Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 1)

[ojisan]

Question for everyone: Can someone supply a link to amazon for whatever Cambro container they are using with this?

Like Kerry, I'm using the 12 qt. Cambro. It's 8" high, which allows 1/2" space between bottom of Anova and floor of Cambro. Currently filled to 12 qt. mark with a load of baby back ribs.

Also on order is 18 qt. food box (9" deep)

[ChrisBau]

Re the sound the unit produces, I find that the Polyscience Chef series to be quite noisy. I wonder how the anova compares to it. You can hear it clearly in this video on youtube:

Having said that, I don't find it bothersome- just another sound in the kitchen. However, if you live in a studio apartment that may be an issue.

[Robenco15]

I just ordered one of these and yesterday I sent Jeff an e-mail asking if there were any new updates coming that I should wait for. no reply as of yet.

Question for everyone: Can someone supply a link to amazon for whatever Cambro container they are using with this?

I emailed him yesterday. He told me program updates are happening at the end of the week and i should wait until the 16th to order to be safe.

[greenmonk]

Since I had a $20 gift certificate to Williams & Sonoma, I got this:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/camwear-professional-container/

I think it's the same thing that is in the video above because they give it free when you buy a Polyscience and that's about the same size. It's huge! It holds 6 gallons, so it's the max the Anova circulator can handle by itself. Will also be good for a very large ice bath.

As for the sound in the video, that is what it sounds like, but it might not be as loud. It's hard to tell because it's a video. That is definitely the hum you will hear. I used mine in a small cooler and it wasn't very loud. Maybe since it was a cooler, the sound was dampened because of the insulation. Either way, I didn't think it was too loud at all. It didn't bother me one bit.

[ojisan]

Since I had a $20 gift certificate to Williams & Sonoma, I got this:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/camwear-professional-container/

I think it's the same thing that is in the video above because they give it free when you buy a Polyscience and that's about the same size.

They are different containers - different capacities and dimensions. But still a bargain.

[ojisan]

They are different containers - different capacities and dimensions. But still a bargain.

I take that back. The container that W-S sells is different than the one that PolySci sells.

[Michael S.]

image.jpg

I've been looking at buying a couple of these size cambros, one for brining and one for the Anova (or similar unit). Would you fit a whole chicken in this size tub? I would guess that this is big enough for brining, but do you think there would be sufficient liquid-to-chicken ratio (ha) to SV a whole bagged one? Or two separate halfs?

[Kerry Beal]

image.jpg

I've been looking at buying a couple of these size cambros, one for brining and one for the Anova (or similar unit). Would you fit a whole chicken in this size tub? I would guess that this is big enough for brining, but do you think there would be sufficient liquid-to-chicken ratio (ha) to SV a whole bagged one? Or two separate halfs?

You could fit a chicken, or two halves in it.

[gfweb]

There's a sweet spot where the water volume is large enough to give thermal stability, but small enough to be within the ability of the SV unit to maintain the set temp. (Insulation could change the size of the container) I can't tell you what that point is, but I bet the Amova people can.

[gfweb]

image.jpg

I've been looking at buying a couple of these size cambros, one for brining and one for the Anova (or similar unit). Would you fit a whole chicken in this size tub? I would guess that this is big enough for brining, but do you think there would be sufficient liquid-to-chicken ratio (ha) to SV a whole bagged one? Or two separate halfs?

Would one want to SV a whole bird? Breast is best at one temp and dark meat at another.

[dcarch]

If you stack two identical containers one inside another, you will have an insulated container.

The way most containers are made, there will be an air space between the two.

You can heat up a lot of water with 1000 watts using an insulated container.

dcarch

[Shalmanese]

There's a sweet spot where the water volume is large enough to give thermal stability, but small enough to be within the ability of the SV unit to maintain the set temp. (Insulation could change the size of the container) I can't tell you what that point is, but I bet the Amova [sic] people can.

It depends almost entirely on insulative properties of the container. Getting water up to temp can take a whole lot of energy but once it's there, a well insulated container can keep it there for tiny amounts of energy.

Hell, you can keep an entire hot-tub at temp for less than 300W. Given that heat loss is roughly proportional to delta t, heating a bath to 130F on a 70F day should take twice as much energy as heating it to 100F, aka, 600W. Given that the Anova has a 1000W heating element, it means that, if you so chose, you could sous vide in a hot tub with that tiny immersion circulator and have energy to spare.

What that means is that there's practically not any container that's too big, just one that's too poorly insulated.

[dcarch]

"----What that means is that there's practically not any container that's too big, just one that's too poorly insulated. ---"

That's the whole story there.

I have a smoker that was converted from a refrigerator, I use a 300 W halogen light bulb as the heat source for a 4.5 cubic feet interior. The light bulb works only about 1/4 of the time to maintain temperature because the refrigerator is so well insulated.

dcarch

[Michael S.]

image.jpg

I've been looking at buying a couple of these size cambros, one for brining and one for the Anova (or similar unit). Would you fit a whole chicken in this size tub? I would guess that this is big enough for brining, but do you think there would be sufficient liquid-to-chicken ratio (ha) to SV a whole bagged one? Or two separate halfs?

Would one want to SV a whole bird? Breast is best at one temp and dark meat at another.

Good point. Mostly serves as a reference for the size of a piece of meat that you can cook in it. Chickens are relatively uniform, other cuts such as pork/beef shoulder could be all kinds of sizes.

[greenmonk]

It depends almost entirely on insulative properties of the container. Getting water up to temp can take a whole lot of energy but once it's there, a well insulated container can keep it there for tiny amounts of energy.

Well, since I got mine 2 days ago, I've been solely using a small cooler with wheels. It's maybe big enough for 3-4 steaks. Since it's only me, that's more than enough room. I don't think I am using the heating element much at all once it gets to tempeture because when I'm done cooking, that water stays hot for hours and hours and hours.

The day I got the machine I cooked an egg at 65C and then wanted to make shrimp about 4-5 hours later and the water (with the lid open the whole time) was almost at the temp I was going to cook the shrimp at. That's the way to save on energy! Now if I wanted to cook vegetables and have the water cool enough to then cook steak, I would have to use another vessel or figure out a way to drop the temperature some other way.

I was definitely surprised at how much the cooler retained the heat. I purposely kept the lid open for the heat to escape, but not much did.

[ChrisBau]

You can just pour in cold water to lower the temperature faster.

[Robenco15]

It depends almost entirely on insulative properties of the container. Getting water up to temp can take a whole lot of energy but once it's there, a well insulated container can keep it there for tiny amounts of energy.

Well, since I got mine 2 days ago, I've been solely using a small cooler with wheels. It's maybe big enough for 3-4 steaks. Since it's only me, that's more than enough room. I don't think I am using the heating element much at all once it gets to tempeture because when I'm done cooking, that water stays hot for hours and hours and hours.

The day I got the machine I cooked an egg at 65C and then wanted to make shrimp about 4-5 hours later and the water (with the lid open the whole time) was almost at the temp I was going to cook the shrimp at. That's the way to save on energy! Now if I wanted to cook vegetables and have the water cool enough to then cook steak, I would have to use another vessel or figure out a way to drop the temperature some other way.

I was definitely surprised at how much the cooler retained the heat. I purposely kept the lid open for the heat to escape, but not much did.

So far so good though? Happy with it? I am so close to buying it I can practically taste my first 63C egg! By the way, would I set the waterbath at 64C for that?

[ChrisBau]

My anova just arrived after a 20 day wait (from anova to my cargo forwarder in CA then to the Philippines). First impressions- it's solidly built. The stainless steel skirt and vector are thicker than I expected. I'm cooking an egg now and it is quiet. Much quieter than the polyscience chef series I used at work. It heats up fast at a rate of about 3 -4 degrees C every minute I'm using a 6qt stockpot. I have no way of verifying the temp reading as I don't have a reference thermometer on hand hence the egg :-) Will see what firmware I've got when the egg finishes.

Edited September 10, 2013 by ChrisBau (log)

[ChrisBau]

One odd thing though, the LCD screen turns off after a few minutes. It turns back on when you tap it. It would have been nice if it stayed on with current temp displayed in big bold digits so you can see its status from across the room. Regarding the interface. I find it intuitive and simple. I like it. I don't mind tapping the screen multiple times to set the temp. Doesn't require much time and energy anyway. The touch screen is very responsive too.

[philie]

will this device be available as a european version?

would be great if it would hit the market!

[ChrisBau]

In an email, Jeff of Anova said they'll come out with a 220V version next month.

[ojisan]

It would be informative if everyone would post the firmware version of their newly received unit so we can track improvements.

So far I am very pleased with the Anova - here's a few comments:

- The container should be at least 8" high. The distance from the clamp to the bottom of the unit is 7 1/4"

- The generic 3-prong AC cord provided with mine does not fit snugly into the Anova, and is easily dislodged, cutting off power

- Water temp is very consistant

- This popular style Cambro (or Rubbermaid version) does not work with the Anova due to the shape and slant of the top edge/lip

[scubadoo97]

My software is 1.19

I too have to watch the power cord. It has pulled out once on me to date

Love the speedy ramping of temp

[rotuts]

I bet they follow this thread and will look into the power cord issue. nice tip. why not PM them? they seem to be the type that appreciated constructive feedback.

[ChrisBau]

Firmware 1.19, if I'm not mistaken. No problem with the cord, it fits snugly. The 3 taps on the upper right corner to adjust/offset the read temp works. Didn't find a need to adjust as my 63.3C egg came out spot on in texture. I tried to read temp with my pid controller. It was 1C lower on it but its accuracy is +/- 1C...

Water temp stays solidly on the set value. When coming up to temp it overshoots by .1C for a few seconds then goes back down to set temp and stays there.

Edited September 10, 2013 by ChrisBau (log)