Short Course: Sous-vide cooking and precise temperature control

Welcome coffee & breakfast
A warm welcome to kick off the course. Time to meet fellow participants and enjoy a relaxed breakfast before diving in.

Morning: laying the groundwork
Participants receive their course materials and meet the instructors. The session begins with a clear, science-based introduction to sous-vide cooking:

• What it is, why it matters, and how it’s used in professional kitchens.

• A spotlight on Bruno Goussault, the father of sous-vide.

• Key benefits of the method, including consistency, food safety, and efficiency.

• The golden rules of sous-vide cooking and an explanation of the Maillard reaction, essential for searing and flavor development.

Break

Late morning: from theory to practice

• Hands-on session: searing techniques for short- and long-time cooking.

• Cooling techniques and the importance of temperature control.

• Scientific insights into muscle structure, functional properties of meat, and the difference between HL (high-loss), LL (low-loss), and SS (slow-structure) cooking techniques.

Lunch break

Afternoon: equipment, execution & first applications

• Introduction to key equipment: vacuum sealers, water baths, temperature probes.

• How to match machine settings and programs with different protein types.

• Practical setup: vacuum packing meat, probe usage, launching the cooking process, and maintaining traceability with follow-up sheets.

• A foie gras cooking demonstration showcasing finesse and technique.

Conclusion & debrief
Wrap-up of the day’s learnings, open discussion, and shared reflections.

Evening: dinner at EHL restaurant
An opportunity to relax, connect, and continue the conversation in a refined setting.

Welcome coffee & breakfast

Morning: from egg to ocean

• Recap of Day 1 and open Q&A.

• Focus on eggs: cooking temperatures, oxygen’s effect, and achieving ideal texture.

• Transition to fish: structure and functional properties, seasoning methods, and brining.

• Visual breakdown of cooking techniques via flipchart discussion.

• Hands-on: prepare and season fish, and create "perfect" eggs and playful textures.

Lunch break

Early afternoon: tasting & technique

• Guided tasting of beef, chicken, duck, and lamb cooked on Day 1 — evaluating texture, flavor, and doneness.

• Break

Afternoon: precision with fish

• Fish vacuum-sealed and launched into cooking.

• Traceability through follow-up sheets.

• Cooling techniques applied.

• Vegetable prep begins for Day 3.

Conclusion & debrief
Shared learning and open exchange.

Evening: dinner at EHL restaurant

Welcome coffee & breakfast

Morning: plant-based precision

• Recap of Day 2 and open Q&A.

• Deep dive into vegetables: structure, temperature, starch hydrolysis, functional properties, and seasoning.

• Bagging, launching cooking, and cooling.

• Tasting of fish (salmon, cod, trout).

• Demonstration: compression technique with spinach.

Lunch break

Afternoon: from science to service

• Group work: teams begin planning their final dishes for Day 4 using the cooked proteins and vegetables.

• Food safety: HACCP principles, microbiology, plastics, and approved materials in sous-vide.

• Final debrief of the day.

Evening: dinner at EHL restaurant

Welcome coffee & breakfast

Morning: applying what you've learned

• Recap and final Q&A session.

• Techniques to reheat sous-vide cooked foods properly and safely.

• Practical workshop: groups prepare and plate two full dishes (1 meat + vegetables, 1 fish + vegetables) using all previous preparations.

Tasting & celebration

• Group tasting and feedback on the final plated dishes.

• Certificates of completion awarded to each participant.

• Each participant will also receive an embroidered apron with their name and a copy of the upcoming reference book about sous-vide cooking (to be published shortly).