Innovative Grant Sous Vide Cooking Equipment
“By choosing the Grant Sous Vide Universal Stirrer (stirred heat) SV200, Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine offers students the best in reliable instruments as they realise their dreams of a culinary career.”
This Grant Universal Stirrer has excellent temperature stability at +/- 0.02 °C, and it can be used on rectangular or circular vessels of up to 50 litres. It is simple to operate and has a stainless steel cage around the element and jet which prevents bags being pushed up against the heating and circulating mechanisms.
“So what are the benefits of sous vide cooking?”
Operational Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking
- Sous vide cooking assists the kitchen by enabling efficient preservation of meals if fewer guests arrive and conversely quick regeneration if more guests arrive. The time from when an order is placed to the time when the plated food leaves the kitchen, is greatly reduced as the meal is pre-cooked, without compromising on the quality and taste.
- Single servings of consistent pre-cooked meals can be prepared a few days in advance, reducing wastage and food costs, while streamlining the kitchen operations, especially during busy service periods.
- Staff who are not skilled in culinary services can serve pre-prepared sous vide food which is useful for times when culinary staff are off duty. This simplifies and facilitates service at any time in a 24 hour catering facility.
- Several meals from starters, mains to desserts can be regenerated or cooked simultaneously in the same sous vide bath, reducing cleaning time and using less cooking equipment during busy times.
- With indirect cooking the shelf life of sous vide food is extended.
- Sous vide cooking improves menu planning, preparation and cooking outside of service times especially in anticipation of preparation of food for larger numbers of people.
- Garnishing of plates can take place while sous vide meal is being reheated, rather than focus being on the cooking of the food.
- Sous vide meals can be kept hot for longer periods of time without evaporation, dehydration or spoiling.
- Uniform heat transfer is attained by cooking in water.
- Standardized recipes may be used, enhancing consistency and providing guests with an excellent quality meal, regardless of the culinary skills of the working staff.
- Cooking at low temperature reduces ambient temperature in kitchen, and fire risk.
- It is very difficult to over-cook food in sous vide cooking.
Economic Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking
- Shrinkage of food during cooking is reduced to 5% in sous vide cooking, whereas food cooked at higher temperatures can reduce up to 30%
- Sous vide allows for advanced preparation of food and accurately controlled portion sizes which minimises wastage.
- Longer cold storage periods of sous vide food minimises wastage in quieter periods.
- Cheaper cuts of meat can be used as tenderness is improved significantly with sous vide cooking.
- Consumption of energy is considerably lower than cooking at high temperatures.
- Vacuum packing in sous vide reduces the growth of aerobic bacteria, which delays the contents from spoiling and results in longer storage time without compromising on the taste and presentation of the food.
- Many pre-prepared servings can be brought back to serving temperature in a single bath, which is time and energy -efficient and does not affect the quality of the food, with little chance of “spoiling”
- Vacuum packing reduces the rate of oxidisation of food.
- Less seasoning is used in sous vide cooking.
- Less fat or oil is used in sous vide cooking.
Flavour, Texture and Presentation of Sous Vide Cooking
- Due to the precise method, sous vide cooking ensures consistent results every time a dish is prepared.
- Sous vide cooking enhances flavours and aromas more than other methods of cooking which require higher temperatures.
- Loss of moisture and succulence is minimised with vacuum packing and sous vide cooking.
- The bright colours of fruit and vegetables are retained in sous vide cooking, enhancing the presentation of the food.
- Sous vide cooking enhances meat tenderness and texture.
- Low-temperature sous vide cooking helps prevent the collagens in salmon and other naturally moist fish from breaking down, preserving their rich taste and velvety textures.
- Sous vide food retains its visual character while developing a very delicate texture.
Health Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking
- Sous vide cooking is done with precise control over heat, oxygen, and added water, which are the three elements most responsible for reducing the nutritional content of conventionally prepared foods. Sous vide cooking therefore retains more vitamins and nutrients than other methods of cooking such as steaming.
- Water soluble vitamins and minerals are leached into cooking water or oil during cooking methods which require higher temperatures. Regardless of the cooking process, many vitamins destabilize during heat treatment. Vitamins most sensitive to heat include thiamine (vitamin B), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). This destabilisation is greatly reduced in sous vide cooking.
- Additional fat which is required in conventional cooking to prevent the adhesion of proteins to cooking surfaces, is not required during sous vide cooking.
- No additives or preservatives are required to keep the food from spoiling.
Sous Vide Cooking cc, based in Hillcrest KwaZulu-Natal, is the sole distributor of Grant Sous Vide Cooking Baths, Universal Stirrers and accessories in Southern Africa. Products are distributed countrywide and across borders by courier.
“Here are their contact details should you require any further information:”
