Sous vide
a beginner’s guide

The Gourmet's Best-Kept Secret

A cooking method that dates back as early as the 18th century, and used widely in fine restaurants since the 1970s, sous vide (French for "under vacuum") has been an industry secret for decades. Sous vide involves immersing food in water that is precisely heated, giving chefs greater temperature control for superior food quality.

With conventional cooking methods, food is brutally exposed to extremely high temperatures and then removed at a precise moment. If the food remains exposed to heat for too long or too short, it will be either over or under cooked leading to poor texture, loss of flavor and waste. Sous vide addresses these issues in the following ways:

The Sous Vide advantage

  • Edge to Edge Perfection

    Because of the precision with which the temperature is controlled, food prepared using sous vide is cooked more evenly, retains more of its volume, and has a better texture than food prepared using conventional cooking methods.

  • Flavor-Packed

    With sous vide, food cell walls do not burst, so less of the moisture, juices and fats are lost in the cooking process. This allows food to maintain its inherent flavoring, for new food experiences that are nearly impossible to achieve through traditional cooking methods.

  • Thoroughly Nutritious

    With most cooking methods, large parts of the food are lost to heat, and much of the nutrients are destroyed during the cooking process. With sous vide, more of the original components of the dish remain intact, and more nutrients are saved.

  • Ease of use

    Sous vide is truly the closest we have gotten to fool-proof cooking. Because the water is precisely heated to the exact cooking temperature, circulated throughout the cooking process, and cooled as soon as cooking is completed, there is no chance for overcooking or undercooking your food. The Chefman App and Club Chefman make this already simple product ever easier to use.

  • Energy efficiency

    Most foods have an ideal cooking temperature far lower than the lowest temperature of an average oven or stove. The Chefman Sous Vide uses that ideal lower temperature, which reduces energy consumption considerably.

  • Safety

    Sous vide involves no flame or boiling water, making the cooking environment far safer than traditional cooking methods. It is also designed to bring food to the exact internal temperature to remove bacteria, while still maintaining all the valuable nutrients, a perfect middle-ground that is almost unheard of with more traditional cooking methods.

Sous Vide timeline

  1. 1700s
  2. 1960s
  3. 1970s
  4. 2000s
  5. 2017

  1. Physicist Sir Benjamin Thompson recommends precision heating as the best method for cooking, as different foods have different ideal temperatures.

  2. Vacuum sealing is used to pasteurize foods, leading to experimentation with cooking grade plastic and immersion food heating.

  3. With the gourmet revolution, Pierre Troisgros cooks plastic-packed foods in his world-class French restaurant. Thousands of chefs come to Troisgros's culinary school to learn the method.

  4. The New York Times predicts that sous vide will be popularized, becoming the home chef's dream.

  5. Chefman makes that dream a reality with the Sous Vide.

Cooking Chart

  • Beef Steak

    Rare 129°F / 54°C Medium 136°F / 58°C Well 154°F / 68°C
    1 Hour 1 Hour 1 Hour

  • Beef Roast

    Rare 133°F / 56°C Medium 140°F / 60°C Well 158°F / 70°C
    7 Hours 6 Hours 5 Hours

  • Beef ribs

    Rare 134°F / 56° Medium 136°F / 58°C Well 136°F / 58°C
    24 Hours 30 Hours 40 Hours

  • Lamb chop

    Rare 129°F / 54° Medium 136°F / 58°C Well 154°F / 68°C
    1 Hour 1 Hour 1 Hour

  • Lamb roast

    Rare 134°F / 56°C Medium 136°F / 58°C Well 136°F / 58°C
    10 Hours 20 Hours 24 Hours

  • Bison

    Rare 134°F / 56°C Medium 136°F / 58°C Well 136°F / 58°C
    8 Hours 10 Hours 12 Hours

  • Pork Chops

    Rare 136°F / 58° Medium 144°F / 62°C Well 158°F / 70°C
    1 Hour 1 Hour 1 Hour

  • Pork Roast

    Rare 136°F / 58°C Medium 144°F / 62°C Well 158°F / 70°C
    1 Hour 1 Hour 1 Hour

  • Chicken - Light

    Tender 149°F / 65° Well done 167°F / 75°C
    1 Hour 1 Hour

  • Chicken - Dark

    Tender 149°F / 65°C Well done 167°F / 75°C
    1 Hour 1 Hour

  • Duck - Light

    Tender 134°F / 63°C Well done 164°F / 74°C
    1.5 Hours 1 Hour

  • Duck - Dark

    Tender 164°F / 74°C Well done 167°F / 75°C
    1.5 Hours 8 Hours

  • Turkey - Light

    Tender 146°F / 63°C Well done 146°F / 63°C
    2.5 Hours 5 Hours

  • Turkey - Dark

    Tender 165°F / 74°C Well done 165°F / 74°C
    8 Hours 10 Hours

  • Fish

    Tender 126°F / 52°C Well done 126°F / 52°C
    20 mins 30 mins

  • Lobster

    Tender 140°F / 60°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    45 mins 60 mins

  • Shrimp

    Tender 140°F / 60°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    30 mins 40 mins

  • Asparagus

    Tender 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    30 mins 1.5 Hours

  • Beets

    Tender crisp 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    1 Hour 4 Hours

  • Broccoli

    Tender 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    30 mins 1.5 Hours

  • Carrots

    Tender crisp 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    1 Hour 4 Hours

  • Corn

    Tender 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    30 mins 1.5 Hours

  • Celery Root

    Tender crisp 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    1 Hour 4 Hours

  • Green Beans

    Tender 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    30 mins 1.5 Hours

  • Turnip

    Tender crisp 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    1 Hour 4 Hours

  • Squash

    Tender 183°F / 84°C Well done 140°F / 60°C
    30 mins 1.5 Hours

  • Eggs

    Soft 167°F / 75°C Hard 160°F / 71°C Scrambled 167°F / 75°C
    15 mins 40 mins 20 mins

Tips & hints

  • Finish with a sear

    We recommend giving your meat, chicken or fish a quick sear on the stovetop or in the broiler, for a crisp finish.

  • Cleaning and storage

    Clean the LED display by wetting a microfiber cloth and rubbing off any debris. Clean the heating coil and shaft with a mild dish soap and rinse. The Chefman Sous Vide can be kept wherever appliances are stored. Any kitchen drawer or cabinet will work.

  • Vessels

    You do not need a special container to cook with the Chefman Sous Vide. Any receptacle that can hold a minimum of 2 inches (50 mm) of water and can handle the weight of the immersion cooker will work. Sous vide can work in a pot, pan, large salad bowl or cooler.

  • Plastic

    Sous vide requires food to be wrapped in plastic. Popular options include vacuum packing, but any high quality re-sealable plastic bag works too!

  • Food safety

    Studies and testing over the last several decades indicate that sous vide cooking in high quality plastic or vacuum packs is perfectly safe. Keep in mind, sous vide involves cooking at low temperatures, lower than the melting point.

  • How many pieces per pot

    The number of pieces of food inside your pot will not change the temperature or cooking time. Make sure that foods are packed separately or with room between pieces in each bag. There should also be enough room in the pot for water to circulate around each bag.

  • Countertop Safety

    We recommend that you protect your countertops by placing a trivet under your vessel while cooking with the Chefman Sous Vide.