The German company Steba is well-known for its high-quality cooking appliances, from outdoor grills to egg cookers. At the request of customers, it has now introduced a line of products to meet the growing popularity of sous-vide cooking. Ever heard of it?

Sous-vide is French for “in a vacuum.” It is a modern method, first developed in the 1970s, in which foods are vacuum-sealed in plastic and cooked in a water bath at low temperature for many hours. The meat gets fully cooked without the loss of juiciness or aroma that happens with frying or baking, resulting in exceptionally delicious cuts of beef, pork, fish and more. All the vitamins and nutrients are retained with this method, and you can skip the fat and grease that is an unavoidable byproduct of some other cooking methods.

Vacuum sealer Steba VK-6

The most important part of sous-vide is proper preparation, which consists of sealing the meat (and perhaps some vegetables and spices for additional flavor) in a multilayer film. Steba VK-6 and the cheaper VK-5 variant are perfect for this task, sealing the food hermetically.

Once vacuum-packed, the food can survive in the freezer for anywhere from 6 months up to 2 years. Even in the refrigerator, the film extends lifetime up to 7 weeks.  

Where the Magic Happens

The second step is cooking the meat in a water bath. It is crucial to maintain a constant temperature for the duration of cooking, which is where Steba’s precision cookers come into the picture. The SV-1 PRECISE has a 6 liter volume and accuracy to 1°C, allowing you to prepare a single cut or a meal for the whole family. The high-quality stainless steel body is dishwasher safe. This model is recommended for anyone who want to give sous-vide a try.

The SV-2 is a slightly more expensive version, offering 8 liter capacity and a sleeker design. It has more precise temperature controls in 0.5°C increments. Both models have a built-in timer so that the meat will be perfectly cooked even if you have to stay late at work.  

A Model for the Committed Chef

For experienced cooks, their top model, the SV 200, is a must. With 12.5 liters capacity, it can prepare up to 50 servings at once, and with a precision of 0.1°C, allows even the most demanding chefs set the perfect temperature. The LCD screen is backlit and displays all relevant information at once. Stainless steel construction is a given.

Professional chefs may also want to consider the SV 100, a unique free-standing model which can be attached to any pot. It clips onto the rim, but otherwise functions exactly as the full-body cookers, with 0.1°C temperature accuracy and the capacity to heat up to 30 liters of water! A benefit of its compact size is that it can easily be taken along to catering events or on trips to weekend retreats.