6 Genius Sous-Vide Hacks

The Instant Pot might be the most powerful kitchen gadget since the microwave, but for home cooks everywhere, there's one thing that talented little pressure cooker just can't replace: the almighty sous-vide machine.

There's a special place in our heart for a tool that can effortlessly cook steak to a perfect medium rare then turn around and make the smoothest crème brûlée. In fact, an immersion circulator is probably one of the most versatile pieces of kitchen equipment on the market.

New to the world of sous vide? Or perhaps you're looking for a little help mastering your latest holiday score? Follow these six innovative hacks, and you'll be a sous-vide superstar in no time.

Nobody ever said whipping up eggs Benedict was easy, but add an immersion circulator to the mix and achieving perfect, yolk-y gooeyness is painless. Just dump your eggs directly from the carton into an awaiting water bath, no vacuum bag needed. Their shells will protect them from cracking, and the consistent, well-circulated heat will keep them from overcooking. In less than an hour, they'll be done and ready to top your English muffins, creamy risotto or spaghetti carbonara.

If there was ever a more hair-pulling task, it'd be the tricky art of tempering melted chocolate. But, frustrating as it may be, there's just no better way to give your homemade candies the snappy, illustrious and markedly professional shine. Though this method usually involves carefully raising and lowering temperatures at specific intervals, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats has figured out that a sous-vide machine, with its impressively accurate heating controls, is ideal for tackling this tedious task. 

We're all for DIY-ing infused spirits and extracts, but waiting weeks for them to age? Not so much. Thankfully, using your sous vide to warm tasty concoctions at a low, steady heat shortens this painful waiting period to just under a few hours, and the method is gentle enough to infuse all those same complex flavors the lengthy aging process produces. You can also employ this hack when making rich homemade tinctures like red pepper and fresh herb extracts.

Making silky pots de crème or sleek lemon curd presents quite the conundrum: You need to heat your eggs for maximum thickness, but raise the temperature a few degrees too high, and you'll wind up with scrambled yolks. With a sous-vide machine, however, you can kiss curdled custard goodbye. Just seal the ingredients, drop them into the water bath for an hour, then transfer them to a blender for a quick spin. The next thing you know, you're looking at a custard more akin to a creamy ice cream base than a stringy breakfast dish.  

Pickle fiends, it's time to celebrate: Brining your beloved veggies has never been easier. Rather than waiting weeks for your cukes to ferment, a sous-vide machine's steady temperatures can cut the process down to a mere few hours. And if you prefer quick chilled pickles, a half hour in a vacuum-sealed bag with just a fraction of the brine is all you need.

Say sayonara to that college-era, ice-filled bathtub. If you happen to have a Nomiku-brand machine, its minimum temperature can activate the motor without turning on the heating element. Fill a bucket with your favorite Super Bowl beverages, and the machine will churn icy water to chill them right in time for kickoff.