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Looking to up your kitchen game? After conducting a detailed analysis, we bought the 9 best sous vide machines and tested them head-to-head to determine which reigns supreme. We measured their temperature accuracy using lab-grade equipment and compared circulation and cooking performance head-to-head.
Our favorite machine is the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 thanks to its ability to quickly bring water to temp and keep it there. For a more compact and powerful device with a turbo mode that accelerates cooking times, the Breville Joule Turbo is our pick.
If you are into cool and unique cooking gadgets, the kitchen appliance world is full of devices that can bring your recipes to the next level. You might be interested in making your own Neapolitan-style pie using an at-home pizza oven or trying your hand at spaghetti from scratch with a pasta maker.
Editor's Note: Our sous vide review was updated on December 4, 2024, to remove discontinued models from our lineup and add newly tested models and data.
The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is an easy-to-use, efficient, and reliable sous vide machine. It provides fast and accurate heating that can be tuned to the 10th of a degree and heats 9.5 quarts of water to 147°F in 36 minutes, a time that was only beaten by the Breville Joule Turbo at 32 minutes. Additionally, it circulates the contents of a 9.5-quart container in a remarkable 10 seconds flat, ensuring a stable cooking temp. The power and precision reduce prep time and result in a more stable cook, which was evident in our cooking test, where it provided a stunning egg that perfectly met our expectations. Plus, this sous vide is exceptionally user-friendly, which our team appreciated. One tester noted that the machine “sends a notification once the water is heated and when the timer is done, so you don't have to stay in the kitchen the whole time.” The adjustable clamp allows for it to be used on nearly any cooking vessel, and the interface is as intuitive as it gets whether you use the device controls or the smartphone app, which is loaded with recipes and fun cooking ideas.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max Temp setting
197.0 F
Time to heat to 147 F
36 min
Clamp/Mounts
Adjustable screw clamp
Heating Degree per Minute
2.69 F
Wattage
1100 W
Our only issue with the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is that the cooking timer automatically starts when the device reaches the set temperature. Lesley, our lead tester for sous vides, shared that “if you aren't standing in the kitchen, you have to go back and reset the timer because you put the food in once it has reached that temperature.” It's a minor inconvenience in an otherwise well-designed machine. The smartphone app connectivity is great, but if you're looking for even more smart features and a quicker cook for certain recipes, the Breville Joule Turbo might be more your speed. Also, the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 offers a lot of the same functionality as the flagship model but in a more compact and less expensive package.
If you don't need a full-sized sous vide machine, consider a smaller device like the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0. This sous vide can keep temperatures perfectly stable (with less than a 10th of a degree of deviation) for over an hour, which is comparable to pricier machines like the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 and the Inkbird WiFi Cooker ISV-100W. It is simple, intuitive, and features outstanding temperature control. Our lead tester said that this model is a “good entry-level device for beginners that is affordable and accurate.” Though it doesn't circulate as fast as some models, it still only took 48 seconds to fully circulate a 9.5-quart container during our test. We also love the smart features available through the Anova Culinary app. You can discover many recipes to make from pre-programmed instructions or create your own in this app and save them to use for future meals.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max Temp setting
197.0 F
Time to heat to 147 F
47 min
Clamp/Mounts
Fixed screw clamp
Heating Degree per Minute
2.01 F
Wattage
850 W
The heating unit of the Anova Nano is smaller and less powerful than some larger models such as the Greater Goods Precision Cooker, so it initially takes longer to heat up, though it has increased in power from the previous 750-watt version. It can also take a little time to overcome the addition of food and return to temperature. If you're shopping on a slightly tighter budget and still want a premium sous vide that excels at holding temperatures, then you'll find this unit is a great choice. Bear in mind that it requires some patience and willingness to preheat your water beforehand, and in our tests, it was among the loudest when in operation; one person in our office thought “that someone was laying on their car horn or a car alarm was going off in the distance.” If you don't have time to wait but still want a compact sous vide, the Breville Joule Turbo is the one to get — you can enjoy fast heat times and turbo recipes that cook faster, though you'll be paying more for it.
The Greater Goods Precision Cooker is a very user-friendly option at a steal of a price. It has a large LCD screen that is easy to read, even from across the room. The large dial, which controls the cook time and temperature, “is super accurate and really easy to use,” and our tester likes that it spins without a hitch, making it easy to adjust. The circulation is efficient, resulting in a 39-minute heat time to reach 147 degrees, which is on par with the Inkbird WiFi Cooker ISV-100W. The large screw clamp is sturdy and reliable, making it easy to clip to any tub, Tupperware, or pot, and the sleek design is a crowd-pleaser. As the name suggests, this sous vide is also extremely quiet, so those especially affected by noise will appreciate this appliance. And our testers appreciate the “nice soft-touch plastic” and adjustable clamp.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max Temp setting
203.0 F
Time to heat to 147 F
39 min
Clamp/Mounts
Adjustable screw clamp
Heating Degree per Minute
2.54 F
Wattage
1100 W
The Greater Goods has a slightly less reliable temperature compared to our other top performers, such as the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0. That said, the margin of error is still less than one degree, which is pretty insignificant regarding the overall quality of the experience. Additionally, our tester made sure to note that “this device must be in water (and running) to set time and temp.” This is somewhat inconvenient, but it does not affect the outcome of the food you're making. If you want a super quiet, budget-friendly sous vide, the Greater Goods is a prime choice. But if you don't mind spending a few dollars more and want to control your sous vide from your smartphone, the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 is where it's at.
The Breville Joule Turbo is the most compact and lightweight sous vide we tested, yet its 1100 watts is just as powerful as the larger models like the KitchenBoss G320 and can cook food even faster. During our temperature tests, the Joule turbo took just 32 minutes to reach 147 degrees in a 9.5-quart container, placing it towards the top of the pack. It has a unique turbo mode feature that our testers say “can cut down the typical sous vide cooking time” when you cook one of the 34 provided turbo recipes. It's high-tech yet highly intuitive. The companion smartphone app contains guided recipes, simple controls, and impressive smart functionality — it even connects to Google Voice Assistant and Alexa so you can control your sous vide with vocal commands. The overall design is stylish enough for any kitchen. What's more, the magnetic base improves the practicality of the device, enabling the sous vide to securely stand upright in a flat pot or container made of an appropriate metal without the need for a clip or clamp.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max Temp setting
197.4 F
Time to heat to 147 F
32 min
Clamp/Mounts
Removable Clip
Heating Degree per Minute
3.00 F
Wattage
1100 W
The Joule Turbo's design has a sleek form, but in some aspects, we think it takes priority over function. To control it, you must use a smartphone. Though the app is amazing, we still would like to see manual controls on the sous vide machine itself, and our testers mentioned that they “docked 1 point for lack of manual controls.” Similarly, the turbo feature is a useful and convenient bonus, but it cannot be used outside of the provided turbo recipes, and the faster initial heat time only saves you 5-7 minutes compared to machines like the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 or the Inkbird WiFi Cooker ISV-100W. At the end of the day, it's an incredible device with outstanding features and solid temperature control. If you want the sous vide with the best tech, the Joule Turbo is the one to get. But for a more well-rounded device that isn't as expensive, the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is the best option.
Don't let the compact size of the Breville Joule Turbo fool you. It's as powerful as any sous vide we tested.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Compare Products
Testing the KitchenBoss, Keylitos (now discontinued), and Greater Goods models side-by-side.
Credit: Chris McNamara
How We Test Sous Vides
All in all, we have purchased and tested a total of 18 sous vide machines that were subjected to more than 17 individual tests to assess their performance. We split our testing process into four weighted metrics — Temperature, Circulation, Ease of Use, and Cooking — each composed of different side-by-side tests. We used calibrated lab-grade thermometers and temperature loggers for our thermal accuracy tests. The most important rating is the temperature, which corresponds to 40% of the overall score. We used lab-grade equipment to measure and compare the temperature accuracy of each product. This rating is informed by two specific tests comprised of time to heat (50% of the rating) and temperature accuracy (50%). This review also utilizes research and observations from multiple testers to round out our information and compare each competitor's performance.
Various tools were used to put these sous vides to the test.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
We spent dozens of hours making all sorts of things under vacuum, pushing the limits of what you can cook in a hot water bath in our side-by-side temperature tests. We also used dye to visually assess how well each immersion circulator circulates. To rank and compare each product's circulation capabilities, we designed a custom dye-injecting apparatus so we could watch the fluid move. Additionally, we examined the convenience and ease of use for each appliance, which involved testing each individual attachment style, looking for the one that provided the most user-friendly and intuitive experience, and trying out any connected smart features. We also convened a panel of judges to try out each machine to decide the easiest and most intuitive to use. Finally, we cooked individual eggs at a set temperature and length of time, then cracked them on a plate to evaluate their texture and consistency.
Our testing of sous vides is divided across four rating metrics:
Temperature tests (40% of overall score weighting)
Circulation tests (25% weighting)
Ease of use tests (25% weighting)
Cooking tests (10% weighting)
After untold hours of heating water with sous vides, we've seen how they compare against one another.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Why Trust GearLab
Our sous vide testing team is led by Lesley Robinson, Michelle Powell, and David Wise. Lesley is a Food Science graduate of California Polytechnic State University with extensive experience as a quality assurance and food safety professional. Her discerning palate and keen eye for detail served her well for over a decade in the food and supplement industry. Michelle has over ten years of professional culinary experience, ranging from managing an artisanal bakery to competing in latte art competitions. Most importantly, she brings a no-nonsense attitude towards kitchen appliances that don't work as they should. David has formal training as a mechanical engineer and has been an avid home cook and baker for the past five years. He is particularly passionate about mixing science and cooking — the foundation of cooking sous vide. His thermal fluids and heat transfer education came in handy when designing our temperature accuracy and circulation tests. Hayley is the daughter of a chef and a full-time van lifer. Living on the road means less space for big kitchen appliances, but that doesn't stop her from eating gourmet. Devices like the sous vide are the perfect road trip companion.
We used a calibrated thermometer to rank and score the accuracy of each product.
The Anova Precision Cooker Nano didn't take long at all to evenly distribute the dye.
We made all sorts of different dishes throughout the course of our testing.
How to Pick the Best Sous Vide for You
When choosing a sous vide, consider what using it in your kitchen will be like. This is as important as comparing the numbers — perhaps moreso. How you interact with it, how long it takes to cook food, and how easily you can store it will all affect your overall dinner-making experience.
Interface
The style of interface directly impacts how you interact with a sous vide. Some sous vide machines, such as the Great Goods Precision Cooker, combine analog controls with LCD screens, while other models, like the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0, feature touch-screen displays. You can even find sous vides, like the Breville Joule Turbo, that have done away with manual controls altogether and require the use of a smartphone app to operate. Decide which type of control setup you prefer. Doing so will whittle down the available options to those you'll enjoy using the most.
The size of the screen, the feel of the buttons, and smartphone connectivity will all impact how you interact with the sous vide.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Cooking Efficiency
The sous vide's wattage, or power, isn't the end-all metric in determining how well it cooks. A sous vide machine's efficiency will affect how much time you spend setting up the device before it starts cooking and the overall quality and consistency of the cook.
The results of our temperature, circulation, and cooking tests provide better insights into the efficiency of the sous vide machines on our list. Our temperature rating ranks how long each unit took to heat up and its ability to maintain a steady temperature. Likewise, our circulation test shows how well each unit circulates the water to homogenize the cooking temperature throughout the cooking container. And lastly, our egg cooking test showcases how the sous vide machines perform in a real-world application by highlighting the cooked egg consistency and how closely it resembled set expectations.
Our thermal accuracy tests were key in ensuring correct and efficient cooking.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Size
A sous vide's size will determine whether you can store it in a drawer, a cabinet, or a pantry closet when not in use. It can also impact the size of the container you can cook in, especially since some sous vides have fixed attachment clamps. Check the dimensions to make sure you're choosing the right size sous vide for your kitchen.
Sous vides are available in a range of sizes and weights.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Analysis and Test Results
We tested each product to help provide the details you need to find the right product for your needs and budget. We tested temperature, circulation, and ease of use.
What's the Best Value?
While price often reflects quality with kitchen supplies, we are happy to report that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a really great sous vide machine. The Anova Nano is an absolute steal. Price-wise, it falls somewhere in the middle and offers top-notch performance. This sous vide will easily complete all your cooking needs without breaking the bank.
If you like a quiet sous vide and prefer to not use a smartphone app, then the Greater Goods is a solid option. It costs just a bit less than the top-tier models and is remarkably user-friendly.
The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 gets an honorable mention here. It has even more features and functions and comes with a higher price tag, but it's a good option for anyone willing to spend some money to get the absolute best.
Using our calibrated thermometer to check the accuracy during testing.
Credit: Laura Casner
Temperature
Since heating water is easily the most important function of a sous vide machine, our temperature metric accounts for 40% of the final score for each product. In this metric, we looked at each product's temperature accuracy and the time it takes to heat. We also tested the recovery time after adding cold food items and the ability to hold a constant temperature over long periods.
The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is a top performer in our temperature category. It offers a sub-40-minute initial heat time and holds a stable and accurate temperature over the course of an hour, ensuring that your food is cooked the same every time.
Great circulation helps contribute to a fast heat and recovery time.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Likewise, the Anova Nano scored exceptionally well in our accuracy test, where we heated water to 135°F and measured the temperature with a super thermometer at six intervals during a water bath. However, due to the Nano's smaller size and less powerful heating element, it did take longer to heat the water to temperature. But if you can spare an extra few minutes, this sous vide has proven to be reliable and accurate.
The mostly accurate Greater Goods sous vide heats up quickly.
Credit: Chris McNamara
The Greater Goods is also a top performer in temperature. This model offers quick heat time, recovery time, and stability but struggles a bit with temperature accuracy. Still, it doesn't deviate more than one degree, so your food should not be heavily affected.
Some of these products were more accurate than others in our tests.
Credit: Laura Casner
The fastest water heater in the lineup is the Breville Joule Turbo, heating 9.5 quarts of water to 147°F in only 32 minutes. It didn't perform nearly as well in accuracy tests, recording 0.45°F cooler than the set temperature average, but it was fairly consistent at doing so, which means if you own the device, it could be something you get accustomed to.
The quality of the food can be affected if the sous vide oscillated around a temperature, rather than maintaining a steady-state.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Instant Pot Accu Slim 800W V2 is pretty accurate, but showed more errors than the both Anova Culinary Precision Cooker models. The Instant Pot averaged about 0.19°F over the set temperatures in our tests. It performed exceptionally well in maintaining a temperature — our loggers picked up no fluctuations whatsoever. However, it is a bit slow at heating.
The VPCOK delivered one of the best performances of the entire group in our circulation test.
Credit: Laura Casner
Circulation
Then, we compared and scored how well each machine circulates water, which is responsible for 25% of the total score for each product. The more circulation there is in the water bath, the more homogeneous the temperature will be, and the less likely it is for any cold or hot spots. To measure this, we inject 10 milliliters of diluted food dye into the same spot in the bath for each machine, and then time how long it takes for the color to become uniform. We used the same container and water amounts for each product and ensured the water was at the same temperature to ensure the dispersion rate was the same.
The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0, All-Clad, and Greater Goods all take 10 seconds or less to completely circulate all the water in the tank. This is a very impressive feat. The KitchenBoss follows closely with a 12-second blend time.
The Inkbird WiFi Cooker ISV-100W also delivers great results in this metric. The Inkbird took 13 seconds to disperse the dye to achieve a uniform color. The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 and Breville Joule Turbo were just behind, taking only a second longer than the other two. The Instant Pot Accu Slim 800W V2 took 35 seconds to disperse the dye completely.
Most of the work with these machines is in the food preparation phase.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ease of Use
Our next round of tests dealt with how convenient and easy to operate these products are. This also accounts for 25% of the total score. Primarily, we looked at each product's interface, how it attaches to the sous vide bath, and how easy it is to use the smartphone companion app if there is one.
Overall, the Anova models, the Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 and the Nano 3.0 are the easiest and most intuitive to use in the entire bunch. Both machines offer a companion smartphone app and controls on the device itself. We like that the app is simple and easy to understand, allowing you to select a specific recipe or enter a custom time and temperature. You can also save custom recipes, mark your favorite ones, and start or stop either Anova remotely.
The Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 by Anova can be controlled remotely through a smartphone app.
Credit: Laura Casner
The controls on these machines are very similar, with a simple display and a few touchscreen buttons to set the time and temperature manually. We find this helpful if we don't feel like pulling out our phones or if someone else is using it who hasn't set up the app. Both models have a screw-on clamp that attaches them to the side of the sous vide vessel, but only the full-size Precision Cooker 3.0 is adjustable, allowing you to install or remove it quickly.
The screw action clamp is fairly easy and quick to operate.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Greater Goods and KitchenBoss G320 both rock a dial-button combination, although the Greater Goods dial is the button, which gives this machine a sleek look. Both dials glide smoothly, and the screw clamps are versatile and stable. The KitchenBoss offers pre-programmed recipes, which are very convenient, but the magnetic dial takes some getting used to.
The All-Clad is also worth mentioning. It offers a button-dial system for adjusting time and temperature, but it requires a slow and steady hand to ensure that you do not jump from adjusting by the minute to adjusting by the hour.
The magnetic dial comes off easily, but can be a little finicky.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Cooking
In our final test, we cooked an egg with each sous vide machine set to 144.5°F for one hour in an attempt to achieve a perfectly jammy egg. This test accounts for 10% of the total score. We were looking for an egg where the white was set and held its shape when cracked out of the egg, and the yolk was slightly thickened yet runny when cut into.
The Greater Goods Precision Cooker and both Anova models, the Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 and Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0, scored top marks with picture-perfect eggs that closely matched our expectations.
The egg cooking test mimics how these sous vides will be used in home kitchens.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Notably, the KitchenBoss 1100W closely matched the ideal egg texture and consistency, but it was slightly less set with a more ghostly white.
When comparing eggs, the Anova Nano 3.0 was among those that most closely matched our set standard.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Following that, the Breville Joule Turbo cooked an egg that was a touch more runny all the way through. Then, the Inkbird WiFi Cooker ISV-100W's egg was even less set, and the Instant Pot Accu Slim 800W V2 cooked the most runny egg of the bunch. This was surprising because the Instant Pot cooking temperature cannot be set to half-degrees like the others, so it was set to 145°F instead of 144.5°F but still created the least-cooked egg.
Any sous vide can heat a pot of water, but our side-by-side testing shows that their performance varies substantially from one another.
Credit: Lesley Robinson
Conclusion
We hope this review will help you pick the perfect sous vide machine for your kitchen and make you feel ready to try this cooking method. All of these machines will heat water, and we could cook delicious meals in all of them. Some were just more consistent and easier to use in our tests. Additionally, we always recommend that you pay close attention to food safety standards with this type of cooking and leave yourself a safety margin since your machine might be a few degrees colder than it claims.
—
Hayley Thomas, Matt Spencer, Michelle Powell, David Wise, Lesley Robinson & Arthur McMahon
