Cooking with the SousVide Supreme Demi

Sous viding vegetables

Finally, I made butternut squash soup from the Sous Vide Holiday Cookbook. The soup was terrific, but I’m not sure of the advantages of cooking the butternut squash on the sous vide when I could just as easily cooked in in a pan on the stove – especially when the soup had to be finished on the stove top anyway.

SousVide Supreme pluses

• Ease of use – Once you go over the instructions, the SousVide Supreme Demi and the SousVide Supreme Vacuum Sealer are very simple to operate.
• Convenience – It’s nearly impossible to overcook food in the SousVide Supreme. so you can let food cook and sit while you make salad or sides. This is great if you have trouble coordinating your timing in the kitchen like I do. There’s no need to keep food warm (and drying out) in the oven while you wait for your side dishes to cook.
• Healthy cooking – there’s no need to add oil or butter to cook up your food. Also, the sous vide process makes sure that the nutritional value of your food isn’t lost, like when you throw out the water you steamed or boiled vegetables in.
• If you have a small apartment kitchen, a flakey oven and no room for a grill, the SousVide Supreme Demi could be a culinary lifesaver.

SousVide Supreme drawbacks

• The SousVide Supreme Demi is large (11.3″H x 10.96″W x 12.99″L). It’s about as tall as my KitchenAid Mixer and as bulky as my six-quart slow cooker. Since I have a large collection of kitchen appliances, I wasn’t crazy about adding another large item to my already limited counter space.
• Affordability – The Demi is $299.95 and the slightly larger unit is $449.95 – not bad compared to the expensive commericial sous vide. However, if sous vide cooking is something you want to give a try – but your don’t have the money, you may want to DIY with a crock pot or you can use a rice cooker since you probably own one or both appliances. (I do!) You’ll just need to buy a Sous Vide Cooking Controller. ($139.50 plus $19 shipping at Auber Instruments.)
• You will also need a vacuum sealer and additional bags. The SousVide Supreme Vacuum Sealer was a nice little unit, but I suggest getting a FoodSaver. (I already own one, go figure.) You can find them at most club stores and any place that sells cookware, so finding supplies like bags and rolls shouldn’t be a problem. Plus the FoodSaver comes with additional accessories like WineSaver^™ Stoppers, marinators and canisters, making it more a versatile kitchen appliance.
• Waste – I’m the kind of mom who packs my kids’ lunches in reusable sandwich bags. So cooking in plastic bags that I had to toss and couldn’t recycle bugged me. It’s one thing to vacuum seal food for freezing (after all you have to wrap it in something, whether that’s waxed paper or Ziploc bags) but when I cook, it’s just a matter of scraping off the grill or washing a pan.
• Finishing – You will need to grill, pan fry or use a kitchen torch to finish off some items, like steak. It seems like more work, not less.

Conclusion

I liked using the SousVide Supreme Demi – a lot. It was easy, fun and the food turned out as good as expected. I was sad when I had to pack up my demo unit and send it back to the company thinking about all the other types of food I’d like to try cooking in it.

Yet, while I love getting new kitchen gadgets, the practical side of me says the sous vide is something I could do without due to the cost of both the unit and the vacuum bags, and the room it would take up in my kitchen.

Maybe if I had more counter space or somewhere easy to park the SousVide Supreme Demi, I would consider adding it to collection. But if I have to store it in the basement, I know it’s not something I would use as often as my other kitchen appliances. Plus, with the added inconvenience of finishing items on the grill or stovetop, it doesn’t seem like much of a time saver.

So while I loved using it, I’m not sure the SousVide Supreme Demi is the right fit for me. But it may be for you! Or a terrific holiday gift for your favorite home chef! Check out SousVide’s holiday promo package and their free shipping for orders over $50.

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Managing Editor Mom Central Food. You can also find her cooking up some healthy recipes at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet.

Anne-Marie Nichols