You can make your cooking process easy and deliver great-tasting food by implementing some new cooking methods. Let’s delve into the ‘sous vide’ vs. slow cooker debate.
Sous vide and slow cookers are lovely cooking methods, especially if you’re busy and can’t spend too much time in the kitchen. Sous vide or slow cookers can be a great addition to your kitchen appliances and make your cooking experiences simple and precise.
But we would like to know the differences between these two great cooking appliances. Are there any significant differences between slow cookers and sous vide, and what are their similarities?
This insightful article will look at everything you need to know about sous vide and slow cooker, and we will also recommend some of our best picks for these two cookers. So, let’s discuss sous vide vs. slow cookers and get to know which wins the battle.
Sous Vide: Overview
When we talk about the sous vide cooking technique, it is a process that involves utilizing precise temperature control, and this helps deliver consistent restaurant-quality results.
You can use this unique cooking appliance (water oven) as a sous vide, or you can get a device that will be placed into a water container (immersion circulator).
With an immersion circulator, water is heated to a particular temperature and simultaneously circulates heat. Then the food to be cooked is placed in a tight sealable plastic bag inside the water bath. So, this way, the food will be cooked gently and evenly for an extended period in the sous vide circulator.
Then with the help of the video cookers, you get an exact or desired temperature setting. This means the water bath never exceeds the temperature setting, making it impossible for your food to be overcooked.
The sealed bag where the food is placed allows the moisture to be retained in the food tissues. Therefore, your food will be cooked without losing flavor, nutrients, or aroma.
Top-notch restaurants have used this cooking technique for years to prepare food to a precise level of doneness. This cooking process has become popular and available in our homes, thanks to an easy-to-use kitchen tool.
Slow Cooker: Overview
The name ‘slow cooker’ means they do precisely what their name tells. This slow cooker (also referred to as a crockpot) is a countertop cooking tool that simmers your food, and it is similar to a stovetop pot. This cooking appliance is usually made of stainless steel, porcelain, or ceramic surrounded by an electric heating element.
This design of this instant cooking pot doesn’t allow for evaporation, so food is in an enclosed environment. Now, this enclosed surrounding is sealed with a lid, and constant low temperature enables the food inside to heat rapidly. So, the food remains hot for a long cooking time.
The heat retention of this slow cooker is pretty compelling, making it ideal to be used on tougher cuts of meat that requires moist slow cooking in a low heat environment to tenderize.
Additionally, this cooking equipment is a good idea for making stew, soups, and sauces, which need to simmer for some time.
Sous Vide vs. Slow Cooker: Similarities
Before we look into sous vide vs. slow cooker, let’s quickly dive into their similarities.
Long Cooking Time
Both sous vide, and slow cooking methods utilize recipes that call for a cooking time of 6 or more hours. So, if you’re the busy one that can’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you can simply start cooking your food in the morning and have it ready for dinner.
Tenderizes Tough Cuts of Meat
You can use both sous vide and slow cooking techniques to tenderize tougher cuts of meat, thanks to the long period of lower temperature both cooking methods utilize.
Collagen is present in the meat tissue that gets softened into gelatin, and moisture and juiciness are added to the food. So, the meat is heated and gets soft, making the cut of meat tender and flavorful.
Heat & Energy Efficiency
Both slow cooker and sous vide won’t take much energy compared to a stovetop. Also, your food is cooked without heating up your kitchen space.
Sous Vide vs. Slow Cooker: Differences
The significant differences between sous vide vs. slow cooker have been stated below.
Temperature Accuracy & Precision
Usually, slow cookers have only ‘high, low, warm’ temperature settings, and there isn’t a precise temperature setting.
Sous vide immersion calculator, on the other hand, is a thermostat and can help set the temperature to a precise setting and accuracy. This allows water circulation within 1 to 2 degrees of the desired temperature. Therefore, the precision of sous vide cookers enables us to cook our food to our preference.
Nutrient Loss
When it comes to nutrient loss in food, a slow cooker does not preserve food nutrients (in vegetables, for example), and this is because of the process of slowly cooking food for an extended time. So, minerals, vitamins, and micronutrients in vegetables are lost.
As the cooking process prolongs in the slow cooker, the internal enzymes degrade trace nutrients in the vegetables, making vegetables less nutritious.
On the other hand, the Sous vide method is an excellent cooking technique that retains nutrients even in vegetables. This is thanks to the food being cooked within resealable bags. So, the food won’t be exposed to excessive heat or immersed in water.
Furthermore, the sous vide container cooker allows you to cook your food enough to pasteurize it, eliminating bacteria without overcooking your food. Also, the texture, flavor, color, and nutrients of your food are always retained when you’re cooking with sous vide.
Overcooking Risk
Slow cookers have a lid that allows heat retention, and evaporation is minimal. However, it is still possible to overcook your food in a slow cooker, and if you leave the food for a long time, it can burn or dry out.
But when it comes to sous vide cookers, the desired temperature is never exceeded. Therefore, your food can’t be overcooked (unless you pick the wrong temperature).
When you leave your food in a sous vide unattended for a long time, the water can evaporate and stop heating the food. However, your food can’t burn, dry out, or get overdone.
Main Differences: Overview
Apart from the differences we’ve listed above, the most significant difference in sous vide vs. slow cooker should be the resulting meal you get at the end of the day.
- Slow cookers are famous for their one-pot meals, which allow you to have your food hot and ready to eat. They are perfect for stews, chili, roasts, and other dishes that combine seasonings and ingredients and simmer them all together for a long time.
- Then sous vide water bath will give you that perfectly cooked meat or fish, vegetables, eggs, and so on. These food are sealed in their individual vacuum bags, and then after cooking, they can be arranged into a meal.
Sous Vide: Pros & Cons
PRO: Food is adequately and consistently cooked to the desired temperature
CON: Heating up can take a long time
PRO: You can set your sous vide cooker and forget it for some hours
CON: You may experience some food floating to the top
PRO: You can get an enhanced food flavor
CON: The flavor produced may be too pronounced
PRO: You can get evenly cooked food
CON: There isn’t the possibility of pan gravy
PRO: Helps tenderize a tough cut of meat
CON: Searing is not possible
Slow Cooker: Pros & Cons
PRO: Convenience in cooking
CON: Meal preparation can take time
PRO: You can enjoy energy efficiency with a slower cooker
CON: You may need advanced planning
PRO: You can achieve tender meat.
CON: Nutrients are usually lost because of the long cooking duration.
PRO: You’re assured of food safety
CON: Canned food can’t be used with this cooker
The 3 Best Sous Vide Machines of 2022
Check out 3 of the best sous vide cookers tested and recommended by our experts:
Anova Culinary: Sous Vide Precision Cooker
Anova’s immersion cooker is one great type of precision sous vide machine. It features a digital display, and you get that precise temperature ideal for cooking your meal.
It’s easy to make foods such as chicken, beef, fish, lamb, eggs, vegetables, etc. This immersion cooker can be easily attached to a cooking pot or container with the help of an adjustable clamp.
Also, this is an excellent choice if you love app integration and connected devices. The sous vide device is Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled, and you can use the Anova app to access so many free recipes. It also enables you to monitor your cooking from anywhere through your smartphone.
Instant Accu: Slim Sous Vide
This sou vide cooker has many special features that make your cooking experience worthwhile. So, it can help you make a restaurant-quality dish and cook your meal precisely.
These instant sous vide cookers heat rapidly thanks to their powerful heating element that brings the pot of water to the targeted temperature.
We like the easy-to-read LED display that shows the temperature of your cooker, and it also features a touchscreen with a color-coded status indicator.
This is an excellent type of sous vide immersion circulator.
Breville Joule Sous Vide
Breville Joule is another type of sous vide machine packed with great features. We like the petite look, which makes it an incredibly lightweight design.
This precision cooker gives you an excellent level of doneness in your food. This magnetic base clings perfectly to the bottom of your pot and heats water rapidly and quietly.
This cooking tool also features Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth connectivity. So, you can enjoy the many different features of his immersion circulator.
The 3 Best Slower Cooker Machine
Check out 3 of the best slow cookers tested and recommended by our experts:
7-Quart Digital Slow Cooker
This slow cooker will slowly and thoroughly cook your food and even has a sous vide setting. It features a temperature probe that helps monitor the surrounding temperature.
Once you’ve set the targeted temperature, the temperature probe can be inserted into the cut of meat to attain your preferred level of doneness. This slow cooker can switch heat cycles to keep your food at any selected temperature.
The extensive digital control panel makes selecting a slow cooking function easy. And you can set the desired temperature while using the probe and lock in the ideal temperature with the sous vide cooking setting.
This 7-quart stoneware crock is a removable, durable pot that is easy to clean.
Breville BPR700BSS Slow Cooker
We like this excellent slow cooker’s sleek, brushed stainless steel design. It features a 3-way system safety for locking the lid, automatic hands-free steam release, and a safety valve.
You get 11 pressure cooking settings and a custom setting that makes it perfect for your favorite recipe. Thanks to the LCD display, you can keep track of what’s happening inside your pot. Plus, there is a pressure indicator, temperature and countdown timer, and steam release indicator.
Another added advantage is the ‘delay start’ and ‘keep warm’ features. These features help hold your food at the ideal temperature, even after cooking. Therefore, you get a perfect food temperature when you and your family are ready to eat.
Instant Electric: Dutch Oven Slow Cooker
This slow cooker product is another excellent option. It features a 5-in-1 functionality that includes braise, sears or sautés, slow cooking, and warmer.
It offers precise cooking and features a Dutch oven, enabling us to get our targeted temperature and time control.
The capacity of this cooker is pretty extensive, and it can cook up to 6 servings of food. Therefore, it’s a perfect fit for many people, like a family meal or entertaining guests.
Sous Vide Vs. Slow Cooker: Bottom Line & Conclusion
The bottom line regarding the sous vide or slow cooker is determined by what suits your needs. However, the sous vide cooker takes the lead when making most foods and recipes, and this is because sous vide gives better results of being more flavorful and nutritious and helps in texture preservation without overcooking the food.
We’d love to hear from you! Do you prefer the slow cooker over the sous vide?