A few years ago, a friend introduced me to the sous vide cooking method. I recommend it to my clients as a way to batch-cook almost anything. Meat, poultry, and fish all maintain their flavor and juices that would otherwise be lost or dried out using other methods. No cooking oil needed.

Personally, I find it most helpful when preparing meals for the week. I can cook several pounds of chicken with about 10 minutes of prep, then come back in an hour and a half to two hours and everything is cooked and ready to go. I use it for fish and even steaks. You’ve never had a steak until you’ve had one prepared in a sous vide! Some people like to sear their food in a pan or on a grill after sous vide, but that’s optional.

If you’re ever wondering what temperature to cook something at, some sous vides come with apps that will tell you, or you can simply Google it. So if you like your steak more well-done than medium-rare, you can easily find the correct temperature and cook time.

Here’s a great example of how to cook chicken in one. The seasoning is optional.