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Sous-vide is a modern (c. 1970) French method of cooking (used for the Troisgros) that became very popular in high-profile restaurants. It consists of long-cooking at precisely-defined (fairly low) temperatures of vacuum-sealed food immersed into water. After months of increasing interest, we first tried (to our knowledge) the method on 22 January (2020) (salmon, at 52°C for 50 minutes). It can be regarded as a Science-optimized way of cooking (no overcooking, maximizing flavours by sealing them) at the expense of the artistic, creative, humane way of cooking based on intuition, experience, tricks and flair. The latter is of course preferable, but it is only more obvious that such qualities are exponentially remote in the tails of people's cooking capacities. Actually, one limitation of this thermal equilibrium perfect technique is that it keeps the food always below extreme points, which are sometimes necessary for browning food (Maillard reaction). In this case, one typically sears sous-vide food in a pan, to add a humane touch to a thermodynamic process. It also brings concerns of food safety regarding bacterias not being killed (possibly being even grown) at too low temperatures and the endocrine disruptors released by cooking plastic.
One of the best result of sous-vide is the cordero or lechal. Cooking 22h at 65°C, with herbs and oil, or salting the meat after seizing it under the grill. Once cooked, recover the juice and add two good portions of water and red wine, and reduce to make a thick sauce, possibly with onions.
During this time, the cordero itself is put in the oven, with the skin up, 5min at 180°C and then under the grill at full power for 5-10 minutes.
That's the only way we find to justify the price of this meat, that cooked normally tastes like lower-range products. The sous-vide gives it a peculiar flavour which is the one, we surmise, cooks can capture whatever the ustensils at their disposal.