Pressure cookers have always been highly valued for their effectiveness and speed. However, there is one function that pressure cookers lack, and that is sous vide cooking. Of course, it is entirely possible to apply a range of different techniques such as sautéing, baking, slow cooking and even searing with a pressure cooker. However, when a home cook wants to attempt sous vide cooking, they have to invest in quality sous vide machine to be able to do so. So, what are the differences between pressure cooking and sous vide cooking?
Pressure Cooker vs Sous Vide
What is sous vide cooking technique?
The sous vide cooking technique is one that utilizes temperature control to produce the perfect cooking results. sous vide cooking involves placing your food in a vacuum-sealed pouch so that food can be prepared in a water bath. sous vide cooking uses low temperatures to cook food over long periods so that the food can end up cooking evenly and perfectly. Please note that sous vide cooking is not the same thing as bringing food in a bag to a boil. With sous vide, the point is to prepare food slowly and gently, below the boiling point of water.
For sous vide cooking to work, a constant temperature must be maintained at all times during the length of the cooking process. High-end restaurants around the world have been using sous vide cooking to achieve precise results with their food. However, as sous vide cooking equipment and appliances have become more accessible, this method has become popular for home cooks to use as well.
The differences between a pressure cooker and sous vide
In terms of how they both work, the two cooking methods could not differ more from one another. The sous vide technique warms food at relatively low temperatures and often requires slow cooking for it to be done properly. The objective with sous vide is to make certain that a precise temperature is maintained throughout so that food does not overcook. In the end, once the process is complete the food will remain soft and moist.
A pressure cooker, alternatively, speeds up the cooking time by increasing the boiling point of water. This process tenderizes difficult to cook foods such as tough cuts of meat while keeping them moist and soft. However, unlike sous vide, the user has a lot less control when it comes to the level of doneness and moisture levels. As such, the sous vide method gives the cooker greater control during the cooking process but it takes much longer while pressure cookers prepare food a lot faster but with a lot less control.
Can you engage in sous vide cooking using a pressure cooker?
Although there are many varieties of pressure cookers out there that come with an array of settings and functions, no pressure cooker is specifically designed to include sous vide cooking function. If you were to attempt to use your pressure cooker for sous vide cooking, you must be able to calibrate the temperature setting inside the pressure cooker to make it consistent with the recipe that you are using.