Decorations are up. Presents are wrapped (lol yea right.) It's your time to shine now. Time to start menu planning for your holiday meal! We've rounded up some of our favorite #anovafoodnerd holiday classics as well as some new takes on traditional flavors. We got main entrees, side dishes, lots of veggies, and even some eggnog! Cook 'em all or pick your menu a la carte. Can't go wrong. Let's dive in.
If you haven't tried making a roulade using your sous vide cooker, do you even really sous vide? Kidding...BUT trust us when we say this recipe is sure to make you the culinary star of any holiday dinner party you may find yourself at this season.
With the Anova Sous Vide Precision® Cooker, you get perfect prime rib every time (which for us means, medium rare), with less than an hour of active cooking time. To ensure consistent seasoning, we dry rub the roast for at least an hour before the bath, and then finish with a festive multi-color peppercorn crust and 15 minutes in a hot oven to create a crispy, golden brown crust. The beef cooking liquid is combined with rich homemade beef stock to create an amazing beef jus.
Overcooked dry ham has ruined many a holiday dinner. Skip all those (except the ham!) and serve up juicy, tender, flavor-packed ham with no stress.
Every holiday season, you wait with anticipation when the bubbling, pan of scalloped potatoes is put on the table, salivating at the thought of those creamy, cheesy potatoes to come. You giddily lift a forkful to your mouth and take a bite — only to realize with utter disappointment that the potatoes are still tough. Unfortunately, that’s a common mishap that’s befallen almost everyone who’s made that beloved dish at one time or another. Now, comes Sous Vide to the rescue. Never again will your scalloped potatoes be anything but perfectly tender, and cooked through and through.
We love roasted root vegetables. We’re also the kind of people who get easily distracted. Unfortunately, the combination often results in overcooked carrots, turnips, parsnips, and onions (though we’ve certainly undercooked them a few times). Cooking root vegetables sous vide takes away the guess work of opening the oven every 20 minutes to see if they’re done. Or forgetting to do that and finding them really, really too done. With a precision cooker, we can cook the vegetables to perfection then crisp up the outsides in brown butter at the end. Brown butter is one of our favorite things ever: it’s sweet, savory and simple.
Ratatouille is the best use of vegetables we can think of, but it is hard to do right on the stove-top. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash all require different cooking times and can easily turn to mush. To perfect the dish, turn to the Anova Precision Cooker -- seal each element in its own bag with aromatics and olive oil and combine them all just before serving. You can't get much better than this.
This cauliflower puree is velvety smooth, creamy, and super versatile. Use it as a healthier replacement for mashed potatoes. Because there is no starch in the cauliflower, you can blend or food process the heck out of it without fear of it turning gummy. You’ll be amazed at how satisfying this creamy puree can be.
Slow-cooked, Southern-style collards are tailor-made for the Anova Precision® Cooker. When prepared in the traditional manner, collards require an abundance of liquid, which draws out much of the nutrients in the greens. Cooking sous vide, however, allows for a much smaller amount of cooking liquid, yielding a potent, rich pot liquor and nutrient-filled greens.
Using the sous vide method takes all of the guess work out and creates a beautifully cooked and consistent custards. It turns a sometimes tricky dessert into an incredibly easy gourmet treat!
From a work to wow standpoint, this might have the lowest ratio of any dessert ever. The tart pear paired (pun 100% intended) with the sweet cream cheese is a bonafide winnah.
It's the time of year for a great eggnog to sip while you deck those halls. Cooking up a batch of eggnog using your Anova Precision® Cooker is one of the easiest and best ways to make the wintry drink. The ability to hold a perfect temperature means you can safely pasteurize the eggs while drawing the deepest elements of the spices out. It'll be creamy, lush, and delectably spicy.
Deck the Halls!
Missing something you love whipping up around the holidays? Head over to our
recipes site and give our updated search a spin to find your new favorite holiday tradition, and be sure to tag
#anovafoodnerd to show off your skills!