Next kitchen appliance trend to be 'miraculous' sous vide machines

The next popular kitchen appliance is likely to be one influenced by modern chefs such as Heston Blumenthal.

According to Christopher Hirst, writing in the Independent, the latest must-have gadget for a kitchen is a sous vide machine to help recreate a fine dining kitchen in homes.

Sous vide is a French phrase meaning "under pressure", the cooking style involves vacuum-sealing food inside a plastic bag and then placing it in a hot water bath.

Mr Hirst explains that the style of cooking takes time, but is worth the wait as it produces "tender and tasty" food.

"Sous vide is the polar opposite of Jamie's 30-minute meals," he writes. "Forty-eight hours at 57C is recommended for brisket, belly pork takes 12 hours at 82C, while a boiled egg achieves perfection in a mere 60 minutes at 62.5C"

The writer says one of the first countertop water bath systems is the SousVide Supreme, which is about the same size as a microwave and costs around £350.