10 Best Sous Vide Machines for Cooking Enthusiasts From Immersion Circulators to Water Baths

This immersion sous vide machine from ChefSteps was designed to be the single best home machine on the market and most users would agree its achieved that. The Joule is capable of heating more than 10gallons of water, making it the obvious choice if you are cooking for a large family, a party, or even for two for a week of dinners. Furthermore, this immersion machine boasts one of the highest maximum temperatures of any sous vide machine we reviewed up to 208F. That gives you plenty of flexibility to cook meals faster when youre in a hurry or to cook meats to well done.

What really sets this immersion sous vide cooking machine apart from the pack is the inclusion of Bluetooth and WiFi connection options. You can remotely connect this sous vide machine to your Apple or Android phone via the ChefSteps app. From there, you can set the temperature, set a timer, and even get a visual preview of how different temperatures will affect how your food cooks. The use of the phone app to control the machine also means that you can control your cooking from anywhere in the world as long as you have WiFi.

Keep in mind that while this machine is small, it doesnt have an LCD display like most other immersion sous vide cookers. Still, you can control the machine from within the kitchen using the built-in voice commands for Amazon Alexa. But if you dont have Alexa, it can be annoying when youre working in the kitchen and have to use your phone to control the machine right next to you. A magnetic base is a handy feature when it comes time to put the machine away, since you can stick it to the counter or fridge.

This sub-$100 immersion sous vide cooking machine from Monoprice is arguably the best sous vide machine for the money for anyone who doesnt need bells and whistles. You wont find Bluetooth connectivity on this sous vide machine, but most chefs wont miss it. Instead, what you get for the value is 1,100watts of power and the ability to cook up to four gallons of water at temperatures greater than 200F. The high power rating and comparatively moderate volume allows this machine to heat up water incredibly quickly, which means your water is usually ready by the time youve finished bagging your food. The temperature accuracy is rated to +/-1%, which is roughly equivalent to the +/-0.2F accuracy found in most comparable sous vide machines.

This machine offers an LED screen on the top of the unit with touch controls. In addition to controlling the temperature, you have the option to set a timer for controlling cook time. Otherwise, the controls are simple, and theres no need to fumble around with your phone to use your sous vide machine.

Monoprice designed this sous vide machine to be incredibly durable. The body is rated IPX7 for waterproofing one of the highest levels that can be designed and the circulating motor is intended to last for years of cooking. On top of that, users loved how easy it is to adjust the clamp to whatever pot youre using. They also noted that Monoprice offered excellent customer service for defective units within the one-year warranty period.

Overall, users who wanted a value and dont see the appeal of Bluetooth controls loved this simple and inexpensive sous vide machine.

This water bath sous vide machine from Sous Vide Supreme is small but powerful, offering temperatures that range up to an impressive 210F. The water bath is slightly slow to warm up since it sports just 850watts, but this along with the energy-efficient design and insulated lid combine to decreases the power draw. Thats a significant advantage if you plan on using the sous vide machine consistently for long one- to two-day cooks since it wont drive up your electricity bill quite as much as most immersion sous vide machines.

This sous vide machine is simple to operate, with manual controls for the temperature and built-in timer. Users were overall happy with the design of the water bath, with the only complaint being that some condensation can leak out of the seal between the water tub and the body of the machine. However, this leaking was minimal and did not seem to bother most people.

More important, users love the durability of this sous vide machine. Multiple customers report using it frequently for more than five years without any issues. Plus, the machine comes with overheating protection in case you accidentally turn it on without water in the tub. Users also noted that Sous Vide Supremescustomer service is excellent and that they are willing to help with any minor problems that arise with your unit.

The size of this unit is the main sticking point for many potential buyers it takes up a lot of counter space and holds only three gallons of water. However, users noted that while counter space was initially a fear, most have come to use the machine more than other appliances of the same size and dont mind the space it takes up.

Users love this simple immersion sous vide machine from Wancle, which foregoes unnecessary features to focus on the things that matter to chefs. Most notable immediately is the odd shape of this immersion machine thats becauseits designed to work entirely by one hand operation so you can better multitask in the kitchen. The clamp opens by squeezing the trigger-shaped top handle, and you can start the heater with the push of a button. While users noted that the clamp doesnt open very far, limiting you to thin-walled pots and bowls, this was a minor inconvenience for most chefs.

The heating element on this immersion sous vide machine offers only 850watts, which means that it heats up rather slowly compared to more powerful competitors. However, it can still handle up to five gallons of water at a time and heats up to an impressive 211F for when you want to cook meats to well done on the inside.

The LCD controls are as simple to use as the rest of the machine. Simply set your temperature and the built-in time and walk away. Everything can be operated with one finger, and theres no need to turn to a phone app to control the device thats right in front of you.

The other thing that users loved about this immersion machine is the circulating system. Wancles unique 3D circulation system is highly durable and virtually silent, making this one of the quietest immersion sous vide machines available. Plus, users found that the circulation system is easy to detach from the rest of the unit and clean, so theres none of the maintenance fuss that comes with similar units.

This modern and simple immersion sous vide machine from KitchenBoss was designed for chefs at the head of small families. The machine is capable of heating up to four gallons of water extremely quickly thanks to the 1,100-watt heating element. That speed is an essential feature for working parents who need to throw together dinner quickly.

Furthermore, the built-in 100-hour timer allows cooks to walk away after the immersion machine is started and come back when dinner is ready. A nice feature unique to this immersion sous vide machine is the light bar on the side of the unit, which serves as a visual indicator of the time left remaining in your cooking. That can be handy if youre multitasking in the kitchen and cant easily check on the LED timer on top of the unit.

Users also appreciated the durability of this immersion sous vide machine. It is rated to IPX7 for waterproofing and the 3D circulation unit is extremely long-lasting and easy to clean out. The exterior of the machine is a sleek-looking stainless steel that doesnt scratch or dent easily. Plus, KitchenBoss backs up this sous vide machine with a long two-year warranty.

The four-gallon cook size is plenty for a small family or for cooking a weeks worth of meals at once. However, keep in mind that this immersion sous vide cooking machine is limited to a maximum temperature of 194F, so you wont be able to cook your meets fully to well done. Still, since most chefs using sous vide are more interested in preventing meats from overcooking rather than turning them gray, this wasnt a problem for the majority of users.

For chefs new to sous vide or who dont have a ton of money to spend on kitchen appliances, this immersion cooker from Kitchen Gizmo is the best budget sous vide machine weve found. Priced at just $65, its hard to find a less expensive sous vide machine that can get the job done as well as this unit can.

The immersion sous vide machine is equipped with a small 800-watt heating element slow heating is the main price youll pay for the relatively low cost ofthis sous vide cooker. Once you get it running, though, the machine can heat up to four gallons of water to up to 194F. Thats plenty of volume and heat for cooking meat to medium well for a family of four or more.

The LED touchscreen display on the top of the unit is simple to use, with two side buttons for added control. Youll find a scrolling wheel that allows you to quickly and precisely set the cooking time and temperature. Plus, a built-in safety alarm alerts you when something has gone wrong with the unit this is one of only a handful of sous vide cooking machines that is ETL certified for safety.

Users especially liked the clamping mechanism on this immersion cooker. It can be operated with a single hand and pressing down on the lever opens the clamp widely enough that it can work with almost any pot or bowl.

When it comes time to clean the immersion cooker, a removable interior sleeve can be easily popped out of the unit and washed in the sink. That reduces overall wear on the machine, allowing it to last for years of use.

The Anova immersion sous vide machine is a favorite among users, although the company has recently run into hot water because of some changes to the cookers app control. The cooker is relatively low power at just 800watts, but dont let that fool you it can still heat up as much as five gallons of water up to 197F. Better yet, it has a +/-0.2F accuracy, so you can be sure your meat is being perfectly cooked at the higher end of the range.

The LCD screen allows you to control the temperature settings and built-in 99-hour timer directly from the cooker. Alternatively, you can pair the machine with your Android or Apple phone via Bluetooth and control the temperature via the app. In addition, the app will offer notifications about your cooking so you can always stay abreast of your food no matter where you go in the house. Of course, since its Bluetooth only, this is not a major help if you need to go more than 30feet from the kitchen.

Users were recently widely upset by the fact that Anova changed their software to require a login to Anovas app or to Facebook to control the sous vide machine. Its unclear whether Anova will remove this requirement in response to customer pressure.

The sous vide cooker comes with a two-year warranty, which is relatively generous given the modest price. In addition, this sous vide machine has one of the easiest cleaning mechanisms weve seen its dishwasher safe and the parts that need frequent cleaning simply detach from the rest of the immersion machine.

Users loved this extremely small and compact sous vide water bath from Dash when cooking for one or two people. The machine comes with a front LED display that is controlled by sensor-touch buttons for easy use. The built-in timerhelps you control exactly how long your food is cooking for, and you can heat water up to 194F within +/-0.2F accuracy. Water can be slow to heat up since the water bath is equipped with only a 700-watt heating element, but users liked that this saves a lot on electricity usage. In addition, the magnetic circulating motor is quieter than a standard circulating motor and uses very little power although users did note that it prevents the machine from being completely silent.

The water bath is designed to hold just two gallons of water, and users noted that it comes with a series of built-in racks that further limit the size of food portions that you can fit into the bath. While this isnt a problem for small cooking, its worth noting that this machine is not flexible enough to cook a weeks worth of food at once or to expand to cook for a party. Users also noted that purchasing a third-party rack for the inside of the machine can help to increase the available space, although it is still a relatively small volume.

Given that this water bath sous vide machine costs less than most immersion machines, users were pleasantly surprised at its durability. The water bath comes with a sturdy insulating cover, and the magnetic circulation holds up well over long-term use. Users also noted that the machine does not develop any leaks over time, and the simple cleaning reduces unnecessary wear and tear.

This all-in-one water bath sous vide machine from Tribest comes with a unique transparent carafe so you can actually watch your food cook and ensure that it is circulating properly in the water. The machine is simple to use, with a digital LED display that shows the temperature and remaining cook time. The controls are limited to just four buttons, so its easy to operate this machine with a single hand when in the middle of cooking. Plus, theres a built-in safety indicator display so that you always know if the machine is overheating or something else has gone wrong.

On the technical side, this water bath sous vide cooker holds its own. It sports a 1,000-watt heating element that allows it to heat up three gallons of water very quickly. While its limited to a maximum temperature of 194F, this isnt an issue for the vast majority of chefs. The circulation system ensures a constant temperature throughout the water bath and yet is virtually silent while your food is cooking.

The bowl is three gallons in size, which is smaller than what most immersion sous vide machines can handle but large enough for cooking for a small family or for preparing a weeks worth of food. Users appreciated having handles on both sides of the carafe for emptying out water after cooking. Plus, they felt that the machine is very durable overall.

Its worth noting that while Tribest provides a two-year warranty on this sous vide machine, customers who had defective units reported some issues resolving the warranty with Tribests customer service. Thankfully, issues with this sous vide cooker appear to be relatively rare, but the machine does get dinged for lack of customer service compared to its competitors.

The Gourmia immersion sous vide machine looks sleek and simple, but its smooth exterior hides a number of helpful features. Most notable immediately upon first use is the unique clamp design, which works much like a chip clip. This allows the sous vide machine to be setup with just one hand and clamped to virtually any thickness of pots.

Once you start the sous vide machine, youll notice its impressive 1,200-watt heating element the most powerful of any sous vide machine we reviewed. While it does take some time to heat up a full five gallons of water with this immersion cooker, this unit is notably faster at heating than its less powerful competitors. That said, it also takes a lot of electricity, which frequent users noticed on their electricity bills.

The sous vide machine is able to heat to temperatures of 203F and is extremely accurate within one-tenth of one degree. Strangely, while the machine has a built-in timer, it only extends to 59hours. Thats far shorter than the 72 or 99hours found on most other sous vide cooking machines and can actually create problems if you like to cook meat for a full three days at a time.

Users also had a problem with the controls on this sous vide machine. While the one-touch buttons and temperature control dial were meant to be elegant and intuitive, they instead caused headaches. Users had trouble powering the unit up or down, and it was hard to tell whether button presses were registered by the machine. While no issues were reported, some users were concerned about safety because of these buttons.