Information

History of Sous-Vide

The first mention of low-temperature cooking dates back to 1799 Earl Rumford. He, like many others after him, asked himself whether the boiling temperature of water is the most correct temperature for all raw materials. From his essay on the subject, we learn that he discovered the benefits of a lower temperature almost by accident.

The real beginning of vacuum cooking was brought by the development of plastic bags suitable for food in the 60s. Originally, however, it was used exclusively for pasteurization in the food industry to extend the shelf life of food. He was a pioneer in this field Brunno Goussault, who is more of a scientist than a cook. He studied in detail the effect of temperature on individual foods.

From the gourmet side, however, Sous-Vide was discovered by a French chef Georges Pralus. He was looking for the ideal way to prepare goose roast (foie gras) so that its taste and texture are preserved, while losing as little of its volume as possible. In traditional preparation, this expensive delicacy loses 30 to 50 percent of its weight. Pralus found that it loses only 5 percent when prepared in a vacuum bag, which is a huge saving, while still improving its taste and texture.

In the following years, Pralus and Goussault collaborated in the development of Sous-Vide, and gradually brought this method to the forefront of world gastronomy.

One of the leading advocates of sous-vide today is Heston Blumenthal, an English chef with 3 Michelin stars. In Slovakia, a pioneer of this method was Igor Čehy. Fortunately, with the advancement of technology, affordable ones are also appearing Equipment, which allow home cooks to use Sous-Vide as well. It also helps them in that Douglas Baldwin, who in his book "Sous Vide for the home cook" provides tables of times and temperatures for almost all ingredients. The book is also available for free online.