FOOD NEWS
The Trick For Prepping Sous Vide Burgers Without Condensing The Patties
BY PEGGY AOKI
Squeezing ground meat too tightly when forming beef patties can make your burgers dense and heavy. This can be hard to avoid when preparing sous vide burgers.
The plastic bag used in sous vide must be very tightly sealed, which can squeeze and compact burger patties. You have to use a special technique to seal the bags.
Grab your sous vide bag and a container of water a little deeper than the height of the bag. Form your burger patties loosely and carefully slip them into the bag.
Next, slowly dip the bottom of the bag into the water container. The water pressure will gently push the air out of the bag as you lower it almost all the way into the water.
Stop lowering the bag just before the water reaches the top and seal it well. The air will be pressed out, without so much pressure that it compacts the patties.
After cooking them sous vide, rest the patties in their bags so their juices can redistribute before searing them. You'll have tender, juicy burgers that aren't dense in any way.