Lotus brand’s The Sous is — almost — a cooking toy for me to play with.
I’ve slow cooked meals with a basic slow cooker. However, I’ve never tried sous vide cooking, a French cooking style with vacuum-sealed bags of meat or fish and sauce in water that maintains the same temperature throughout cooking, maintained by a temperature probe, a thermometer connected to the multi-cooker that communicates with the appliance to raise or lower heat to maintain the cooking water temp.
In this article you’ll learn about the functions of the product, the product dimensions, the pros and cons, and my experience with testing sous vide, saute, and cooking rice functions.
Lotus Professional Series The Sous™ Multi-Function Cooker
What is The Sous from Lotus?
The Sous is a multi-cooker the size of a large slow cooker with a 7-quart stainless steel insert that can be transferred to an oven. The timers work for up to 24 hours.
The appliance can do quite a few things including sautéing, which can upgrade the flavor of slow-cooked stews if done before the slow cooking cycle starts. Generally, if you sauté meet on the stove, you save a pot to clean. You can also make up to 18 cups of white or brown rice with automatic timer settings and shutoff.
What functions did I test?
Making brown rice
I measured the exact amount of dry brown rice needed and added the precise amount of water. It’s always better to get the water right to avoid burning.
I chose the number of cups and the auto timer started. There was a spot of brown rice that was crunchy on the bottom. Next time, I’ll mix in a tablespoon of avocado oil to avoid sticking.
Sauté
I selected the saute function, sprayed the pan with avocado oil, and added cubed beef and vegetables. I mixed all the and turned with a rubber spatula, the same way I would if cooking on a stovetop.
Sous Vide
To cook sous vide, I started by purchasing sous vide cooked beef from Costco to get an idea of what it’s supposed to taste like. I saw the sear on the outside, likely from sautéing before and after cooking.
I marinated steak and salmon overnight (separately) in avocado oil and orange juice squeezed from mandarin oranges. I seared the meat and salmon using the saute function before cleaning the insert. Then I vacuum sealed bags with about 6 ounces of meat or fish with vegetables.
I plugged in the temperature probe and attached it to the side of the machine, placed each bag in the rack, filled the pot with enough water to cover the rack, and started the cooker.
I wish I had seared it again after. I also recommend sticking to the time estimated to avoid overcooking to get the desired tenderness. For me, I need two to three tries to get anything just right.
Pros
- Great for dinner parties and holiday meals. Because The Sous does so much, you can use it to cook one course while freeing up stovetops and ovens for other tasks.
- Sous vide cooking is impressive. Especially if sauteing first, you’ll end up with meat or salmon that is both tender and has a flavorful, outer crust.
- One pot options. Slow cookers generally just have one main function. You can saute meats and veggies with this appliance before slow cooking. As you can tell, I’m very fond of the saute function.
Cons
- You also need to buy a vacuum sealer. To make sous vide recipes, you should use a vacuum sealer to seal in flavor and the meat. You can also use heat resistant plastic bags.
- It needs a lot of counter space. Buy a smaller appliance if you won’t use all functions.
- It’s pricey. Don’t buy this item if all you want is a rice cooker or slow cooker. Either function can be accomplished for less than a $100.
Specifications
- Price: $699.99 on Williams Sonoma.
- Dimensions: 14 1/2" wide x 17" deep x 11" high.
- Cooking modes: Manual, Meal Timer, Program, Rice, Sauté/Sear, and Sous Vide.
- Cooking capacity: Up to 18 cups of rice, 7 quarts.
- Cooking capacity: Up to 18 cups of rice, 7 quarts.
Who is this product for
- Someone who spends a bit more on an appliance and wants a top of the line option that’s pricey but not too pricey.
- A sous vide aficionado.
- Someone who love slow cooking but wants to take it to the next level.
Who shouldn’t buy this product
- You shouldn’t buy this product if you only want a slow cooker or rice cooker.
- You don’t see using more than one feature.
- You don’t have the counter or kitchen cart space. Every new appliance requires space planning.
In My Expert Opinion
I received this product from Hamilton Beach to review. I’ve covered health and nutrition for twenty years and have been the family chef since I was fifteen. I don’t like a lot of clutter, so I want to make sure an appliance pulls it’s weight based on the space it takes up in my kitchen.
The main problem is the need for a vacuum sealer for sous vide cooking. The good news is buying one can save you cash because you can bulk buy meat and freeze it in vacuum sealed bags. A vacuum sealer is also great for extending refrigerator shelf life of cheese. You can reseal it anytime. I happened to have one around that I finally used for this review.
The second problem is counter space. It takes up a lot. Fortunately for me, I won’t use it everyday, and it’s small enough to store on a closet shelf.
Lotus Professional Series The Sous™ Multi-Function Cooker
Daily Life with Lotus Brand’s The Sous
Overall, it’s super easy to use and adds a versatile tool to your kitchen. I would recommend taking a tally of the functions you’ll use before purchase, both for daily use or an occasional dinner. Don’t buy it as a substitute for a rice cooker or slow cooker. It can do so much more. As far as what I’ll use it for, I’ll likely use it for dinner parties, an occasional sous vide, and cooking brown rice.
Using three functions is enough to justify the appliance for me, but I’m also looking forward to seeing how sautéing before and after cooking sous vide-style adds flavor.
