The Best Sous Vide Machines [2017 Edition] | The Tool Shed

Here at SousVideTools.com, we’re proud of all of our products, but we commonly get asked: “Which sous vide machine is the best?”.

While there’s obviously no straightforward answer to that question, we’ve put together this quick round-up of some of the best water baths and circulators for both pro and home chefs, based on our knowledge and experience, as well as how popular the machines are with our customers.

The Pro Range

SousVideTools® iVide Thermal Circulator – £659.99

Our own iVide thermal circulator is our favourite for a lot of reasons, but the one that really stands out is the circulator’s ability to connect to the internet.

The Bluetooth connection means that you can hook up the iVide to your smartphone or tablet, allowing you to control it from absolutely anywhere, and sending you notifications at the end of your set cooking period so that you know when your food is done.

The circulator also comes with a clear five-inch display for programming, with has been IPX7 certified, which means it’s totally water resistant, and still one of the most heavy duty circulators available.

The 2kw heating element means that you’ll have to spend less time waiting for your cooking vessel to heat up, and an inbuilt energy saving device automatically turns on once the target temperature is reached.

Another crucial feature is the stirred technology of the iVide, which means that there will be no hot and cold spots in your vessel of choice (the clamps allow it to be clamped to any container up to 80L in volume and 16.5cm in depth).

Finally, the iVide also features ‘low-level water protection’, which means that if you accidentally turn the circulator on with no water, or if the water level is below what is required, the circulator will turn itself off and notify you.

SousVideTools® Platinum Thermal Circulator – £599.99

If you want a super strong piece of kit which won’t let you down, how about out ‘Platinum’ thermal circulator?

The Platinum is considered to be the most heavy duty circulator on the market, with its IP X3 water protection rating and high-quality stainless steel structure meaning that it can easily stand up to even the toughest of working conditions.

In addition, the heating element, motor and thermostats are all safely encased within a stainless steel cage, meaning that they won’t come into contact with your vacuum pouches, and this cage can easily be removed for cleaning too.

Aside from its durability, the Platinum is similar to the iVide in many ways, featuring a 2kw heating element for faster heating times, energy saving device and low-level water protection.

It’s suitable for containers of up to 65L, has a working temperature of between 40˚C and 100˚C, and an accuracy of 0.03˚C.

SousVideTools® Compact 14 Litre Water Bath and 28 Litre Water Bath – £323.99 and £431.99

Our most popular water baths with pro chefs (and a slightly more affordable option) are the 14 and 28-litre Compact Water Baths.

The touchscreen controls mean that these water baths are super easy to programme, with a bright blue display which can be seen clearly from the other side of the kitchen.

They’re also popular for their precise accuracy, through the PID controller which can control your temperature to within 0.1˚C to give those perfect and consistent results that sous-vide is known for.

They also come with moveable partitions so that vacuum pouches can be kept apart for greater portion control, and easy identification while you’re cooking, as well as a removable lid to minimise evaporation and to maintain the temperature. The 28 litre water bath also comes complete with a tap.

Easy to use and clean, with great energy efficiency and temperature control, it’s easy to see why the Compact is among our best-selling models!

The Domestic Range

Anova® WIFI & Bluetooth Sous Vide Thermal Circulator – £149.99

This circulator from Anova connects up to your Wi-Fi, with an app to give you even more control over your sous-vide meals and is by far our most popular circulator amongst home users.

The Wi-Fi control means that you can start your cook from wherever you are, using your phone, and with push notifications, you’ll instantly be notified when the food is ready, meaning that you can spend less time checking up on it, and more either preparing your other ingredients, or just putting your feet up and doing something else!

The device has a working temperature of 25˚C to 99˚C and an accuracy of 0.1˚C and will circulate the water at a rate of eight litres a minute.

The adjustable clamp allows this circulator to be attached to any kitchen vessel up to 20 litres and can be easily stored away when not in use, taking up very little space.

“The Twist®” Sous Vide Thermal Circulator by SousVideTools® – £99.00

Another popular circulator is our own ‘Twist’ model, which has fantastic accuracy and is also durable and great value.

The Twist is notable for its 360˚ directional pump for maximum circulation, and the LED backlit twist wheel which gives it its name and allows you to easily control the time and temperature.

It’s also super easy to set up and put away, and can easily be cleaned into the dishwasher too.

In terms of the technical stuff, the Twist can be set from 25˚C to 90˚C for up to 99 hours and has a state of the art 800w heating element, which will never burn itself out.

Like the Anova, the water will circulate at eight litres a minute to eliminate hot and cold spots and will clamp to a container of up to 20L with its clothes peg-style clamp.

SousVide Supreme® SVS-09L Demi Water Oven – £250.00

Finally, our most popular domestic bath is the 9L Demi from SousVide Supreme, with offers all of the benefits of the original SousVide Supreme, but in a much more compact piece of equipment.

This smaller size is what makes the Demi ideal for the home kitchen, but despite its small stature, it can still hold about eight to twelve 115g servings of food.

With a sleek, all-in-one design, the Demi is energy efficient, silent and self-contained, and most importantly easy to use, making it one of the best options for a home chef who is just starting out with sous-vide cooking.

In addition, it offers precise temperature control to 0.5˚C, has a non-stick anodised aluminium interior, and the lid doubles up as a drip tray for pouch transport.

So there you have just some of our (and your!) current favourite sous-vide machines. Which one is right for you will depend on your needs, so be sure to browse our full range here at SousVideTools.com to see if anything else takes your fancy!