Sous Vide Circulators


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Seeing the great luck I have had with my chuck roast experiment, I am considering the purchase of a sous vide immersion circulator. I see them (all touting pretty much the same specs and benefits) at everything from $40 up to $400.
Anyone have these and seen any benefits of spending more or less, or any features/qualities I should watch for or watch out for?
Also what type of water temps do you see?
 
You should be able to run from a low of 120-140 F to nearly boiling. IMNSHO, nothing beyond temp & time control is required. Not only am I not interested in Bluetooth or WiFi connections, if those are required for use, I'm not interested. What ttemp I'm using depends on what I'm cooking. Steaks..... 125-130 F. Custards..... 165 F.

I've used mine in both stock pots and picnic coolers. For larger vessels, I've bought a gross of cheap ping pong balls as both an insulating layer and boil-off control.
 
So the ones I am seeing show anywhere from 1000 to 1200 watts (highest wattage being Vevor. Part of me does not want to spend much over $45 or so. Am I nuts? The Vevor is $69
 
Just remember that you're drawing about 10 amps at 120 volts under high draw during pre-heat.

I've had mine for quite a few years, and I'm fine with a "economy" model.
 
Higher priced circulators often are feature rich in connectivity, like Bluetooth, WiFi, apps, etc. I have an Anova unit with some of that connectivity which I never use. Temperature accuracy is my most valued attribute. I want to be able to set the temp, hit start and walk away. I do not know if wattage is correlated with temp accuracy and consistency, but guessing it may bring the water bath up to target temp quicker.

I have found sous vide a very useful tool even if I only use it a couple times a month. I have not yet found a better way to reheat pulled pork. And with other proteins you have a new variable to help control texture.

One tip, there is no carryover cooking with sous vide, so if you set it at 130 F, the whole protein is 130 F (if you have given it enough time). But putting a sear on the protein you may get some additional cooking, so allow to cool some prior to searing.

Good luck
 
My daughter and SIL have an Anova given to them as a wedding present now 9 years old. I asked him today and the company has basically disabled it because the app will not update anymore and they've told him he needs to replace the unit. So, in a way much as I love tech I think I'm leaning to a low tech one like Vevor
 
I, too, have an Anova that was purchased before the bluetooth model came along. I burned the first one out when trying to keep a water bath at ~72F for a week developing a sourdough starter from scratch. This was back when Anova was first getting started and they refunded my money and I bought the newest model. Anyway, heating and circulating a water bath consumes some energy over a potentially lengthy period, so consider that you might need an insulated water bath (I wrap a lidded 10L Cambro container with towels, but my first container was a marine cooler - it was too big and I stopped using it) and some sort of rack or support to allow water circulation over all areas.

I'm sold on Vevor products. I don't think you can go wrong with them, or at least I haven't had any problems with any of their products so far.
 
By its nature, a sous vide controller is low tech. I built my first one in the early days of sous vide while waiting for prices to come down. By low tech, do you mean bluetooth-enabled?
 
Ed P said:
By its nature, a sous vide controller is low tech. I built my first one in the early days of sous vide while waiting for prices to come down. By low tech, do you mean bluetooth-enabled?
Click to expand...
Non BT or WIFI enabled. Basically no "app" just a control panel on the unit
 
LMichaels said:
Non BT or WIFI enabled. Basically no "app" just a control panel on the unit
Click to expand...
That one doesn't appear to be adjustable to the depth of the water bath. The surface of the water bath has to be within the boundaries of the heating element and the water pump. The Anova that we have is adjustable up and down and has a screw type clamp so will fit securely on a variety of containers, even the side of a marine cooler.

EDIT: the price is right, though. It would probably work well with my Cambro OOPS! 12 QT RUBBERMAID container.
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After I wore out a cheap circulator, after at least 10 years of use, I bought an Anova Precision Pro, on sale ,and have been very happy with it.
I use it a lot.
I wish that quality carried over to their vacuum sealers....because I couldn't return it fast enough. Total POS
..
 
Sous vide is the nut for hard or soft boiled eggs. Makes cheap roast beef uber tender. ( sorry, beef aint cheap no more )
I have a Joule. My sons gave me for x-mas about 10 years ago. They did the research and thought that was the best at that time.
I bought a container and lid similar to what's linked upthread.
Joule has a app which makes it easy to pick a protein or whatever and they reccomend different times and temps.
 
LMichaels said:
I was looking at this ATK on them
and they seem to lean to the clothespin type clamp. I think I might as well
Click to expand...
The price is right on the VEVOR. I think you will be happy with it. Assuming you are going to use a container with a flexible plastic lid like the ones shown, if you make an accurate cut in the lid, the lid will help stabilize the device.
 
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