A new version has been released but this one is a great deal for this price.
Only $1 more than the lowest price ever.
Still $159 on the website: https://anovaculinary.com/original-Anova-precision-cooker/
CamelCamelCamel.
Mine did this recently, for the first time after 2 years.
Luckily I noticed before going to bed!
I pulled it apart and thoroughly cleaned all the insides and its back to working order now… But I still won't be leaving it alone till I see it up to and holding temperature
Touch wood I've never had an issue with mine. It's five years old now and is regularly used for 24-48 hour cooks. One of the most-used kitchen gadgets I've ever owned.
Had the same issue yesterday with my unit that i had only used a couple of times. Heard a pop and smoke/strong smell of melting plastic. Unfortunately also out of warranty.
What other sous vide machine is a good alternative to the anova?
Joule. Different price range though.
I think Anova is probably the best in the price range it is in.
Yeah, i did some research. Cant get the Joule in Australia and its 500+ on Ebay :(
Inkbird. There was a deal here a while back. Even the everyday price is good though.
Any deals on the containers that you know of?
I'd just get the new anova one… last time I looked there wasn't much on the market and mostly expensive
I just use a simple 16L storage tub I got from Woolies and have no issues
Use a small Esky.
It's insulated so you will use much less electricity
That's a good idea thanks!
Are regular cooking pots no good?
@Bonbi: I bought the cheapest Kmart stock pot I could get because I'm only doing cooks of 90 mins or less usually. If you're doing larger cuts of meat you'll need the space, also if you're doing longer cooks some prefer the thermal efficiency of eskys and stuff. Just about any heat proof container that fits what you want will be fine.
@Bonbi: They will work but are not insulated so you will lose heat and use more electricity to keep the water at the set temperature
@spaceflight: Interesting article on it here: https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/info/modernist-cooking-b…
Worst case a crappy pot ypou seal as best you can with cling wrap and chuck a towel around if you're doing along cook will be good enough.
I just got a cheap esky/cooler and drilled a hole in the top. Outstanding insulation!
eg:
https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1213703/ot-finally-perfo…
I've been using an insulated food warmer
Like this: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Food-Warmer-10-or-5-Litre-Insula…
I got one of the plastic containers, with a lid, from a kitchen supply place then used a drill keyhole cutter to cut the right hole size for the Anova. I then wrap the container in a large woollen scarf and cover it with towels I clip in place. Seems to work fine.
do you recommend this way of cooking? is it simpler? takes less effort? saves on time? dishes taste delicious? what are the cons and pros? Can someone give some input please?
Sorry for the long post, but I'll break it down as well as I can for you as there's a few things to consider.
A sous vide setup is also quite versatile and you can use it to cook many different things (eg. Eggs, dessert). But like a rice cooker, you buy it to do one thing and do it well. MEAT!
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's look at how we prepare a FAT Steak.
SousVideEverything is an amazing channel and they continue to do test out different theories. Subjectively, there is no difference between frozen and fresh steak. So IRL, we buy steak in bulk, vacuum seal it, date it, freeze it. 24 hours before the cook, we thaw out a bag in the fridge.
A huge benefit of SV cooking is being able to consistently cook a large volume of food at the same time. Did you say you had people over? Throw 6 bags of steak into a big enough container and they'll all be ready at the same time. Another big benefit is being able to walk away to do it's thing and come back… no penalty for being late either! A steak can be cooked anywhere from 3-8 hours with very subtle differences in texture.
A SV steak will look pretty sad and unappetising when it comes out of the bag. Boiled, light brown and soggy… yuck! But inside it will still be glistening in that amazing pink hue (medium-rare) we all aim for! Now as a home-chef, this is where you're actually required to do some real work. It's also the stage where it's the most rewarding too! Take a blow-torch to it or throw it onto a scorching hot cast-iron pan… it doesn't take long before it develops that awesome shiny and golden crust. Season with salt + pepper and you are done.
thank you very much, great post.
This is just to emphasise the finish, I did these photos a few weeks back to show a friend.
I’d advise against a blowtorch. Anything fatty is capable of absorbing a disgusting fuel taste. Searing is probably ideal.
I think that’s only an issue on the lighting of of torch. Ie if you light the torch over the meat then unburnt fuel is fired dispensed over the meat. If you light away from the meat then this shouldn’t be an issue.
To Aww’s initial post, why bother bringing the meat out of the freezer the night before, just add an extra 30 mints to an hour to your cook time. I will have a host of slow cooked meats in the freezer and use the Anova to reheat straight from the freezer
@PaPaGeorGeo: Ah I haven't tested it myself personally, just blindly following the recommendation from the channel SVEverything :)
I do both pan/BBQ and torch searing. A properly-adjusted flame will not impart fuel taste.
Some of the best chefs in the world use blow torches to render fat and sear. Have a look in the kitchen in any Japanese restaurant and see how they prepare otoro tuna or seared salmon nigiri.
Good summary here, if you're interested.
@[Deactivated]: I haven't got a blow-torch myself, but I really want one of these next. Su-VGun/Flamethrower I'm thinking it might just be a case of G.A.S… but it does look badass!
@Aww: OMG! Now I want one of those, too! But they don't ship to Australia :-( I wonder if the firearm-like design would cause headaches at Customs.
Depends what you’re cooking. A lot of people get them to cook perfect steaks and go from there. Effort is reduced. Takes “longer” but you don’t need to babysit your food. Set your temp and time and walk away.
There are a few YouTube channels where people show you food they sous vide. Find a presenter and food type you like and watch a couple of vids :-)
Also look at what someone said in a post below. The Inkbird is cheaper and better. Mine is cooking steaks for lunch now.
Not a time saver, but you get very consistent results.
My favourites;
- Salmon (45 minutes)
- Leg of Lamb (24 hours)
- Eye Fillet (2 hours)
Pro's for myself are using the bag juice to make great sauces and consistency.
Tips:
Sous Vide Everything on You Tube
Pat Dry before searing
Trim as much fat off before sous vide. In my opinion anything with high fat gives a bad aroma.
I love mine! Perfect steaks EVERY time. But I got the new one and only realised to late it only connects via wifi and no longer via Bluetooth (that's progress isn't it). And for some reason it did not want to connect via our Telstra modem at all. Now that we have moved and changed to internode it works fine with the modem provided by them. But you can still use it fine without wifi/Bluetooth by changing the settings directly on the cooker.
I think I overheard Gordon Ramsay saying exactly the same thing! :-)
I'd buy the Inkbird off eBay for under $100 (I've got both). The IB has a better display, a better app, and has no obvious downsides when compared to this.
Got me interested in this now. Would that be the brand/price to go for as the first dabble with this sous vide stuff in a basic way?
Bit like how I only got into using an air fryer cos of that Kogan sale a while back…
Yeah, I think so. I've only used mine for a few months so I can't speak to its longevity, but it seems to be at least as well made as the Anova, and better designed and way more usable, with a better app. The Anova is now very much the spare.
Given all you need is this, a container of some sort and some ziplock bags, it's a cheap and easy way to get into an awesome way to cook and to save a lot of money (via buying much cheaper meat and changing the way you cook it).
I've got the Inkbird, a relative has the ANOVA. Inkbird is hands down much better. Its soo much quieter, sometimes I forget its running.
ANOVA is very loud.
I never found the Anova very loud when it was working properly.
The shaft gets loose and starts knocking on the side of the casing in the early models, which is pretty loud.
Is the reason I can't find it under $100 because of the current USD/AUD rate?
$134 delivered with prime
I messed up the price on the title. Fixed.
I use mine for large yoghurt batches (6l). And with silicone ziplock bags for meat sous vide. Never cooking in plastic after I discovered how much plastic bags and containers leach when heated.
Never cooking in plastic after I discovered how much plastic bags and containers leach when heated.
At sous vide temperatures? Zero ……
Need to use proper BPA free bags and Sous Vide temps are so low.
It’s not like putting a chicken in a bag and then in the oven, or Microwave!!
Does not sound like to researched that properly. BPA free bags are fine by all available information, especially for steaks given quite a low temperature.
a Jedi's weapon deserves more respect
Cant get behind a cooking method with so much plastic.Bpa free is basicly a scam- get everyone buying new products without bpa but have bpa alternatives that arent well tested, see below as a starting point. Maybe silicon is better but it's not worth the gamble for me (but I place health and sitting on side of caution in the unknown very highly)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/api.nationalgeographic.com/dist…
I believe this is the older genation one, which is 900W, while newest generation one is 1,000W. The apearance can also confirm this.
Yes, that's why it says "2nd Gen" in the title. THe difference between 900W and 1o00W is irrelevant for almost all SV.
To me the main distinction is the new ones are waterproof.
Cooking with plastic containers and plastic bags? LOL no thanks, pass.
No Australian plug with those.
Also untested products? Hmmmm
Thanks. Just bought one. Always struggle to cook steak nice myself so hopefully this will help.
I got 4 mouths with different steak cooking preferences at home. Any idea how I can do a batch of of steaks that is rare, medium rare, medium and well done?
Depends how comfortable you are on the pan/grill.
If I had to do this I would just cook the rare from raw and set my SV to med-rare.
When it came to searing I'd leave the medium in the pan a little longer and the well done even longer than that. Depends on how fussy your eaters are and what you're cooking too. If I've got a $35-40 steak I'm taking more care than a cheaper supermarket steak.
You could absolutely cook each one with a SV but you'd have to cook them one at a time and then ice bath it and keep it unseared in the bag. At serving time you could batch reheat them all to the rare temp and then sear before serving. It would take way longer since you can't batch cook them but it would guarantee a consistent result each time.
Have a sous vide machine and a commercial vacuum sealer and would not recommend one for steak tbh, unless its a super thick steak but even then I'd prefer reverse sear.
For thinner, get it over charcoal.
Anybody made a warranty claim on one of these? had to pay return postage?
Amazon description says "We're so confident in our product Enova backs it with a 2-year."
Whatever that means;)
Thanks, have been holding off buying one for ages, definitely grabbing this and using the esky hack mentioned above. What do you all use for a cheap rack?
If anyone else was interested I went with the Ikea Variera, https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/variera-pot-lid-organiser-stain… .
What's the rack for?
Separating the packages for better water circulation.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2539/4424/products/2_013e6…
Looking at Inkbird as well, seems like a good unit but only 12 months warranty vs 24 (I think, see above) on the Anova. Might be worth the $38 for the extra warranty. Thoughts on that anyone?
my bloody water level sensor doesnt work… it bloody beeps even at max and won't turn on..
Does anyone have a recommendation for a vacuum bag sealer to go with the Anova?
How much sealing do you plan on doing?
Not much- water displacement method
A little bit - anything cheap will do, it might suck air slower and have no features but it will be good enough
A lot - (my option) Luvelle Deluxe Pro has features you may want to look for in a more expensive option like dual seam seal, internal bag storage and cutter and a faster continuous duty cycle is why I went this option.
I'm not advocating for any of these and can confidently say that all these methods work, I know because I've used all of them.
I did a lot of research here and agree with @bxpressiv
One worthy contender is the Russell Hobbs RHVS1. I normally avoid the brand but the reviews forced me to think again. Ending up price matching for $89 at Appliances Online (Available here: https://www.billyguyatts.com.au/russell-hobbs-vacuum-sealer-…). Most places sell for $120-150.
If you know you're going to take sous vide seriously then the Luvelle Deluxe Pro is very highly regarded, albeit quite expensive at almost triple the price of the Russell Hobbs
You should also consider getting the Inkbird circulator over the Anova in this deal as some people have mentioned. Cheaper and better.
Cheers for the response (and @bxpressiv)
Ended up going with the Inkbird based on everyone's responses.
Any thoughts on the Foodsaver for $203?
I bought one of these ages ago. Good if you like dicking around for ages cooking, but I don't so learned how to cook a steak perfectly on a BBQ in 5 minutes. Now this thing sits in the cupboard. If anyone wants it, offer me something as trade and we'll do a deal.
Trade you for a sous vide ebook?
5 minutes? properly??
How thin are these steaks you are buying? Unless you eat only wagyu (in which case, sous vide isnt for that) or thin sliced 1cm steaks (in which case, my condolences), 5 minutes isn't happening.
This is what I love about the internet. People who think they know better when they clearly have no idea.
Thanks for the demonstration…
People who think they know better when they clearly have no idea.
man, the irony in that line is amazing…is this a summary of your original post? as it seems pretty accurate
I'll take the Pepsi challenge any day ;)
Though I rarely do steaks sous vide anymore and instead reverse sear on the Kamado Joe…. which still doesn't take 5 minutes.
The fact you think you 'learned' how to cook a steak perfectly on a bbq, and it takes 5 minutes, means you probably need some more lessons
Not just for steaks I use mine for corn on the cob and it is great for corned beef.
Great way to cook. But I'd never buy another Anova.
My original one failed (temperature sensor) when just out of warranty. It nearly started a fire.
It just kept heating, boiled all the water away. Destroyed the container (and the meat of course). Very disappointed. Lots of similar complaints online.
Given you leave the it running for long periods of time unattended, I wouldn't trust it again.