As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Been thinking about the difference between sous vide and just using a regular water bath on the stovetop for things like poaching eggs or making custards. It seems like sous vide's precise temperature control is the big selling point, leading to more consistent results, especially when you're cooking something for a long time.
However, is that precise control always necessary, or is it more about convenience and repeatability? Such as, I've poached eggs pretty successfully in just simmering water with a thermometer, adjusting the heat as needed. It takes a little more attention,but the outcome is usually good. Is the difference truly significant enough to justify the investment in sous vide equipment for those types of simpler tasks, or is it overkill?
I'm curious to hear other people's experiences. When do you find sous vide indispensable compared to a regular water bath approach, and are there dishes where you find the difference to be negligible? Are there specific examples where using a stove-top water bath has given near-sous vide results, or conversely, where sous vide really shined compared to other methods?