I will be the first to admit that until a couple months ago, I wasn’t exactly sure what sous vide cooking was. I had heard of it but knew nothing about how it worked. An informative conversation with an enthusiastic chef during a chance encounter, changed all that. Almost immediately, I began shopping for a sous vide contraption.
In case you haven’t yet heard much about how to cook food sous vide (pronounced sue-veed), let me explain. The term is French for “under vacuum” because whatever is being cooked is placed in either a sealed plastic bag or glass jar. Then it’s cooked low and slow, at a consistent temperature for a long period of time. It looks like people either use a vacuum sealer or just tightly seal the bag after squeezing out as much air as possible. I found another easy air removal technique here: https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/how-to-seal-food-airtight-without-vacuum-sealer-water-displacement-method.html
If you’re at all worried about cooking in plastic, you can use glass jars too.
Online, you can find thousands of recipes, advice, tips and videos on using the sous vide cooking method.
While using the sous vide cooking method for meat and fish is common, I found information on how to make everything from vegetables to risotto to crème brûlée to limoncello to tofu to yogurt to cheese to cakes. Seriously… cakes! And the list goes on and on.
That chef I met showed me his sous vide equipment and it looked pretty similar to an immersion blender. However, when he pulled the protective cover off, exposed was an electrical rod attached to a digital display, the brains of the unit. A clip on the side enabled the unit to attach to the inside of a pot filled with water. Once connected to power, the sous vide unit will cook your submerged food in a temperature-controlled water bath.
Sounds great, right? First, let me note that this is not an ad or sponsored post. Before I made my purchase of the sous vide contraption like he had, serendipity intervened in the form of a press release. A PR company reached out to me about a new sous vide machine available on Indiegogo. Needless to say, my interest was more than piqued!
That’s when I met Figo… the most thoughtfully designed sous vide I’ve come across. Having never worked in a restaurant, I have no idea if Figo is the best choice in a restaurant or commercial cooking space but do think it will be perfect in my home kitchen. Watch this video and then scroll down to learn why.
- APP: It’s got an app so you can control it with your phone! Yes, I am a sucker for home devices with apps– they make life so much easier.
- CHILLER: Figo chills food before cooking begins. No food poisoning due to a lack of refrigeration before your food is scheduled to begin cooking!
- ONE PIECE: I really like that it’s an all-in-one unit. I think food prep and cooking will be easier than assembling a sous vide device, the filled pot of water, etc. Granted, I do have plenty of countertop and storage space for gadgets and realize not everyone does.
- IT’S PORTABLE: When we can safely travel again, I think I’ll bring it along on my next vacation.
- RECIPES: I bought the Figo with the vacuum sealer and free cookbook!
If you’ve never used Indiegogo before, you’re essentially helping the product inventors generate the capital they need to move into production. By choosing to fund their products prior to release, inventors offer funders discounts and bonus items as extra incentive. So, while I can’t expect my new Figo to arrive until March (or later), I feel good knowing that I’m contributing in a small way to getting what certainly looks like a kick-ass product to the masses!
Also, note that Indiegogo campaigns are only open for a limited time. If you want to fund Figo, you need to get on that before the end of October 2020.
Visit the Figo sous vide link below and order yours today!
www.indiegogo.com/projects/eatfigo-autonomous-sous-vide-cooks-with-your-phone#/
Again, I wasn’t offered any compensation to write this post. I’m just very excited about my new Figo sous vide unit and don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to purchase one too.
If you already have experience with sous vide cooking, please share your tips! I’d love to hear what you’re cooking as well as any suggestions you may have!