I’ve [del]needed[/del] wanted a sous vide machine for several years now, but could never quite justify the expense or counter space. Because of Mrs. Devil’s condition and related dietary restrictions, we really do have a [del]need[/del] excuse for one.
The immersion blender-style ones win on both counter space requirements and price. There are a few models, but don’t know what to look for in a unit. I’m also unsure what features are helpful or which are bells and whistles. Although one thing I do know is that since we both work at home, there is absolutely no need for wireless connectivity of any kind. No cell-connection, no Bluetooth, no WiFi; not worth a penny to us. Also, we already have a vacuum sealer.
Can the immersion style handle a large stock pot filled with meat? Or are we limited to small dinners for two? Is the tech mature enough that it will handle a lot of use and conditions? What do I need to know before Prime Day is upon us?
I don’t have any answers for you, but I’m curious about immersion sous vide units so I’ll be watching this thread
I currently do sous vide cooking using a sous vide controller (Dorkfood DSV, $99) paired with either a rice cooker or countertop turkey roaster. It works great, but the all-in-one controller + heater sure looks more convenient.
I started with a Dorkfood controller for sous vide. It worked fine, but having to take out multiple devices (heating appliance + dork food) plus all the wire entanglements led me to buy an Anova stick-like device for sous vide. It is much handier in my small kitchen, and yay! no wire entanglements. It’s not cheap, but I like it. It also agitates the water so I think the temperature is more even than what I could get with the dork food controller. I got the anova WiFi one, but certainly don’t need or use the wifi feature. Maybe in the winter I’ll try to start dinner before coming home from work, but so far, I’ve been manual all the way and it is fine.
I use it in a stock pot and it works perfectly. I’m tempted to try using it in a sink, but have not yet had reason to cook something that large or in huge quantities. I think it would work fine since the device simply has to maintain temperature and the temp is not all that hot.
Happy owner and user of an Anova. In the end, the size of the meal you can make is dependent on the size of the container your sous vide can heat to, and keep, a certain temperature. Insulation is key, so it can handle a decent size cooler, but not the same size zinc tub. A large stockpot is no problem.
You also need a vacuum sealer, as doing this with Ziploc bags is a pain. When you make the bag, fold over the top 3 inches before filling it, then flip back. This makes for much better seals.
Perfect Sous vide meal: Duck breast, sous vide, finished for 2 minutes in a smoking hot skillet.
I have the Anova one as well. it has bluetooth but I don’t use it. It’s great for cooking meats, but worthless for hard-cooked eggs (no matter what anyone says.)
Unlike with many other kitchen appliances, there’s no real “better” or “worse” outcomes when it comes to sous vide based on device. Either a device can hold a bath at temperature (plus or minus say, half a degree) or it can’t (and all of them can). Devices can vary on how quickly they heat the bath and how much water they can maintain at temp but you’re limited to 1800W coming out of a wall socket anyway so most are in the 900 - 1200W range where there’s no practical difference. Unless you’re the type who enjoys the preset buttons on microwaves, the connectivity features are likely to be useless as well. The only other factors of note are noise and reliability but none of the devices really stand out in any significant way on that front. Thus, my advice is to go with the cheapest unit you can find which appears to be the Anova right now.
Even though I have a vacuum sealer, I find myself using ziploc brand freezer bags just as often. Ziplocs are cheaper, faster, much easier to bag liquids and allow you to open the bag halfway through cooking to either check on the cooking or vent gas (which you need to do with vegetables you’re cooking above 85C).
I don’t know if this would fly in your house but I keep my Anova in the bathroom with a cambro container. The noise is not a distraction during long cooks, I don’t have to give up precious counter space and using the bathtub tap to fill the container makes it go much faster. If I had a laundry room in the house, I’d consider putting it in there as well. Just because it’s a kitchen appliance doesn’t mean it needs to live in the kitchen.
I agree with Shalmense I don’t think you really need a vacuum sealer. I generally use zip lock bags will a little oil around the thing I am cooking. Then you lower the food into the water bath. This displaces any air in the bag.
I have the Anova. The bluetooth app is not really useful since there is basically only one control. The temperature setting.
I have an Anova as well. It’s great- it clamps to the side of the pot or cooler, heats fairly quickly, and keeps an extremely consistent temp, with circulation.
The bluetooth stuff is kind of cool because you can pick a recipe using their app, and it’ll regulate the time and temp for you (turn it off) based on the recipe. But yeah, there’s a temp wheel and a “go” button, so there’s only so much it can really do.
There’s a lot of info and recipes on Serious Eats; we tried the sous vide sausage the oterh day- we were pleasantly surprised! Not mealy/gritty, and very juicy. Carrots cooked sous vide are a real eye-opener as well, if you like carrots.
We already had a vacuum sealer years before the Anova, so we just use it, but I’ve tried the dip-in-water trick and it works pretty well.