10 Best Sous Vide Machines (2023)

Sous vide has quickly become a popular cooking method for its precise and perfect food results. If you’re looking for a new sous vide cooker, you’ve come to the right place!

Sous vide cooked food was previously only attainable at high-end restaurants from professional chefs. But more reasonably priced sous vide immersion circulators have come into the home kitchen market in the last few years.

Everyone from professional chefs to home cooks are now able to use a precision cooker for steaks and more. 

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I spend countless hours reviewing sous vide machines to find the 10 best sous vide cookers on the market.

Cutting to the chase, the best overall sous vide cooker is the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 at 1100W of power. The recently updated package of power, features and support at a reasonable price provides you with the best overall value. 

Here’s the narrowed-down list of my top picks of the 10 best sous vide machines followed by a more detailed look at each circulator. Below the individual reviews is a buyer’s guide with tips on how to choose the best sous vide immersion circulator, along with frequently asked questions.

10 Best Sous Vide Cookers

1. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0 – Best Overall Value

Features

• 1100 Watts of power
• Flow Rate is 8 Liters/min.
• Wifi connectivity
• Anova App 
• Can cook up to 5,000 hours continuously
• Temperature Range: 0˚-92˚C (32˚-197˚F)
• Temperature Accuracy: +/- 0.1˚C (0.2˚F)
• IPX7 water and splash resistance
• Control on the cooker or through Wifi and the Anova App
• Easy to use with your choice of pot or container
• Adjustable and Removable Clamp
• 2 year warranty
• 100-day money-back guarantee

The Precision Cooker 3.0 offers the best overall value with its features, dependability, and price. Anova Culinary is a well-known name when it comes to sous vide cuisine and this the Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0 doesn’t disappoint.

If you’re a home chef and want something that gives you great bang for your buck, the Anova Precision Cooker 3.0 is for you. Newly released in 2023, the Anova Precision Cooker 3.0 upgrades both the power to 1100 Watts from 1000 and WiFi connectivity with dual band.

You get a large amount of power, now matching Joule, and speed that will ensure good water circulation to cook any type of food: chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, beef, lamb, pork and more. Anova also offers the flexibility of both remote and onboard controls. 

The size is also perfect as it’ll heat and circulate water containers up to 20 quarts, allowing you to comfortably cook for 6+ adults. 

The Anova Precision Cookers also come with the Anova app that allows you to remotely control the time and temperature. There’s also a preset list of recipes that come with the app that you can pick from and it’ll automatically set the time and temp. Saves you from going to a cookbook or online for a recipe. 

• Related Article: Best Sous Vide Cookbooks

The Precision Cooker series of circulators is amazing – you probably noticed I’ve listed each of the three models in the list.

This one is their baseline product that sits in the middle and has everything you need to get sous vide cooking immediately. 

Here’s a video of my initial impression of the Anova Precision Cooker (previous model): 

Anova Precision Cooker Unboxing

Pros

• Best Overall Value
• WiFi Connection
• Anova reliability and expertise

Cons

• On the heavier side 

You can read my comparison of Anova Precision Cooker’s here.

Find the Anova Precision Cooker’s user manual and user guide. 

2. Breville Joule Sous Vide – Most High-Tech, Overall Runner-Up

Features

• 1100 watts of power for hyper-fast water heating
• Wifi and Bluetooth ready
• Compatible with Amazon Alexa
• Small and sleek – 11 inches height and just 1.3 pounds
• Sold stainless steel cover and base
• Precise Temperature Control to 0.2°F / 0.1°C

The Breville Joule (previously known as the ChefSteps Joule) is one of the top ones out there. It’s one of the most favorite cookers in the market. If there wasn’t the Anova Precision Cooker, the Joule would be the Best Overall cooker. 

The Joule is compact, yet it comes packed with technological features. It comes with Wifi and Bluetooth compatibility, an app, and it’s Amazon Alexa ready. None of the others in this list have all that. 

The Visual Clarity feature in the Joule app shows you how the food should turn out, allowing you to see accurate doneness, along with chef-tested recipes. 

There’s also a non-stainless steel, white polycarbonate version, but I still prefer the stainless steel quality. The difference in price is negligible for the durability and quality you get with stainless steel. 

Pros

• Bluetooth and Wifi
• Lightweight and portable
• Fast and Precise
• Store in a kitchen drawer

Cons

• Priced on the higher end of circulators

You can find my full length Breville Joule Sous Vide review here.

Below is a video of my initial impressions of the machine, including a brief comparison of Joule vs Anova Precision Cooker:

Joule Sous Vide Unboxing - Impressions vs Anova

If you’re looking for how to use the Joule, here is the Joule’s user manual and user guide. 

3. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Pro – Most Splurge-Worthy

Features

• 1200 Watts of power
• Flow Rate is 12 Liters/min.
• Able to heat up to 100 liters (105 quarts) of water
• Wifi connectivity
• Anova App 
• Can cook up to 10,000 hours continuously
• Temperature Range: 0˚-92˚C (32˚-197˚F)
• Temperature Accuracy: +/- 0.1˚C (0.2˚F)
• IPX7 water and splash resistance
• Control on the cooker or through Wifi and the Anova App
• Easy to use with your choice of pot or container
• Adjustable and removable clamp
• 2 year warranty
• 100-day money-back guarantee

The Anova Precision Cooker Pro is the top of the line cooker out of all the Anova models and packs the most power out of all current and previous-generation sous vide cookers.

It comes with many of the same Anova features like the app and product quality, but in a bigger package. 

Anova states it has the ability to cook up to 105 quarts of water, so you’re able to cook for big parties. The trouble you’re going to have is finding a container that big. It might be useful for a small scale restaurant or catering business.

Pros

• Simple and approachable technique
• Easy to use with the Anova help
• New level cooking product

Cons

• Expensive and is better suited for large families

You can read my comparison of Anova Precision Cooker’s here.

Here’s my unboxing video for the Anova Pro, which will hopefully add to your feel for the product. This video touches on the Anova Precision Cooker vs Pro.

Anova Pro Sous Vide Unboxing

Find the Anova Precision Cook Pro user guide here. 

4. INKBIRD ISV-200W – Best Budget-Friendly

Features

• 1000 Watts of power
• Wifi connectivity
• Temperature range: 77°F to 210°F (25°C to 99°C)
• Temperature accuracy: 0.1°C (1°F)
• Time setting up to 99 hours 59 minutes
• Time setting minimum interval: 1 minute

The INKBIRD sous vide precision cooker also comes with the INKBIRD app to manage your circulator’s target temperature and timing. The app also has preset recipes. A cool feature with the INKBIRD is the ability to set the recipe on the circulator’s LED screen and buttons, no app needed. 

The INKBIRD comes in at a great price and value for the 1000W and the WiFi connectivity. I did a longer review and go in-depth on both models in the INKBIRD series, which you can find here: INKBIRD Sous Vide Review: ISV-200W & ISV-100W.

Pros

• Super quiet
• Accurate Temperature and Timer
• Fast heat circulation
• Wifi connectivity

Cons

• App is merely functional
• Not waterproof

Below is an in-depth video I recorded on the INKBIRD sous vide machine series where I test the machine on various fronts. I think it’s worth a watch:

Can the INKBIRD Sous Vide really compete with machines many times its cost? Watch to find out.

5. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 – Most Mobile

Features

• 850 Watts of power
• Flow Rate is 7 Liters/min.
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Anova App 
• Can cook up to 3,000 hours continuously
• Temperature Range: 0˚-92˚C (32˚-197˚F)
• Temperature Accuracy: +/- 0.1˚C (0.2˚F)
• Control on the cooker or through Wifi and the Anova App
• Easy to use with your choice of pot or container
• Fixed Clamp
• 2 year warranty
• 100-day money-back guarantee

The Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 is small enough to fit in your kitchen drawer for quick and easy storage. But it’s still powerful enough to cook for your family of four. The Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 is the latest version, released in 2023, and features upgraded power at 850 (from 750) Watts and now has WiFi capability.

The Nano can be easily fixed to any water tank or container with a fixed clamp and made of an ultra-durable plastic that’s easy to clean.

Here’s a video of my initial impression of the previous version of Anova Nano, which notes the release of the Anova Nano 3.0 and compares the Nano to both the Anova Precision Cooker and the Joule: 

Anova Nano unboxing and initial impressions

Pros

• Full featured at an affordable price
• Compact and portable
• Anova reliability and quality

Cons

• Not made for cooking for more than 5+ people

You can read my comparison of Anova Precision Cooker’s here.

Find the Anova Nano’s user manual and user guide. 

6. Breville PolyScience HydroPro Series Sous Vide Circulator – Best for Commercial Use

Features

• Heats up fast: Powerful 1450 Watt heater and 17 liter per minute water flow
• Adjustable pump direction and 3 flow speed settings
• Circulates and heats water up to 12 gallons (45 Liters)
• Large, 4.1″ color Gorilla Glass TFT touch display screen featuring Sous Vide Toolbox: a built-in sous vide cooking guide
• Perfect Results: Using sous vide toolbox feature allows you to select type of food, size and level of doneness. Dinner comes out predictably perfect, every time.
• Adjustable and detachable clamp design 
• Padded case for storage and transport included
• Commercial Quality: CUF and NSF certified
• Maximum Temperature: 194°F (90°C)
• Temperature Stability: ±0.1°C/±0.14°F

Breville PolyScience’s cutting-edge products are geared toward professional chefs and restaurants. Their products are highly accurate, because their users need to meet the expectations of their customers. 

The PolyScience HydroPro series was made to provide quality results at an affordable cost. It’s a great option for home chefs who want to take their cooking up a level to professional quality or for culinary students who want to practice their skills.

You can find my detailed Breville HydroPro review of the complete line here.

Pros

• PolyScience quality and precision
• Commercial and Professional quality
• Built-in cooking guide that doesn’t require an app

Cons

• Relatively expensive

See the video on the PolyScience HydroPro lineup of commercial cookers for an introduction to the series: 

The HydroPro™ | How to use the Sous Vide Toolbox™ | Breville Commercial

PolyScience also has a great temperature reference guide to download and keep handy.

7. Kitchen Boss G300 and G310 Sous Vide Cookers

Features

• 1100 Watts of power
• IPX7 waterproof certification
• Can cook continuously up to 10,000 hours
• Ultra quiet 
• Unique 3D circulating pump design to evenly maintain water temperature
• Temperature range: 104°F to 194°F (± 0.2°F) / 40°C to 90°C (± 0.1°C)
• Time settings: up to 99 hours and 59 minutes

The Kitchen Boss G300 and G310 are the same immersion circulators, except for the design of the top of the cooker. The G300 has a 12-sided polygon shape and the G310 is a circular shape. 

The Kitchen Boss circulator is great for those looking for a power cooker at a great price. It still provides precise temperatures and powerful enough to effectively cook up to 15.85 quarts of water.

Both circulators are IPX7 waterproof and are built to withstand steam and water seeping into crevices and breaking the circulators. There’s no concern about dropping the circulator into the container and you’re able to clean it worry-free. 

I did a longer review and go in-depth on both. Read the Kitchen Boss G300 vs G310 comparison review article.

Pros

• Great value for how powerful it is
• Waterproof (IPX7)
• Quiet
• Good two-pin adjustable clamp system for secure holds on containers and pots

Cons

• No Bluetooth or WiFi
• Heavy
• Poor display angle

8. Chefman Sous Vide Immersion Circulator 

Features

• 1100 Watts of power
• Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity
• App for guided cooking
• The immersion circulator has a 360 directional pump and a touch screen LCD. 
• CETL approved advanced security technology for long-term durability

The Chefman sous vide cooker and the app is a great pairing. There’s no lack of power with its 1100 watts and the app has many cooking guide videos to help with your meals.

The Chefman Sous Vide app (for iOS and Android). Comes with step-by-step recipes, temperature guides, how-to videos, tips, and more, you can make delicious food consistently!

The Chefman cooker has built-in smart sensors for monitoring water levels and a flexible clamp fixture to fit most pots and containers.

Pros

• Good features and power for the price
• User-Friendly, secure and reliable

Cons

• Some have reported Wifi connectivity issues, but it can be operated manually too

Check out my Chefman Sous Vide Cooker review here.

9. Wancle Thermal Immersion Circulator

Features:

• 850 watts
• High temperature accuracy: ± 0.01 ° C
• Temperature range: 25-99.9°C (77°F-211.8°F)
• Maximum time: 99h 59mins
• Stainless steel
• Overheat and low water level protection mechanism
• 2 year warranty
• Ultra silent 

Unlike the previous immersion circulators with Wifi and bluetooth capabilities, this one gets back to basics with none of that. The Wancle cooker focuses on the core functions of the sous vide cooker itself. The stainless steel sleeve makes it very easy to clean and dry. No other high-end equipment is required.

The digital control panel makes the temperature accurate to 0.1°C and the time specific to the minute. The wide temperature range and time control allow you to cook any type of food. 

Pros

• Smart Design, Single-Hand Operation
• 2-year warranty on a budget sous vide

Cons

• Finish quality is not top-notch
• Bulky

Read my Wancle Sous Vide Cooker review here. Find the Wancle’s user manual and user guide here. 

10. Instant Accu Slim Sous Vide Circulator

Features

• 800 Watts of power
• Temperature range: 40-90°C, 104-195°F
• Cooking time range: 1 minute to 72 hours
• Temperature adjustment increments: +/- 0.1°C or 1°F
• Touchscreen digital controls
• Stainless steel with rubber coating on the handle
• Pairs with Instant Pot’s 6 and 8 quart inner pots, in or out of the Instant Pot

The Instant Pot Accu Slim Sous Vide Circulator comes straight from the popular slow cooker / pressure cooker and air fryer manufacturer, Instant Pot.

The Accu Slim cooker is an easy-to-use and easy-to-clean immersion circulator. All the controls for cooking time and temperature are on touchscreen display at the top of the cooker.

There’s no wireless connectivity nor mobile app. The advantage is it’s super simple to operate. The disadvantage is you won’t be able to watch the time and temperature away from the kitchen.

Pros

• Back to basics and gets the job done

Cons

• No Wifi or Bluetooth connectivity

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Home Sous Vide Cooker Buying Guide

As you research and look into finding the best sous vide cooker for you, I’ve added some of the most popular questions and consideration. I know it’s a lot of information is fragmented and dispersed all across the internet, so I’ve put together the most important info here.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide cooking (pronounced SOO-Veed) is all about precision and perfection. Longer cooking times at precise low temperatures to ensure perfectly cooked food.

*Learn how to pronounce sous vide here!

This method of cooking allows for the food to be evenly cooked, especially when it comes to various cuts of steak. I think we all know how hard it is to evenly cook or grill a steak. 

Sous vide’s origins date all the way back to the 18th Century when Benjamin Thompson was trying to roast meat in a machine looking for meat that was “not merely eatable, but perfectly done, and most singularly well-tasted” (source).

It wasn’t until the 1970s when French chef Georges Pralus, considered the father of sous vide, combined vacuum sealing with low-temperature cooking – inventing what we know sous vide as today. 

Professional sous vide machines started to appear in restaurants and sous vide food became a popular cuisine in high-end restaurants with many professional chefs. It was more of a dining experience saved for special meals and events. Inside homes, it’s taking over the trend of slow cookers.

Home sous vide started to pick up in the mid-2000’s with sous vide circulator appearances in Iron Chef America (Wylie Dufresne vs Mario Batali), New York Times, and the beginning of sous vide circulators for home kitchens. In 2016, ChefSteps released the Joule (now called the Breville Joule as mentioned earlier) (source).

How Does Sous Vide Work?

The sous vide process is to vacuum seal fresh food seasoned with spices in a bag and submerge the bag in a container or pot water at a precise, low temperature for around 1-7 hours normally. 

The sous vide method helps keep the nutritional value and benefits of food intact because the food is cooked at a constant, low temperature that allows the food to cook evenly. Plus, it’s in a vacuum-sealed bag, so there’s nowhere for the nutrients to go.

After food is sous vide cooked, you can sear the meat in a pan to keep the juices inside and have a crispy texture on the outside. Especially popular with steaks because you’re trapping the moisture and flavor inside, creating a perfect steak when you cut into it. 

There are many different benefits with sous vide cooking methods. 

Benefits of Sous Vide

1. Precision Cooking

The vacuum heat exchanger between water and food is smoother and more consistent than a stove or furnace. The lower temperature and longer cooking times allow for food to evenly cook through and through. 

You can cook all types of food like chicken breasts, short ribs, pork shoulder and other meats. It’s not just for meats either, it’s also for vegetables. 

Ever go to a high-end restaurant and wonder why your food comes out much slower than the hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the corner? It’s because the chefs take their time to try and make sure food is as evenly cooked as possible. That’s how food tastes perfect. 

Look at the inconsistencies when cooking a steak normally vs a sous vide steak, where the inside is consistently cooked all over. What looks tastier?

A note on the lower temperatures, the water is still hot, so don’t stick your hands in there. The water is hot enough to kill bacteria in the food too, so there’s no health safety concerns.

The time and temperature balance will lead to pasteurization, which is the killing of bacteria – making the food safe. 

2. Delicious and Flavorful Food

Longer cooking times also allow for more flavors coming from your food. Just as you marinate your steaks, fish, chicken, and other food with other cooking methods, you can marinate with sous vide too. 

You can flavor your food by putting sauces, spices, and oils inside the plastic bag too. Think about the time that you’d normally marinate a steak and why you marinate in the first place.

Then think about sous vide and how long your marinade will be in the bag with your steak, absorbing and cooking evenly throughout. 

Yum! 

3. Nutrient Rich

High heat destroys the nutritional value and benefits of food. High temperature steaming and boiling will cause a significant loss of vitamins and minerals in vegetables and other foods (NY Times article). 

Sous vide’s low temperatures and cooking method inside the bag will keep more of the important vitamins and nutritional value. 

4. Great for Meal Planning

You can prep a full week or even months of meals ahead of time! Buy in bulk, do the prep work, vacuum seal the bag and enjoy your make-ahead meals for weeks.

Food that is vacuum sealed have a much longer shelf life. This makes meal prep so much easier and safer!

(Find my top pick for vacuum sealers here! I strongly recommend the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro for sous vide.)

5. Minimal Time in the Kitchen

Sous vide cooking is a simple process, bag + water, which means less time for you slaving away in the kitchen keeping an eye on how your food is cooking. It’s not “set it and forget it,” but it’s as close as you’ll get when it comes to cooking.

Sous Vide Pros & Cons

Pros

• It’s a healthy cooking method. While other cooking methods eliminate the nutrients, this method is different. Cooking three-course meal protects all ingredients, so they provide many benefits to your customers
• As a result of the cold process, the food produces the most flavors.
• It allows you to pre-cook the meat until you lose the quality and flavor. It can be cooked and chilled even 2-3 days before serving. This way, if you have too many customers to cook on the same day, you will have ready meals, and you only need to reheat them.
• Saves money! No more overcooking meat or having to go out for fancy dinners.

Cons

• This method does not work for all types of foods. For example, cooking with alcohol or garlic isn’t the best. Garlic won’t cook like it would on a pan and any alcohol in the wine won’t be cooked off.
• Using the sous vide is not great if you’re in a hurry! You need to have at least an hour to cook most foods.
• Sous vide immersion cooking requires equipment. You will need water storage bags and large pots or sous vide containers for the pool, so there will be additional costs.

Now that your mouth might be drooling a little and you want to start sous vide cooking great food, let’s talk about the options for sous vide cookers at home and even small scale restaurants.

These won’t meet the needs of larger, commercial restaurants and kitchens as you’ll need commercial sous vide cookers for that.  

Types of Sous Vide Cooker

There are two main types of sous vide cookers to cook perfect food – Immersion Circulators and Water Ovens. Both options still use a vacuum sealer and vacuum sealed food bags immersed in water.

Sous Vide Immersion Circulator

The immersion circulator is the most accessible and popular of all sous vide home cookers. These sticks are made for portability and convenience. These circulators are cheaper when compared to water ovens, but they can still run $60 to $500+.

I focused on immersion cooker here, but water ovens are also a popular type of sous vide machine. 

Sous Vide Water Oven

Water ovens are an all-in-one circulator plus container as there’s no need for two separate equipment. These are also called water baths or bathtubs. You just add water, set your target temperature and put your bag of food in when the water is heated. 

Sous Vide Immersion Circulator VS Water Oven

Both circulators and ovens will get you sous vide cooking quickly. Which one to get depends on your lifestyle and needs. Here are some tips on helping you decide whether a circulator or oven is better for you: 

Buy an immersion circulator if you:

• Have a lower budget
• Cook for 4+ guests 
• Want flexibility with different sous vide containers, lids, racks, and accessories
• Like the ability to store the circulator in a drawer

Buy a water oven if you: 

• Have a higher budget
• Cook for 1-3 people
• Want an all-in-one solution
• Have a large countertop for the oven to sit on 

I personally prefer the flexibility of using different size containers depending on whether I’m cooking just for my family or for guests also. Sous vide can take hours for one round of food to cook, so I can’t make multiple rounds of steak if I have guests over. 

But, if you do plan to have many guests over, you can prepare days in advance by pre-cooking meats. Pre-cooking is a huge advantage of sous vide cooking. All without losing the taste and flavor too. You can cook up to 2-3 days in advance of your guests coming over. 

When your food is done cooking, you’ll want to immediately put it in an ice bath to chill before putting them in the fridge or freezer (if you’re not going to consume the food in 48 hours). To reheat sous vide food, put the food back in a water bath and cook 2-5 degrees Celsius (up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit) below your original cooking temperature and for about half the original cooking time. 

This way, if you have too many customers to cook on the same day, you will have ready meals, and you only need to reheat them.

Combi-Oven

A Combi-Oven combines the best features of traditional ovens with the commercial combi-ovens that are commonplace in restaurants and used by professional chefs for many years. Combi-ovens allow various ways of cooking including steaming, broiling, baking, air fry, and sous vide.

Anova has created a great combi-oven, the Anova Precision Oven. Read my full Anova Precision Oven Review.

Things to Look for When Buying a Sous Vide Machine

All sous vide machines will heat water, but what sets them apart will be things like power wattage and other technologies. Let’s take a look at some features to consider when buying the best sous vide cooker to fit your needs.

Power Wattage and Speed

Sous vide immersion circulators will range in power from usually 800 watts to 1200 watts. The more watts a circulator has, the higher the price of that circulator. 

The more power a sous vide cooker has, the faster the water will be heated to your desired temperature. In my experience and tests, an 800W circulator heated water from room temperature to 135°F in about 20 minutes. A 1000W circulator will take about 15 minutes. 

The few minutes are not a huge difference in the whole cooking process that can take hours, but it’s also nice to know that when you put cold food into the hot water, the water will heat back up faster too.

If you do go for more power, keep in mind your circuit breakers and don’t plug too many other things in the same outlet as your circulator.

Temperature Accuracy

Sous vide cooking is about precise temperatures, so you’ll want a circulator that will be as accurate as possible. Circulators will always be a little off due to the setup and environment, so it’s not a concern if you’re within a margin of error that’s around ± 0.5°F / ± 0.3°C. You don’t want one that’ll get up to ± 1.0°F / ± 0.6°C variance. That’s a huge difference that will affect your food. 

Accuracy also comes with making sure all the water in the circulator is the same temperature. Immersion circulators are meant to be immersed in water and circulate the water. You don’t want any hot or cold spots in the water. 

Sous Vide Cooker Price

Prices can range anywhere from $60 to $500+. Good quality sous vide cookers will generally be in the price range of $80-$300. You can spend more for better, smarter features, but that range is usually where you’ll find a good sous vide cooker.

I’ve seen low-priced immersion circulators that are around $30-40, but I usually steer away from those. I don’t feel comfortable with anything priced that low, because of potential safety issues with shoddy parts.

That’s just me though. I know there might be good reviews on the Amazon listings, but are they real reviews?

Flexibility with Containers

The advantages of an immersion circulator is the ability to pick and choose your water container.  Most circulators can fit in any containers, but you’ll want to check the specific circulators to make sure. 

Another thing to consider with containers is the size of the container and whether or not the circulator will sufficiently heat water in large containers.

I go into a lot more on considerations of containers in the buying guide for sous vide containers. 

You’ll want to consider factors like heat loss, water evaporation, and range of sizes. If you don’t have much room at home, you can look for water containers like the Rubbermaid commercial space saving container.

Controls – Remote and Onboard

Many circulators nowadays have Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connectivity, so you’re able to control circulators on your phone. The remote connection is great if you don’t want to get up to check on the temperature and food. 

Downloading an app is an extra step and it’s a second device that we need to manage, so I still prefer having the onboard controls. 

Built-in Timer

Timers are an important feature for sous vide circulators for me. It’s nice to know how much time is left with a countdown. You want food in the temperature danger zone of 40°F to 140°F / 4°C to 60°C because that’s when bacteria will begin to grow in your food.

If you don’t know how much time is left and the water begins to slowly cool, you run the risk of bacteria growth becoming a problem. 

Where to Buy a Sous Vide Cooker?

Sous vide cooking has continued to grow in popularity and become common in many homes. That’s resulted in being able to buy sous vide cookers in most electronics stores and of course on online marketplaces like Amazon. 

I usually buy on Amazon and because I have Amazon Prime, given the “free” expedited shipping. Some of the sous vide cookers are even available same day through Amazon.

If you plan to buy an Anova Precision Cooker, I’d recommend ordering directly from them because you get the added benefit of a 100 day satisfaction guarantee on all of their products. 

Walmart has a surprisingly deep selection of sous vide cookers and Target has some too. Both are convenient locations to pick up a sous vide machine.

Whether you buy on Amazon, from Anova, or at your Target or Walmart, make sure you receive a warranty and check the return policies. Hopefully you don’t need to use the warranty or return policy, but you never know. It’s always good to have that information before you make a purchase of some significance.

Conclusion

I hope I’ve been able to help you make an informed decision in choosing the best sous vide cooker for you. 

If you’re just buying your first sous vide cooker, welcome to the sous vide family! It’s a really easy cooking method and I know you’re going to enjoy your perfectly cooked food. There are so many reasons to cook sous vide.

As you continue on your sous vide journey, start looking at vacuum sealers and kitchen torches for a better cooking experience. There are many types of sous vide bags out there that you can test too: freezer bags, reusable silicone bags, resealable bags, and more. Even canning jars can be sous vide cooked.

If you own a restaurant, you’ll want to get a professional sous vide machine and I plan to do a post on professional cookers for small scale restaurants. 

Enjoy your sous vide cooked food! 

FAQs

Now that you know what the best sous vide cooker is, let’s look at the best vacuum sealer to use with it! And don’t forget to clean your sous vide cooker – here’s exactly how to do that!