Thought I would chime in here. Bought one of these a month or so ago after happening across this thread. Was originally on the fence between an SVS and that Poly Science thing they sell at Williams Sonoma. SVS was cheaper, but took up a lot of counter space while the PS was easy to store but expensive and probably overkill for my needs (I usually cook for 2-4 people - maybe 8 once in a blue moon). First two cooks were in a cheap 10qt stockpot with saran wrap covering it. Did lamp loin chops at 134 then scrambled eggs at 168 (I think). Both were excellent, however it took 30 min to heat up the water for the lamb and a little over an hour to get the water for the eggs up to temp and yes I know they recommend less water than I used. The temp seemed to be pretty constant in both cases but I wasn't standing over the control unit continually. On a whim this evening I picked up a hanger steak and a 7-11 22qt styrofoam cooler. I had to cut the cooler down in size because it wasn't water tight where the handles attached to the cooler. This still resulted in a much more usable space than in a stock pot - just seemed less crammed. Cut a hole out in the lid for the SideKic. Filled it with hot tap water and had 134 in about 14 minutes. Cooked the hanger steak for an hour then finished in a cast-iron skillet. Very happy with the results. I'm not sure what the final capacity of my modified cooler was, but I'm guessing at least 10 qts. Long story short, I think cooking in some type of cooler with a lid is the way to go (and I'm sure that's been mentioned here). Very happy with the SideKic so far especially considering the price and size of the unit.
