TAsunder

Thanks. Anova also suggested this, but I'm at a loss as to what to set it to since the temperature variance differs depending on the temperature the Anova is set to. I guess I'm inclined to set it to a small amount of correction since I don't want to undercook things.

The Anova bottoms out at 25C I haven't tried setting my anova to lower than 32f, and seeing what it reads in an ice bath, I don't even know if it can be set that low. might have to try that. I know I can set it to 60f and just use it to stir up the water.

I'd noticed that mine was reading about .6f lower than my non-thermopen fast digital thermometer... which is close enough for me, then I got a second anova yesterday, and notice that they're both reading about .6f lower than my digital... either both my anovas are off by the same amount, or it's the thermometer. I suggest getting a second (third?) opinion. Thermapen accuracy specs: ±0.7°F (±0.4°C) from -58 to 392°F http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/#Specifications Well, 1.2 is more than the listed accuracy window. And the thermapen registers a perfect 32 F when I follow the calibration steps they recommend (crushed ice with cold water to cover, stick in the pen and stir, etc.) I guess another possible test would be to set it to 99 C and see if the water boils (shouldn't).

Is it safe to descale with vinegar? I was wondering about that... Also, having used my Anova a bit more, it seems like the difference between the Anova temp read and my thermapen temp read is higher as the temp goes higher. I made carrots sous vide (came out delicious!) and when set at 83 C, my thermapen registered about 1.2 degrees (F) off. I emailed help @ anova but didn't hear back there (or here in this thread). I'm still not sure which device to trust. Given that the temp difference is not consistent across all temperatures, if the Anova is off then calibration won't resolve it I guess... I'm not sure how much it matters for most cooking I Will do. I guess the best test would be eggs. Maybe I will try those later this week...

Hi folks. New member who registered to discuss SV and circulators. I received my Anova circulator last night and made a somewhat successful steak dinner using a large stock pot. I made the minor mistakes of cutting the steak in half (from 30mm to 15mm thickness) so it would cook more quickly (thus making the sear after increase beyond the desired temp a bit) and used a pan with elevated grill slots instead of a flat pan. Nonetheless we enjoyed it. Two questions, however: 1. My thermapen seemed to register about 0.4 F higher than the circulator read. I checked the thermapen in a crushed ice water bowl and it was consistently 32F. Do I need to contact Anova, should I calibrate the Anova to be 0.4F higher, or is it possible the thermapen is off by a bit? Seems unlikely but it's also weird that it would be off right out of the box. The good news is that it held very consistently at the temperature. This isn't a huge deal unless I try to cook a perfect egg, but I'm still unsure what the best approach is. Given how much I anticipated getting the unit, I am hesitant to do anything that involves sending it back but will do so if that's the best approach! 2. My stockpot got a bit crowded. Looking into polycarb contianers. Is there any reason I need to worry about the various models/brands of plastic? I know that foodsaver bags have been determined to be safe for SV but I'm not sure if I got a mediocre polycarbonate unit if it might potentially leech weird stuff through the bag into the food somehow? Probably a dumb question.