# PRE-prepared foods? Can they be cooked Sous Vide? **URL:** \ **Category:** Anova Precision® Cooker\ **Created:** [March 18, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/pre-prepared-foods-can-they-be-cooked-sous-vide/13648 "2018-03-18T19:27:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![1ChefMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/1chefman/32/3081_2.png) [@1ChefMan](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/1ChefMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/pre-prepared-foods-can-they-be-cooked-sous-vide/13648/1 "2018-03-18T19:27:52Z")
I just ordered some Country Fried Steaks off QVD. Now, when I say ‘steaks’. that’s what I mean. These are the normal “Chicken Fried Steaks”. They are actually “Chicken Fried “Sirloin Steaks”” which means they are breaded. Can these be done in a Sous Vide or will that make the breading soggy? Has anyone had experience with doing this or have any advice on what/how to do it? Any help would be appreciated. We LOVE our Anova. The meats come out beautifully. We have even spoken to a couple that own a restaurant about looking into doing some of their steaks in this manner… Cook them using Sous Vide, place them in the freezer/fridge and then, when people order them- simply take them out and sear/brown them. We will have to try that ourselves and see how it works. 1ChefMan ---
**Author:** ![Ember](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/ember/32/729_2.png) [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/pre-prepared-foods-can-they-be-cooked-sous-vide/13648/2 "2018-03-18T20:29:27Z")
I’m sure if you thought about it much you;d be able to answer the question yourself. When you’re cooking sous vide you’re cooking in a sealed environment. None of the moisture produced can escape. The breading will absorb moisture, much like a sponge. Being able to get the breading to crisp up post sous vide will take work. ---
**Author:** ![chatnoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@chatnoir](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/chatnoir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/pre-prepared-foods-can-they-be-cooked-sous-vide/13648/3 "2018-03-19T20:13:27Z")
Chefman, I am so glad you asked that question as i have been trying to discover how to best SV cook those cute little dinosaur-shaped frozen chicken nuggets we all enjoy so much. They’re practically the same thing, only made from chicken. Maybe. So far, my SV results have been soggy and disappointing so i would advise against it. Have you tried cooking your QVD Country Fried Steaks in an oven? I am finally coming to the concussion that breaded foods need a cooking method like pan frying, or even better deep frying in oil, so they are nice and crisp and all ready to be smothered in a peppery white gravy to soften the crispness, but just a little if you eat quickly. I think you might be on to something with the SV steaks though. ---
**Author:** ![1ChefMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/1chefman/32/3081_2.png) [@1ChefMan](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/1ChefMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/pre-prepared-foods-can-they-be-cooked-sous-vide/13648/4 "2018-03-19T21:54:42Z")
Frank, Ember has already answered me and the conclusion is that the generated moisture from the Sous Vide cooking will soggy up the breading too much and can’t really be over-ridden by the searing afterwards. II do have some recipes coming with my steaks that have info on air fryer cooking if you’ve got one of those. Let me know if you’d like them. 1ChefMan