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When it comes to using hot water for cooking, sous vide is an excellent cooking method. This cooking style involves a plastic bag, a way to remove air from the bag, and a dream. In this sous vide review, we are featuring devices that come with extra tools.
Sous vide devices can come in various ways but still have that good old-fashioned water bath cooking method. Let’s dig into the top four sous vide cooking devices and their bonus features.
The Best Sous Vide Devices and Their Bonus Accessories
Wancle Thermal Immersion Circulator w/ Recipe E-Cookbook
- Michelin restaurant level quality, cook everything from Beef, Chicken, Pork, Seafood, Egg, Pasta, Chocolate, Baking, Salad, Dessert, Breakfast, Cocktail to Vegetarian.
- Digital control panel makes the temperature accurate to 0.1°C and time to minutes. Wide range of temperature (25-99.9°C)(77°F-211.8°F) and timecontrol (Max 99h 59mins)
- Unlike other immersion circulators, those with WIFI and Bluetooth feature are thought as over-complicated and increase your cost. focus on the core functionality of the sous vide cooker itself.
When it comes to being a home cook, Wancle provides an excellent starting point. The bonus tool you get with a Wancle Sous Vide Immersion Circulator is the e-Cookbook.
The e-Cookbook is detailed, full of information perfect for a beginner chef. These are suited for use with Wancle’s device, but you can apply the knowledge here to any other cooker.
Wancle’s sous vide cooking device requires no additional application to set the temperature. That way, you can focus on enjoying the device. That means less time trying to sync it up with your network.
While it doesn’t reach your desired water temperature quickly, 850 watts is nothing to joke about. As a result, this is an excellent sous vide cooker for your needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Simple onscreen controls. | It takes more than 15 minutes to heat water. |
| It comes with detailed e-cookbook. | Bulky design. |
| Enables you to cook foods without any unnecessary features. | |
| Best Home Sous Vide Devices Reviews |
Yedi Infinity Sous Vide w/ Deluxe Accessory Kit
- Heats and circulates water at an exact temperature. Range of 77-203 degrees Fahrenheit, Up to 99Hours 59Minutes of cook time. Sous Vide height 14.5 inches and width 2.6 inches.
- The Yedi “Infinity’s” patented octagonal shape creates a more even and accurate water and heat flow distribution than other sous vide devices on the market.
- Included is 1 hand pump, 20 Reusable BPA Free Vacuum Sealed Bags, 4 sous vide container clips, 2 sous vide vacuum bag sealing clips, Recipe Book and Cheat Sheets.
The Yedi Infinity Sous Vide is called that because it boasts an astounding 99 hours and 59 minutes of cooking time. However, any attempt to sous vide that along will likely open a dimensional portal to mush. Thankfully, you can cook it for a shorter than this period as well.
Yedi offers a 1000 watt device that speaks of a range between 77 to 203 degrees Fahrenheit. The time and temperature allowance make this a very robust machine. It also comes with 20 BPA-free plastic bags, multiple clips, and a recipe book.
The biggest beef you might have with this is that it only comes in pillar size. That means it’s too big for some smaller pots, which isn’t a problem for bigger families.
The deluxe accessory kit also comes with a hand pump, which is unnecessary when you discover that these don’t need to have a vacuum sealing machine. Still, if you want to do it the way professionals do, all of these accessories are amazing.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It comes with numerous accessories, including bags, pumps, and recipe books. | It takes time to heat water. |
| A powerful device that can heat the water in around ten minutes. | The size is a bit bigger than some compact models. |
| It’s excellent for large families needing a powerful device. | |
| Best Home Sous Vide Devices Reviews |
Saki Sous Vide 1100 Watt Stainless Steel Immersion Circulator
- With 1100 Watts SAKI Sous Vide Cooker promises the pro level cooking experience at home. Unlike other immersion circulators our product provides the highest motor torque to provide highest precision on your meals.
- With an accurate timer, precise temperature sensor, stainless steel pump, flow direction control, and a fully-adjustable clamp, Saki is the supreme kitchen appliance that uses smart, remotely-controlled to upgrade your “cook healthy” experience!
- 🥩 DARING RED TO ADD A SPLASH OF COLOR! Passionate about cooking? Then RED is your color. A smashing addition to any contemporary kitchen decor. A stunning gift for any massive foodie in your life, on any occasion.
The Saki Sous Vide Immersion Cooker is a powerful cooking device with a splash of red. Or reaching a precise temperature quickly. Most cannot beat it. It also has a digital display for easy reading of temperature settings.
Saki also boasts an application that enables you to track the cooking time and temperature of your device. The application has some annoying features that ask you pointless questions. It doesn’t always agree with your Android devices.
Regardless, Saki does know how to create a high-quality stainless steel device. Among immersion circulators, this one is probably one of the most high-quality construction options. It also has a pretty reasonable price.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great power for getting to your target temperature quickly. | Application has known issues for Android users. |
| It fits into most size water baths. | The app has unnecessary features. |
| Has an application for easy tracking. | |
| Best Home Sous Vide Devices Reviews |
Anova Precision Cooker Nano w/ Anova App
- Never over or undercook your food again. The Anova Precision Cooker Nano sous vide (pronounced “sue-veed”) circulates water at the exact temperature required for perfectly cooked meals, no matter whats on your menu.
- Sous vide cooking s the perfect level of doneness for nearly any food of your choosing. Chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, beef, lamb, pork and more are all ideal candidates for sous vide circulation.
- At almost 2 inches smaller than the original Anova Precision Cooker, Nano is small enough to fit into your kitchen drawer for quick and easy storage, but powerful enough to prepare food for a table of four.
The Anova Precision Cooker has been featured on our other Sous Vide lists. What puts it on the bottom of the general home cooking list is mainly the size and power. At 750 watts, it’s the weakest device on this list, taking well over 15 minutes to heat up.
Regardless, the nano is the easiest on this list to fit into your kitchen drawer. While it doesn’t come with a vacuum sealer or other extra devices, it still creates perfectly cooked food every time.
The Anova App enables you to masters this cooking method. You could argue that Anova’s popularity catalyzes sous vide as one of the returning old-fashioned cooking techniques.
For home cooks who liked the guidance and effectiveness of a Bluetooth-powered sous vide device, Anova has you covered.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to fit inside of small spaces. | The 750-watt power doesn’t heat your water bath fast. |
| It has a powerful phone application. | It is smaller, making it harder to fit into large pots. |
| Great for sous vide cooking for all families. | |
| Best Home Sous Vide Devices Reviews |
What Should I Look for in a Good Sous Vide Immersion Cooker?
What is a Good Cooking Temperature Range for Sous Vide?
A good temperature range for sous vide depends on how you plan on using it. The internal temperature of your items should be anywhere from 120 (in the case of vegetables) to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The higher temperatures are left to meats like steak or chicken breasts, with less time coming from higher temperatures. From our earlier section, you could say that a suitable cooking temperature is 100 to 200 F.
What is the Clamp Used For?
The clamp of your sous vide machine is for connecting to the side of your chosen pot. The best kind of clamps is adjustable, enabling you to work with multiple heights.
Adjustable clamps create more flexibility for sous vide machines, resulting in them being used in multiple pot sizes.
Bluetooth and WiFi – Why Do I Need Them?
Both Bluetooth and WiFi enable your sous vide machine to connect to a smartphone application. Using these applications, you can set temperatures and cooking times for your devices.
Bluetooth is more common, and you will find that those are part of the Saki and Anova devices. Bluetooth takes up less energy and space, enabling most cost-cutting measures.
That being said, having a sous vide machine with WiFi connectivity feels needless. It enables longer-distance communication but also takes more energy.
If you plan on moving far enough away from your kitchen while it cooks, WiFi might be better.
What’s a Good Container Size for Sous Vide Cooking?
Sous vide cooking will tell you about its cooking capacity based on two measurements: Inches of water or gallons/quarts of water. Regardless of what cooking vessels you prefer, it’s essential to know your sous vide cookers’ minimum and maximum allowance.
You’ll find that most of the sous vide cookers on this list don’t go above three of four gallons of water. Some can go as high as five, but that’s mostly needless unless you cook for an army.
Anova Culinary makes an excellent container that works with most sous vide devices. Check out the ANTC01 for more information.
Do You Need A Sous Vide Rack?
A sous vide rack is built into most containers made for sous vide. You’ll also find them to be in some accessory kits. You don’t technically need it, but it is suitable for keeping your plastic bag out of the water.
If there is a hole in your plastic bag or it sinks into the water, it does have a higher chance of opening. In this case, you’ll lose any potential flavor buildup from the bag, as it will be submerged in water.
Watered-down steak is never a pleasant experience. So make sure you either have quality bags or a solid rack. Either will work. Everie makes a good rack (otherwise known as a divider).
Do You Need A Sous Vide Lid?
A sous vide lid is excellent for containing the contents of your sous vide. This enables the water and heat to be held and reduces the chance of your water boiling away. Like most accessories with this cooking method, you don’t need it, but it does have some benefits.
Sous vide lids also happen to be suited to containing the sous vide cooker. For example, the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Lid will prevent your cooker from falling into the pot.
However, it is unlikely to have your cooker fall in a pot, as it should be held firmly by a clamp.
What is Gallons Per Minute (GPM)?
GPM measures the number of gallons of water that your sous vide machine can boil in a minute. The higher this number is, the faster your water bath heats the water.
Sometimes you’ll find that immersion cookers prefer to stick with wattage, as that determines the power level. Typically, the higher your wattage is, the faster your water will boil.
Both options are relatively reasonable measures for how fast you can get through the sous vide cooking process. However, they don’t much matter unless you want sous vide on a time crunch or need a sous vide with a high maximum temperature.
What Makes A Sous Vide Cooker Different From A Slow Cooker?
Astute observers will find that the general temperature levels of immersion cookers resemble slow cookers. So, what makes your Instant Pot Accu Slim different from an immersion cooker?
The answer is circulation. Circulation is the movement of water throughout the sous vide process. This movement is said to provide an even water temperature, resulting in complete cooking.
This is why you won’t find a slow-cooking pot on the top list of sous vide cookers. Technically, slow cookers do not count.
Best Immersion Cooker Brands
We reviewed a good deal of immersion cooker brands. Many of them are from small companies that deserve a little love. Here’s the list:
- Wancle – Wancle is a Chinese company from Guangdong. They are known for producing solid kitchen products, including coffee grinders, espresso makers, and sous vide devices. They boast the creation of Michelin Star products.
- Yedi Houseware – Yedi houseware was established in 1979. They offer small appliances like sous vide cookers but are known more for their coffee and tea sets.
- Saki – Saki is an Amazon brand known for offering a lot of home products. They also provide a line of air purifiers, which is a bit different from their sous vide cookers. Regardless, they seem to be pretty quality at the wide range of products they offer.
- Anova – Anova provides a wide range of precision cookers which includes ovens and sous vide products. Their products are suited for people who like to get their food to a precise target temperature.
Sous Vide Immersion Circulator FAQs
Can You Sous Vide Without the Bag?
While you do not need vacuum-sealed bags, you do need some form of container. Ordinary freezer bags and other BPA-free plastic bags work just fine. They just need to be able to withstand the heat.
Canning jars are an alternative to plastic bags.
Do You Have To Sous Vide Eggs in a Bag?
Because eggs form their container, you do not have seal eggs inside of sous vide bags. However, you’ll want to provide some form of protection to ensure that the circulation doesn’t cause the eggs to crack.
Most devices are small and light enough on the moving water that this isn’t an issue.
Can You Put Tupperware in Sous Vide?
Bags created by Tupperware are fine. Rigid plastic Tupperware containers (or any hard plastic containers) are not suitable for sous vide.
Should You Add Salt Steak Before Sous Vide?
Unless you desire to create a “cured texture,” you’ll want to save any salting to after. This is because salt tends to take the moisture out of meat, eliminating some of the reasons for sous vide.
Does Sous Vide Steak Make A Tastier Steak Than Grilling?
Sous vide makes a more tender steak when compared to grilling. You can get the best of both worlds if you start with sous vide and take your steak to an electric grill after. That way, you get the appealing sear of grill lines combined with the tenderness of sous vide.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to our number one pick for sous vide devices, the Wancle Thermal Immersion Circulator w/ Recipe E-Cookbook is great for beginners. Much of this comes from the concise cookbook, but all of these were pretty close.
If you prefer sous vide with more, consider the Yedi option. Otherwise, both the Saki and Anova options also come with applications, making them great for away-from-the stove cooking. Regardless of where your priorities are, always choose them to ensure the cookers meet your needs.
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