Sous vide – what to buy or ask for, for Christmas?

[Bojana]

My second sous vide circulator broke after less than a month of use. I am not amused!I wrote to the company to ask for the explanation, I will keep you posted but it seems they have done too quick of a job in redesign and the quality suffered.

[bague25]

Sorry to hear that Bojana!

Mine's being used almost everyday since the 29th Dec and seems to work fine ....

[Bojana]

I also used mine daily since end November and it worked fine until it just stopped yesterday. I will update you when I hear about why it broke. Previous one had issues with friction on the pump, something I did not fully understand. Now the second one breaking, I am worried that it may be a faulty pump design but let's see.

[Raamo]

Has anyone looked at or used the Polyscience Sous Vide Professional Creative Series? It might be too new, I'm having trouble finding reviews of it that aren't very much marketing.

On the William Sonoma site there are a few very positive reviews and it's not shown up at Amazon yet.

It's not cheap, but this company comes reccomended by MC and I like the fact it's a single unit I can use with existing food service containers I got some time ago to brine in from Amazon.

[Syzygies]

Has anyone looked at or used the Polyscience Sous Vide Professional Creative Series?

In addition to the PolyScience Creative, there are a few other circulators on the horizon:

http://shop.nomiku.com (Nomiku)

http://www.waterbath...e_products.html (Anova)

http://www.swid.eu/en/ (110V Swid)

Nomiku's manufacturing schedule has been pushed back. I tried to preorder the Anova after they had unlinked the preorder page, and assumed they canceled my order because they didn't have enough in their first batch. However, the web has been silent on anyone receiving a unit, so perhaps their schedule has also been pushed back. Swid claims a 110V version in the new year, but it's hard to tell from their web site if they mean 2013 or some previous year which they missed. If one reads up on power PIDs, 110V is more of a challenge than 220V; someone who didn't understand electricity might wrongly think this is just a standards issue.

These guys had a great price, but it's gone: http://store.chefste...sion-circulator

I saw a review claiming the display was hard to read in the wrong light. A fellow eGullet member noted they intend the Creative unit only for light use. Perhaps they're trying to protect the top end of their market (Wang reasoned this way and missed the chance to be Apple, pretty dumb), or perhaps it really is more cheaply made. Also, I read here that PolyScience bullied a small maker out of using the name Sous Vide. I don't know this first hand, but I can't bring myself to give them any money till I can refute this accusation. Perhaps someone here can refute it, and set my mind at ease?

Edited January 7, 2013 by Syzygies (log)

[Raamo]

perhaps it really is more cheaply made.

The Chef is made in USA, the Creative is made in China... I think that explains the $300 right there.

I can't find anything on the web about PolyScience bullying a smaller maker. Doesn't mean it didn't happen, but there's the SousVide Supreme which they don't make and uses SousVide right in the title.

[FoodMan]

I got the Creative for Christmas (thanks dear wife ) to replace my ailing eBay purchased circulator. So far it's been performing great. It's not exactly intended for "light" use per se from what I understand. It's more like intended for home use, as in if you use it in a restaurant kitchen, the warranty is void. Also I think the temperature precision is +/- 0.1 as opposed to the 0.01 for the professional.

[Syzygies]

I got the Creative for Christmas

How's the display? The noise?

[FoodMan]

I got the Creative for Christmas

How's the display? The noise?

It's perfectly silent more or less. Faint humming if you are really close by I suppose. As for the display I guess if you are standing sort of sideways/diagonal and trying to read it it's a bit faint looking, but honestly I had not noticed till now when I went to check and see. I cannot imagine anyone really having an actual issue with the display.

BTW, here is a detailed comparison of the three Polyscience SV products: http://www.cuisinetechnology.com/sousvide-professional-comparison.php

So, the temp precision (in the kitchen, really 0.1 is way more than enough), pump strength and several other bells and whistles are what differentiates the Creative from the more expensive specimens.

[PedroG]

6.8 liter is pretty small!

[Martin Fisher]

Yes it is, but about the same as the 7-quart slow cookers that many are using.

I looked for a bigger insulated coffee urn, but they are, of course, much more expensive.

~Martin

[Syzygies]

I found this to be a great read:

http://auberins.com/Sous%20Vide%20application%20note.pdf

Fresh Meals blog makes a similar recommendation to your find:

http://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=74:best-sous-vide-cooker&Itemid=100088

Yours looks like a nice find. The one question I'd have, is it too well insulated? If so with stock settings the PID will overshoot for short cooks.

Like so many things in life it will be trivial to learn enough math to redo the PID control values, if necessary. There's lots of online help with this. I'm not positive that my model or yours can have the PID values adjusted, but I got the impression this is the case. I understand the principles involved but haven't done it. (There's a whole parallel universe to sous vide where people control their charcoal fires with PID controllers; that's how I cook 20 hour pork butts and briskets on my http://www.komodokamado.com ceramic cooker.)

[Martin Fisher]

I found this to be a great read:

http://auberins.com/...cation note.pdf

Thank you!

Lots of great information!!!

Fresh Meals blog makes a similar recommendation to your find:

http://freshmealssol...r&Itemid=100088

I saw that on the website and looked into it....it gets mixed reviews which makes me very nervous!!!

I've had to toss fiery small appliances out the window on a couple occasions, so I try to be extra careful about what I buy!!! LOL

They were not considered the bottom of the barrel models either!!!

Yours looks like a nice find. The one question I'd have, is it too well insulated? If so with stock settings the PID will overshoot for short cooks.

I have no clue on that, I kind of doubt that it's super efficient.

Like so many things in life it will be trivial to learn enough math to redo the PID control values, if necessary. There's lots of online help with this. I'm not positive that my model or yours can have the PID values adjusted, but I got the impression this is the case. I understand the principles involved but haven't done it.

I started studying the manual and other related material just yesterday.

(There's a whole parallel universe to sous vide where people control their charcoal fires with PID controllers; that's how I cook 20 hour pork butts and briskets on my http://www.komodokamado.com ceramic cooker.)

I have a PID controlled smoker as well as a charcuterie fermentation chamber and a curing chamber, both controlled with Ranco temperature controllers, but none of those are as sophisticated as the SVM.

Thanks again!

~Martin

[EnriqueB]

A fellow eGullet member noted they intend the Creative unit only for light use. Perhaps they're trying to protect the top end of their market (Wang reasoned this way and missed the chance to be Apple, pretty dumb), or perhaps it really is more cheaply made.

Yes, I emailed them with a few questions about the unit and their answer included that "the unit should not be used more then 2/3 days per week". I interpreted that as low quality building and went with another unit.

[rotuts]

as mentioned before here or another thread:

"the unit should not be used more then 2/3 days per week".

this makes no sense unless they plan for the unit to break just after the warranty expires.

whats the unit do during the other 4 - 5 days? "rest up?"

[Bojana]

Update on my Vac Star Chef II: I am receiving a new one in a couple of days. Apparently, the unit failed due to bent motor axis that is causing too high friction on the pump. They had quality issues with supplier that were not detected during final check. I hope this is resolved in the new batch of units, mine is probably one of the first ones that was produced and this issue was not detected then.

[nickrey]

Hi Bojana,

I think I've got the same problem. On arrival the shaft was rubbing so much it was making a noise that was 72dB. I opened it up and played with it and it seemed to be fixed. Tonight the shaft didn't turn at all until I opened up the access point and turned it by hand. Will contact them tomorrow. Should be interesting to see what they do with a unit shipped to the other side of the globe. Will keep you posted.

[Bojana]

Nickrey,

Mine was actually pretty silent, and you could not notice anything. I had two units break in the same way, one was repaired and the second one will be replaced. They told me around 1000 units were sold and they had 7 complaints so far, 9 inc mine two. And that all within one month they have been selling them.

[Raamo]

Also I think the temperature precision is +/- 0.1 as opposed to the 0.01 for the professional.

The professional is +/- 0.07 so that's not that much difference then +/- 0.10 I don't even own a thermometer that's that accurate as my thermapen is old and doesn't do .1's

Yes, I emailed them with a few questions about the unit and their answer included that "the unit should not be used more then 2/3 days per week". I interpreted that as low quality building and went with another unit.

That's kinda scary, but I expect it's over engineered for that... or else they'll have a lot of complaints from active home users. What is the other unit you went with?

[FoodMan]

Also I think the temperature precision is +/- 0.1 as opposed to the 0.01 for the professional.

The professional is +/- 0.07 so that's not that much difference then +/- 0.10 I don't even own a thermometer that's that accurate as my thermapen is old and doesn't do .1's

Yes, I emailed them with a few questions about the unit and their answer included that "the unit should not be used more then 2/3 days per week". I interpreted that as low quality building and went with another unit.

That's kinda scary, but I expect it's over engineered for that... or else they'll have a lot of complaints from active home users. What is the other unit you went with?

The 2/3 days per week is, IMHO, BS from a rep who has no clue what they are talking about. If it is that "sensitive" and fragile, then it makes no sense for it to even have a warranty. Nor would it make sense that the timer goes all the way up to 99 hours. Something like that should also be clearly stated elsewhere on the site or in the instruction manual and explicitly worded as to how many hours it can be used.

[rotuts]

the timer issue is easy to understand: 2 digits go to 99. its cheaper to leave it a that than to figure out a way to limit it to " XX "

the limits on how often you use it if much more problematic. indeed they should be up front about that.

[FoodMan]

the timer issue is easy to understand: 2 digits go to 99. its cheaper to leave it a that than to figure out a way to limit it to " XX "

the limits on how often you use it if much more problematic. indeed they should be up front about that.

Maybe...However, I am sure the 2/3 day response as absolute and arbitrary rubbish and I would ignore it out right.

[Raamo]

the limits on how often you use it if much more problematic. indeed they should be up front about that.

Maybe...However, I am sure the 2/3 day response as absolute and arbitrary rubbish and I would ignore it out right.

I agree, I don't think that alone should push me to the $800 model over the $500. Why would they put their name on it and have a warrenty if it's that much worse then it's older brother which is fine for full time professional use.

Also it's still the sous vide professional creative series.... not the sous vide home user

[rotuts]

I couldn't fine the 2 - 3 days req. ( out of curiosity ) on their web site.

[Syzygies]

Here's the eGullet post about PolyScience pressuring Underground to drop Sous Vide from their name:

http://forums.egulle...15#entry1903215

(I couldn't find this story elsewhere online.)

Here is the Underground Circulators web site ($499):

http://undergroundci...s.com/Home.html

There are other cooking categories where I went commercial rather than consumer, such as my chest freezer (not all positives; you can dance on a home chest freezer but they fail) or my Vita-Prep blender. Or for that matter my stick blender. Home blenders are just dumb, and too small. Let's face it; we do want the $800 PolyScience. Our hesitation really is about the money. The $500 Creative is surely more cheaply made, but the 2 to 3 days bit has to be sales blather trying to split their markets.