You Absolutely Can (And Should) Sous Vide Frozen Steak

Although the fresh vs. frozen debate is exhausted, some people still cling to their fresh steaks, and we can't blame them. Cooking fresh meat eliminates the risk of that weird freezer taste and is generally juicier than its frozen counterpart. With sous vide, however, the results are virtually the same. In fact, some people prefer to sous vide a frozen steak.

Just like with other cooking methods, you may pull your steak — any cut will do — out from the freezer hours before cooking it. If you don't have time to thaw it, you can sous vide it straightaway. The sous vide method will result in a steak that's just as juicy and flavorful as if it were fresh. Plus, using frozen steak will help to counter any food safety concerns. With the controlled heat of the water, the internal temperature of the steak will rise steadily until it's perfectly cooked.

A typical steak, measuring between 1 and 2 inches thick, should be cooked at between 135 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit for a medium finish and will reach that doneness after about an hour. But to make up for the lack of defrosting, you'll need to increase the cooking time for the steak. When cooking sous vide with food straight from the freezer, it's a good rule of thumb to add at least an additional 30 to 45 minutes to the cooking time.

If you're taking the frozen steak out from its package and vacuum sealing it in another, you can flavor it as you normally would, adding a marinade or compound butter to the steak before placing it in a water bath. For steak that you're cooking straight from the freezer, however, you may want to do things a little differently.

Depending on how long the steak is hanging around in the freezer, a marinade could impact the quality of the meat. One that's made with an excessive amount of salt could end up brining the meat, making it softer than you may have intended it to be. While this is typically not a negative side effect, using a zesty marinade could have the opposite result. When steak is left to stew in something acidic for too long, it'll end up being overly tough.

Instead, stick to dry ingredients, like in this sous-vide rib-eye steak recipe. It relies on thyme, garlic, lemon zest, and rosemary to boost the flavor of the steak without altering the texture. Once it's cooked, you can always sear it in the pan with some compound butter and add a velvety steak sauce or glaze for flavor.