I was walking through Aldi this afternoon and saw this sous vide machine for $25. So...although it is not the Anova, Chef Steps, or Joule that I see most of you posting about or have seen in action, it seemed like a decent risk for something to start testing the joys of sous vide. Luckily, Skip gave me a Food Saver a few years ago, so I didn't need to purchase that. I do need to figure out what to use as my vessel, but I'm pretty excited to start playing with this gadget!
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Ambiano Sous Vide Machine
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Excellent. Best of luck with this.
I use a plastic cooler all of the time. It’s a cheap one we bought at a local Walgreens a few years ago. I removed the lid or handle that serves as a lid and lift contraption and use the open container as the cooking vessel. It never affects the surface I place over and it works very well.
Lots of people use regular steel cooking pots. You may need to protect the surface where you place the pot to prevent any heat damage.
Let us know how this unit works out. It looks like a very promising item.
Cheers,
Ricardo
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Use a big pot, put the circulator in (start with hot tap water), add the victim after setting the circulator and bringing to the target temp, cover with plastic wrap or foil. You're in business for most moderate length cooks. Check you water level now and then.
Yeah, I generally put the pot on a trivet as Ricardo points out.
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Looks like you are using the same pot I am. I just don't have the plastic balls or the fancy thigh master to hold things down.
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Those are just things we accumulated over the years JimLinebarger !
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I have a couple of different pieces of Reflectix foil coated bubble wrap insulation cut to fit my vessels and circulator. I just lay them on top. Really helps with evaporation, especially when I use my cooler vessel for cooking larger pieces of protein.
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- Oct 2014
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- Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
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Cookers:
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and, maybe some other toys as well
Great price to see if you like the process. How may watts on that unit? I think higher wattage just gets you up to temp faster, but may also help hold a bit more consistent temp.
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Looks like a great way to start. They only suggestion I would offer is test the temperature of your water after device states it is ready and make sure it is accurate. If off a little take note and test again at a different temperature setting. Compare and try to settle in on what the average differences might be. Then adjust your circulator to zero in on the target temperature. Obviously if the setting and water temperature match then I have wasted a bunch of air on nothing. LOL. However I did read some reviews on this and one of the complaints is not reaching desired temperatures. Some love it, others have trouble so hopefully yours is one of the better ones. You know, the typical review results, so take with a grain of salt. Your investment isn't one that is life long damaging.
Good luck. I think you will be very pleased after using it awhile.
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Yes, a lot of people claim that Anova is the best sous vide machine. But since I've bought it I don't like this Bluetooth functions. If your device drops the Bluetooth connection, product keeping the temperature until reconnected to the Anova app or turned off manually. It looks like pre-defined settings for your cooking process are stored in your phone, not in the device. Unfortunately, I've lost many products by overcooking and I am feeling disappointed by the results achieved. Now I'm using Kitchen Gizmo and I'm finally satisfied with the purchase thanks to good reviews on it.
Hope you are satisfied with your sous vide machine too!
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- Mar 2016
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- Sunny SoCal
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Cooking gadgets
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I use that exact container, and I got a lid that was made for the Anova, https://www.amazon.com/EVERIE-Collap...S1YNJ0Z7ZVRVVN
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Not sure if that lid was available when I got mine...or I just didn’t see it. The “regular’ lids are like 4 bucks as an add-on item. So I just cut holes into them. They work fine but don’t have that nifty hinge like the ones you posted... Added to a wish list for later consideration.
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Originally posted by EdF View Post... add the victim after setting the circulator and bringing to the target temp..
as for covers and vessels, there are a bunch of things on Amazon that sell for about $30 and which are big plastic vessels with a lid that has a hole for the circulator. But Ed's way is what I do because I don't need anything else in my kitchen dammit...
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Originally posted by rickgregory View Post
usually this will be fine but it's safer to bring the water to temp THEN add the food. Yes, in most cases it will come to temp fast enough that you're safe... but why take the risk? Heat water to temp. Add food.
as for covers and vessels, there are a bunch of things on Amazon that sell for about $30 and which are big plastic vessels with a lid that has a hole for the circulator. But Ed's way is what I do because I don't need anything else in my kitchen dammit...
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Not saying your way isn't right or advisable, but there is a technique where you let the food sit in ice water all day so you can remotely start the IC so your food cooks before you get home. It adds time to the cook as the water has to be melted and brought up to temperature. https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/...vide-cook-wifi
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I'm sure the food would be fine but I don't like the risk of bringing water from near freezing to a temp that's probably 130-150F with food in there. I'd worry about the water and the food, being in the danger zone for too long. Thing is a) you're remote so you can't know that the temp stayed safely below 40F until the circulator fires up and b) you can't really know the temp of the food. IF waiting until you're home to SV is too long, I'd use another method vs risking my health.
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So.. thinking about this more, the ice technique would be useful for longer cooks where you want it to start around lunchtime 4+ hours... And that time is less likely to let any growth happen. For shorter cooks like a chop or chicken breast etc... I'd just do the setup, turn on the circulator remotely so it's up to temp when you get home, then dunk the food.
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Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
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I use the stock/soup pot that came with my consumer grade SS cookware set. It's maybe 12 qt. That circulator you have is adjustable height so there should be no issue. My first generation Anova had the pot clamp fixed to the machine so it couldn't be adjusted. I had a slightly shallower stock pot and the Anova couldn't clamp to the side of it. I have a second or third gen. Anova that solved that, but the one you bought shouldn't be a problem. Good luck with it.
David
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Retired, living in Western Mass. Enjoy music, cooking and my family.
Current cookers Weber Spirit 3 burner. A 22" Kettle with vortex SnS and OnlyFire pizza oven. A Smokey Joe and the most recent addition a Pit Barrel Jr with bird hanger, 4 hooks and cover. ThermoWorks Smoke 2 probe, DOT, ThermoPop and a Thermapen Mk4. Recently added 2 TempSpike wireless meat thermometers.
I use a lobster Pot. Depending on length of cook, cover or not. More than 2 hours, cover with plastic wrap and towel.
For long cooks, 6 hours plus, I took an Omaha Steaks container they ship in. Cut out the top for the Anova. Plop in, fill with water and food, cover.
Talk about one value minded (cheap) person. Also a good way to repuropse stuff that will sit in a land fill for a long time.
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