Sous Vide Foods are Making Airplane Meals Great Again

What are Sous Vide Foods?

Sous vide is an innovative cooking method that is quickly gaining traction in the market for both at-home chefs and as a commercial food solution for airlines. Sous vide, translating directly to under vacuum, is a cooking method that involves vacuum sealing food into an airtight bag and then cooking in a specifically heated water bath for an extended period of time. It can be thought of as a low and slow form of cooking. However, the great thing about the sous vide cooking method is that it works to maintain food’s natural flavors and integrity, meaning that little to no preparation work or flavor additions are required beforehand such as tenderizers, seasonings, or marinades.

Sous vide foods can be thought of as prepackaged, vacuum-sealed dishes that come readily prepared so you can cook them whenever you desire, as they have a longer shelf life than traditional prepackaged foods.

But what makes sous vide prepared dishes last for longer periods than traditionally prepared foods? The sous vide method first came about to keep packaged food in a water bath at a certain temperature to help make the pasteurizing and sterilizing of prepackaged foods easier. Ultimately, this method was used to help seal and pasteurize industrially prepared foods to ensure that they had a longer shelf life.

Why Are Sous Vide Foods Being Used by Airlines?

Sous vide prepared dishes are quickly gaining traction in the market for airlines and airplane foods to help enhance their passenger’s food experience. Outlined below are a few of the other benefits associated with sous vide foods and how they’re making airplane meals great again!

Sous vide prepared foods ensure safety

Companies that specialize in sous vide prepared food dishes recognize that shelf life is especially important for their clients. Most dishes need to have an 18-month shelf life to accommodate multiple product cycles. Not only that, but using a vendor such as Cuisine Solutions, whose sous vide foods are also fully pasteurized, adds an additional layer of protection and safety during the food’s transportation.

Sous vide prepared dishes minimize food waste

When it comes to preparing dishes for passengers, there is oftentimes a lot of preparation work that goes into each dish and its unique components. However, how do you know exactly how much food to prep, and what if you prep far too much food? In that scenario, food waste becomes an issue for airlines. However, the great thing about sous vide prepared dishes is that they come fully prepared, meaning that you don’t need to do any prep work and you also don’t need to worry about wasting food, either. Another way that sous vide prepared dishes helps to reduce food waste is again, that they’re fully pasteurized. This means that even if there is any potential breakage in the food’s cold chain of custody, the food is still 100% usable and doesn’t need to be disposed of as other foods typically would.  

Sous vide prepared meals are simple and require little to no preparation

Last, but certainly not least, the sous vide prepared meals are extremely simple and require no preparation work on the airline worker’s part. They come ready to eat and are fully cooked ahead of time. This means that there is also no need to worry about safe cooking temperatures. This also helps to ensure food and meal consistency, thus reducing the number of customer complaints airlines typically receive concerning their offered dishes.

Premium sous vide dishes truly help to deliver a memorable dining experience with consistently cooked, and deliciously tasting foods each and every time, which is why it’s no surprise that sous vide foods are helping to make airplane meals great again!