Sous Vide Standard

EDIT: As a new user, it took a bit of practice with me now a member of the "137 Club"... My last Rib Eye steak, (~ 1 inch thick), was cooked at 137' F for two hours and the result was a TENDER steak being able to cut with a FORK.... As you may know, a steak that is not "done enough" is really not as tender as a steak that is sufficiently cooked. The 137 temperature enables the fat and marbling to render resulting in a perfectly cooked, JUICY steak that will melt in you mouth. The steak was most likely "done" after an hour, but, the additional hour gave the fat more time to render for a PERFECT RESULT... Try this recipe and you will thank me later ;-) P.S. For boneless/skinless chicken breasts, (large size), a two hour cook at 145" F also resulted in a PERFECT result... I've heard a lot about this Sous Vide method of "cooking" and with my recent purchase of a BUNCH of Rib Eye steaks on sale for "only" $9.99, (bought 22 of those bad boys, (25 pounds ;-) yippee ki-yay, I wanted to try my hand using this method. I knew Publix was going to have the Rib Eye Roasts on sale for Christmas and I needed to purchase a vacuum food sealer which is really ****mandatory**** when you find a good price on meat and want to keep your freezer "happy" and FULL.. I did not need a special container that can cost upwards of 35 dollars or so and since I already had a 12 quart stock pot, I was set. I set the temperature locally - on the unit to 128 degrees, (My calibrated Taylor thermometer reading was 129 degrees F), without using the phone APP as the control panel does all the functions you need. I'm leary about installing/using ANY APP that has "questionable permissions" with the display panel setting easy to use, but, the APP operation may be useful in the future. This one degree difference is of no real consequence as long as you know the REAL temperature, you are good.. The final temperature of about 132 F was obtained after pan browning/searing the steak after the water bath. The BEST performance aspect of this unit is that it held a STEADY temperature of 129 degrees F, (129 degrees actual- 128 F set), and it did not vary more than .1 degree, which is superb. I found that cooking straight from the defrosted/sealed bag into the water worked best for me with seasoning being applied after the water bath and before searing. I find that some information of salting a steak overnight is BAD ADVISE, as it will dry out the meat. Seasonings could have been added AFTER defrosting, then resealing in a vacuum bag, then dunking in the water. (My best thinking is for long term storing/freezing any meat, is to vacuum seal/freeze WITHOUT ANY SALT/SEASONING, to preserve the actual meat flavor and prevent unwanted complications).. The cook time was only one hour and maybe could/should have been a bit longer, 1.5 hours or so, but not critical as long as you don't cook for 2-3 hours, depending on the meats thickness. My next steak I'll cook at an ACTUAL temperature of 133 F / 132 F SET to obtain a more medium than rare result. (You will need PRACTICE TO "get good").. Overall with the build quality, the temperature setting accuracy, (off by ONLY one degree F low), the STEADY temperature, and the separate display showing both the temperature of the water and the time remaining simultaneously, is a nice feature without having to press any buttons to see both data points. The unit is very quiet with only a slight "clicking of the power relay every 5 seconds. My calibrated Taylor thermometer is/was placed OPPOSITE of the heater so to have a more accurate temperature reading of the water throughout the entire container which was the same due to the very good water circulation. The water flow was more than sufficient to ensure an EVEN temperature throughout the 12 quart pot.. For the vacuum food sealer AND this Sous Vide machine, I should have bought these "tools" a long time ago. Other units did not specify their warranty as this unit does come with a TWO YEAR warranty that shows a "product reliability" that other units may have shorter coverage.. Long term reliability is yet to be determined, but, with the initial performance beyond expectation, I hope to use this unit for some time....

My wife was skeptical at first when I came home overjoyed as a new convert and Sous Vide zealot after a coworker shared the gospel of Sous Vide with me as THE way to cook. I thought he was nuts. He cut a slice of his chicken. Hey, free food. Ok, I’m in. Instantly knew I needed this ability. Without trying something evenly cooked sous vide, sealing in marinades and flavor and moisture, you do not understand. She did not understand. She thought I was nuts. I HAD to show her. Hahahaha. I talked about it and then bought an expensive wand (twice the price of this one) and she instantly became a convert as well…HA! So, we were understandably heartbroken when the one that sounds like a dying star died after the warranty… after their clip broke and they sent a new holder for it. Well… We got spoiled doing Sous Vide but I didn’t want to experience that let-down again of paying so much for something to just not last... but, now we realize we just can’t do without a Sous Vide wand! I shopped around and rolled the dice on this at about half the cost of the other… Well worth it! Absolute great value and no longer a big costly barrier for folks looking to expand their cooking capabilities and improve flavor quality by getting into sous vide cooking. This is actually affordable and has worked great for the 8 months we’ve had it so far. I wanted to wait long enough to give an honest assessment, but want to put in a review that might be helpful before the holiday shopping rush. You aren’t cutting corners saving money here. We like it better because we saved so much over buying the expensive competitor model. Learn from that lesson. Chicken, steaks, shredded or cubed beef in marinades…. Easy to use- not that complicated. We just stick the meat and marinade in a ziplock, set the temp, and let it do its thing in a pot of water, then finish however we want. Soooo good. I will update my review if/when it dies, but, again, so far so good and I feel we are certainly getting our money’s worth- especially if it outlasts the needlessly costlier competition.

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT IT: Best chicken I've ever made. Easy to use and reliable. This is my first attempt at sous vide and I love it! UPDATE: This is the second unit from this brand/manufacturer that I have bought. The first one was replaced with the warranty I purchased. Let's just say...I love sous vide cooking, but this unit does not last. Yesterday, in the middle of cooking, it stopped maintaining temperature. This happened with the first unit as well, but the first unit lasted about almost years. This current unit has not even lasted 6 months. I use it every week at least once and it runs for about 4 hours. I am now going to purchase another unit, but from a different manufacturer. DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT! We use a water softener and have a reverse-osmosis system. It is not the water we use. I have tried a factory reset. After testing it this morning, it started to climb in temperature, but it would never go over 110 degrees. After 30 minutes, the temperature started dropping. Completely disappointed in this unit. I will not purchase another one.

Worked great for a year and a half and quit mid cook. The power light is red and I can't take it a part to see if it is fixable.

In the beginning It worked fine for 3 months. and now its temperature control is not working properly, the temperature keep on increasing without pressing any button, one time it is overheated to the point of catching on fire. It does not work at all now. I can’t contact anyone to get a replacement. Don't buy this at all fully wastage of money and time