Sous vide dishes used to be the Ace of high-end restaurants. But now you can also make the tender and juicy steaks easily thanks to the at-home sous vide cookers. No failure would happen with an advanced sous vide cooker and you are able to duplicate the fantastic result whenever you want since all are precisely controlled. But how to choose a nice one among thousands of machines in the market? Let’s talk about it!
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What is Sous Vide?
Sous Vide. The words roll off my tongue and I get the weird urge to do a chef’s kiss gesture. For the uninitiated, the term can invoke visions of fancy French cuisines in flamboyant presentations and ultra expensive high-end restaurant fares. Who knows that this cooking process is considered fundamentally simple and low-key.
Sous vide is a French word that means “under vacuum”, and refers to the low temperature long time (LTLT) cooking process of vacuum-sealed food. It is a cooking method in which the food is placed inside a glass jar or vacuum sealed bag and cooked in a temperature-regulated water bath anywhere between 1 to 72 or more hours. With the advent of at-home sous vide cookers, this method can be an alternative way to serve better tasting food to your family and guests.
Why Sous Vide? 4 Major Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking
1. Precise Control
With the advanced sous vide cooker, you can set the temperature and time precisely. They guarantee that no over- or under-cooking would happen as well as ensure you can follow the master recipes without error.
2. Even Cooking
This is the most outstanding feature of sous vide cooking. When your steak is on the searing pan, it receives heat unevenly. Part of the steak may be overcooked while some may be undercooked. Sous vide could evenly cook the whole steak in the water bath and give a perfect result!
3. Intensify Flavor
Since the food items are vacuum-sealed in plastic bags, they won’t touch water or air and so there is no any dilution or evaporation. This cooks the ingredients in their own juices without adding water for a prolonged period of time. As a result, it delivers the unprecedented flavor that you could not get otherwise.
4. Tenderize & Save Money
Tender cuts are usually expensive, so you have to turn the tough cuts into heaven on a plate in order to save your wallet.
Sous vide is a long cooking process at a low temperature which helps break down the muscle tissues. Thus, it tenderizes a tougher cut of meat. You don’t need to compromise the quality because of your budget!
► For more benefits of sous vide cooking, click HERE.
What is Sous Vide Cooker: Water Oven vs Immersion Circulator
There are two types of sous vide cookers that you could choose: water bath cookers and immersion circulators. They use the same principle to sous vide but there are quite many differences between them.
► Sous Vide Water Oven
Sous vide water oven is an all-in-one device including the vessel. You do not need any assemblage or accessories to make your delicious dinner. The only thing you need is a vacuum bag. For a water oven, heat energy is evenly distributed by natural convection inside the closed chamber. Also, the insulated vessel helps retain heat and so it consumes less energy for keeping a constant temperature.
However, their size is nearly an oven which takes up quite a lot of space on your countertop or cabinet. And the amount of food is limited to the fixed capacity of the oven. Moreover, sous vide water ovens usually cost more than an immersion circulator.
► Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
For the fans of sous vide immersion circulator, they attach the cooker to the side of a pot and it will heat the water by circulation. So actually you could clamp it on pots with different sizes to achieve flexible cooking. An immersion circulator does not occupy much space thanks to its stick size which is also a friendly choice to your budget.
But since they do not include the necessary vessel, you have to prepare by yourself. Of course you could use the existing pots at home. However, their ability to retain heat is much poorer typically and it is difficult to cover the pot tightly when the cooker is attached. This may lead to a greater usage of energy in order to heat the food consistently.
There is an abundance of sous vide cookers in the market today. Here are 8 factors to consider when buying one.
8 Factors to Consider When Buying A Sous Vide Cooker
1. Power
Fundamentally speaking, the power of a sous vide cooker lies in the wattage. As a general rule, the more wattage a model uses, the faster it will bring the water bath up to the desired temperature. Higher wattage means lesser cooking time. The sous vide cooker with 1000 or higher wattage heats up fairly fast.
Models with lower watts of power are just right for smaller pots. But if you are looking to cook for large numbers such as party guests or big families, a larger pot will be more convenient. When you want to heat a large pot of water, you will also need a more powerful motor that can produce more power.
◈ Best Powerful Sous Vide Cooker: Anova Precision Cooker Pro (1200W)
2. Temperature and Time
The ability to set temperature and time directly on the sous vide cooker is also quite helpful. Temperature should also be fairly adjustable even in minute increments to accommodate a wide range of cooking requirements. The best models can reach up to 200℉ (or around 95℃) which makes them ideal since most cooking can be done within that range.
◈ Best Temperature Control: Inkbird ISV-100W Sous Vide Cooker
3. Reliability and Accuracy
Temperature accuracy should also be taken into consideration. Most models do fluctuate an average of 1 to 2 degrees from the target temperature. The bigger the fluctuation, the more inconsistent the results will be. Though little concern for meat or fish, this can be concerning when cooking other dishes. For example, eggs are rather temperature-sensitive. Accuracy issues can be the difference between over or undercooked eggs. An excellent sous vide cooker is accurate to 0.1℉ / 0.1℃.
Similar to other kitchen appliances, you should consider the brand credibility in choosing a sous vide cooker. We wouldn’t want a one-hit wonder cooker that breaks down after one use. And do not omit the after-service and warranty support.
◈ Best Accurate Sous Vide Cooker: Wancle Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
4. Flow Rate
One should also consider the flow rate when buying a sous vide cooker. Flow rate is measured in Gallons Per Minute (GPM) and it refers to how fast the water is moving around the water bath. The faster the water moves, the quicker it is to reach and maintain the set temperature.
However, higher GPM also translates to faster evaporation. If cooking for more than 3 hours, evaporation can be a concern since you will have to keep the water at the right levels. Therefore, covering the vessel is important. Buy a container or a lid that is tailor-made for sous vide if you prefer using an immersion circulator.
5. Control and Connectivity
It seems like everything has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity nowadays. Sous vide cookers have joined this list. This interesting feature is available in many models, resulting in ease of control and timer-setting even when you are away from the physical device. Bluetooth connectivity is designed for close range controls while Wi-Fi connected ones allow for truly wider coverage, even when you are all the way across town shopping or running errands.
However, some models take this feature a little further. They totally eliminate built-in controls and leave the user to fiddle solely on the app. This might work for some home cooks but if you favor the ease of manually controlling the device, think twice before choosing these models.
◈ Best Connectivity Sous Vide Cooker: Breville CS20001 Joule Sous Vide Cooker
6. Storage
As mentioned previously, water ovens provide an all-in-one solution to sous vide cooking, however, it comes with a number of disadvantages. The amount of food you can cook is fairly limited to the capacity of the oven and they usually have heftier price tags. Because of its size, you will need to clear out a much larger space in your countertop or cupboard for storage.
On the other hand, immersion circulators or sous vide “sticks” do not take up much space literally and financially. If not in use, you can store them practically anywhere due to their tall and slender tube designs, even in a drawer. Add that to its more affordable price tag and capacity flexibility if you want to cook in large batches.
Immersion circulators do come in a variety of sizes though. Larger circulators typically weigh more than 3 pounds and can easily heat a 6-quart bath to 190℉ in a short time. However, keep in mind that bulkier circulators can also take up room in the water bath, taking up space intended for food.
◈ Best Mini Sous Vide Cooker: Anova Precision Cooker Nano (750W)
7. Designs and User-friendliness
A user-friendly sous vide cooker is one that is simple, quiet and not complicated to operate. You do not want to fumble and spend longer time figuring out how to use your sous vide cooker than cooking in one.
Easy to read and large displays as well as uncomplicated scroll wheels to set the temperature and time are hallmarks of user-friendly cookers. Unnecessary knobs and noises can be quite frustrating too, especially to newbie home cooks.
Do not forget to check the flexibility and adjustability of the attachment clamp or clip of the sous vide immersion circulator. If the clip is adjustable, this will deliver an easier control of the temperature no matter the water level and a snugger fit to practically any vessel you want to use. A good sous vide cooker can be fully adjusted according to the height of the cooking vessel.
◈ Best Design Sous Vide Cooker: KitchenFun Sous Vide Cooker (1100W)
8. Price
If price is also a factor for your purchase, prices of good quality sous vide circulators ranging from US $100 to $200, with some costing less than $100. This is quite a long way from the more expensive pricing a few years ago when the consumer sous vide cookers were first introduced. With that being said, you should also be wary of solely relying on a model’s low pricing when choosing one.
◈ Best Budget Sous Vide Cooker: Fityou Sous Vide Cooker (1100W)
► Read More: 10 Best Sous Vide Cooker for 2022 | Top Pick of Immersion Circulator
Other Needed Accessories For Sous Vide
1. Sous Vide Container / Lid
If you opt for a sous vide immersion circulator, you need a container or a lid. As said in the above, any cooking pot could be your sous vide container but the retention of heat is poorer. Plus, they couldn’t be covered well as the sous vide stick is attached and water will evaporate, and evaporation is a concern for long time cooking. To solve these problems, buy a container or lid that is tailor-made for sous vide. Or be primitive, use plastic stretch wrap to cover the pot.
2. Sous Vide Packaging
Packing your food ingredients is a key for excellent sous vide results. It can keep the moisture and intensify the flavor.
The best and secure way is using a vacuum sealer and vacuum sealing bags. However, this costs you a bit more money and space that we don’t want especially in the first few trials. To make things simpler, use the zip lock bag with an air valve which vacuum-seals manually.
Alternatively, just use the regular zip lock bag that does not have an air valve, and vacuum seal it by Water Displacement Method. Firstly, put the food inside the bag and seal it partially. Secondly, slowly submerge the bag in a pot of water which pushes the air out due to the water pressure. Finally, completely zip the bag and done. You may take a look at the following video:
Above all, please read the details of the bags and they should be food-grade BPA-free. Moreover, you may choose some reusable bags that are more environmentally friendly.
Apart from the plastic bags, canning jars are great for the food with a lot of liquid or something like grains, beans and pudding.
3. Clip / Weight
If you vacuum-seal the sous vide bags properly, it will sink normally. But the water flow may bring the bag up and down which may affect the cooking performance. Therefore, you will need clips or food safe weights to fix it.
4. Rack
This is for the sous vide water oven users. If you sous vide several food items at the same time, you will need a rack to separate the bags. The idea is to make sure the foods are heated evenly even under convection.
5. Pan / Grill Pan / Searing Torch
Sous vide could cook your steak evenly, but it cannot give a nice brown color to it. A cast iron pan, grill pan or searing torch could help. Sear your food to create a final crust which is beautiful and appetizing.
Summary
Now, you completely understand about sous vide cooking and how to choose a sous vide cooker. Start cooking today and you will surprise your family by the incredibly tender, juicy and flavorful sous vide dishes. Trust me, you won’t regret having one. It is a total life changer!
► Read More: How to Sous Vide? A Complete Beginner’s Guide!
