Aobosi Sous Vide Cooker Review

Performance Comparison

Likes

The Aobosi's most noteworthy set of results came in our circulation metric, 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 took around 26 seconds for this to occur, with the slowest models taking close to 200 seconds and the fastest only taking 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 difference of only 0.07°F.

The interface on this sous vide is okay but far from the most user-friendly compared to the sous vide competition. 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 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 most disappointing results. 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.

Should You Buy the Aobosi Sous Vide?

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 — that we liked much more. While the Aobosi isn't our favorite, we appreciate its strong showing in our temperature stability and accuracy assessments. 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. Overall it isn't the king of the kitchen countertop.

What Other Sous Vide Machine Should You Consider?

For a similar list price, the VPCOK Sous Vide Cooker is an excellent option with better performance for temperature over the Aobosi. It was somewhat less in our circulation tests, but overall we'd choose it over the Aobosi for the price. If your budget is higher, we like the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano with better temperature test results and ease of use. Alternatively, if you love technology and the idea of incorporating your smartphone into your cooking, the Breville Joule 1100W is a gadget worthy of consideration that is easier to use and offers better temperature test performance.