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A sous vide is a sure way to impress guests and increase the culinary prowess of home cooks. You set the time and cooking temperature to the device, which is then attached to your cooking pot. Meanwhile, the item to be cooked remains in a sealed bag or glass that’s submerged in the water. For recipes that require a specific degree of doneness, a sous vide machine is quite the asset.
Before purchasing a sous vide machine, be sure to consider its cooking consistency, control panel features — especially important since some sous vides are operated with smartphones — the ability to cook varying foods like meat and vegetables, and ease of cleaning.
There are hundreds of sous vide machines available on the consumer market, so how do you tell which is the right one? We evaluated more than two dozen models and found the feature-packed Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0 to be the best, thanks to its power, ease of use and enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity.
Editors’ Favorite
Dimensions: 4.1” D x 3.07” W X 12.8” H | Weight: 1.9 lb | Maximum Water Temperature: 197 degrees | Connectivity: Wi-Fi
The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0 builds upon the sous vide technology introduced by Anova with its first model in 2014. Its improved Wi-Fi connectivity is a notable feature, as this model uses dual-band Wi-Fi to ensure better connectivity.
It also features a two-line touch-screen display that lets you see the cooking time and temperature at a glance. When we tested a previous version, the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker 2.0, we were impressed with how easy and intuitive it was to use, so the improved display only makes it an even better option for those new to sous vide cooking.
The Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0’s adjustable clamp is another user-friendly feature. This design allows the machine to fit nearly any pot that’s deep enough for the minimum water depth requirements. The cooker also features a removable stainless steel skirt that detaches with the twist of your wrist, allowing for easy cleaning. Best of all, it’s dishwasher-safe for the most fuss-free washing.
However, despite its ease of use, the 3.0 delivers plenty of power. It features an 1,100-watt motor that provides a flow rate of 8 liters per minute. That allows the machine to reach your desired temperature quickly and ensures that even large batches are cooked to perfection.
Great Value
Dimensions: 2.36” D x 2.36” W x 16.14” H | Weight: 3.1 lb | Maximum Water Temperature: 210 degrees | Connectivity: Wi-Fi
The Inkbird Wi-Fi Sous Vide Machine may not cost as much as some higher-end sous vide machines, but it offers many of the same features. It supports 2.4-gigahertz Wi-Fi and allows you to check on your food and adjust settings from anywhere once it’s connected to your network. Its connected app also provides recipes and 14 preset recipes that provide the ideal cooking time and temperature for common foods, such as chicken breast and steak.
Like more expensive models, the Inkbird Sous Vide Machine has a powerful 1,000-watt motor. It can maintain a steady temperature between 77 and 210 degrees in up to 20 liters of water, while its timer can be set for up to 99 hours. It’s accurate within 0.1 degrees, too, so you can achieve perfect results every time.
Despite its power, though, this sous vide machine doesn’t make much noise. It operates at just 20 to 40 decibels, which is quieter than normal conversation. The user-friendly design doesn’t end there, though — its simple touch controls make setting the machine up for cooking very easy, so even sous vide beginners can make delicious meals.
Restaurant-Quality Precision
Dimensions: 2.4” D x 3.5” W x 13.8” H | Weight: 3 lb | Maximum Water Temperature: 197 degrees | Connectivity: Wi-Fi
If you have sous vide experience and want to upgrade your machine, look no further than the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Pro. Anova’s most powerful machine, it’s capable of heating up to 26 gallons of water in a covered container. It can also run continuously for a minimum of 10,000 hours, so it can handle a marathon cooking session for a crowd. It’s accurate within +/- 0.9 degrees, too, ensuring your food is always perfectly cooked.
However, despite its professional-grade power, the Sous Vide Cooker Pro still remains easy to use. You can cook manually with your own chosen settings or rely on the Anova app to choose the ideal cooking time and temperature. While you can control and monitor the machine from your phone, it also features an easy-to-read LCD display that shows the time and temperature, allowing you to check on your food’s progress.
Made of durable stainless steel, it’s drop-tested to ensure that it can hold up to regular use without missing a beat. The machine is also backed by a two-year warranty, so you can have confidence in its long-term performance.
Best for Small Kitchens
Dimensions: 4.13” D x 2.2” W x 12.2” H | Weight: 1.8 lb | Maximum Water Temperature: 194 degrees | Connectivity: Wi-Fi
The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Mini features a compact design that allows it to fit easily in most kitchens. Smaller than a water bottle and very affordably priced, it’s lightweight and portable enough to take to a backyard picnic or on a camping trip.
Despite its smaller size, though, it features 850 watts of power to quickly bring your cooking water to temperature. It is also precise to a tenth of a degree, so you can be certain that your food is cooked perfectly every time. We also appreciate the machine’s durability; it’s IPX7-certified, so you can drop it, dunk it in water or splash it without worrying about damaging it.
Like other more expensive models, the Sous Vide Cooker Mini supports dual-band Wi-Fi. This allows you to easily connect to the Anova app, enabling you to monitor your food and receive alerts from anywhere. You can also use the app to discover new sous vide recipes to try.
For the Fastest Cook Times
Dimensions: 1.85” D x 1.85” W x 12.28” H | Weight: 2.1 lb | Maximum Water Temperature: 197 degrees | Connectivity: Wi-Fi
For those who just can’t wait to enjoy their perfectly cooked chicken, steak or fish, the Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide Machine can deliver the same results as other sous vide machines in half the time. That’s thanks to its Turbo feature, which relies on algorithms and cloud computing to cook your favorite proteins more quickly. This machine also offers an autopilot setting that completely automates the cooking process, so you can enjoy a delicious meal with minimal effort.
The Joule Turbo ensures that your food is perfectly cooked by allowing you to choose your desired level of doneness before cooking. Options include rare, medium and well done, as well as all the settings in between. Once your food is ready, the machine’s Primetime feature will maintain it at its optimal temperature for a specified period, allowing you to eat when you're ready.
Despite its powerful performance and convenient features, the Joule Turbo still has a slim design that makes it easy to store. It can fit easily in many kitchen drawers, so it’s always within reach when you’re ready to cook.
Sous vide machines all seem pretty similar on the surface, which can make selecting a model for your kitchen more challenging. To identify the best sous vide machines, we analyzed customer reviews from multiple online retailers to see which models best met expectations. We considered which machines had the widest, most precise temperature range and heated the most quickly, the type of connectivity offered and the amount of water that could be heated. In the end, we considered more than a dozen machines and chose our top picks based on ease of use, water capacity and cooking time and performance.
The most popular sous vide process involves an immersion unit, which heats water in a containment vessel (generally a large stockpot) to a specified temperature and maintains the water at a precise temperature for cooking.
More advanced immersion units — which generally clamp onto the side of the vessel — swirl the water to further ensure uniform cooking. In the case of a standalone immersion unit, any pot or vessel that can hold two to four quarts of water is suitable.
The food to be cooked — meat, fish, or whatever’s on the menu — is placed in a vacuum-sealed bag, which prevents the water from directly contacting the food. Any required oil, butter, and/or spices are added to the bag before sealing. These additions will distribute evenly during the cooking process.
A sous vide cooker allows the user to set the desired temperature for the water bath (bain-marie) and program a time to ensure thorough doneness. Sous vide recipes that accompany the appliance will indicate the proper cooking temperature.
One of the best features of sous vide food prep is the ability to target the cooking temperature to the exact degree of doneness required for your meat, fish, or poultry. Target temperatures in the sous vide hover above the 120°F mark, where bacteria cannot survive. Users appreciate this additional safety net in the cooking process.
Potential buyers should bear in mind that sous vide cooking, by itself, does not allow food to have that finished grilled or seared taste. Many recipes recommend grilling or searing food over high heat after the sous vide process is finished.
If you are a foodie ready to tackle the next food trend — or someone who likes to impress friends and family with your kitchen skills — a sous vide machine should be in your future. If you’re particular about the doneness of your protein (fish, meat, poultry) or the loss of nutrients in your vegetables, you may also wish to consider this technology.
While the sous vide process is fairly simple and foolproof, there are a few costs and other considerations you should keep in mind before buying one.
In addition to the price of the immersion heater and water vessel, there are costs associated with vacuum sealing your bags. Vacuum sealers can run from $35 to $260 depending on the model and its specifications.
If you intend to cook large pieces of meat, make sure your sealer can handle bigger bags.
A 34-count package of one-quart vacuum sealer bags can cost about $15. Of course, prices vary depending on size and quality.
If you plan to buy a blowtorch to put the finishing touches on your meat, plan to spend at least $40.
Adding a Searzall to a blowtorch adds another $75 or so to the bill. And no self-respecting sous vide master wants to be without a supply of specially designed water balls.
Sous vide water balls are used to speed up the heating process and maintain the target water temperature for cooking. Sous vide water balls prevent evaporation of the water and can act like a “lid” on the vessel. They’re reusable, but a drying bag to store them (about $20) is yet another expense.
To look like a pro, you’ll want a vessel large enough to hold the necessary quantity of water. (This varies by food and recipe.) A traditional stockpot will work, but alternatives include plastic coolers and polycarbonate food storage containers.
Again, make sure the container is large enough to handle what you intend to cook.
A sous vide machine is a tool that can spark the creativity of both beginning cooks and professional chefs. Here are some of the items you can prepare in your sous vide:
The ability to cook meat to a precise level of doneness makes the sous vide ideal for those who are fussy about their steaks. To prepare a medium-rare steak, for example, you must cook the meat for two hours in a 130°F bath.
Sous vide preparation of fish will leave it flaky and tender. For perfect salmon, set your timer to 118°F and cook a one-inch slab for 30 minutes. (Put one TB of olive oil and whatever spices you like in the bag before sealing.)
For honey-glazed carrots, add butter and honey to the cooking bag along with the carrots. Because vegetables need to cook at a higher temperature than meat or fish, set the temperature between 176° and 190°F and cook for 45 minutes.
Eggs are easy to prepare in the sous vide, given that they come with their own “cooking bag” (the shell). For medium poached eggs, set the temperature to 154.4°F and cook for 45 minutes. Run the eggs under cool water before serving.
The price of a sous vide machine varies depending on power (wattage), the way in which it circulates water, the size of the water vessel it can accurately heat, and added features as Bluetooth or WiFi capability (for smartphone control).
Thanks to some stiff market competition, a number of fine machines can be purchased in the $80 range. These machines are generally well-received with only minor complaints about accuracy of water temperature, accuracy of wattage, and the fact that they often have no on/off switch. The only way to turn off a unit without a switch is to unplug it from the wall.
The vast majority of machines fall into this range, with $175 being the “sweet spot” for machines with smartphone control via WiFi or Bluetooth. Some machines in the $120 range include WiFi capability, but a significant percentage of customers complain that the WiFi is either difficult to set up or just doesn’t work.
A large gap exists between sous vide machines for home cooks and those built for professional kitchens. For close to $650, a state-of-the-art sous vide (called a water oven) will hold up to three gallons of water and simultaneously cook up to 24 portions of six-ounce food. The all-in-one design comes with a lid to keep steam in for precise temperature control.
Follow these tips to get the most out of your sous vide machine:
Cooking hacks are the rage. With a quick search through YouTube, you can find some ingenious ways to replicate sous vide cooking without purchasing the tried-and-true equipment. Here are some of the most popular hacks —
