Baker - Sous Vide Cookbook: 180 Modern Sous Vide Recipes - The Art and Science of Precision Cooking at Home (Plus Cocktails)

Some of the best Sous Vide machines are: Sous vide ovens The simplest way to get into the sous vide lifestyle is to buy an all-in-one-machine, also called sous vide oven. Sous vide ovens include a reservoir that precisely heats and circulates the water bath, digital thermometers and timers to ensure perfect cooking, and sometimes even vacuum sealers to package up your food before its bath. The machines can be bulky, but you may prefer one bulky machine to three or four smaller appliances. Many of the machines are designed with the sleek, stylish kitchen in mind, including two of my favorites, the Tribest Sousvant and the Oliso Pro. The Oliso Pro even includes an induction cooktop, so you can sear your sous vide food to a golden-brown finish without ever pulling out a pan. Some sous vide ovens at lower price points resemble office printers but still get the job done.

At this price point, I suggest the Sous Vide Supreme Demi, a boxy but compact oven thats perfect for smaller families. Immersion circulators If youd like equally precise sous vide method with a less expensive entry point, try looking into immersion circulators instead of all-in-one sous vide ovens. Immersion circulators are small, handheld gadgets that make any water-filled basin into a sous vide machine. They draw up water from the basin, heat it to a set temperature, and release the heated water back into the basin, maintaining a precise level of heat and speed of circulation. The circulators are similar in size and shape to an immersion blender and take up the same amount of space in your kitchen. The immersion circulator market is exploding right now, with every company trying to outpace the next with one more bell or whistle.

Most of them do the trick, but some are sleeker and more impressive than others. We suggested the Sansaire, a beautifully elegant device that heats water within a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit. More tech-minded cooks may be interested in the Anova WiFi Precision Cooker, which sends notifications to your cell phone about how your food is doing. Once youve chosen a circulator, you can opt to either buy dedicated sous vide container or use one of the large pots you already have as your water basin. Youll also need to buy a vacuum sealer, and then youre all set to start cooking. DIY alternatives If youd prefer not to invest in a brand-new kitchen appliance just to test out a method of cooking, dont fret; there are sous vide options for you, too.