Anova CulinarySous Vide Precision Cooker 2.0 (WiFi), 1000 Watts

I decided to try some sous vide cooking on a whim and this seemed like a good choice for a beginner's unit. The price was right, the brand is well respected and the reviews were good. I wanted to stay with a known brand for this since it's a an item that you plug into an outlet and then submerge in water. Thus the build quality really matters here.It's pretty simple. Attach to a pot filled with water, plug in, set time & temp and hit "play". It heats up the water very quickly and then keeps it very stable. I checked the temp with a good thermometer and it was spot on.Put my bag-o-food in it and an hour or so later took it back out. Seared the food and it was great. I tend to overcook chicken and this chicken breast was very juicy. Just right. I have played around with some other recipes (chicken satay and spiedies) and the meat was perfectly cooked. I don't really see the point of doing steaks this way since I like the flavor that cooking over charcoal imparts, but maybe in the dead of winter.I think this is a great little device to dip your toe into sous vide with. I also can't really see any reason that I would want to upgrade either though. It does what I need and is nice and compact.I haven't used the WiFi yet, don't really see a need for it honestly.

***UPDATE: About 3 years later from my initial purchase and review, giving it 5 Stars now!! It still works like a champ. I do not use the wi-fi though. It kept disconnecting and honestly, I do not need to start and stop it with my phone. You literally tap the screen to set the time and temp, it is so easy! This makes THE BEST chicken, steaks, chuck roast, fajitas, etc. It turns inexpensive cuts into heaven! You do not need a vacuum sealer. I use ziplock bags and lower the food inside of the bag in the water and the water surrounding the bag helps crush the ziplock as you press the air out and seal it. Google water displacement method. You do not need to make this complicated!!! Keep it simple. Once you are done cooking, pull the bag out and submerge it in a bowl with ice water and leave it for an hour. Then you remove your meat, pat it completely dry. You do not want excess liquid to boil your meat when searing. Remove as much of the liquid from the meat as possible with a paper towel. Then, sear the outside quickly in a hot pan or under a broiler just enough to add a golden brown crust. Not too long, because the meat is already cooked. That is it! Everyone will think you are the most amazing chef. THE BEST PURCHASE!!! SOOO WORTH IT!!! This is my update after several years of use. Still a huge fan!So far so good. It does make noise the entire time it is on. I guess I thought they were all supposed to be quiet. The noise is not super loud. I took a video, but decided not to post it due to the video making the noise seem louder than it is truly is in person. It is a low humming sound. I guess it’s a good reminder that you have something cooking. You probably will not notice it from another room in the house. 4 stars only, because I thought it would be silent. Maybe it truly deserves 5 stars.I love that it is wifi! At first, I ordered a cheaper one that was not wifi as I initially thought, “who really needs that feature?” I sent it back thankfully. I LOVE THE WIFI!! I have lots of wifi products in my home already...I admit it, I am hooked on controlling things via my phone from any location! LOLBuy it. You will not regret it. Yes, it is a little more expensive, but your food will be amazing and it is fun! This one did not take very long to heat up either. I am impressed. This will cook your meat to the perfect temperature. You never have to worry again about overcooking. Click the helpful button below if you found this review helpful at all. Thx.

I do all the cooking for the family, and I cook a large variety of meals, except steaks. For some reason, I could never cook any steak so that it ends up juicy, and tender. I default to the well-known quote, “a man has to know his limitations.” For me, steak dinners required a trip to the local steak house; and even they were seldom consistent with their steaks, but always pricey.Then I discovered sous vide. I now have steaks at home once or twice a week, and always perfect; never tough or dry, and always done exactly medium.This Anova unit is great. It is simple to set up and adjust the settings. The primary function of this product is to maintain a constant water temperature for hours at a time, and it does it perfectly. I do not use the smartphone app, because it is so simple to set up, and monitor as is.To date I have cooked, NY strip, ribeye, T-bone/porterhouse, chuck pot roast (24 hour cook time), pork chops, chicken, and cod fish. Another plus aspect of sous vide is that with the high prices of steak, you have no fear of making a mistake when cooking your steak. In addition, I only buy choice cuts. There is no need to pay extra for prime cuts when you use sous vide.My recommendations for accessories: Buy a plastic container with lid, I use the EVERIE Sous Vide Container 12 Quart. I also bought the EVERIE Weighted Sous Vide Rack Divider, very handy. Many people mention that you do not require a vacuum sealer for sous vide, but I highly recommend it.Personal thoughts on my new sous vide experience. I have taken the same cuts of meat or fish, prepped and separated them into two sealed bags, froze one bag and cooked the other fresh. I saw/tasted no difference between the two; another convenient plus. I like to add one hour cook time on frozen meat, 10 minutes on fish. Note, all my steaks are 1 ½ to 2 inches thick.I found for my tastes, 140 degrees is perfect for all my steaks and pork chops. Times vary from 4 to 6 hours. For cod fish, 135 degrees for 40 minutes. Of course everyone will find their perfect preference.As expected, YouTube has excessive sous vide videos. I found the most useful overall information from the series called “Sous Vide Everything.”After cooking your meat, you will want to sear it. This is my method: I use a simple skillet, and high smoke point oil, above 480 degrees. Therefore, your choices are clarified butter or avocado oil. I heat just to smoke point, place the meat in the skillet, cover with a heavy metal bacon press, and sear for only 30 seconds on each side.To anyone who likes a thick cod fillet, the sous vide method excels, perfect every time. Of course you can add your favorite fresh spices into the bag, and or lemon slices. I may or may not sear the cod depending on the meal. My latest attempt, I covered the cooked cod with sautéed leeks and crème fraiche.I highly recommend this product to all those who enjoy cooking.