The Modern Gentleman has tested the Anova Precision Cooker for you! In other words, the new generation sous-vide cooker that assists you in the kitchen. This brand has already won over more than 100 million users with its connected products. But what are sous vide cooker? What’s the point? How do we use it? We’ll answer all of these questions in this Anova Precision Cooker Test & Review article.
What are the sous vide cooker?
The great Michelin-starred chefs regularly use sous-vide cookers, and for a good reason, cooking sous vide at low temperatures has many advantages. In the case of the Precision Cooker, the device is like an immersion heater that regulates the temperature of your bain-marie, at a lower temperature than that used in regular times, above a fire, which your container will not need anymore. The device is attached to your box with an adjustable clamp, and it must be plugged into the mains.
The latter then manages the cooking of your food on its own, which must first have been vacuum packed (manually or using a specific machine). This practice prevents evaporation and allows your food to cook harmoniously.
Why use a sous vide cooker?
Sous vide cookers are a small revolution in the kitchen of individuals because they are full of advantages :
- The promise of perfect cooking for your meats, your vegetables, etc.
The over-cooking, it is finished, the cooking at low temperature allows an incredible precision allowing you perfect cooking, especially for thick meats often tricky to cook. Cook evenly! - No more need for a stove and fire for your cooking.
You can use your Anova in your living room or even in your bathroom; it doesn’t matter, as long as you have access to the power supply. Come to think of it; I’m sure the Anova immersion heater would heat a full bath! - Preserves the taste of food
The food is enclosed in an airtight bag (much more than classic papillotes), the flavors do not escape and reinforce the flavor and taste of the food to be cooked. You may rediscover the taste of certain vegetables or meats! - Preserves the nutritional values of foods
Certain nutritional elements escape or are transformed when your meat or vegetables are cooked, for example, proteins. The sous-vide cooker is ideal for preserving them, thanks to the cooking at low temperature, and the airtight bag. - Practical and transportable everywhere
Immersion heaters are not very large, they are light, and their ergonomics are practical, allowing them to be transported, even on vacation! Again, as long as you have access to power, you will be able to use your Precision Cooker. - Manageable remotely from your smartphone
Do you need to getaway? Are you stuck elsewhere than in your kitchen, and you need to change your temperature or your stopwatch at all costs? The Precision Cooker receives orders from your smartphone! Moreover, many recipes are available - Intelligent, set a stopwatch, a temperature, it will do everything for you, without the risk of the water overflowing or the house burning, which is still quite practical when you do not have to do that to stay 3 hours in front of his piece of meat so that it does not burn.
Using the sous-vide cooker
Step 1: Vacuum your food
To use the Precision Cooker from Anova, you will first need to have vacuum-packed the food you want to cook; you can add your seasoning or your side dish in the same vacuum-packed bag (depending on the recipe) that you will follow). In my case, the lucky winner was a duck breast, from which I would have slit the skin beforehand and scorched the skin to recover the fat (for the sauce).
To put your food under vacuum, you can do it manually (and galley well depending on the food) or use a machine, as was my case! Not only will it remove the air from your bag, but it will also seal it as well.
Step 2: Install the Precision Cooker
The second step will consist of filling a container with water and placing your immersion heater so that it operates in the right conditions. For this, any saucepan or pot will do, fill it with water, and immerse your Precision Cooker. Adjust the height so that the water level is between the minimum and maximum level, indicated on your device. To do this, use the adjustable clamp. Then, plug in your device, it will turn on by itself, meaning the temperature of your water.
Step 3: Set your temperature and cooking time
The third step is to choose the desired temperature and the expected cooking time. To do this, you have to click on the touch screen of your device—the thermometer, on the left, allowing you to increase or decrease the temperature to be reached. The stopwatch on the right will help you determine how long your cooker should be left on. You can pause or restart your range at any time with the bottom center icons, and you can connect your device to your smartphone with the target icon, top center. Once your temperature is reached, immerse your food in its vacuum-packed bag, and start your stopwatch.
Use the Anova mobile app
Step 4: Download and configure the Anova Culinary application
To connect your device to your smartphone, you will first need to download the Anova Culinary app on Android or iOs.
Once it’s done, you will need to create an account quickly, before clicking on the sidebar at the top of the page “Finding your Anova” or “Connect your Annova.” Your phone will ask for access to Bluetooth and wifi, which you will need to authorize. Then, you will have to keep pressing for 5 seconds on the connection icon of your device (the icon at the top center in the shape of a target.) After that, your device will provide you with a temporary four-digit code intended to check and establish a connection with your smartphone.
Step 5: Discover the app’s recipes.
Once your cooker is connected to your smartphone, all you have to do is find orders for it to follow. If you’ve never used a sous vide cooker before, you may not be sure how to adjust it to get the cooking result you want. Don’t panic; Anova has thought of everything. The Anova Culinary app gives you access to hundreds of recipes and their cooking settings.
These are sorted by type of food (beef, poultry, fish, vegetables, etc.) then by types of pieces (Breast, steak, fillet, etc.). The recipes are then declined according to the stage of cooking you want (well done, rosé, rare …)
The recipes support you in the choice and preparation of ingredients, but also in the service after cooking. You will also have access to a lot of information on the desired food.
Step 6: Manage your cooker from your smartphone
Once you have found the recipe that suits you, followed it to the letter, and everything is ready, you have to click on “Cook this Guide” then on “Start Annova.” The cooking parameters of your recipe will be automatically saved and transmitted to your cooker, which will then startup. The recipe will then be saved to your profile, and you can re-cook or review it at any time. In addition to the Anova guide, there are many recipes shared by users so that you can share yours anytime from your profile.
You can pause your cooker, change your temperature or cooking time at any time from your smartphone, as long as the connection remains established between your devices.
Step 7: The tasting
Once your stopwatch time has elapsed, you can turn off your cooker and remove your vacuum bag from the water bath. You will notice that the latter did not need you and that you can leave your machine running for 4 hours without having to take a look. Cut the cooking bag, and remove your food. In some cases, you can pan your meat quickly and over high heat before serving. All you have to do is enjoy your dish full of flavors, perfectly managed cooking, and tasty tenderness. We thank you for passing Anova for the few words there is to do after using their equipment!
The opinion of the Experts on the Anova Precision Cooker sous-vide cooker
The Anova sous-vide cooker was a pleasant surprise and a great discovery for the editorial staff of the Modern Gentleman. We have distinguished several advantages of using the Precision Cooker:
- To begin with, the only downside to using the sous vide cooker is the fact that you have to vacuum your food before cooking it. What can be annoying if you do not have the necessary equipment, and what consumes plastic bags? However, it is entirely possible to use the immersion heater to create water baths without having to vacuum the food.
- Perfect cooking of the meat is tender, tender, and tasty—Goodbye dry meat, which has to be cut and chewed because of overcooking.
- No need for fire or gas, only a little electricity and a saucepan filled with water, which makes it easier to prepare some recipes that require a lot of material
- No need for supervision, or a constant presence. The cooker regulates the temperature of the water while stirring it, and it can be managed remotely from your smartphone. No overflowing water, no searing meat!
- Minimized dishes, and water that can be reused. The cooker will “dirty” with water only a pan and itself (there is still worse to clean). Moreover, once your food is cooked, nothing prevents you from reusing the water that was used for cooking. Personally, my plants are delighted, but either way, you might as well reuse it for making pasta!
The Precision Cooker exists in three more or less complete and developed shades, to respect both your chef’s skills, but also your budget!
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