Cooking aficionados will have heard about the wonders of under vacuum. It is a technique that allows cooking products at a low temperature, maintaining a constant temperature and preserving the nutrients with the help of vacuum packaging. Until not long ago, this method was only offered by professional tools, but now, thanks to Anova, it is available to anyone.
What is sous vide cooking?
The idea of this technique is to control the food so as not to overcook it in excess. Thus, we will be able to maintain juices, flavors and nutrients that will allow us to obtain results worthy of the best restaurant. The most interesting thing is that the whole process is quite simple and automated, and that is where technology comes into action to have the greatest control of the process.
Broadly speaking, to cook a product at a low temperature we need the following elements:
- A pot or container in which to immerse the product.
- A vacuum bag or zip bag if not available.
- A temperature-controlled water circulation system such as the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker.
How does the Anova Precision Cooker work?
Once you have the recipe chosen for your next meal, you will have to vacuum pack the raw material or use a ZIP bag from which you will extract the air with the help of immersion. With the bag in the water and perfectly submerged, all you have to do is turn on the Anova Precision Cooker and set the temperature at which you want the water and the cooking time.
These values will depend on the recipe you follow, and once selected on the device, you can start cooking. The convenience of the Precision Cooker is that you don't need to keep an eye on it at all, just to check very occasionally if the water level remains stable or if, on the contrary, you need to add more water to compensate for evaporation.
It must be taken into account that many of the cooking processes require periods of 8, 12, 24, 48 and many more hours depending on the recipe and the type of product, so water evaporation is a very common problem. To avoid this problem, there are accessories such as lids for buckets or simple remedies with the help of corks or transparent film.
What does this Precision Cooker offer compared to other models?
The main advantage of this Anova model is that it is quite small compared to previous generations, something that allows it to be placed in smaller containers and handles less volume of water than its older sisters. This makes it more versatile and comfortable, although it must be taken into account that the power will not be the same, since it stays in the 1.000w, instead of the 1.500W of the largest models.
What does this translate to? Basically you will need more time to heat large volumes of water, or in some cases, you will not be able to maintain the temperature if it does. But to get to that point we would have to handle quite large volumes, and in our case we have been able to work with an 8-litre pot without problems, in which we placed several pieces of meat, and they all cooked to perfection.
The difference in size is quite considerable, making this model a perfect option for those who want to enter the world of sous vide and do not have much space at home or do not intend to make large quantities.
The advantages
This way of cooking takes care of the product in an extreme way, since cooking occurs slowly and extremely controlled. Obviously the results in most cases will not go directly to the plate, since in the case of some meats a marking or last step will be needed to complete the preparation.
See offer on AmazonBut in general terms, it is an extremely comfortable process that makes it possible to speed up certain tasks in the kitchen, at the same time that it offers the technological point of knowing at all times what temperature the container is kept at and how much time is left until cooking is finished.
Is it worth buying the Anova Precision Cooker?
This is a very specific gadget that only the most kitchen lovers will know how to appreciate, but if this is your case, we have no doubt that it will be a device that you will know how to get a lot of use out of. Currently it can be purchased on Amazon at a price of 165 euros, so it can be a fantastic gift for your friend the cook.
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