section of this article.