Commercial Sous Vides

Cooking with Commercial Sous Vides is a little different to cooking something in a pot on the stove or in the oven. Instead, they keep the contents inside vacuum sealed and protected. The vacuum sealing prevents moisture loss, meaning you’ll not only avoid anything getting dried out during the long cooking process, but you’ll also get far more tender results. This process allows the rich flavours from marinades, herbs or natural juices to infuse deeply into the food as it cooks.

The water bath around the pouch holds your food at the set temperature to an incredibly consistent degree, resulting in reliable textures and flavour profiles plate after plate. This level of control is particularly valuable in restaurants aiming to minimise variability between chefs, different restaurant locations utilising the same recipe, or across multiple services.

Choosing the right size commercial Sous Vides will largely come down to what your menu is like, and how large your hospitality venue is. Consider your portions, how much of your menu will require the slow cooking capabilities of a Commercial Sous Vide, and how many portions you serve per shift. If you’re making your meals fresh everyday, you may want a larger capacity. For establishments with ample refrigeration that can store extra, you might find an intermediate size perfectly fine.

If you’re running a catering business, a hotel, or have a restaurant with a large capacity, having a Commercial Sous Vide on the higher end of the size spectrum will likely be best. Equally, if you’re adjusting your menu, or are expanding your establishment, opting for the maximum capacity you can handle will help ensure you don’t run short of any menu favourites amongst your customers. The key is choosing a system that accommodates peak-time batch loads without compromising water movement or heat stability. If you’re unsure, or need a personal recommendation, please contact the team at REO and we can help you find the right size.

Immersion circulators are a highly versatile option and many of them can be paired with heat-resistant containers, making them ideal for kitchens that value flexibility or want to scale capacity up or down. They operate by circulating heated water efficiently, meaning your chefs can adjust the tank size according to the volume of liquid required. If space is at a premium and you want something smaller that can achieve similar results, an immersion circulator is a great option.

In contrast, water-bath units like Commercial Sous Vides, combine a built-in heater, circulator and insulated tank in one appliance - reducing the need for extra appliances like immersion circulators as they do everything in one. They offer excellent thermal stability, fast recovery times and consistent results, even with long cook cycles and many will come with a low water alarm to let you know if you need to top the water up. If you’re looking for something consistent and a bit lower maintenance, Commercial Sous Vides are the top choice between the two.

Sous vides are designed for long, slow cooking, many of them are capable of running anywhere up to 99 hours. In order to do this, they have features like integrated sensors, thermostats and constant water circulation to maintain accuracy throughout extended cook times. You’ll also find low water alarms which let you know if you’re running out of water in the bath.

The water temperature is continuously monitored and adjusted in real time, all with the simple setup of pressing a few buttons. This means you’ll always have an even temperature without fluctuation, even during long cooking sessions. The circulation of the hot water prevents pockets from forming due to temperature irregularities, allowing every part of the pouch inside to receive uniform heat exposure.

When you’re cooking with a commercial Sous Vides, for the best results, you’ll need vacuum sealed bags to lock in the moisture. A reliable vacuum sealer is an essential investment in order to keep your ingredients protected, while also preventing leaks. It also helps to ensure the pouch remains fully submerged during cooking.

Generally, commercial kitchens typically use vacuum sealers and bags to achieve strong, consistent seals that can handle liquids, marinades and delicate ingredients without mess. Choosing high quality bags is important when cooking in a Commercial Sous Vide as they’ll need to be able to withstand the extended cooking times.

Food cooked in a Commercial Sous Vide can be safely stored by rapidly chilling it in something like a blast chiller to reduce the time spent in the temperature danger zone. After you’ve removed the pouch from the Commercial Sous Vides, transferred it to your blast chiller, and decanted it, you can then safely store it in the fridge, or put large portions into a freezer if that works for the nature of what you’ve prepared. We recommend keeping an eye on your portions and labelling them clearly, with a first-in-first-out policy and dating everything in the freezer to properly adhere to HACCP guidelines.