Anova Precision Oven: Features, Accessories, Troubleshooting, and "Should I Buy One?"

[TdeV]

What Makes Sous Vide Mode is Different?

Traditional ovens aren’t capable of sous vide cooking for two reasons. First is temperature stability. Very precise temperature control is the cornerstone of sous vide cooking. And, as you may already know, your traditional oven is not great at maintaining a stable cooking temperature. Moreover, the temperatures used in sous vide cooking are low: typically 122°F / 50°C to 212°F / 100°C. Most home ovens aren’t designed to run at such low temperatures.

Second, even if your oven allowed you to set a low temperature, in the sous vide range, you’d still have a problem. Traditional ovens only measure dry bulb temperature — the temperature of the air — but your food cooks according to the wet bulb temperature. Wet bulb refers to the temperature that foods actually experience in the oven, though it’s new terminology to almost all cooks. Here’s why it matters so much.

Food contains a large amount of water. As your food heats up in the oven, some of that water evaporates off the surface, carrying heat away with it. This evaporative cooling effect means that the surface temperature of wet foods will be cooler than the dry bulb temperature of the air around your food.

Wet Bulb = Dry Bulb minus Evaporative Cooling

So, if you set your traditional oven to a sous vide cooking temperature, the actual temperature that your food experiences would always be lower. And that’s why you can’t cook sous vide in a normal oven.

So how is the Anova Precision Oven different? It measures the wet bulb temperature directly. In the back-right corner of the Oven, there’s a very small water reservoir with a temperature sensor suspended within it. This is the Oven’s wet bulb sensor, and it’s the key to Sous Vide Mode. As the Oven heats up, water evaporates from that reservoir just as it evaporates from the surface of your food. The corresponding temperature that the sensor measures is the exact same temperature your food experiences! (Of course, the Oven automatically replenishes the water in the wet bulb reservoir so it doesn’t run dry).

The amount of evaporative cooling that happens during cooking depends on the dry bulb temperature and the amount of humidity in the oven. But the Anova Precision Oven’s direct wet bulb sensing accounts for both of those factors, which opens up a world of possibilities not available in traditional water bath sous vide.

 

From Anova about sous vide mode

[rotuts]

@TdeV 

 

if you already have a SV system that you've worked out

 

its not clear why you want to use the APC .

 

as an experiment ?

 

since :

 

""   The Anova Precision Cooker maintains the precise cooking temperature you set, and you seal your food in a bag before cooking so it doesn’t get waterlogged. ""

 

you have to bag the food up in the APC , that's the biggest amount of work you do

 

viz SV , so you have gained  very little using the APO.

 

and you can't do anything else w the APO while SV'd'ing.

 

roasting potatoes , veg ?

 

so , assuming the APO does a fine job SV'ing , it ties the oven up

 

and your fish @ 114 F   isn't going to sray ' hot ' for long out of the oven

 

but will stay at 114 in the bath while you fiddle and faddle w the rest of your dinner.

 

so Id keep SV'ing as you have been doing , esp for fish , which are fine more

 

time and temp sensitive than various Meats.

 

pls report back.
 

[TdeV]

@rotuts, this is going to drive you bonkers but the Anova Precision Cooker is a sous vide immersion stick and the Anova Precision Oven is a steam oven which can sous vide food without a bag.

 

My store clerk did not label the fish package which might have been mackerel (or possibly haddock).

Mid afternoon, the filets were dusted with s + p, and a few grains of demerara sugar. Not long before cooking the filets were covered with my vague appoximation of Modernist Cuisine's Fish Spice mix which I keep vacuum sealed in the freezer.

 

Filets were laid skin side down on a rack which went into the APO (set to 120°F) for 22 minutes.

A few issues: one, the fish was still uncooked on the skin side near the middle of the fish.

Two, how do people get a seared crust on the fish? (Mine had none). Can I turn on the broiler? Any idea how long it takes to get hot? Or should I use tried and true method of heating up a frying pan?

 

One of the reasons for wanting to do sous vide in the Anova Precision Oven is that I think the fish might take less handling, thus be less likely to fall apart.

 

Accompaniments were heirloom tomato diced, nuked for 15 seconds, fresh lime, fresh thyme, and smidgen of honey. Also leftover rice (nuked).

 

Tasted okay, not stellar.

Edited February 12, 2021 by TdeV
Correcting Facts (log)

[rotuts]

@TdeV 

 

you make very good points.

 

for me , SV , as I have a chamber-Vac-sealer

 

is about various meats , that I used to get

 

very inexpensively  ( whole turkeys , generic , yes ;  CkBr;s  ; corned beef etc )

 

and then use SV for doing bulk SV'd'ing

 

then freezing. all these items turned out perfectly , at different temps

 

and light seasonings , so the 1/2 day's work was well worth it to me

 

for each project .

 

[ed.: 1/4 days.  time was taken off for hydration etc ]

 

the TurkeyBr in the winter were cold smoked on a snow covered webber

 

ie a box , etc  same for the Cornmed beef

 

now fish that's an entirely different matter

 

in my area its very very difficult to get fresh fish

 

FF = no odor what so ever on the fish.

 

I did try some TJ's Fz fish , being very very careful that the

 

pouch was completely sealed

 

and some of these worked out OK

 

not the Salmon , but  Cod , and larger chuck fish.

 

im not a fan of tilapia  etc

 

now, or way back when , TJ's has some farmed Salmon from Iceland or Norway

 

properly picked , in the previous Era

 

ie the ones far back , which were a day or so fresher

 

and paying very very close attention to get the fish filet

 

closest to the head 

 

these were fine , pan sautéed 

 

Im not sure SV , of any kind , will get you better

 

cooked fish than pan // broiler

 

or low-poach in a court-bullion.

 

I doubt you want to SV 20 lbs of fish.

 

looking forward to your results.

 

 

[palo]

Anova has apparently released a baking steel for their oven:

 

https://bakingsteel.com/collections/steels/products/anova-precision-oven-baking-steel

 

Not having used one does 1/4 inch sound a little thin? Heat storage mass?

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

22 minutes ago, palo said:

Anova has apparently released a baking steel for their oven:

 

https://bakingsteel.com/collections/steels/products/anova-precision-oven-baking-steel

 

Not having used one does 1/4 inch sound a little thin? Heat storage mass?

 

p

 

I'm using 1/4 inch steel in my APO.  Perhaps a little thin, but as they say:  "the perfect balance of performance and weight."  It gets the job done.  However I chose to go with highly corrosion resistant stainless steel myself.  If cost is a factor this sounds like a good solution.

 

 

[jimb0]

imo 1/4 inch would be fine for a single pizza or a few small flatbreads like pitas over time; i can't seriously imagine cooking multiple pizzas in the apo one right after the other. 

[palo]

Has anyone tried the Lodge 12 in skillet to see if it will fit I thought that I had read somewhere here that it wouldn't but Anova support says it will?

 

p

[TdeV]

1 hour ago, palo said:

Has anyone tried the Lodge 12 in skillet to see if it will fit I thought that I had read somewhere here that it wouldn't but Anova support says it will?

 

The Lodge 10 1/4" (25 cm) fits diagonally with room to spare, so I think that 12" skillet might fit.

Edited February 18, 2021 by TdeV
Clarity (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, palo said:

Has anyone tried the Lodge 12 in skillet to see if it will fit I thought that I had read somewhere here that it wouldn't but Anova support says it will?

 

p

 

I have only the Lodge 10 inch.  However I don't remember reading the 12 inch would not fit.  Take one for the team.

 

[blbskue]

Really torn between ordering this or a BSOA. I continue to be a bit concerned about some of the ongoing APO problems, but most users seem to have few if any issues. Option 1 is to get the BSOA for now, then replace it with an APO down the line when version 2 or whatever is available. That could be years though. Or just go for the APO now, hope for the best, and upgrade to version 2 someday if need be.

 

Help!

 

Are those who have owned the APO for some time now still content? Any major ongoing concerns?

[rotuts]

cracked water tanks

 

not dressed by Anova?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 minutes ago, rotuts said:

cracked water tanks

 

not dressed by Anova?

 

Anova told me they would send a replacement new design water tank when available.  Except for the minor issues of the flimsy included pan and the less than polished app I am happy with my purchase.

 

 

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker 

 

Im pleased you are happy .

 

but a cracked water tank

 

" replaced when available "

 

is not a minor matter

 

and they have not addressed this

 

in any public way as far as i can see

 

so....

 

fine item th Anova oven may be

 

eventually

 

just not now

Edited March 5, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[palo]

My only concern so far is that the included pan warping under heat, but that's not a problem with the oven per se - if I had a cracked water tank that would be a major concern!

 

I don't use the app very much, but today I was going to do a roast chicken for supper, the recipe in the app says to rest the chicken in the fridge overnight to dry the skin - makes sense so I'm having roast chicken tomorrow night lol

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I haven't heard of anyone's water tank leaking.  The cracks though disconcerting are mostly cosmetic, and in no way affect the operation of the oven.  Still, I agree, in four years they could have addressed the issue better.

 

[rotuts]

just so.

[blbskue]

Despite my continued concerns over issues with the APO, I’ve taken the plunge and ordered one this morning. What are some accessories I should be on the lookout for?

I’m aware of the bakingsteel.com baking steel manufactured for the APO. What about pans (perforated or not) that work well? Air fryer baskets? Anything else?

[palo]

Congratulations! 

I'm sure you'll love it.

 

I haven't found a perforated pan that works for me - I have used the air fry/dehydrating trays from the BSOA in place of a perforated tray - they are only a half inch shy of fitting in the shelf indents  - today I'm doing the roast chicken from the app and have put it on a cooling rack over a pan - not much else to suggest from my view but I'm sure others will chime in.

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

53 minutes ago, blbskue said:

Despite my continued concerns over issues with the APO, I’ve taken the plunge and ordered one this morning. What are some accessories I should be on the lookout for?

I’m aware of the bakingsteel.com baking steel manufactured for the APO. What about pans (perforated or not) that work well? Air fryer baskets? Anything else?

 

I use this steel from McMaster-Carr

https://www.mcmaster.com/9745K79-9745K19/

 

For pans I use various sizes of TeamFar, as well as the pan from the CSO.  Also 1/2 size hotel pans.  Vollrath has some with an extremely heavy rack.  Vollrath offers perforated pans, if you are into that.

 

[pcmuse]

New firmware update with some worthwhile enhancements:

 

Oven displays minutes and seconds when the timer is under 1 hour.

 

Improved low-temperature stability for proofing

 

Reduced flicker of oven light when Top + Rear heaters are selected

 

When starting a Sous Vide Mode cook from the App with the fan set to Off, the fan will run during preheating.

 

Improved Wi-Fi pairing and connection reliability.

 

Other bug fixes and improvements.

[palo]

Is the update automatic or do you have to initiate somehow?

 

I just used the APO with the app about an hour ago and there was no updating going on.

 

p

[pcmuse]

2 hours ago, palo said:

Is the update automatic or do you have to initiate somehow?

 

I just used the APO with the app about an hour ago and there was no updating going on.

 

p

 

Not sure if it auto-updates on a schedule (probably?), but in my case I initiated it from the app. You can see the firmware status in the "more" section at the very bottom under "general".

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, palo said:

Is the update automatic or do you have to initiate somehow?

 

I just used the APO with the app about an hour ago and there was no updating going on.

 

p

 

I was sitting here next to my iPad and there was a notification in the app that new firmware was available.  I doubt that the firmware would have updated automatically.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Updating the firmware did nothing except an hourglass.  Doing a factory reset and the updating seemed to work.  I think.

 

Whatever, the oven still gets hot.