THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SOUS VIDE VEGETABLES

Introduction

Sous Vide Vegetable Basics

Unlike meat proteins, which are fully cooked anywhere between 140 and 165°F (60 to 74°C) or so, vegetables contain pectin — a kind of glue that holds its cells together and keeps it firm. Pectin doesn’t break down until 183°F (84°C), which means that no matter what vegetable you cook sous vide, you have to set your water bath or oven to at least 183°F (84°C) if you would like the end results to be tender.

Traditionally, sous vide vegetables consist of a one- or two-phase cooking process:

1. Sealing the vegetables in a plastic bag using either a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method and cooking it to the desired final temperature in a temperature-controlled water bath.
   1. The temperature of the sous vide bath during the initial cooking phase is what determines the final texture of your vegetables.
2. Finishing the vegetables on the stovetop, grill, or oven to brown or char the exterior, if desired. Sous vide vegetables are also delicious served straight from the bag.

If you’d prefer to introduce new sous vide techniques into your arsenal, you can also use the Anova Precision™ Oven to prepare sous vide vegetables. Because of the way we’ve designed the temperature sensors and humidity control, the oven will precisely maintain the cooking temperature you set.

You can choose to bag and cook your vegetables in the Precision™ Oven just as you would with a Precision® Cooker, or you can cook the vegetables directly on a sheet pan or oven rack (if the vegetables are large).

Sous Vide Mode in the Anova Precision™ Oven follows the same process as traditional sous vide; you can finish the vegetables in the oven, stovetop, or grill, or serve them as-is directly after sous vide cooking.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to prepping vegetables for sous vide cooking. In general, we like to cook the vegetables in the form in which we’ll serve them. Much of the time that means we’ll peel and dice root vegetables, cut broccoli and cauliflower into florets, and trim the woody stalks from asparagus.

If you’re cooking using traditional sous vide methods, you’ll want to keep in mind that the vegetables will need to fit in a bag that can form an airtight seal. The more the vegetables can fit in a tight single layer, the better. You have more flexibility if you’re using Sous Vide Mode in the Anova Precision™ Oven; any shape that fits in the oven will work.

No matter the method you choose, the smaller the vegetables, the faster they will cook.

As with prep, there aren’t hard and fast rules around seasoning. Unlike proteins, we do like to add fat to the bag with the vegetables — this can be butter, oil, or any other fat you’d like. The fat will help any additional fat-soluble aromatics make their way into the vegetables as they cook. We also like to add salt with our veggies, but you can also let that wait until serving if you’d prefer.

Temperature and Timing for Sous Vide Vegetables

Hearty Root Vegetables and Winter Squash

There are some vegetables for which sous vide cooking can’t be beat. For us, root vegetables and potatoes top that list. When cooked in a sealed bag with a little bit of butter or oil and salt, the natural flavor of the vegetables intensifies into a sweeter, stronger, and downright tastier version of itself.

Depending on your desired end result and serving plans, we recommend two different temperatures for root vegetables (with the same cooking time for both). For root vegetables that are tender but still have some firmness to them, cook at 183°F (84°C). They’ll hold their shape after cooking sous vide, so you can brown them on the stovetop or even on the grill after cooking. These are great served as-is. For root vegetables that are destined to be mashed or pureed, we recommend a higher temp: 190°F (88°C). They’ll be packed with far more flavor than veggies you boil on the stove, but will be just as tender.

Traditional Sous Vide

We do not recommend sous vide express for vegetables.

Tender Vegetables and Greens

Tender vegetables are a wide category — asparagus, green beans, summer squash, bell peppers, leeks, and leafy greens all count. Think of this category as encompassing anything that would cook quickly on the stovetop.

We recommend keeping the temperature consistent and then varying your cooking time to get different textural results. Higher cooking temperatures turn tender vegetables muddy green very quickly. For crisp-tender results, keep the cooking time quick; spinach is cooked in as little as 10 minutes, while bell peppers can cook for closer to 45 minutes. If you’re looking for very tender results, stretch the cooking time past 1 hour or up to 3, especially if you’re cooking greens like kale or collards.

Traditional Sous Vide

We do not recommend sous vide express for vegetables.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage all fall into this category. We like to cook these vegetables in a similar way to tender vegetables, but the minimum cooking times are longer and the maximum times are shorter. Cooking cruciferous vegetables in a bag for too long will expel quite a bit of gas, causing the bags to bloat and float.

As with tender vegetables, keep the time shorter for crisp-tender results and a bright color. For very tender results, stretch the cooking time to an hour.

Traditional Sous Vide

We do not recommend sous vide express for vegetables.

Artichokes

Artichokes require a bit of specialized attention and temps. We recommend trimming, halving, and removing the choke from artichokes before cooking using traditional sous vide methods. If you’re cooking them in the Anova Precision™ Oven, you can simply trim them and cook them whole if you prefer. (You can also cook them straight on the oven’s rack instead of using a sheet pan.)

We’ve found that artichokes need a higher cooking temperature than other vegetables to truly turn tender. 195°F (90°C), which is right up at the maximum sous vide temperature our devices can handle, is the best temp for crisp-tender results. If you’ve got an Anova Precision™ Oven and are looking for very tender results, you’ll want to steam the artichokes at 212°F (100°C).

Traditional Sous Vide

We do not recommend sous vide express for vegetables.

Corn on the Cob

Why cook corn sous vide at all, when there are plenty of other already-incredible ways of cooking it like microwaving in-the-husk ears whole, boiling it in salted water, or any number of ways to grill it? Because sous vide allows you to get results that cannot be achieved through any other method. Juicier, more evenly tender-crisp, and packed with corn flavor.

Corn can also overcook if left in the water bath too long, turning a little mushy after about an hour or so at 183°F (84°C), though still perfectly edible. If you must cook the corn then hold it for a later time, cook it and hold it in a cooler water bath, at 170°F (77ºC) or below, in order to keep it hot but prevent further cooking.

Traditional Sous Vide

We do not recommend sous vide express for vegetables.

Sous Vide Vegetables, Step-by-Step

Step 1

Attach a Precision® Cooker to a water bath and heat to your desired final doneness temperature or preheat the Precision™ Oven to your desired temperature.

Prepare your vegetables as you’d like them to be served: Peel root vegetables (if desired) and slice into bite-size pieces (if desired). Trim woody stalks or stem ends of tender vegetables. Slice cruciferous vegetables into bite-size pieces. Shuck corn. Trim artichokes and slice in half.

Step 2

If vacuum sealing, add the vegetables to a bag with butter or oil, along with salt and aromatics if desired. Seal the bag with a vacuum sealer. If using the Precision™ Oven, toss the vegetables with melted butter or oil, along with salt and aromatics if desired. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.

Step 3

Drop the bag in the water bath or place the pan into the oven. Cook according to your desired time and temp. Serve immediately if not proceeding to finishing steps.

A Closer Look at Finishing Sous Vide Vegetable

Remove the vegetables from the bag or oven. Drain off any cooking liquid and save it for serving if desired.

Step 1

Place a heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet with 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil or butter over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Step 2

Carefully add the vegetables to the hot oil. Cook, stirring often, until well browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with reserved sous vide cooking juices if desired.

Step 1

Adjust the Precision™ Oven for broiling: Turn sous vide mode off and set the oven to 482°F (250°C) with 0% steam using the Top heating element. Place the rack in the top position (5).

If using a traditional broiler, turn the broiler on to high with a rack nearest to the heating element. Let heat for at least 5 minutes.

Step 2

While the oven is heating, transfer the vegetables to a clean sheet pan.

Step 3

When the oven has reached temperature, broil the vegetables until well charred, 2 to 5 minutes. Serve with reserved sous vide cooking juices if desired.

Step 1

Light one chimney full of charcoal (about 5 quarts (5 L) of coals). When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes.

Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes.

Scrape the grill grates clean with a grill scraper, then oil the grates by holding an oil-dipped kitchen towel or paper towels in a set of tongs and rubbing them over the grates 5 to 6 times.

Step 2

Place the vegetables directly over the hot side of the grill (using a vegetable basket if needed) and cook until browned or lightly charred, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and continue to cook until the second side is equally browned, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Serve with reserved sous vide cooking juices if desired.

Tips for Bagging and Cooking Sous Vide Vegetables

There are two issues that are bound to come up when you cook vegetables using traditional sous vide methods:

1. The first is getting it to stay submerged. Adding a weight to the inside of the bag or clipped onto the exterior can help, or you can use a stainless steel pot lid rack in the water vessel to hold down the food.
2. The second is leaking bags. When you’re cooking at relatively high sous vide temperatures, bag seals can break, especially if you’re using a zipper-lock instead of a vacuum-seal bag.
   
   We strongly recommend using vacuum-seal bags as they’re rated for higher temperature cooking. And we also suggest triple-sealing the bag, using the manual seal function of your sealer to add another layer of protection.