Literally meaning ‘under vacuum’ in French, sous vide is a water bath style of cooking, which cooks food evenly at a slow, regulated temperature.
While the cooking style was once associated with scientific labs and high-end restaurants, sous vide cookers have become far more popular amongst home cooks in recent years, with so many options now available at affordable price points.
Immersion circulators are amongst the most common sous vide cookers, heating water baths to a precise temperature, drawing water from the bath and bringing it into contact with a heating element which then feeds the heated water back into the bath.
Once used for tasks such as incubating live cell cultures in scientific labs, the equipment became popular amongst modernist chefs during the turn of the millennium, but at the time they were still large, extremely expensive pieces of equipment. Today, many accessibly priced options are available and in sizes more suited to home kitchens. What’s more, a great number of multicookers or slow cookers also have sous vide functions included, making the cooking style much more manageable for home cooks.
Why should I buy a sous vide machine?
While you can cook sous vide at home without a machine, the process is much trickier and will require more care and attention. It’s also almost impossible to achieve the level of accuracy needed without specialist equipment.
Crucially, sous vide machines control the temperature of the water bath used for cooking, heating it to a precise temperature at which to cook the food, ultimately giving complete control over what’s being cooked.
As the water doesn’t exceed the set temperature, sous vide cooking makes it difficult to overcook food, perfect for a wide variety of dishes. Meats are a popular choice for sous vide cooking, but seafood, fish, eggs, vegetables, custard, polenta and even yoghurt can be cooked effectively using sous vide.
While sous vide cooking does take longer than most methods, it’s genuinely quite convenient. The fact that the water temperature is controlled also means very little of the cooking needs to be hands-on, and extra cooking time won’t necessarily cause a kitchen disaster.
One more benefit of sous vide machines is the ability to defrost frozen food quicker than other methods. Circulation makes the food thaw quickly while avoiding the danger of bacterial growth.
What to look for in a sous vide machine
When buying a sous vide machine, temperature is the key thing to consider. Some cookers boast of being able to reach high temperatures, but that’s not really the point. Consistency is key. Look for a machine that has a precise temperature control - and will hold that temperature for prolonged periods.
As sous vide machines become more accessible, new appliances with technical gadgets are becoming popular, including options to control the appliance from your phone. These are useful, but not really necessary. Ideally, look for something with a clear display and easy-to-use controls.
Immersion circulators are some of the most popular models, but the tank appliances are also useful, especially when they excel in sous vide but also have other useful functions, helping to declutter your kitchen.
How we tested the best sous vide machines
All of the featured sous vide machines were tested in a home kitchen, with various criteria taken into consideration. The key focuses were the quality of the food produced, temperature control and consistency, ease of use and cleaning, functionality, instructions and value for money.
Shop the best sous vide machines below
Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid
Over the past 12 years, Instant Pot has garnered a cult following, becoming one of the biggest names in the constantly expanding multicooker market – and for good reason. The Instant Duo Crisp with air fryer has a sleek design and 13 cooking functions, including sous vide which is ideal for cooking vacuum-sealed foods at precise temperatures.
While the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is at the more expensive end of the scale, it’s an absolute game-changer and will replace a number of (most likely inferior) kitchen gadgets as well as working as a decent sous vide cooker.
On account of its seemingly endless uses, the fairly large 6.2 litre cooking pot is especially ideal for cooking for groups, or for batch cooking, as well as having an easy-to-use control panel, a delay start time function and a keep warm option. The additional parts are also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
Buy now £219.99, Lakeland
Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker WiFi
An immersion circulator sous vide precision cooker, this machine from Anova has a WiFi setting, making it possible to connect your phone via an iOS or Android app. In addition to providing remote functionality, the app also has step-by-step recipes, perfect for sous vide beginners.
The Anova Precision Cooker WiFi is also compact for easy storage, has a flow rate of eight litres per minute and has an adjustable and removable clamp so it can stand up in whichever pan or tank you intend on using for cooking.
Most importantly, however, the appliance has very precise temperature accuracy (+/- 0.1˚C), ranging from 0-92˚C (32˚-197˚F), which is perfect for most sous vide needs. Sure, it’s at the more expensive end of the spectrum, but it’s an excellent option for beginners or competent sous vide cooks.
Buy now £99.00, Amazon
Russell Hobbs Sous Vide Slow Cooker
Combining a sous vide and slow cooker function in one appliance, the Russell Hobbs Sous Vide Slow Cooker makes it easy to cook even and juicy dishes like steak at home. Simply heat the water to your desired temperature, place sealed bags into the ceramic pot on sous vide racks and slowly cook until ready.
The machine also contains a temperature probe which can be inserted into the water, or to the dishes in the slow cooker. As well as being cost-effective, durable and reliable, the Russell Hobbs Sous Vide Slow Cooker makes it easy to cut down on unnecessary appliances taking up space in the kitchen.
Buy now £100.00, eBay
Vpcok Direct Immersion Circulator Sous Vide
This immersion circulator sous vide cooker’s base and cover are made from durable, corrosion-resistant stainless steel, while the intelligent digital display makes the appliance easy to use. Although it’s not the quietest option, the sous vide cooker has a precise timer to 0.1oC, ranging from 25-92.5oC, and has safety features such as a maximum water level protection system, while stable clamps can firmly attach the appliance to most containers. Moreover, a handy recipe book of simple sous vide recipes is also included alongside the instructions manual.
Buy now £69.99, Amazon
FUNYKICH Sous Vide Cooker
Like the Vpcok Direct model, the FUNYKICH Sous Vide Cooker is another affordable immersion circulator. As with the Vpcok Direct, this machine has many similar features, including a precise temperature setting accurate to 0.1oCelsius, ranging from 25-99oC.
As for the time control, settings range to a maximum of 99 hours and 59 minutes, while a helpful three-colour light indicator helps with distinguishing between the cooking process, from pre-heating to cooking countdown, through to the time being up.
In addition to the useful cooking functions, safety devices also include anti-dry burning, anti-high temperature, water level detection and leakage protection, with a handy alarm to warn of any issues during cooking, ensuring optimum safety and that food isn’t ruined.
Buy now £54.39, Amazon
Verdict
While many exceptional sous vide cookers exist, the multi-cookers with a sous vide function are arguably the most beneficial options. Traditionalists may be keen on opting for one of the immersion circulator sous vide cookers, but the Instant Pot Duo Crisp leads the charge, clinching our best buy recommendation based on its versatility and all-round high quality. The brand has a cult following for a reason.
