Ready to jump in the pool.

[Jfrosty27]

Well I went ahead and jumped into the Sous Vide cooking method. Ended up with the Joule and a 12 qt tub with hinged cover that fits the Joule specifically. I did not get the Anova because my I learned son has a Joule and he raves about it. At least this way if the thing craps out I can blame him. 🤣😂. Just kidding.

I have used it twice now with one success and one fail. Salmon filets were fantastic. So trnder and buttery. Yum. Soft boiled eggs were a fail. My fault. Just didn’t cook them long enough.

Reheating some BB ribs from frozen tonight for dinner. 🤞

So anyway, thanks again for all the guidance!

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for the update Jfrosty27 . I have 2 Joules and love everything about them. Easy to run more than one Joule on the app, which is nice when you want to do, say, meat and also a pack of veggies at the same time. Or two different meat temp preferences.

Anyway, I heartily recommend the Joule. Best thing about it: You don't have to go scouring all over the internet when you want to SV something. Just choose the recipe from the selections on the app and go with it. I especially like the videos of what the food will look like for whatever temp you select. Brilliant. Perfect for a novice.

I've used mine for a few years now--at least one or two times a week. Got one for each of our daughters too so when I visit I don't have to pack my Joules.

Kathryn

[Ricardo]

+1

[Old Glory]

+1 on what Kathryn said. I love my Joule. Super simple to use with the App. It's magic!

[Ricardo]

+1

[theroc]

We've had a Joule for several years. The first one failed, but to their credit it was replaced free of charge. At the time,
the customer service was great. However, that was before Breville bought Joule. I haven't had to deal with them
since that time (thank goodness!). No problems since, and we use it a lot. The new unit has been great.

[BFlynn]

So Joule and Anovo seem to be the most popular.
fzxdoc do you have to have an app to run is? Or is there a manual mode?

[pkadare]

That is one of the few knocks I see against the Joule, there are no manual controls on it, you have to use either the app or Alexa to control it.

https://support.chefsteps.com/hc/en-us/articles/214090968-Can-I-use-Joule-without-a-smartphone-or-tablet-

[BFlynn]

I don't want Jeff bezos spying on my cooking

[pjlstrat]

+ 1 one on the Joule......Have had mine since Christmas and I use it 2-3 times per week easily.......Actually have wished on more than one occasion that I had two of them!!! I may have to go down the road of fzxdoc !!!!

[fzxdoc]

BFlynn , I use the app. It works great. I can run both Joules at the same time. I can run my daughters' Joules when we're visiting them. It's so easy. I've never had it fail except for the first time when it shut off unexpectedly, and that was due completely to pilot error.

The app is wonderful because, as I mentioned, not only is it reliable, you don't have to shop all over the internet for recommended times and temps. As you choose a temp for your meat, a video on the same screen shows you the resulting color and juiciness of the meat at that temperature. Choose another temp, and another video shows you what the meat will look like at that new temp. It's pretty frikkin awesome. Once you select the temp, times are shown with respect to thickness. Pretty fool-proof, IMO.

Kathryn

[Jfrosty27]

Well I’ve had the Joule for about a month now and I love it. I have used it four times I think For a variety of things. Still learning the ins and outs but as Kathryn said, the app makes it really easy and to be honest takes the fear our of trying things.

[BFlynn]

I'm about to finally pull the trigger on one of these.....

[rickgregory]

BFlynn just remember, it's just a tool, like a smoker or whatever. Some people go overboard and try to use it for everything all the time. You can see these esp on Serious Eats, in the recipe comments... it's always 'can I SV this?' even when SV makes no sense at all for the recipe.

For something where you want a very precise doneness it's great. Same if you want, say, a medium rare piece of meat but it's something like chuck or brisket and needs to be cooked for a long time to tenderize it.

[MBMorgan]

"Some people go overboard and try to use it for everything all the time. You can see these esp on Serious Eats, in the recipe comments... it's always 'can I SV this?' even when SV makes no sense at all for the recipe."

... dang ... there go my plans for SV fried eggs (sunny side up, of course) ... Killjoy.

[rickgregory]

Oh, those work fine. Do the bacon in there too.

[Bkhuna]

I've had my Anova for almost 5 years. It has performed flawlessly. I started out using the app but after awhile, didn't really need it.

I just cooked a 5 lb pork loin for New Years day. I dry brined the pork for 2 days in the fridge then seasoned it with pepper, chopped garlic, chopped shallot, and a few sprigs of thyme. 140° for 4 hours followed by a 30 minute cool down at room temp. and a reverse sear over charcoal.

It was so tender you could cut it with a butter knife.

An immersion heater/circulator whether it's an Anova or a Joule is one of the best devices to have in your kitchen.

[Jfrosty27]

Well it’s been a little over six months since I got my Joule. I use it about once a week and love it. But as pointed out above, it’s just another tool in the kitchen. It does many things well but others not so much. The old adage "the right tool for the right job" fits well here.

[HawkerXP]

[RichieB]

Anova here. It's like you have a stove, microwave, and of course cookers. Tools to cook. This is in IMHO a must.

[WI Bubba]

I have had the Bluetooth Anova for several years now. Like rickgregory, I had issues when running higher temps, but I have never had a clamp break. The problem with high temp/ long time is the steam coming off the vessel gets up into the control head and causes the unit to flake out. This gets made worse when you try to cover the vessel. While covering the vessel cuts down on evaporation, unless you get a really good seal around the Anova itself, you are effectively giving the steam only one place to escape, and that is right under the control top. Simply giving the unit time to dry out corrects the problem. It's worth noting that the "pro" model of the Anova is supposedly sealed much better and doesn't have this problem, but it also costs $400. To solve the problem of evaporation that you will have with any model of sous vide, eliminate the steam problem that seems to be specific to the Anova, and help cut down on energy usage, I made the Frankencooler from the forum on the Anova website. This setup will run for days without adding water, holds a full packer with room to spare, and it is a lot cheaper than any of the commercial insulated vessels available. Given the durability I have gotten out of the Anova, if it dies today, I'll order another one tomorrow. But let's hope that doesn't happen. I have a brisket in there!

[WI Bubba]

And one of these days, I'm going to learn to look at the original date of the post before replying!