Sous Vide Brands
There are a variety of sous vide appliances made by various brands but it is easier for you to choose one based on the affordability, ease of use, energy required, purpose, efficiency and such.
Sous Vide Supreme
Why buy it: If you are planning to do a lot of sous vide cooking, you will appreciate this machine because it is made of quality materials and can hold lots of food.
Who it’s for: Anyone wanting an ultra-high quality and reliable countertop sous vide machine?
This machine brings sous vide cooking closer to home cooks. It is almost the size of a crockpot (measuring 29cm x 28cm x 33cm) and can be store easily in a cabinet or a countertop. It’s a high-quality water oven yet affordable enough for non-commercial use.
The demi water oven has a steam containing lid and double walled insulation, so no steam escapes and its cool to touch on the outside. It can hold water at your desired temp for several days and the timer can be set for up to 99 hours. It can maintain the temperature of water between 86- and 210-degrees F within 1-degree accuracy.
The machine is completely quiet, as it does not run on a motor. It has a perforated bottom grill, which allows it to generate thermal turbulence. The water capacity of the water bath is 2.3 gallons, so it can hold quite a bit of food –up to 12 pouches of 4 Oz. each of food. It comes with a stainless-steel rack for the correct positioning of food.
The major limitation of this machine is the price. It is quite expensive.
Anova (the best sous vide brand)
Why buy it: This is an ideal option if you want to give sous vide a try without spending a ton of cash
Who it’s for: Anyone in search of a sous vide machine that does not require a lot of space
This is quite a well-known brand of sous vide. It can be attached virtually to any pot that is large enough to hold your desired water capacity and ingredients. It can heat 5 gallons of water to 32- and 197-degrees F.
One major issue with this machine is the lack of accuracy; maintaining the perfect water bath temperature is vital. It maintains water bath temperature within a range of 0.1 degrees F.
One cool feature of the device is that it has a Bluetooth app (BLE 4.2), which gives you the ability to control the machine remotely with your phone. The app also has easy-to-follow recipes that only require the push of a button to start – you can also use the app to create your own recipes.
The major drawbacks of this machine is that the clamp does not open wide enough and that it is not as powerful as other sous vide machines so don’t overload the water bath.
Anova Wi-Fi
Why buy it: It is great for just about anyone (its user friendly) whether you are a professional chef or an amateur.
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants the pleasure of controlling their sous vide machine with voice or an app.
This machine clamps onto the side of your cooking pot without the need of a magnetic base. It requires you to fiddle with it for a few seconds but once in place, it is secure. It allows you to control it with your tablet, Smartphone or smart home devices such as Google home and Alexa.
It also features an LED backlit scroll wheel and LCD display for users who do not want to control it externally.
The anova precision cooker is a good choice for you if you want the flexibility to cook your meal with additional precisions or without them.
The maximum capacity as per the manufacturer’s recommendations is 4 to 5 gallons.
CHEFSTEPS
Why buy it: You can control it with your voice or a Smartphone app and it cooks the perfect steak.
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants a small device that makes easy, restaurant quality meals at home. Also, if you desire a smart kitchen and the ability to control your cooking device with apps, you will like this.
This is the best sous vide appliance. It has great integration, power, speed and durability. It is made out of stainless steel and extruded polycarbonate, which gives it added durability and strength. It also has a magnetic base, which allows it to stick to your pot without the need of a clamp.
The Joule rises above and sets trends when it comes to integration. You can connect this devices immersion circulator to your tablet or Smartphone and use its visual tool to choose the way you want your steak to look once you are done cooking it. When you have raw meat that needs some cooking, you can even connect this machine to Facebook messenger or Alexa and just say “Joule, cook a steak” and it will do the rest. Due to this machines’ integration, you can spend a minimum of 6 minutes in your kitchen doing prep work while cooking steak and a side of veggies.
This device is quite powerful – 1100 watts of power, so it heats up your water pretty quick. The maximum capacity of water as per the manufacturer’s recommendation when cooking with a cover is 5 gallons and 2.5 gallons without the cover. This is enough to accommodate a small dinner party or a large family. Considering its power and speed, it is surprisingly quiet sounds as loud as boiling water.
Now that you have the right appliances for the cooking, you need to also get the necessary cooking accessories. By this, I mean stuff like packaging materials etc.
