Sous vide cooking is the hottest trend for gadget-driven chefs the world over. We evaluate the Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker and end up creating the best steak we have had at home.

It’s no secret sous vide is hot right now. It’s an odd idea to bag and cook food slowly in a bath of water, but if you’re serious about what ends up being a fool proof way to earn a Michelin star in your home kitchen, we’ve assembled the best sous vide cooking equipment list and reviewed the process from start to finish.

Must Have Sous Vide Equipment List

A Prime Ribeye Sous Vide Adventure

The Anova sous vide cooker ships in a solid, premium-feeling box. Setup is simple: plug in the cooker, download the app, and pair the device to your smartphone. You don’t even need to worry about the app if you prefer to use the cooker without connecting it to a wifi device.

Anova Precision Cooker, WIFI 2nd Gen, 900 Watts – Check Pricing on Amazon.com

Don’t forget to peel off plastic cling! It’s kind of fun, and one of our favorite parts of reviewing a new product. The Anova feels like a precision cooking tool. It’s got a very sturdy weight, and a matte rubber coating that feels like it will stand the test of time. An included clamp helps you mount the sous vide cooker to any vessel.

When you first plug the Anova Precision Cooker into a wall outlet it will read room temperature. You should also note the Bluetooth logo will light up, indicating it’s time to pair with a Bluetooth or wifi-enabled device. Note that the cord is about a foot long, so you need to be close to an outlet. Don’t worry, cooking sous vide means applying just the right amount of heat, meaning you can keep the cooker in an unconventional location while it does it’s job.

We attached the cooker to an All-Clad Copper Core Stockpot and placed it on a Walnut Boos Block. This was the best location in the kitchen to be close to a power outlet and in an easy prep area. Other great spots would be a kitchen island or stovetop, outlet permitting.

John Boos Walnut Cutting Board – $191.85 Check Pricing on Amazo.com

The Anova sous vide cooker’s controls are simple. The goal is to raise the temperature of the water to a perfect level for cooking to temperature. This works well for meats, vegetables, and eggs, and is used in many high end restaurants around the world.

The glowing blue wheel is a temperature toggle, and has a slight clicking feedback. Overall, it gives the Anova a super cool look and adds to the high end feel of the sous vide cooker.

Now that we have water in the All-Clad Stockpot, it’s time to set up the Anova for the first time. Step 1: Download the Anova app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled and launch the app, you’ll see a readout of your device. If the temperatures match you know it’s the right time to pair.

That’s it! With our Anova sous vide cooker paired via Bluetooth and Wifi we can continue cooking dinner.

Because we’re going to be sous vide cooking a prime ribeye steak, it only makes sense we start with a generous helping of kosher salt and black pepper. These handy Grind Gourmet salt and pepper mills are a must have for any serious chef. They can take a beating, and are made from 100% stainless steel and glass.

Grind Gourmet Salt and Pepper Mill – Check Pricing on Amazon.com

Here’s our boneless prime ribeye steaks seasoned and ready for the next step. These are about 2.4 lbs in total weight. 

All-Clad Copper Core Stockpot – Check Pricing on Amazon.com

A nice closeup of the seasoned prime ribeye. You can’t use enough salt and pepper in our opinion.

The Anova sous vide app has some handy features. Preprogrammed recipes are at the top of the list! Sure enough, we went to the red meat category and found a recipe for ribeye steak. The great part about this is once you find the recipe you want, it’s a one button press on your smartphone to start the sous vide cooker. Once the perfect temperature is reached you’ll get an alert that it’s time to put in the ingredients and start the countdown to deliciousness.

Many sous vide chefs insist that vacuum sealed bags are a must. There may be a place for that extra step if you are cooking for very long periods of time or marinating before you cook. We use regular Ziploc brand bags on recipes taking less than 12 hours. In the case of the prime ribeye steaks, we’re going to be cooking sous vide for only 60 minutes. Because we are cooking two large ribeye steaks, we used two bags to maintain surface area contact with the water.

A closeup of the steaks seasoned, bagged, and ready for sous vide.

Once you start a recipe via the Anova app, the sous vide cooker will gently and quietly circulate the water while heating at about one degree every 5-10 seconds. As the sous vide cooker reaches the perfect temperature for your recipe, it will slow down dramatically to make sure the water is not overheated. This thing is precise, which is one of the most important parts of sous vide cooking.

After a short wait the app instructs us to add the ingredients. The steaks were at room temperature, and you can see they lowered the water by about a degree when they were added. The thermometer on the Anova is incredibly accurate, showing the slightest change in temperature and adjusting to match.

After 60 minutes the steaks are ready, and we remove them from the bag. The best part of sous vide cooking can also be the worst: food looks just plain odd when it comes out. This is because cooking sous vide applies no direct heat source, so food slowly reaches the desired temperature without coloration. These steaks are cooked perfectly medium-rare, but need something extra to finish.

A closeup of the medium-rare prime ribeye steaks cooked sous vide.

A culinary torch is a sous vide must have. Not only does it add extra flavor and visual appeal, its just plain fun to do. We use a JB Chef Culinary torch to get the job done.

JB Chef Culinary Micro Butane Torch – Check Pricing on Amazon.com

After scorching one ribeye you can immediately see the difference. Now that looks like a restaurant-quality steak, and the smells are really, really good.

A closeup of the steak that has been singed with the culinary torch versus the steak that has been sous vide cooked without torching.

The results speak for themselves. A perfectly juicy, restaurant-quality ribeye that is cooked to medium-rare temperature and finished off with some quick direct flame from a culinary torch. Remember to slice using a sharp, non-serrated knife to preserve the juices.

Shun Premier Chef’s Knife –  Check Pricing on Amazon.com

We can confidently say this is the best steak that has come out of our kitchen. The Anova Precision Cooker does sous vide perfectly with very little setup or hassle. For the money it’s one of the best kitchen gadgets to have around. Bonus: Because we cooked sous vide, cleanup was a simple as disposing of the plastic bags and emptying the clean water down the drain.

Must Have Sous Vide Equipment List