Sous Vide Tools claims industry first with compostable vacuum pouches

Sous vide cooking (and the vacuum packing of ingredients more generally for better organisation and shelf life) in single-use plastic pouches has made life much easier for chefs but has come at a significant environmental cost.

The Sustainapouch can be disposed of in the same way as food, either into the food waste stream or into a compost bin.

Made from rice, potatoes, corn, and a ‘fossil fuel copolymer’ the pouches can also be steam cooked, microwaved, or boiled in a pan.

The pouches take up to six months to disintegrate. At 80mu (microns) the food safe, compostable pouches are considerably thicker than a standard alternative and have been designed to withstand the temperatures of sous vide cooking.

This means that they will function in temperatures of up to 85°c for 12 hours, unlike normal pouches which would swell and delaminate in such conditions.

There are five different sizes of bag in the range – 150mm x 250mm, 200mm x 300mm, 250mm x 250mm, 300mm x 300mm and 300mm x 400mm.

Available in packs of 200, prices start at £39.99, making Sustainapouch approximately four times more expensive than plastic pouches.