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

[gfweb]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

For anyone still on the fence, Anova is now warning "quantities limited".

 

 

 

 

Perhaps a sales tactic

Edited September 3, 2020 by gfweb (log)

[Sartain]

On 9/3/2020 at 11:07 AM, gfweb said:

 

Perhaps a sales tactic

 

Just put in my preorder so maybe the sales tactic worked (on me, at least).  I have been looking at the FBSO this summer but hadn't pulled the trigger yet so this seems like the right time.  Really intrigued about the bagless sous vide.

[Robin G]

I wasn't convinced by the CSO or the other competition, but I also have pre-ordered this thing. It is big enough for my sourdough batards, and the steam duration means I can hopefully use it instead of my SV device. Getting rid of my single-purpose yogurt incubator is also part of the plan... and my hacks for warm dough proofing. Also I'd like to try dehydrating, which I haven't done because I don't want yet another single-purpose appliance. Yeah, my fantasy future is one oven to rule them all!

[Robin G]

"Shipping October 12"

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, Robin G said:

"Shipping October 12"

 

They didn't say what year.

 

[Robin G]

I enquired about the perforated sheet pan shown in the Roast Chicken 101 recipe, and learned that there is no plan at present to produce such an accessory. The oven ships with two racks and a solid sheet pan, and no other accessories are offered yet.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The anova website has clarification about the dates.  Apparently the first production run is sold out and units will ship on 9/28.  The second batch will be ready to ship on 10/12.

 

[rotuts]

wonder who makes the perforated pan.

 

wonder how long 3d parties will take to make pans for the Anova.

 

it took a while for there to be CSO pans.

 

but being larger , ASO pans may already exist, close enough 

 

here and there

 

eG early adopters will be all over this I hope.

[Kerry Beal]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

wonder who makes the perforated pan.

 

wonder how long 3d parties will take to make pans for the Anova.

 

it took a while for there to be CSO pans.

 

but being larger , ASO pans may already exist, close enough 

 

here and there

 

eG early adopters will be all over this I hope.

There are lots of standard hotel pan sized perforated pans - I suspect if we knew measurements we could find easily.

[ElsieD]

Amazon carries various perforated sheet pans.

[Martin Fisher]

Anova Interior: 16.9in x 10in

Hotel Pan Sizes

Sheet Pan Sizes

Edited September 12, 2020 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[rotuts]

I went back and looked at the pic of the perforated pan :

 

 

to my eye , the perforated pan is set in a solid bottomed pan that fits

 

perfectly in a ASO slot , perhaps that pan comes w the ASO 

 

I see two lips on the upper set.

 

but the implications of the lower pan imply the chicken roasting

 

has drained into the lower tin-foiled pan

 

so , who knows ?

 

 

[Robin G]

At the risk of beating a dead horse, you can also see the perforated pan in action on the recipes for Brisket 101, Herb Beets with Labneh, and several other dishes.... e.g.

Quote

Place beets on Perforated Pan. Place Solid Pan one rack under the perforated pan to catch beet juice.

 

[CanadianHomeChef]

On 9/12/2020 at 2:13 PM, Robin G said:

At the risk of beating a dead horse, you can also see the perforated pan in action on the recipes for Brisket 101, Herb Beets with Labneh, and several other dishes.... e.g.

 

I find it odd that they refer to it as "the perforated pan"... "the" implies something that came with the unit. If it was an optional third-party piece of equipment, I'd suspect them to refer to it as "a perforated pan" ...

[CanadianHomeChef]

On 9/11/2020 at 5:51 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

The anova website has clarification about the dates.  Apparently the first production run is sold out and units will ship on 9/28.  The second batch will be ready to ship on 10/12.

 

I was wondering where that date comes from. The website still says "9/28" for me with no mention of "10/12"... discovered it's geography based. In Canada it appears they haven't sold out of first batch (must be shipping from a Canadian warehouse). I used GeoPeeker to view the American website and saw the 10/12 date. 

[Robin G]

Also, on the USA site, it has said "15% Remaining" of batch 2 since Saturday, and hasn't budged. I wonder if that number is static?

57 minutes ago, CanadianHomeChef said:

I find it odd that they refer to it as "the perforated pan"... "the" implies something that came with the unit. If it was an optional third-party piece of equipment, I'd suspect them to refer to it as "a perforated pan" ...

Featuring this pan in so many of the recipes also implies it's standard equipment. I suspect we won't be the only potential customers wondering where it is.

[CanadianHomeChef]

35 minutes ago, Robin G said:

Also, on the USA site, it has said "15% Remaining" of batch 2 since Saturday, and hasn't budged. I wonder if that number is static?

Featuring this pan in so many of the recipes also implies it's standard equipment. I suspect we won't be the only potential customers wondering where it is.

I just got a response from chat. They said it will be sold separately. So they'll produce one but won't ship with it. I agree... it's misleading when they feature it so prominently in their featured recipes. 

[Robin G]

Interesting, I wonder why they told me they didn't know whether they would make any. This is good news, though!

[Keri AH]

Quote

On 9/6/2020 at 7:41 AM, Robin G said:

... big enough for my sourdough batards, and the steam duration means I can hopefully use it instead of my SV device. Getting rid of my single-purpose yogurt incubator is also part of the plan... and my hacks for warm dough proofing. Also I'd like to try dehydrating, which I haven't done because I don't want yet another single-purpose appliance. Yeah, my fantasy future is one oven to rule them all!

This oven is very much of interest to me for its steam and other bread functions (which I'm struggling to get working in my current combi-convection/microwave oven that gets to 450F only under extreme 'protest'). If it also can take care of SV and yogurt that's even better -- 2 current devices eliminated! But my husband says he can't live without the microwave capability. I assume this oven doesn't also microwave (yes?). In the quest to get rid of single-purpose devices, what fills the bill for both the microwave oven and the water boiler (electric kettle)? Thanks!

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, Keri AH said:

But my husband says he can't live without the microwave capability. I assume this oven doesn't also microwave (yes?). In the quest to get rid of single-purpose devices, what fills the bill for both the microwave oven and the water boiler (electric kettle)? Thanks!

 

Do you have a stove or cooktop of some sort?  That's what I use to boil water.  Usually in a tea kettle but sometimes in a pot. I've never had a separate appliance for boiling water, though I know they are common in some places.

 

As to the microwave, you might get better answers if you were to to identify the specific microwave capabilities that can't be lived without.  This Anova thread may or may not be the best thread for that, at least at this point when no one has seen one. 

 

There has been some discussion of small combi oven capabilities when @KennethT was thinking along the same lines about the Cuisianart CSO. You could check out this post and its replies in the "Do I need..." thread and follow up with this post of his in one of the Cuisinart CSO threads and read down through both of them for some thoughts. Probably other places I can't recall, too.

 

A small combi oven, on steam bake can do a great job reheating a plate of leftovers.  Takes a little longer than a MW but the result is superior, to me.  It's not ever going to be the single best appliance for boiling a cup of water in the shortest amount of time.  Mine replaced the toaster and I suspect the Anova can, too.

When I save up enough, I plan to get rid of my over the range microwave in order to install a proper vent hood.  I don't think I'll miss it.  Well, except that it's a handy storage spot for the cooked bacon one of my cats will quickly devour if I should step out of the kitchen 🤣

[Robin G]

No, Keri, this thing has no microwave capability. I have an over-the-range microwave too, and I have no plans to get rid of it. However, maybe re-heating beverages in a plastic vessel will prove to be its only use after acclimating to the Anova oven. I am fortunate that my current cat doesn't know she should counter-surf for people food. (?!?)

[DaveJes1979]

https://anovaculinary.com/what-is-a-combi-oven/

 

Interestingly, they appear to have developed a wet bulb temperature sensor.  This must be how they intend on controlling dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures directly.  This is exactly what the Modernist Cuisine authors were explicitly calling for a few years back, in the section on Combi Ovens (they wrote most of this for commercial Rational combis).

 

The MC guys also noted that commercial combi ovens weren't doing an especially great job at controlling the temperature at low temperatures, hampering their application in "bag-less sous vide" type cooking.

 

If Anova has really nailed these features, that's quite something for an affordable, countertop oven to accomplish.

 

I wonder if this unit will be able to perform CVap-type tasks, the most obvious being to keep fried foods warm and crispy.

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing the results of burger patty cooking.  Always a clunky pain to shape burger patties and bag them for a conventional water bath/circulator.

[Robin G]

3 minutes ago, DaveJes1979 said:

If Anova has really nailed these features, that's quite something for an affordable, countertop oven to accomplish.

indeed

[KennethT]

48 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Do you have a stove or cooktop of some sort?  That's what I use to boil water.  Usually in a tea kettle but sometimes in a pot. I've never had a separate appliance for boiling water, though I know they are common in some places.

 

As to the microwave, you might get better answers if you were to to identify the specific microwave capabilities that can't be lived without.  This Anova thread may or may not be the best thread for that, at least at this point when no one has seen one. 

 

There has been some discussion of small combi oven capabilities when @KennethT was thinking along the same lines about the Cuisianart CSO. You could check out this post and its replies in the "Do I need..." thread and follow up with this post of his in one of the Cuisinart CSO threads and read down through both of them for some thoughts. Probably other places I can't recall, too.

 

A small combi oven, on steam bake can do a great job reheating a plate of leftovers.  Takes a little longer than a MW but the result is superior, to me.  It's not ever going to be the single best appliance for boiling a cup of water in the shortest amount of time.  Mine replaced the toaster and I suspect the Anova can, too.

When I save up enough, I plan to get rid of my over the range microwave in order to install a proper vent hood.  I don't think I'll miss it.  Well, except that it's a handy storage spot for the cooked bacon one of my cats will quickly devour if I should step out of the kitchen 🤣

It's hard to believe that I was involved in this discussion a year ago when we were getting ready to move... fast forward a year later, and we still haven't moved!!! (but we're making progress with renovations, finally).

 

After using the CSO for a while, I have determined that, for our needs, we definitely do not need a microwave and have no intention of getting one.  For defrosting coconut milk, stock (which I keep in a ziplock bag in the freezer) or frozen chicken parts, I used to use my sous vide rig, but now I find it's even easier to get a large bowl of warm water and plunk it in there for a bit.  The english muffin defrosts and is just like out of the microwave in 4 minutes on steam bake - compared to 1 minute in the microwave... no big deal. And heating water for tea (which I used to use my gas range) I got a 2-3 cup kettle which has various temp settings for different types of tea.  It will bring a small amount of water to boil in less time than on my gas range or the microwave - and unlike the microwave, I don't have to keep checking it to make sure it doesn't explode.

[Keri AH]

On 9/17/2020 at 12:22 PM, blue_dolphin said:

There has been some discussion of small combi oven capabilities when @KennethT was thinking along the same lines about the Cuisianart CSO. You could check out this post and its replies in the "Do I need..." thread and follow up with this post of his in one of the Cuisinart CSO threads and read down through both of them for some thoughts. Probably other places I can't recall, too.

Thanks. Indeed, we have a cooktop but firing it up to boil water seems slower and less energy efficient. 

    Both threads were very interesting reading. I don't think I will be able to get DH to give up his MW (or water boiler). One person summed it up well: "Our microwave keeps kitchen-phobic husband alive at lunch." Another phrase used was "time intolerant" which fits the bill nicely for his food prep routines -- also his concern for energy usage/efficiency: morning scrambled egg; lunch/dinner reheating of whatever has been prepared/packaged for a meal; reheating coffee.

     That said, a separate 'real' oven (i.e., in addition to, rather than instead of, the current mw/convection oven) would let me stay out of the way ... I always seem to be in the middle of some multi-step baking adventure using the convection function when it's time for DH to mw his lunch. Having a 'real' oven would let work proceed in parallel. The only issue is running out of countertops for these "countertop" items. I'm thinking that a baking oven in the garage wouldn't be all that bad -- go out there at the start and at the end of a bake, and for some checks mid-way. Now that the garage is home to the pantry and the storage fridge, the trips out there are more frequent and less bothersome....