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In the past few years, sous vide cooking—already ubiquitous in fine-dining restaurants—has gained a foothold in home kitchens as well. That’s thanks to newly affordable equipment and cameos on TV shows like <a href="http://www.eater.com/2011/11/14/6637025/heres-a-thoroughly-annotated-slideshow-of-the-simpsons-food-episode#4273404">The Simpsons</a> and Adventure Time, along with the publication of groundbreaking works such as the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982761007/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0982761007&linkCode=as2&tag=delvkitc-20&linkId=4GG25TCSKKS5LEPH">Modernist Cuisine series</a> and Thomas Keller’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1579653510/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1579653510&linkCode=as2&tag=delvkitc-20&linkId=5WB6MOYGDI6DEI7Y">Under Pressure</a>.But despite the technique’s rocketing popularity, it’s still plagued by many a misconception. Below, we debunk five common myths surrounding sous vide. Ready to get started? Buy <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/joule?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand_Search&gclid=CjwKCAjws6jVBRBZEiwAkIfZ2pQ-Zsm6S5g2Ji0xYCSFdGEmHakxVdtcvtwyR96xuIlnwS2F2dlZRhoCZ7sQAvD_BwE">Joule</a>, the smallest, most powerful sous vide tool on the market today. Oh, and you’ll find plenty of easy recipes, tips, and techniques in our free class, <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/sous-vide-getting-started">Cooking Sous Vide: Getting Started</a>.Before we get into some of the more common untruths surrounding sous vide, let’s clear something up: sous vide does not mean boiling food in a bag. Common boil-in-a-bag foods, like packaged rice and ready-made Indian dishes, involve bringing water to a boil and then placing the vacuum-packed food in the water to heat it. With sous vide, however, the point is to cook food gently, well below the boiling point. We’re heating water precisely to a temperature that matches the food’s ideal internal temperature—never any hotter, and certainly never to boiling! The idea that sous vide means boiling food in a bag is a persistent misconception and source of confusion, but—tell your friends and neighbors—it’s just not true.