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Sous vide cooking in a combi oven
Sous vide is a preferred technique for many restaurant chefs, and now you can actually sous vide in your combi oven.
4 August 2023
At Dieta Oy in Finland, Corporate Executive Chef Vesa Saaristo often experiments with sous vide in combi oven cooking: “Using one piece of equipment for multiple cooking methods naturally saves on both investments and valuable kitchen space. The combi oven is already a central piece of equipment, an investment that you could and should make the most of.”
Sous vide is a preferred technique for many restaurant chefs due to its creative potential and precise temperature control. But sous vide cooking no longer requires stand-alone equipment. You can actually sous vide in your combi oven.
Increased efficiency and reduced costs
Sous vide cooking is a great opportunity to utilise the combi oven as the extra resource in the kitchen while staff are off schedule. The off-peak hours’ cheaper energy rates are attractive, and the combi oven needs very low energy to run overnight operation at low temperatures.
Add to the equation the innovative dual steam technology of the Invoq Hybrid oven mixing injection steam and boiler steam as needed, and you get a consistent and precise high-density steam environment keeping all moisture inside the oven, – and now the oven fan module is nearly the only part using energy. Even the steam production is using 70% less energy compared to the predecessor oven model, so you will find great profits in slow cooking at night.
Overnight, the combi oven can prepare larges batches sous vide style food such as meats of less expensive cuts for optimum tenderisation including nice liquids for sauces or base for tomorrow’s soup, picking or creamy root vegetable mash or purée for side dishes, custard and cremes for dessert menu and or fruit syrups for garnish.
– Vesa Saaristo explains.All in easy-to-use portion bags minimising food waste and ensuring freshness for a simple, less stressful mise en place and a speedy a la carte service,
Nutritional advantages & enhanced flavours
Whether using sous vide cooking for the full process, as for example pulled meat recipes, or as a partial combination process to be finalised using a different cooking method such as oven roasting for a crispy texture to the surface, you achieve a consistent, tender result through the highly accurate temperature control and your food retains its natural moisture and nutrients resulting in a flavourful dish.
– Vesa Saaristo concludes.Discovering the many benefits of sous vide cooking in a combi oven, to me it is a no-brainer to prep the combi oven for overnight operation, allowing us chefs to have more time during the day for creativity and recipe development,
Inspiring Sous vide recipe
Finnish Stuffed Sourbread
Baby Carrots Sous Vide
