November 16, 2020

Sous Vide Turkey – Sous Vide is Not the Best Way to Cook a Turkey

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Perhaps we can still learn how to cook a turkey in a whole new – and even better – way?  The Wolf appliance experts at Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove Showroom and Test Kitchen are always experimenting with new cooking methods. After great results from cooking a turkey in various Wolf ovens, they decided to go in a new direction: sous vide turkey.

Sous vide is a French term for “in a vacuum.” It is a low-temperature, vacuum-sealed cooking method that has grown in popularity with chefs the world over for delivering exquisitely tender, flavor-infused dishes. Cooking sous vide distributes heat evenly from edge to center and the vacuum bag seals in the moisture. With the Wolf Vacuum Seal Drawer, (Model VS24) you can prep virtually anything for sous vide, so why not a turkey? Sous vide should give you a juicier bird, because the moisture doesn’t evaporate. It’s also growing in popularity because it can be done in advance so it frees up your oven space, as well as some of your time – hopefully allowing you to have that glass of Pinot at the same time as your guests (even if you’re entertaining via  Zoom this year).

Jane Advises Not to Sous Vide Your Turkey

Thanks to Clarke Showroom Consultant Jane Vitagliano, an expert cook in Clarke’s 7 Tide Showroom in Boston, now you don’t have to go through all of the steps. You don’t have to break down your turkey into pieces (leg/thighs, wings and breasts) in separate bags. You don’t have to vacuum seal these pieces in your bags for 5-12 hours ahead of time. No, you don’t need to do any of this, because when Jane’s meticulous experiment was completed the results were – well – lackluster.

“It was good,” reported Jane. “Was it great? Was it melt-in-your-mouth, cut with your fork tender – as the turkey we did earlier in the Wolf Convection Steam Oven on the convection steam mode was? No.”

According to Jane, “If you want to know how to cook a turkey, I wouldn’t suggest sous vide as my top choice. It just wasn’t up to our standards for recommending to customers. The turkey we cooked on convection steam was amazing and our sous vide one was just okay. There are so many other great options with Wolf.”

Here are the best ways to cook a turkey in your Wolf appliances:

Wolf Convection Ovens

Wolf Convection Steam Oven

Wolf Gas Range

Sous Vide is Extraordinary – Always Know You Can Call Clarke for Help

However, according to Jane, there are many times that your Wolf Vacuum Seal Drawer and sous vide cooking are your best friends. Like with this Holiday Mulled Cider recipe! It’s important to match your cooking methods to the foods to which they are best suited.

If you have any questions on the best way to prepare your selection, feel free to set up an Ask the Chef appointment or call a Clarke showroom and ask to speak to a showroom consultant.