For a limited time, Amazon’s offering great deals on Anova’s excellent sous vide circulators. $159 gets you the older Bluetooth model (normally $179), or you can opt for the new Bluetooth + Wi-Fi model for $169, an all-time low. Both will cook the most tender and flavorful meats you’ve ever tried, the only real difference is how far away you can control them with your smartphone.
Update: For some reason, the Bluetooth + Wi-Fi model includes the option to purchase through Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program, which will save you an extra $9. Just remember to cancel the subscription after you receive the circulator.
Lifehacker has a great explainer on sous-vide cooking for you to check out, but the basic idea is that you seal your food in plastic bags, and then cook it in precisely heated water over a fairly long period of time. Here are some advantages to this process from Lifehacker’s guide:
- Cooking sous-vide results in evenly-cooked meat and fish.
- Cooking sous-vide gives you specific control over the final temperature of the meat, avoiding overdone, dried-out food.
- You can hold foods cooked sous-vide at their specified temperature for long periods of time without damaging the texture or quality of the dish, making it an ideal cooking method for holiday dinners or meals with multiple components and side-dishes.
- Bacterial or other contamination is largely not an issue with sous-vide cooking. While you may be cooking up to minimum safe temperatures, the length of time you’re holding the food at its safe temperature will pasteurize your meat and ensure the safety of your food, meaning “safe” meat doesn’t have to equal “dry” or “not pink” meat any longer. Still, keep your meat thermometer handy, and test before serving. Remember, sous-vide lets you hold food at temp for long periods without diminishing the quality of the food, so if it’s undercooked, you can seal the bag and put it back in.
- Sous-vide cooking is by nature a repeatable process. Set the temperature, set the timer, and walk away. You will wind up with perfectly cooked food every time you do it.
I got the Bluetooth model as a gift a few months ago, and I can’t say enough good things about it. In fact, I might just use it to make scrambled eggs this morning.
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