Have you ever wondered how to cook restaurant-quality food in the comforts of your own home?
One of the reasons why restaurants can offer scrumptious meals is because they use high-end cooking equipment like the sous vide machine to make the food more tender and flavorful.
Sous vide is a cooking technique that uses controlled temperature to ensure the food is cooked consistently. The food is vacuum-sealed in a bag and is usually placed in a water bath until cooked.
Sous vide machines are now readily available in the market since this cooking technique is becoming popular. To narrow your search, here are 5 of the best sous vide machines worth investing in.
5 Best Sous Vide Machines
- Best Smart Compatibility-Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano
- Most Convenient-Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Sous Vide
- The Sleekest-Breville CS20001 Joule Sous Vide
- Best Immersion Circulator-Breville CS10001 Joule Sous Vide
- Best Display Design-Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Pro
1. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano
Best Smart Compatibility
Key Features
- Made from durable plastic that’s easy to clean
- Quiet operation
- Consistent water temperature
The Anova Precision Cooker Nano delivers precise temperature control to cook a wide range of meat from chicken, pork, steak, or fish.
This is a fast-working circulator with a 750-watts capacity. A unique feature of this cooking machine is that you can access its controls manually on your smartphone via Bluetooth connection or WIFI connectivity.
This is a convenient feature if it would take hours or days for the meat to be cooked so that you can monitor it even from afar.
When you download their smart app, you will also be given free access to different recipes from top chefs that you can do using this machine.
2. Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Sous Vide
Most Convenient
Key Features
- Made from polycarbonate and stainless steel
- It can be used in all pot sizes with its adjustable clamp
- Water-resistant
The Anova Sous Vide AN500 delivers more power with its 1000-watt capacity, which is a great improvement from its preceding models. It can pump water up to 8 liters in just 1 minute, which guarantees fast water heating.
It is WIFI and Bluetooth compatible. You may receive notifications on your mobile device to get real-time cooking status.
Aside from its smart options, it also has manual controls on the digital screen with touch buttons to control the settings easily. Its small size of only 12.8 inches tall and weight of 1.6 pounds can easily fit your kitchen’s cabinet for easy storage.
3. Breville CS20001 Joule Sous Vide
The Sleekest
Key Features
- 1100 watts capacity
- Works with Amazon Alexa
- White polycarbonate finish
Aside from its sleek design, one of the distinct attributes of the Breville CS20001 is that it has no physical control buttons.
For convenient usage, connect this machine to your mobile device or Amazon Alexa via WIFI or Bluetooth so you can set and control the cooking time and temperature.
The Joule sous vide machine app has a visual doneness feature, so even before cooking, you’ll know how the finished product would look.
It has a straightforward design featuring a small button to connect the device to your mobile device and a light indicator showing the cooking status.
4. Breville CS10001 Joule Sous Vide
Best Immersion Circulator
Key Features
- Stainless steel model
- Magnetic bottom for clamp or clips
- Waterproof immersion circulators
The CS10001 Joule is a well-recommended sous vide machine for first-time users because of its high current protection and thermal cutoff safety features.
It has a minimalist design with only one button on top and an LED light indicating the device’s status. Like the CS20001 Joule, it can only be operated through the Joule sous vide machine to the app.
Its 1100-Watt water heater capacity allows you to achieve your target water temperature in less than 12 minutes, even in 6 liters of water.
The Breville CS10001 is one of those machines that still have a quiet operation despite its high water heating capacity.
5. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Pro
Best Display Design
Key features
- Its app has integrated sous vide recipes
- Adjustable and detachable clamp
- 1200-watts capacity
The Anova Precision Cooker Pro machine offers both app integration usage and manual operation to cater to all types of users. It is a top choice option if you cook for long hours because it can run continuously for about 10 000 hours.
The target and current temperatures appear on its large display for uncomplicated monitoring of the cooking method.
It utilizes a screw-type clamp to ensure the sous vide stays in place during the cooking process.
Among the other Anova Precision Cooker units, this model is the largest, with its 13.5” height makes it suitable for bulk cooking for those with large families.
Things to Consider When Buying the Best Sous Vide Machines
Sous vide machines are not created equal; that’s why searching for one seems complicated. However, your buying decision will become easier if you know the factors to consider.
Heater and Circulator
The heater and circulators are a must factor to consider if you are buying an immersion circulator because it is responsible for evenly distributing the heat throughout the water bath.
If the water temperature is stable, you can achieve the desired tenderness or firmness of the food you are cooking.
Water Capacity
The water capacity dictates how much food you can cook in one go. The higher the water capacity of your sous vides is, the more food you can cook at once.
Each unit has a maximum and minimum water level that you need to follow for it to function more efficiently.
Some sous vide machines automatically shut off when the optimum water level is not followed.
Safety
There are sous vide machine models that have safety features, especially those that allow you to monitor it remotely via the app.
These machines’ most common safety feature is the automatic shutoff option when the water level is already too low to prevent burning the device and the food.
Remote Control
Some sous vide appliances can be controlled from your phone, so you can check the process while you’re out of the kitchen. Others are designed for hands-on operation with no remote functions.
Sous vide doesn’t need a lot of adjustments or monitoring, so remote operation is more about personal preference.
Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking
Here are the reasons why sous vide machines are good-to-have cooking equipment at home:
Consistent Temperature
Being able to cook at a consistent temperature is the sought-after benefit of a sous vide machine. Since you are cooking in the water, you’ll have to ensure that there is a constant water temperature and that the water level is enough.
For example, if you cook a steak in a regular pan, you may notice that the edges of the meat seem to cook first, so by the time you achieve your preferred steak option, its sides have been overcooked.
Slow-Cooking
Using sous vide machine is a bit time-consuming compared to cooking in the usual way.
However, slow cooking helps preserve the natural aroma and flavor of the food, so there’s no need to add too many seasonings.
Placing it in a vacuum-sealed container also aids in nutrient preservation compared to boiling or steaming food.
Meat Doesn’t Shrink
Cooking in a pan with just the heat from the stove may reduce the volume of the meat by 40%. However, if you cook in sous vide machine, it will still almost be in its original volume.
No Need To Stand By The Stove
Stove cooking requires you to constantly check what you are cooking to avoid overcooked or burned food. In doing sous vide, you can leave it for hours while doing some other things.
Conclusion
Sous vide machines have advantages and disadvantages if you are finding ways to prepare nutritious and flavorful meals for your family without doing advanced techniques, this way of cooking best suits you.
However, if you don’t have the patience to wait a little longer for the food to be prepared, its use might not impress you.
Compare the features that each sous vide machine can offer to get the most worth it cooking equipment.
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