If you have seriously begun to think about sous vide, the first rational step is to select proper tools. There are hundreds of types and designs of different sous vide cookers, so how to choose the best one for you? The good news is that you do not have to spend your precious time doing extensive research; we did it all for you. We took into account multiple performance variables, overall customer satisfaction, useful tips, and pre-selected the most appropriate immersion cookers.
First, we tested two leading sous vide brands on the market, which also are the most popular and commonly used among the customers. You have probably heard about them already – Anova Culinary and Breville Joule. We also added an option for those who are not that sure if they want to spend an excessive amount of money on the device. One of the best budget options currently is PARTU Sous Vide. So let’s look at each of them individually, describe their main features, and list all the pros and cons to help you make your decisions.
Anova Cookers
Anova is the #1 brand in the sous vide industry currently with clients from all over the world. As a beginner, you surely will not make a wrong decision by choosing any of their products. Their sous vide tools are the most commonly purchased on the market right now, and they are effortless to use. You simply attach the cooker to a big pot or container full of water, and you can start cooking. The Anova Culinary application will always inform you about the state of your cooking process, and you can remotely control your device. You also get access to thousands of recipes, tips & tricks followed by pictures to make your cooking so much more comfortable. All of their cookers are also conveniently controlled manually. The Anova Culinary application has a rating of 3.6 points on Google Play as of now. That may not look that great, but in fact, it is rather above-average for a hardware connected application. From our extensive personal experience, we can tell that this app has always been working reliably for us.
Currently, there are three Anova sous vide cookers available, each of them suitable for a different type of cooking style and experience.
Anova Precision Cooker Nano – The Absolute Beginner Tool
If you do not have any experience with cooking at all and never heard of sous vide before, Anova Precision Cooker Nano will be an excellent choice for you. You get professional results for an affordable price.
Pros:
- Great for beginners
- Affordable price
- Thousands of recipes from Anova Culinary Application
- Intuitive manual control
Cons:
- Fixed clamps that may cause resonation and louder noises during cooking
- No Wi-Fi connectivity
- 750 W is relatively lower power in comparison to other devices on the market
Anova Precision Cooker – Assistant for Advanced Chefs or Home Cooks
If you have some previous experience in the kitchen, you cook for yourself and your family, and you would like to enter the world of sous vide, you will be surely interested in Anova Precision Cooker. You will be able to manage all the necessary cooking conditions more precisely than with the Nano, and you also get a more powerful device. Thanks to that, you can handle a more significant amount of food and speed up the heating process significantly. Also, the Wi-Fi connection allows you to control the device from any place with internet coverage. While the previous version of this model had both, the Bluetooth and the Wi-Fi functionality, the recent version comes equipped with Wi-Fi only. That is not a problem for most users as the Wi-Fi connectivity offers all the functionality but at a longer range.
Pros:
- Adjustable and removable clamps
- Great price to performance ratio
- Thousands of recipes from the Anova App
- Intuitive manual control
- Remote control
- Wi-Fi connectivity
Cons:
- A little bit larger when compared to other devices
Anova Precision Cooker Pro – A Masterpiece for Skilled Chefs Expecting Only the Best Results
If you are an experienced chef and you would like to elevate your food to the next level, or perhaps you regularly host the private parties for your friends and expect 100% reliability, Anova Precision Cooker Pro is the device you are looking for. This powerful and precise machine can manage a substantial amount of food without losing consistency and always delivering excellent results. It is one of the best immersion cookers on the market right now, and its commonly used even by professional chefs.
Pros:
- Beautifully crafted
- Adjustable and removable clamps
- Amazingly precise results even for a substantial amount of food
- Suitable for very long or non-stop cooking
- Thousands of recipes from the Anova App
- Intuitive manual control
- Remote control
- Wi-Fi connectivity
Cons:
- A little bit larger when compared to other devices
- Higher price tag
Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer – A Perfect Companion to All-New Anova Precision Cookers
The new Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer accessory is the perfect companion to all-new Anova Precision cookers, making it easy to achieve restaurant-level quality cooking results at home with a push of a button. Anova vacuum sealer is reliable, compact and straightforward to use when compared to most other vacuum sealers on the market. This combo ships with ten free vacuum sealer bags to get you started.
Precision Cooker Nano | Precision Cooker | Precision Cooker Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
    |   |   | |
| Power | 750 Watts | 1200 Watts | 1800 Watts |
| Height | 12.8″ | 12.8″ | 13.5″ |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
| # of Hours of Continuous Cooking | Up to 3,000 hours | Up to 5,000 hours | Up to 10,000 hours |
| Clamps | Fixed | Adjustable and Removable | Adjustable and Removable |
| Flow Rate | 5 Liters/min | 8 Liters/min | 12 Liters/min |
A great introduction to sous vide. Tom’s Guide | More accurate, heats faster and is easier to use. Gear Patrol | I just love it. Brilliant piece of equipment. Chef Andrew Zimmern | |
| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
Breville Joule – Small and Sleek Yet Powerful
For absolute beginners who want to try cooking sous vide, and who are looking for something that will not overload their kitchen shelf and it is elegantly designed, Breville Joule would be their clear winner. Although it is almost half the size of the other devices, it does not lose anything on its performance. The Joule also has one of the most user-friendly apps you will find. You can easily choose the right settings visually from the videos or photos of the final results, that look most appealing to you. From the cons, I have to mention the absence of display and remote-only device control. The application lets you control all settings, of course, but I am sure that this will be a deal-breaker for some of you.
Pros:
- Near half the size and weight in comparison to other devices
- User-friendly and visually-oriented application
- Remote control
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- Magnetic bottom when clamps cannot be used
- Powerful (1100 W)
Cons:
- Remote control only
- No on-device display
- Slightly higher price
Wancle Sous Vide – The Best Budget Sous Vide Device
You may still not be 100% sure if the sous vide style of cooking is convenient for you. If you want to try a few recipes from time to time, but you do not want to spend a fortune on your very first device, here comes a suitable candidate. With price as low as $89.99 it is one of the most affordable immersion cookers you will be able to find. In comparison to the 700 Watts Nano, the PARTU Sous Vide is slightly more powerful, delivering exactly 850 Watts, and it has adjustable clamps which are ideal for use with a pot. On the other hand, you would miss remote control functionality as well as an application full of recipes and tips & tricks. Both benefits come with some other devices.
Pros:
- Incredibly low price
- Great for beginners
- Adjustable and removable clamps
- Suitable for use with pots
Cons:
- Not that powerful (850W)
- No remote control
- No mobile application
