Anova Precision Cooker - cook sous vide with your iPhone.

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Following on from the success of the Sansaire, there's a new sous vide device on Kickstarter. And if you get in there quick, it's $99 including shipping - at time of writing, there were 234 left of 1000 models.

That's an utter bargain for something like this, especially as this seems to have some really interesting features over the original Anova and even the Sansaire and PolyScience equivalents.

Thought it might be interesting for those who missed out on the last one!

EDIT: Here's an interesting Serious Eats article on the new Anova that's worth a read for anyone interested in the tech.

 

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195 left now... hurry up if you want one at $99, next level starts at $129!

 

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84 left now... really hoping some of you have snapped one up at this price.

 

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$100,00 target reached in record time and only 8 left...

 

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All gone at the Founders Club pricing - that went stupidly quick. $100,000 target has been reached and exceeded in record time.

EDIT: Apologies for getting a tad over-excited - could a passing mod tidy my hyperactive ramblings up into a single reply to my OP, please?

 

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Sorry, FT - was desperately trying to find a way to get in touch with you quickly as I know you really liked the idea of the Sansaire but missed the boat on that one.

$129 is definitely still worth it though.

 

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Might have to pick one up! Am I right into thinking you could just throw in the vacuum packed frozen meat or fish fillets from the supermarket straight into the pot?

Provided you'd defrosted them first, yes - you'd encounter all sorts of problems cooking straight from frozen.

Personally, and I think others would be the same, I'd want to vac-pack them myself so I could be sure of what I was putting in and have the option to add seasoning, herbs, oils, etc.

But it's certainly feasible, if you wanted to go down that route.

 

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Sorry, forgot you're an American-resident! Yes, they both have fantastic pre-packed meats you could use straight in the water bath - Trader Joe's especially.

The adoption of this style of cooking is much more widespread on your side of the Atlantic. As an example, I'm pretty sure either TJ or WF are about to start stocking the Sansaire.

 

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Nice to see this is still going after all this time!

I have an Early Access code for the £99 Bluetooth Anova, so if someone who doesn't currently have one but wants one, please drop me a Trust message.

They will be on general availability from tomorrow, but this gets you in the door now. I doubt supplies will be that limited, but you never know...

 

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Yeah, but it seems a bit more expensive than £99 wherever I look so I was hoping to get a cheeky discount

You have mail, sir!

 

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I'm very close to the button on this....is the wifi version worth the extra £30? Only difference is a little more power and the wifi ability as best I can tell?

The base model will do just fine - the additional power isn't important and the WiFi connectivity is unnecessary.

 

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The WiFi model will afford you that ability, but I ask you this - what use is it? Can you think of something you'd be willing to leave in a cold waterbath for 4 hours or so and then cook through?

I've never found a use for the App or had any desire to remotely start or monitor my cooks, but I'd be genuinely interested to hear if you, or anyone else, can show me a use case for such functionality.

 

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I think it's a pretty common misconception borne of the idea of slow cookers though. I totally thought that kind of functionality would be useful until I got more familiar with sous-vide cooking.

Agreed.

I never saw the point of it and still don't even to this day, but I'm sure someone, somewhere makes use of it!

The App, now that I can get behind. Very useful for those starting out.

Points taken, I'd assumed it useful but shall bow to the better knowledge and save the difference

I honestly cannot say for sure if you'll get mileage from the WiFi model as only you would know that, but I can say with some degree of certainty that the Bluetooth version will do everything you need it to and more.

Spend the money you save on some accessories (polycarbonate Gastronorm-style container would be my choice) and just enjoy experimenting with sous vide.

You'll find no shortage of advice and assistance here, what with the likes of FrenchTart, Moses, Jolteh and others on hand to help.

 

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In case anyone was weighing up the choice between the Anova and the Joule, rest assured that you're making the right choice with the Anova.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/10/joule-sous-vide-immersion-circulator-review.html

In short:

- magnetic base a great idea for suitable vessels but clamp for cambro/gastronorm is rubbish
- efficient heating unit and very quiet in use
- no visible display on the unit necessitates the use of a smartphone
- multiple Joule units currently require their own dedicated smartphone

I know Kenji says he'd recommend the two products equally, but the Joule is deeply flawed in my book. No visible controls and no other way of using it without a smartphone is a huge oversight on a product that otherwise seems to have been so well thought out.

 

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Well, it means it's smaller, and everyone has a smart phone, so I don't think it's a big deal. I'm sure I've read they're working on multi-joule per device functionality, too. Was that testing the separate clamps they'll be doing for water coolers etc, or just the basic clamp which comes with it currently?

Regardless of how ubiquitous smartphones are, building in reliance on another piece of technology to use Joule is plain stupidity. It makes it harder to use and it limits its lifespan and user base. And its not like the design of the Joule wouldn't allow for manual controls - it looks almost tailor-made to have a dial at the top with a display for the temperature.

Size and weight are almost irrelevant with an immersion circulator as the defining factor with cooking this way is the container of water you're using, not the size of the device. And a magnetic base is all well and good, providing you have a ferromagnetic container to use it with; and a big one at that if you're doing anything serious with it.

And yes, they are working on better clips. But they are also working on the limitations of the smartphone app and, well, these are things that should have been dealt with of before they launched the product.

Joule solves problems nobody seems to have and feels like ChefSteps have taken design cues from Apple in both form and function.

To paraphrase Clarkson; if someone gave me a Joule I'd defend it to the hilt. But would I buy one, with money? No, absolutely not.

 

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Anyone got any recommendations for a cheapish vacuum sealer? I've been using the water displacement method for about a year now but fancy a vacuum sealer.

Eiffel Freshpack Pro - about £60 with some bags and its about as good as you can get without resorting to silly money.

 

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And other than compressed fruit/vegetables, fast infusions/marinades and removing air from liquids/emulsions, I can't think of why you'd need anything else.

At £60 they are a steal - I might buy another one at that price!

 

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Bloody hell - yes, buy that before they change the price. That's a steal and I'm going to be right behind you in buying one.

And treat yourself to some of their bags. Worth the extra pennies to save you the hassle of dealing with rolls. Been there, done that, invented new swear words, etc.

 

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Just been picking through old emails and while I bought my first batch of bags from Fresherpack, my second batch (and the set I'm still using) were from here.

I think the latter are cheaper (well, they were the last time I stocked up) and quality is superb from both.

Buy bigger than you think you'll need but be mindful of the maximum width the Eiffel will handle. Anything less than 28cm and you'll be fine - I went with 20cm x 30cm bags and they see me fine for most purposes.

 

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The Anova is still the best immersion circulator for the money, but the only reason to pick the more expensive and powerful wifi model is that it's slightly more efficient and will handle a greater volume of water with a little more ease.

Nobody needs wifi connectivity on an immersion circulator but it's there if you want it. Whether or not you feel you'd make use of it is up to you.