No longer just for chefs in fine dining restaurants, sous vide machines are now easily accessible to home cooks, thanks to an expanded market for more adventurous cooking gadgets that don’t cost a fortune.
This slow cooking method all but guarantees that you won’t overcook your food, and it’s one of the best ways to achieve the most tender meats and evenly cooked, flavor-packed vegetables.
The most common type of sous vide machine you’ll encounter for home use is an immersion circulator, which looks somewhat like a stick blender. You place it in a water bath to preheat the water, then add your bagged and seasoned food which stays there until it reaches a precise temperature.
There are so many different sous vide machines available with varying features, displays, and app-control capabilities that it can be hard to find one that lives up to its performance claims.
So to make it easier for you, we’ve done the research for you and found some of the best sous vide machines available right now. In the guide below, you can find the most important details about each one.
Let’s begin with our comparison table.
The 4 Best Sous Vide for 2020
| Product | Wattage | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 W | WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled Smart controls allow remote cooking | ||
| 1100 W | Controlled via WiFi and Bluetooth-connected app Very slim and lightweight Powerful circulator | ||
| 800 W | Touchscreen display Compatible with Instant Pot Easy to use | ||
| 1000 W | Includes deluxe accessory kit Heats quickly |
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker
About Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker
If you’re looking for a high-tech option, the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Prevision Cooker is WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled for remote cooking.
You can control the cooker via the Anova app or by voice with Alexa, and it sends you notifications so you can monitor the status of your food anywhere you go. You’ll also get access to thousands of free recipes and video tutorials to help you experiment.
This appliance has a timer that you can set for up to 99 hours, a temperature range of 32°F to 210°F, and it works in up to 5 gallons of water. It has a clip mount that easily attaches to any type of pot, and you can choose settings remotely or manually on the display.
Both the stainless steel skirt and disc are dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
This product comes with a 2-year limited warranty.
Our Thoughts
The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker is very easy to set up and use. The fact that you can control the temperature remotely or manually is a nice option that eliminates the need for you to hover in the kitchen checking on its progress.
It does an excellent job at producing perfectly cooked food, and the temperatures are always accurate. The water pump is powerful enough to heat the water in a reasonable amount of time, too.
One drawback that we noticed is that the app is clunky and doesn’t provide as much functionality as it could, like the ability to change the timer. However, the company regularly provides updates to improve users’ experience.
Another is that it takes a long time to preheat the water compared to some other options.
Overall, this is a decent sous vide appliance for first-time users that want a more high-tech option for less than $200.
You can see how the Anova Precision Cooker works in the video below:
The Pros
- WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled
- Slim design
- Clips to any container or pot
The Cons
- App Is clunky with limited functionality
- Preheating takes a long time
ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide
About ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide
If you’re looking for a powerful and sleek looking sous vide machine, check out the ChefSteps Joule. This appliance is the world’s smallest and most powerful sous vide machine, and it easily fits in a silverware drawer.
It’s designed to heat the water in nearly half the time of competitors like the Anova Precision Cooker above, thanks to a more powerful pump.
This one, however, doesn’t have a display or manual controls. Instead, it is completely controlled via the Joule app on your smartphone, and it’s compatible with Alexa for voice commands. You’ll also have access to hundreds of recipes and guides that can help you cook anything you want.
This appliance has a magnetic base and a clip that you can use to attach it to your cooking pot or container of choice. It can reach a temperature of up to 208°F and works in up to 10 gallons of water.
This sous vide machine costs around $200, and it comes with a limited 1-year warranty.
Our Thoughts
The ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide has an impressively slim and compact design, but it provided the most impressive performance out of all the sous vide appliances we’ve reviewed.
It’s easy to set up, and the magnetic base allows you to simply stand it up in a metal pot without any need for a clip. It also heats up the water way faster than other options, which is great if you’re starving and not in the mood to wait around for an hour or longer to start cooking.
The only downside is that this device has no physical controls. Now this might not seem like a big deal, but there is one instance where it can really ruin your experience.
If you’re running the app through WiFi and your connection drops, the timer will stop counting down. While the Joule will continue to run when this happens, you can easily lose track of your cooking progress if you don’t set an additional timer.
Aside from that, though, the app is highly functional, streamlined, and easy to use.
If you can overlook the fact that there’s no display or physical controls, this is an excellent sous vide machine that comes to temperature quickly and is very easy to use.
Check out the video below to see the Joule in action:
The Pros
- Heats up fast
- Slim and lightweight design
- Includes magnetic base and clip
The Cons
- No physical controls
Instant Pot Accu Slim
About Instant Pot Accu Slim
If you’re looking for something basic and affordable that still delivers good performance, check out the Instant Pot Accu Slim.
This sous vide circulator isn’t app-controlled, but it has a bright touchscreen display that lets you choose temperatures from 68°F to 203°F, and you can adjust the timer from 1 minute to 72 hours.
It’s specifically designed for use in the 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot, but if you don’t have one you can still use it in another vessel. It has a fixed clamp rather than a clip or magnetic base, so you’ll have to experiment to find a pot or container that’s the right fit.
The best part about this sous vide circulator is that it only costs about $80, and it comes with a limited 1-year warranty.
Our Thoughts
This sous vide device has a simple, no-frills design that’s incredibly easy to use. It heats up water rather and does a good job at circulating and maintaining its temperature even when adding colder foods.
One drawback is that the timer starts counting down as soon as the water comes to temperature, which can be an issue if you haven’t added the food yet.
Another is that the device turns itself off once the timer counts down, so you have to be available to remove the food immediately or risk bacterial growth from a temperature drop.
However, this device is still a great choice if you’re looking for something that’s easy to use and delivers impressive performance for a lower cost.
The Pros
- Low price
- Easy to use
- Good performance
The Cons
- Device automatically shuts off when timer counts down
- Timer counts down even if food isn’t added
Yedi Total Package Sous Vide Cooker
About Yedi Total Package Sous Vide Cooker
The Yedi Total Package Sous Vide Cooker comes with everything you need to get started with sous vide cooking.
In addition to the immersion circulator, you’ll get a deluxe accessory package that includes a hand pump, 10 reusable BPA-free vacuum bags, 4 container clips, and 1 vacuum bag sealing clip. You’ll also receive a recipe book and cheat sheet guide that can help you get started.
This device lets you choose temperatures between 77°F and 203°F, and the timer goes up to 99 hours and 59 minutes. It also has an attached clamp that easily fits onto most any type of pot or container.
It’s very powerful for quick preheating, and it’s designed to be ultra-quiet while in operation.
You can find this sous vide for around $90, which is very affordable considering all of the accessories you get. It also comes with a limited 2-year warranty.
Our Thoughts
This is another affordable, easy to use sous vide circulator that’s great for beginners. Since it comes with everything you need to get started, all you have to do is pick a suitable cooking vessel.
This device heats water quickly as promised, and it’s very quiet, too. The temperatures are accurate for the most part, and it doesn’t take long to recover the temperature once cold food is added.
And while it isn’t app-compatible or remotely controlled, the display is intuitive and simple to navigate.
Overall, this is a very decent sous vide device capable of cooking everything from steak and chicken to eggs and vegetables without any issues, and there were no major drawbacks.
The Pros
- Includes deluxe accessory kit
- Low price
- Quiet operation
The Cons
- No cons
Best Sous Vide for 2020
A perfect sous vide circulator heats water quickly and maintains a precise temperature until the food is ready, so we’ve chosen the ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide as our best overall pick. It does everything it’s intended to exceedingly well, and it packs the most power out of all the devices we reviewed.
If you’re looking for something that costs less than $100, we’d recommend the Instant Pot Accu Slim. This circulator does an excellent job at maintaining an accurate temperature and is very easy to use.
If you’re a beginner and want something affordable that comes with everything you need to get started, the Yedi Total Package Sous Vide Cooker provides a lot of value for the money.
So those are our top picks, but any of the sous vide machines in this guide can help you achieve professional-quality results at home.
Writer and Product Researcher
Spending the last 10 years researching and writing about various home, garden and electronics topics, Shelley is more than qualified to write for Meccano Home. Her work has been featured on eBay, Pottery Barn, SFGate, TheKnot, Williams-Sonoma and various other blogs and websites.
