Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 2)

[lesliec]

Or ... cut the hole, squirt foam, cut away excess the next day. That's how I did it. Not saying your method isn't fine, Alanz; there's just more room for the foam nozzle with a bigger hole.

The major problem is measuring where to put the hole in the first place. The lid I was working with wasn't flat.

[alanz]

Leslie, the way you described is the way I made mine. That was before I got a look at the inside, and saw how easy it would be to fill with foam before cutting. Then it's a simple cut without having the wrangle the foam, so I am changing the approach for the next one. I will mention both approaches when I make the video.

Edited December 18, 2013 by alanz (log)

[robps]

I received my Anova last week, and picked up a Cambro-style food box to use with it. The amount of heat and evaporation loss was pretty obvious the first time I used it, so I decided to modify the lid to fit around the circulator, and to add some Reflectix insulation. Inspired by Alan's excellent video, I tried to document the process; unfortunately I lack his videography skills, so I instead put some photos and instructions into a flickr set here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjPasH54. The flckr UI is perhaps not ideal for this purpose, but each photo does include a description of the steps taken.

The result provides a noticeable improvement in heat retention. The time taken for the Anova to raise the water from 25C to 60C went from 36m22s for the uninsulated box down to 33m8s once it was insulated (I forgot to measure the exact volume of water, but I'd estimate it was somewhere around 15 liters). I also measured the heat loss of the uninsulated box with no lid, starting at 60C, and found it dropped to 47.8C after one hour, 40.7C after two hours, 36.0C after three hours, and 33.0C after four hours. The water had returned to the 25C ambient temperature in under 10 hours. In contrast, the fully insulated box (lid fitted and a piece of Reflectix insulation floating on the water) only dropped to 58.1C after an hour, 56.1C after two hours, 54.0C after three hours, and 52.1C after four hours. It was still in the mid 30s after 24 hours.

Evaporation seems to be well controlled, too: I've been cooking some ribs at 60C for the past 18 hours, with no perceivable drop in the water level.

One thing to note about the Reflectix insulation: the manufacturer's website rates it for use in environments up to 82C, so floating it on the water should be fine for the temperatures typically used for long cook times; but I wouldn't recommend that at the higher temperatures used for things like vegetables. Fortunately, those generally require much less time, and thus evaporation isn't a big concern.

Edited December 18, 2013 by robps (log)

[michoutim]

Hello to everyone,

I am located in Australia.

I placed my order on the 17th (which is the 16th in the USA).

I am impatient to get it !

I wish you all a Wonderful Christmas ! And thank you to Jeff for being so helpful.

[Whygee]

So I'm in Canada and I was ready to order the circulator for my birthday. However, shipping is more the 60$ so it killed my enthusiasm. I've tried to contact the company to see if it was possible to get a cheaper (slower) shipping option, but after sending 2 emails to 2 different adresses I've never received an answer. Now I'm a bit worried about customer service. Has anybody else ordered from Canada?

The shipping to Canada is all in - courier, broker fees, GST etc. It's worth it unless you have a US address to ship to then pick up.

Unfortunately, I have to report that taxes and fees were not included in the shipping price. I had to pay an extra 41$ on taxes and fees. The actual shipping cost was around 51$ so that's disappointing. Hopefully the quality of the product will make up for it.

[Kerry Beal]

When I received mine that shipped to Canada - the package contained mine was being returned from an upgrade and Anna's, that was newly purchased. Perhaps it slipped through customs because of that. But there were no extra courier charges either. Sorry to have misled you.

I purchased a piece of chocolate equipment from Germany recently - thought it was sensible to have it sent to the airport where I could pick it up - wrong! Not only customs charges but $90 more 'airport charges'. Given it's minimal weight it would have been better to have it sent via Purolator or Fedex international apparently according to the guys in cargo.

[SVUK]

First post, and I'm working my way through all the relevant threads, but since I've pretty much just fallen in love with the Anova and I'd quite like to order mine yesterday, I was wondering if anyone has had one delivered to the UK, and whether or not they ended up making any donations to HMRC or Fed-ex's handling fee department? I could live with the VAT, but have heard tell of couriers charging some fairly horrendous fees for its collection on top from importers of other goods.

Thanks.

[Carole]

Got it for Christmas. Finally had time to really use it. Best steak that I've ever made at home. No doubt. Love this!!

Can't talk, too full!

Edited January 1, 2014 by Carole (log)

[hattermad]

First post, and I'm working my way through all the relevant threads, but since I've pretty much just fallen in love with the Anova and I'd quite like to order mine yesterday, I was wondering if anyone has had one delivered to the UK, and whether or not they ended up making any donations to HMRC or Fed-ex's handling fee department? I could live with the VAT, but have heard tell of couriers charging some fairly horrendous fees for its collection on top from importers of other goods.

Thanks.

I imported to the UK. You will get hit for VAT at 20%, and may get assessed for duty if you order more than one (one by itself doesn't break the duty threshold). Anova didn't use fedex to dispatch, they used USPS, which ends up being parcel force over here. they charged an additional 15 GBP for clearance which was somewhat grating after the hefty shipping and handling charge.

The most frustrating part is waiting for the postcard to come through the post so I could pay the vat and clearance, however I think I could probably get around that next time as the link provided to pay vat online uses the original parcel reference, so if I'd had the link emailed or provided online, I could have paid much quicker and got the circulator through quicker than waiting for the postcard from parcel force which took more than a week to arrive.

[SVUK]

First post, and I'm working my way through all the relevant threads, but since I've pretty much just fallen in love with the Anova and I'd quite like to order mine yesterday, I was wondering if anyone has had one delivered to the UK, and whether or not they ended up making any donations to HMRC or Fed-ex's handling fee department? I could live with the VAT, but have heard tell of couriers charging some fairly horrendous fees for its collection on top from importers of other goods.

Thanks.

I imported to the UK. You will get hit for VAT at 20%, and may get assessed for duty if you order more than one (one by itself doesn't break the duty threshold). Anova didn't use fedex to dispatch, they used USPS, which ends up being parcel force over here. they charged an additional 15 GBP for clearance which was somewhat grating after the hefty shipping and handling charge.

The most frustrating part is waiting for the postcard to come through the post so I could pay the vat and clearance, however I think I could probably get around that next time as the link provided to pay vat online uses the original parcel reference, so if I'd had the link emailed or provided online, I could have paid much quicker and got the circulator through quicker than waiting for the postcard from parcel force which took more than a week to arrive.

Thanks... I got up to your posts about VAT at 6am this morning, I was still ploughing through part one of the thread when I posted. It actually came as something of a relief as I've come across people having to pay considerably higher handling charges when importing photo gear, and that's what £210 all in, compared to the competition it still seems like a decent deal.

Sounds like there is one company in the world that actually declares the value of the parcel accurately then, never thought I'd see the day.

[hattermad]

I just checked back the letter - unfortunately my comment earlier on being able to shortcut the wait for the customs payment letter was incorrect, as it gets a new parcel reference number at this point. This caused a week's delay for me, so it's a bit disappointing.

Time frame was: Order placed 12th Nov, Order shipped 18th Nov, Stuck at customs 26th Nov, letter received and paid 2nd Dec, delivered 4th Dec.

[Ryan Imgrund]

So I'm in Canada and I was ready to order the circulator for my birthday. However, shipping is more the 60$ so it killed my enthusiasm. I've tried to contact the company to see if it was possible to get a cheaper (slower) shipping option, but after sending 2 emails to 2 different adresses I've never received an answer. Now I'm a bit worried about customer service. Has anybody else ordered from Canada?

The shipping to Canada is all in - courier, broker fees, GST etc. It's worth it unless you have a US address to ship to then pick up.

Unfortunately, I have to report that taxes and fees were not included in the shipping price. I had to pay an extra 41$ on taxes and fees. The actual shipping cost was around 51$ so that's disappointing. Hopefully the quality of the product will make up for it.

I ordered mine to Canada after reading this thread in its entirety. I've got a Cambro 18CW135 with lid coming too. Heard back from Anova - bit of a backlog but mine should be shipping next Friday. I'll update when I receive as to extra charges (i.e. duties, taxes, etc.).

[automatic]

So I'm in Canada and I was ready to order the circulator for my birthday. However, shipping is more the 60$ so it killed my enthusiasm. I've tried to contact the company to see if it was possible to get a cheaper (slower) shipping option, but after sending 2 emails to 2 different adresses I've never received an answer. Now I'm a bit worried about customer service. Has anybody else ordered from Canada?

The shipping to Canada is all in - courier, broker fees, GST etc. It's worth it unless you have a US address to ship to then pick up.

Unfortunately, I have to report that taxes and fees were not included in the shipping price. I had to pay an extra 41$ on taxes and fees. The actual shipping cost was around 51$ so that's disappointing. Hopefully the quality of the product will make up for it.

I ordered mine to Canada after reading this thread in its entirety. I've got a Cambro 18CW135 with lid coming too. Heard back from Anova - bit of a backlog but mine should be shipping next Friday. I'll update when I receive as to extra charges (i.e. duties, taxes, etc.).

When did you order? I placed my order on the 27th but haven't heard anything about shipping yet.

[Ryan Imgrund]

When did you order? I placed my order on the 27th but haven't heard anything about shipping yet.

Ordered on December 30th. Received an email January 2nd saying Anova is experiencing a lead time on all units due to Christmas vacation, but that they'll email a FedEx tracking number when shipped.

[Valcan]

The wait is killing me! I ordered on December 21 and it still isn't here. This is its 5th day in Chicago. I wonder what the attraction is for an immersion blender? Maybe it found a bachelor party and will arrive with sketchy photos.

I have my meat prepped and sealed, ready to go. I was thinking of filling a pot of water but decided not to push my luck. Every day I find more recipes I want to try. Don't know what I will try first, probably the standard egg.

[Valcan]

So I'm in Canada and I was ready to order the circulator for my birthday. However, shipping is more the 60$ so it killed my enthusiasm. I've tried to contact the company to see if it was possible to get a cheaper (slower) shipping option, but after sending 2 emails to 2 different adresses I've never received an answer. Now I'm a bit worried about customer service. Has anybody else ordered from Canada?

The shipping to Canada is all in - courier, broker fees, GST etc. It's worth it unless you have a US address to ship to then pick up.

Unfortunately, I have to report that taxes and fees were not included in the shipping price. I had to pay an extra 41$ on taxes and fees. The actual shipping cost was around 51$ so that's disappointing. Hopefully the quality of the product will make up for it.

I ordered mine to Canada after reading this thread in its entirety. I've got a Cambro 18CW135 with lid coming too. Heard back from Anova - bit of a backlog but mine should be shipping next Friday. I'll update when I receive as to extra charges (i.e. duties, taxes, etc.).

When did you order? I placed my order on the 27th but haven't heard anything about shipping yet.

Did you check your junk folder? If it isn't there, you should call the company.

[Martin Fisher]

I wish they'd behave more professionally...like at least posting an estimated lead time.

I ordered on the 31st....no word after the initial transaction but of course they charged my account.

Edited January 7, 2014 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[Ryan Imgrund]

I think they are beginning to post wait times: http://anovaculinary.com/products/anova

It now says 15 business days to ship; last week it said 21, so at least some updating is taking place.

[Valcan]

I see on the website that they are sold out. After a vacation in Chicago, mine is know stuck in Ontario due to poor weather (I also have a friend stuck in Toronto since Monday morning and now they tell her she can't get a flight until the 10th!). I am just happy I actually have one on the way. Nothing anyone can do about the weather. When it gets here, it gets here.

Fellow Canadians - not sure if you know this but once you get your tracking number, use it on USPS until it clears customs then you can use the same number at Canada Post Tracking to see where it is in Canada.

[ChrisTaylor]

They sold out of the 220V model a week or two ago. Word is it'll be 'about a month' before it's back in stock.

[Valcan]

My Anova made it to Edmonton and now is on the final leg of its journey to its new home on Cold Lake. My friend, however, is still stuck in Toronto but has a flight tomorrow night to Vancouver (she is trying to get to Edmonton, so this is interesting). At least my Anova is moving faster than most of the people stuck in Toronto. The roads around where I live are black ice tonight. With my luck the postal truck will be cancelled due to road conditions and my Anova will be rerouted to Vancouver. I really want it before the weekend.

Maybe I need to invest some money in Anova - they are selling their circulators like hotcakes!

[Valcan]

It arrived but not without a struggle. Online it said it was ready to pick up. After work I went directly to my mailbox down the block and there wasn't a parcel card. I went to the post office with the tracking number. The girl told me that it wasn't there yet. I went to my house and on my doorknob was the parcel card (first time it has been there instead of my mailbox). I went back to the post office and it was there. I was too happy to make a fuss.

I got it home and made my first 63.3 egg and it was perfect! (I did throw it in boiling water for a little bit to firm up the white. The yolk was amazing. I can't believe that from now on, I can have the perfect egg every time I want. Yum!

I have two ribeye steaks in there now, I can't wait for them to be done. Thanks to everyone who posted about the Anova, I have enjoyed all the comments.

[Docrjm]

Enjoy it. Pretty much a permanent feature on my counter. My wife, who doesn't cook, even uses it! A successful purchase.

[Hell2Heights]

I received my Anova last week. So far I've done Duck Leg Confit, Pork Belly from a Kenji Alt recipe, and a basic boneless Chicken Breast. I'm enjoying the results so far. This may be just the thing to snap me out of this cooking rut I've been in.

[michoutim]

Hi, Michoutim here !

I received my toy a few days ago, I was glad that the bad weather didn't delay delivery to OZLand.

I tried it with salmon, excellent !

However, today was the acid test so to speak, with a turkey breast -let me tell you I don't like turkey in general because it is so dry, no matter what, it is dry. I never buy turkey because of that.

Well, I vacuum packed the 470 g breast with on each side of it salt, pepper, 1/2 bay leaf, thyme, a branch of terragon, and blanched orange zest, and dabs of cold butter -not much though-.

It is amazing. We tasted it as soon as the 1st morsel was cut, super moist, pinkish also (we did it at 63.9 Celsius, for 90 minutes).

We served it with some of my orange sauce, and with spaghettis of zucchinis (that I made for the 1st time using a device called a veggie twister, but sometimes they call it other names) just sautéed in a mix of olive oil and butter and still crispy. It looks neat on the plate, believe me (I took a photo if you want it though I do not know yet how to post a photo here on this forum).

To cut it short, my husband -the blasé type you know!!!- was impressed even at 1st use of the unit which is sturdy, and easy to use. He also made a perfect egg that we are going to taste tonight (he used little baskets for chinese fondue, to contain the egg so it wouldn't fly around, those baskets are super cheap (the handle is flexible so it is handy to hang on the side of the pot.

I will recommend it, believe me..

So thank you to Anova. And thank you Jeff !

I told a Chef I know in France, who may be interested, he has a most popular cooking platform, and will mention it, I am sure.

Long Live Sous-Vide cooking !