Top Sous Vide Equipment - What Should I Look At?

I bought the Anova on sale.

It has worked flawless so far. I use my large stockpot and the temp is rock solid, id say it could easily handle a large roast or brisket.

I have a foodsaver sealer. Low end on the grand scheme. It's flaw is doing many seals in a row.one or 2 seals fine. Too many in a row can cause burn out. I use it for sous vide, if i was gonna need to use it for something large id just get a large bag, couldn't justify the xtra expense the the times id need it.

smoke ninja said:

I have a foodsaver sealer. Low end on the grand scheme. It's flaw is doing many seals in a row.

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Same with me, I got the cheapie. Inside it says to let it rest for 30 secs between sealing, not a problem. I've done big roasts in it and it works just fine.

Great post lots of info and I can hear an Anova calling my name, it's very faint but I can hear it. I don't have a sealer and I understand some folks just use Ziploc bags. Are the Ziplocs as effective?

TedW said:

I'd want to be able to vac seal a big roast. I suppose that puts me in a $$ sealer category...

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Hey Ted,

That's not necessarily true. Just get these rolls of 15" wide bags. You can cut off as much as you need to cover the length of the roast. Since most home sealers are 12" wide or less, you'll need to do a two-step sealing process. First put a seal across the corners of the bag on the bottom of the bag. Cut the corners off. Now the sealable width of the bag is under the 12" wide sealer bar of your foodsaver machine. Stick your roast in the bag, and repeat the two-step sealing.

Here's an example of the bags:

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Weston-15-50-Roll-Commercial/dp/B006FY1KCM/"]Amazon.com: Weston 15 in x 50 ft Roll - Commercial Grade Vacuum Bags - 3mil Vacuum Seal Roll: Industrial & Scientific[/ame]

I have an Anova wifi (900 watts) that I use in a 33 quart (8+ gallon) coleman stacker cooler and smaller vessels. I have not tried anything bigger yet, but it had no issues at all with the 33 quarts and I am sure can handle larger if you are not starting from cold water. You need three things, temperature measurement and control, heater, and circulation. Anything where precise temperatures mater will absolutely require the circulation piece. The immersion circulators like the Anova are a great blend of ease and flexibility.

I have done a mix of ziplock and foodsaver bags. Vacuum sealing is definitely easier and better for many things but not always necessary. If you can get almost all of the air out, you are good.