Aobosi Sous Vide Cooker Review
Pros: Proficient at maintaining temperature, good circulation performance
Cons: Relatively expensive, took a very long time to recover in our test
Manufacturer: Aobosi
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Aobosi Sous Vide Cooker | |||||
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| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $110 List | $129 List $128.26 at Amazon | $100 List $58.77 at Amazon | $100 List $89.99 at Amazon | $50 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Proficient at maintaining temperature, good circulation performance | Exceptionally convenient to use, impressively stable in our test | Good price, strong circulation performance, decent accuracy | Powerful circulating pump, solid thermal stability | Super stable at holding a temperature, fairly inexpensive |
| Cons | Relatively expensive, took a very long time to recover in our test | Not the quickest to heat up, slightly inferior circulation | Attachment clip is far from our favorite | Bulky design, somewhat pricey | Not the most accurate in our tests, subpar circulation |
| Bottom Line | We found this fairly run-of-the-mill to be disproportionately expensive given its mediocre performance in our evaluations | This top-notch immersion circulator has impressive heat stability and costs less than many other premium models | If you want to try out sous vide cooking without spending a ton of cash, this is a great choice | An overall solid and affordable machine that boasts an excellent price but isn't quite on par with premium models | It received one of the lowest scores of the entire group and we wouldn't readily recommend it |
| Rating Categories | Aobosi Sous Vide Co... | Anova Culinary Prec... | VPCOK Sous Vide Cooker | Wancle Thermal Imme... | Gourmia GSV115 |
| Temperature (40%) | |||||
| Circulation (30%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (30%) | |||||
| Specs | Aobosi Sous Vide Co... | Anova Culinary Prec... | VPCOK Sous Vide Cooker | Wancle Thermal Imme... | Gourmia GSV115 |
| Clamp/Mounts | Adjustable and removeable screw clamp | Fixed screw clamp | Removeable fixed plastic clip | Fixed spring clamp | Fixed screw clamp |
| App Control | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Wattage | 800W | 750W | 1000W | 850W | 800W |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Likes
The Aobosi's most noteworthy set of results came in our circulation metric, which is responsible for 30% of its final score. We did a circulation test by adding a small amount of dyed water to a corner of the sous vide container with 9.5 quarts in it, then timed how long it took the pump on the Aobosi Sous Vide to achieve a consistent shade throughout the bath. It only took around 26 seconds for this to occur, with the slowest models took close to 200 seconds and the fastest only took 15 or so.
The Aobosi also did decently well in our temperature accuracy and stability evaluations. We compared the accuracy between machines by setting each one to 135°F, giving it plenty of time to come up to temperature, measuring the water bath in six different locations with a precision thermometer, and then averaging the results. We repeated this process with the water bath set for 147°F and found the Aobosi Sous Vide had an average error of 0.63°F over when the temperature was set to 135°F and 0.93°F under when it was set to 147°F.
For our stability assessment, we used a data logging temperature sensor placed in a bag to measure the temperature in the center of the water bath every minute for an hour, then awarded points based on the amount of time each sous vide showed a discrepancy from their steady-state temperature. The Aobosi Sous Vide only has an error for 8.33% of the time in our test, with an average discrepancy of only 0.07°F.
The interface on this sous vide is fine but definitely far from the most user-friendly. It lacks a companion app, so you are limited to just the touch buttons and digital display on the device itself.
Dislikes
The Aobosi did take a decently long time to heat up the water in our initial heating test. We started it with 9.5 quarts of 48°F tap water, and it took almost an hour — 57 minutes — to warm it up to 147°F. The fastest sous vides took about 20 minutes less to do this. However, in our recovery time test, we found the results to be the most disappointing. For this test, we timed how long it took each sous vide to recover to the set temperature once cold food was added — three frozen hamburger patties, to be exact. It took 18 minutes to recover to 135°F when the top sous vides took only a minute or two. The screw action on the clamp also doesn't spin super freely, so it can be a little more cumbersome to attach than other models as well.
Value
The Aobosi isn't a great value, pairing an unimpressive set of results with what we felt to be a higher price tag than it should.
Conclusion
Overall, we aren't enamored with the Aobosi Sous Vide. It has plenty of flaws, and there are other options in the same price range — or an even lower one — that we liked much more and would suggest you go with one of those alternatives. While the Aobosi clearly isn't our favorite, we did appreciate its strong showing in our temperature stability and accuracy assessments.
— Michelle Powell and David Wise