International Sous Vide Day

Celebration of 50 years of sous vide

On January 26, 2021, International Sous Vide Day (ISVD) is celebrated on a virtual stage. Across the globe, they will be celebrating the past 50 years of sous vide precision with an intimate look into the master of the method, Dr. Bruno Goussault, from those who know him best.

Dr. Bruno Goussault is recognized as the founder of modern sous vide. In 1971, Dr. Goussault developed sous vide as a way of improving the tenderness of roast beef. Dr. Goussault discovered that if the beef was vacuum-sealed in a specially designed pouch and slowly cooked at a slightly-lower-than-usual temperature, it showed little sign of profit-robbing shrinkage compared to conventional cooking methods. Plus, the flavor was notably enhanced. This was the birth of the new technology of sous vide, and it was quickly adopted by top chefs throughout Europe. Today, as the chief scientist at Cuisine Solutions, Dr. Goussault continues to refine this revolutionary water bath cooking method—and share his knowledge with world-renowned and up-and-coming chefs alike. He founded the Culinary Research & Education Academy (CREA), where he has taught more than 80 percent of chefs with three Michelin stars, including Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Yannick Alléno, Joël Robuchon, and Anne-Sophie Pic, as well as the next generation of chefs

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide — French for “under-vacuum” — is an innovative cooking technique in which food is vacuum sealed and slow-cooked in water at constant precise temperatures until it’s perfectly cooked. The power of sous vide is that it enables you to precisely prepare food with more tenderness and flavour than can be obtained through traditional cooking techniques. Sous vide makes it possible to unlock the full potential of food.

Cooking sous vide involves sealing the food in a plastic pouch, essentially creating a “second skin,” and immersing the food in a water bath set for a series of precise temperatures and times. The technique was first widely utilized for industrial food production, and over the past several decades, professional chefs in nearly all of the best restaurants across the Americas and Europe have used the technique to maximize the flavour and texture of food—to serve the absolute-best steak, fruit, grain, vegetable, or oil (the applications for sous vide are infinitely ripe for experimentation!) to patrons.

Sous-Vide examines the art of cuisine through a scientific lens. While sous vide cooking has been around for decades, recent years have shown that its popularity is definitely on the rise. That’s because sous vide (French for “under vacuum”) allows for precision in the kitchen, freeing creative minds to innovate and experiment with surprising new flavours and textures. After all, the savviest chefs—both home cooks and professional toques—want to understand not just how to cook a medium-rare steak, but how they can affect colour, taste, and texture. All of this can be accomplished with sous vide on a molecular level.

Do you want to discover more about sous vide cooking or the celebration of International Sous Vide Day, check the ISVD website!