A Pro Chef’s Guide to Air Frying and Sous Vide Cooking

Chef Anna Olson dishes on creative cooking with the new LG ProBake Convection® Slide-In Range with Air Sous Vide.

Photo: LG Electronics Canada

For those who love to get creative in the kitchen or want to make healthy, gourmet-style meals at home, there’s a new innovation in town: the LG ProBake Convection® Slide-In Range with Air Sous Vide.

Thanks to several types of cooking technology wrapped up in one neat package, at-home chefs can now make no-fuss meals that taste like they’ve been prepared by a pro.

Food Network personality, chef and cookbook author, Anna Olson, answers our questions about the Air Sous Vide and AirFry settings on LG’s new slide-in range.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

What is sous vide cooking?

Traditional sous vide cooking involves putting ingredients in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooking them slowly in a water bath. “The big difference between the LG Air Sous Vide setting and conventional sous vide cooking methods is that no water bath is required,” notes Olson.

What are the benefits of LG’s Air Sous Vide setting?

It allows you to finely tune your temperature to slowly cook delicate foods. “It’s virtually impossible to overcook anything,” says Olson, which makes it great for beef, salmon, cod, shrimp, scallops and eggs. “The vacuum seal keeps the moisture and flavour contained” so your meal smells and tastes better and you’ll also have “less need for added salt or fat when seasoning.”

Image: Shutterstock

Do you have a favourite recipe?

For a healthy treat, Olson loves her Herbed Goat Cheese Egg Cups. “They’re cooked in little mason jars and are amazingly fluffy and light, almost soufflé-like,” she says. “I also like that they can be reheated using Air Sous Vide. Because of the fine temperature control, you can’t overcook them—they simply reheat to their ideal serving temperature.”

What’s your top tip for sous vide cooking?

“Keep your cooking times to under four hours for food safety,” she recommends. “If cooking something like chicken, it’s best to cut it into smaller pieces (as opposed to a full chicken or whole breasts) to cook fully in a reasonable time.”

Image: Shutterstock

You can also air fry with the new range. What’s the big draw?

Air frying has become one of the trendiest new ways to cook food at home—for a reason. “We all crave crunchy foods at one time or another,” says Olson. “Using the LG AirFry setting allows you to prepare foods that you would normally deep fry. The AirFry technology circulates hot air at high speeds, adding the perfect crispiness to foods without adding extra oil.” (Translation: It’s a way healthier way to get your crispy-food fix!)

What are your favourite recipes that use the LG AirFry setting?

“Anything breaded cooks well, such as Baked Chicken Katsu,” says Olson. “But don’t let that limit you. I love using the AirFry setting for pizza and my Whole-Grain Pizza Crust is super-crispy and light-tasting.”

What’s your number one tip for air frying?

“When air frying anything breaded, use the LG AirFry perforated rack or a cooling rack to set your items on,” she says. “It allows the hot air to fully circulate around the food, ensuring the top and bottom are evenly crisp.”