Definition:
A cooking process in which food is encased in an airtight plastic pouch (typically vacuum sealed) and cooked for a very long period of time at a very low temperature, usually under 200˚F and for many hours, even as long as three days.
The technique was first developed by French chef Georges Pralus, who discovered that cooking foie gras in this way kept it from shrinking and losing fat content. Some health experts believe that sous vide cooking is dangerous because food remains below the "danger zone" of 140˚F (in which bacteria can multiply). Food cooked sous vide is typically tender, flavorful and moist.
Sous vide cooking is part of the molecular gastronomy movement.
Pronunciation: soo veed
