Bought the kickstarter sous vide device, not delivered yet. What other stuff do I need to get started–links and info, please. Thanks.
alan
I canceled my sansaire pledge and went with the anova after the price drop, eggs are cooking as I write.
I went with a 4.75 gal cambro polycarbonate tank
http://www.amazon.com/Cambro-12189CW-135-Camwear-gallon-Storage/dp/B00ADPF9V2
And also a custom cut polycarbonate lid. It’s cut to fit the polyscience sous vide circulators but it fits nicely with the anova.
what is the tank for? I am a newbie. Teach me.
Alan, the Sansaire, Anova and Polyscience Creative allow you to use any large pot or container. The Sous Vide Supreme is a standalone unit built into a fixed size container. Takes up more space when not in use, and limits the amount you can cook.
You will also need a vacuum sealer like a Food Saver, and bags.
what is best vac sealer?
Chamber vac sealers are the best as they offer the most versatility. The ability to do liquids and to seal without compressing the food like a food saver will.
The only problem is that chamber vac sealers are crazy expensive.
Foods saver works fine and is much cheaper. This is the one I have, been using it for over 3 years now, works great.
http://www.foodsaver.com/product.aspx?pid=9070
The sansaire is an immersion circulator, so you will need a vessel to hold water to cook in. The cambro containers are food rated up to 210 degrees.
wow–$800 vs. $150. Easy call.
The vacuum sealers are not only expensive, they are quite large, even larger than they appear in photos. I plan to buy one eventually, but need to get rid of some stuff to have a place to store it. In the interim, for many recipes that don’t require hours and hours, I’ve been using Ziploc vacuum bags that are evacuated by a hand-pump. I have the Cambro tank, but most of the time I use a large stockpot because it has less water to heat.
-Al
What Tyler said is all you need. I have a huge stock pot that I use as well as the camware at your local William Sonoma.
Also highly recommend the anova. Same price as the sansere but the company behind anova specializes in immersion a circulators. On top of that you’ll receive it in a week opposed to whenever the sansere will come out.
I mentioned in another thread that I went all in with a Polyscience recirulator, a large plastic tub with a precut lid for the circulator, and a Vacmaster VP112 chamber vacuum machine. About $1000 for everything, all fully professional, no “make due”, and easy to work with. The recirulator and tub can be stored together easily. However, the vacuum machine takes up about 18"-24" of counter space, weighs about 50 pounds, and would be a pain to drag in and out of storage. Luckily, I have an out of the way spot to put the vacuum machine and have it available 24/7. I love being able to vacuum seal “wet” items. Soups and sauces freeze flat in a bag, taking up minimal freezer space. No “partial freezing” raw meats, just divide the Costco packaging into usable portions, vacuum bag, and freeze. For Sous Vide, the “variable” vacuum is nice for crushable items.
So far I’m pleased. If the Sansere and Anova units work as well for others as the Polyscience over the long haul, so much the better. The Vacmaster unit was considerably less than a lot of the units I looked at. It has a large plastic top. If the top and the vacuum pump hold out, it is a keeper.
One of the things I didn’t think much about, until I got started, was the ice/water bath technique to stop cooking and store finished items. You can cook and store items for a day or two in their bags, rewarm in the circulator, and finish at the last moment. Allows for one circulator to cover vegatables and protein for the same meal. For me, an unexpected benefit.
Get yourself a decent vacuum sealer (FoodSaver V3835) and Modernist Cuisine at Home. The latter is a great resource for sous vide cooking generally (among other things).
this is a great article to understand what’s happening and how to optimize…
How user-friendly is the Anova? It doesn’t look as straightforward to dial in the temperature as on the Sansaire.
And what are the advantages of it over the standalone sets? It seems like it’d be to your advantage to buy a separate water vessel–more control over size and volume that way, and possibly easier storage.
Is very easy to dial in the temp on the anova. Hit the set temp button, C to a 10th of. Degree and F are while numbers. I love mine so far, did a marinated tri tip this past weekend and it was flat out awesome. Also did corn on the cob, probably the best I’ve had texture wise, evenly cooked with perfect crunch.
That’s interesting, what was the temp and time for the corn?
Though I guess corn season will be over by the time my Sansaire arrives 
Does anyone think there’s a reason to wait for the Sansaire over buying the Anova now? Neither appear recommended on Modernist Cuisine’s website, but that doesn’t really mean anything to me. They seem like a much smarter, more versatile alternative to buying the bulky circulator kits. Kind of the like the immersion blender to the ordinary blender.
I have a Food Saver and Modernist Cuisine collecting dust on my shelf but was a bit intimidated by the options for the circulators and didn’t take the time to do the research. I wasn’t aware of these more streamlined home options. Would love to actually put my other equipment to use…
salt, pepper and butter
30 mins at 182
You all are killing me, its fall wine season and I am dying to buy of of these for steak alone…this darn board is going to lead to a divorce for me.
I don’t have a lot of cooking gadgets but the three things that I do own that I love in order:
- Sous vide machine
- Immersion blender
- Smoking gun
Making onsen eggs is a breeze. 1 hour at 140F
Poaching chicken breasts for various Chinese dishes. 30 minutes at 138F
Perfectly medium rare steak or lamb. 30 minutes at 137F.
Sweet and flavorful vegetables cooked in their own liquid. 1 hour at 180F.
Scallops so succulent your face implodes. 20 minutes at 112F.
Tender short ribs that are medium rare. 48 hours at 138F.
And so forth. I just use a regular cheapo vaccuum sealer or sometimes even just a ziploc bag if I’m lazy.