The late food journalist Henri Gault once said of the method: “Sous vide cooking is to the kitchen what cinema is to the theater.” Sous vide is a cooking technique that allows you to cook food at a precise temperature to achieve a consistent result that maximizes the taste, texture, and aroma of food. Cooking sous vide involves sealing the food in a plastic pouch, essentially creating a “second skin,” and immersing the food in a water bath set for a series of precise temperatures and times. The technique was first widely utilized for industrial food production, and over the past several decades, professional chefs in nearly all of the best restaurants across the Americas and Europe have used the technique to maximize the flavor and texture of food—to serve the absolute-best steak, fruit, grain, vegetable, or oil (the applications for sous vide are infinitely ripe for experimentation!) to patrons. Today, sous vide is increasing in popularity, and with the advent of low-cost circulators, home cooks are starting to explore the possibilities of the method.