Update: They now offer a completely white version, which looks pretty awesome. The white one sells for a discount because the bottom is not stainless steel, like the one you see in the title Image. Click the link to check the current price. Joule Review: The Apple of Sous Vide Simply the best of the […]
My 5 Picks For Best Immersion Circulators For Home Use
One of the most important decisions that you have to make for sous vide cooking is which immersion circulator to get. Now, for the most part, any immersion circulator will perform the same role. This focuses on heating the water and circulating it through the container. As a result, you will get good food, regardless of the specific immersion circulator you choose.
However, there are many different models to choose from and there can be significant differences between them. This does mean that some options are going to be a better choice for your situation than others.
Sous Smart SSV2700 Review: Does This Cheap Circulator Get The Job Done?
After reviewing 13 other immersion circulators, one more popped up on my radar recently…the Sous Smart SSV2700. I was pretty excited to review this one because it was really cheap – in the sixty dollar range when I bought it. Since then, the price has gone up. Bummer! But the good news is that it makes my decision to NOT recommend this device very easy.
Though it’s still cheap compared to some of the pricier immersion circulators I’ve reviewed over the past couple months, it’s currently no the cheapest. Considering it has a number of design flaws that make it difficult to use, it’s just not a great choice for most people. It does have some good reviews racking up on Amazon, as someone who’s tried many sous vide circulators, I don’t think this is the best one you can get for the price!
Bluetooth Sous Vide Appliances – Are They Worth It?
The line between bluetooth sous vide appliances and ones that connect to WiFi is blurred. As of 2017, there’s only one “bluetooth only” device on the market, though you do need to have bluetooth in order to use the the WiFi-enabled ones. Usually, it means you’ll pair the device via Bluetooth, then connect the device to your WiFi signal through your smartphone.
Bluetooth is quite limited in range, so without an additional WiFi feature, you’ll be limited to being as far as “the next room” before you’ll lose remote control. That means other than monitoring your sous vide steak while watching TV (which is still pretty cool), you’ll basically have a regular immersion circulator. I’ll dig into that a bit more below when talking about the only bluetooth sous vide device, but I just wanted to clear up what we’ll be talking about in this post. Yes, it’s going to include the WiFi devices as well.
4 Cheaper Alternatives to PolyScience Sous Vide Immersion Circulators
I started learning about sous vide and testing immersion circulators a few months go. After buying 13 of them and testing them, I’m still wondering why someone would pay so much for a PolyScience product. There are so many cheaper alternatives to PolyScience sous vide immersion circulators that I can’t figure out why someone would pay 3x-10x more for a device that does the same thing. I wanted to take a look in the details PolyScience to see exactly what was up. Are they truly better? Do you get more value for your money? Unfortunately, from what I can see, you do not get added value for your extra dollars. It seems you’re just paying for a brand name. We’ll take a look at some details below to confirm what I mean.
To be fair, most PolyScience immersion circulators do have stronger pumps, so they can circulate more water, and control the temperature of a larger volume of water. But the difference between 5 and 8 gallons is not that much, and most home chefs will be cooking for themselves, up to a small family. Most of us are not serving 12 people at a time! I just want to take a look at some details of the currently available PolyScience models, so you can get an idea of what they off. Then we’ll dig into some comparable, cheaper alternatives that can help you get started cooking sous vide without breaking the bank.