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One of the lesser known benefits of having a Sous Vide Machine, is the ability to reheat food to the perfect temperature without drying it out or overcooking. Specifically cuts of meat and chicken work best for this, but really you can use anything.
Furthermore, the Sous Vide is a great way to cook big batches of foods ahead of time, and then when ready to serve, you can just reheat the meat quickly before searing. Today we are going to talk about our favorite methods to reheat food so that it is safe, and tasty!
Why Reheat in the sous vide?
Most other methods of reheating food actually not only warm up leftovers but they tend to cook again and oftentimes overcook. I dont know about you, but every time I have tried to reheat a steak in the oven I wound up with an overcooked, dry, barely edible piece of meat. When using the sous vide, you are able to reheat it to the specific degree you need, without overcooking. Once reheated, you can just give it a quick sear and voila! A fresh crust again with a perfectly cooked inside.
We are reheating it just under the original temperature to ensure it will not overcook. By far my favorite way to reheat steak!
How do I reheat my food with my sous vide?
My favorite way is to put your leftovers back in the water bath but heat it to a temperature that is barely under what the original cooking temperature was. It will typically take around the same time or slightly less than the original cooking time. Depending on how thick the meat is, you will cook it for longer or shorter.
Please note we are assuming the temperature is over 130 degrees Fahrenheit for safety reasons.
To give you a baseline to work from, a 1 inch steak will take about 1-2 hours to reheat.
Sous Vide Reheating Chart
Below is a handy chart summarizing some of the more popular foods you are likely to be reheaitng:
| Food | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Steak - 1 Inch | Temperature it was cooked | 60-90 Minutes |
| Steak - 2 Inch | Temperature it was cooked | 120-180 Minutes |
| Fish | Just Under Cooking Temperature | 20-30 Minutes |
| Soups, Stews Etc | 150 Degrees | 45 Minutes |
What is the Best Sous Vide Reheating Temperature?
In most cases, you should set the sous vide temperature just at or below the original cooking temperature. Do not set it at a temperature above what you cooked it at initially, as you do not want the food to overcook. The only exception would be if you felt the food was under-cooked and actually wanted to cook it a little further.
What about Soups?
Since I prefer a warm soup, for soups, stews, and chili I would recommend 150 Degrees.
Can I cook raw food from frozen in the Sous Vide?
Yes you can! Check out our article here which is all about that subject – https://sousvidewizard.com/can-frozen-meat-be-cooked-sous-vide/
Equipment
- Sous Vide Machine – our favorite right now is the Anova or the Joule.
- Container – not necessary, but nice to have for bigger cuts of meat. We recommend the Lipavi as it is large and sturdy. You can also use a pot.
- Vacuum sealer and bags, or a freezer Ziploc bag. If you only have a Ziploc make sure to check our our article on the water displacement method. You can find our favorite vacuum sealers here – 5 Best Sous Vide Vacuum Sealers (Reviews Updated 2021)
Be sure to head over to our recipe book review article for more great sous vide ideas! – 10 Best Sous Vide Cookbooks (Reviews Updated 2021)
For anyone who is brand new to sous vide, take a look at our article that talks about common sous vide mistakes here! – 6 Common Sous Vide Mistakes Beginners Make
