quote:

BUT: the though of having to get a vacuum sealer.

I'll agree with the pushback to this. Biggest hurdle for us to joining the sous vide crowd was a sealer. Wife got us one this year and we LOVE it! If you freeze things, anything, from leftovers to extra ingredients to divided up pieces of beef, chicken, sausage, sauce, etc. it is a game changer. It is also as fast to pull out and use and put back up as freezer paper and tape. We just keep ours on a shelf in a closet near the kitchen.

Now, to get back after getting a circulator based on this thread! I've got more big containers than some small commercial kitchens already.....

I use the Joule and have been very happy with it. In terms of accessories, a vacuum sealer would be first for me and a tub a distant second.

One of the best things about sous vide is being able to take frozen food directly out of the freezer, drop it in a water bath, and have it ready to sear and serve in a few hours. I use the vacuum sealer a ton to prep food for this use - steak, pork, shrimp, etc. depending on what's on sale or if I'm feeling adventurous and, say, dry aging an entire strip loin.

It's also fantastic for reheating precooked, frozen foods. Whenever I make pulled pork I cook 2-3 butts then vacuum seal the leftovers in 1-2 pound bags and freeze. Drop them straight from the freezer into a 145 degree water bath for a couple of hours and its as good as it was fresh. Brisket is almost as good.

Having a vacuum sealer makes it a much more versatile and useful machine. The tub is nice (I have one) but the Joule has a magnet on the bottom so it works just fine in a big pot or Dutch oven.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
I'd love to get one of these to play with. BUT: the though of having to get a vacuum sealer. I've already got enough kitchen stuff. To have to get another x2 and buy bags for the damn thing.

It's keeping me away from the sous vide train.

The vacuum sealer is a gadget you should already have, even if strictly just for its functionality as a vacuum sealer.

Besides the sous vide, you can use it to individually portion and seal bulk purchase meats and left overs.

I use mine frequently for non-kitchen related stuff. I vacuum seal first aid supplies, fire making supplies, and loose ammo for my go-bags. I seal backup documents for travel. I split up freeze dried meals into more sensible portions (and to reduce packaging and bulk) for backpacking. Etc. and so on.

I use my vacuum sealer more often for non-sous vide tasks than for sous vide. Honestly besides the rice cooker it's my most used kitchen gadget. As mentioned, there's a million uses outside the kitchen, but my biggest use is buying rib roasts and making low cost ribeyes cut to the exact thickness I want and trimmed perfectly.

Vacuum sealer is a gadget we use all the time. I buy bulk packs of chicken breast and break them down to vacuum seal. The chamber vac was a big investment but has been great to have with the ability to vac liquids. When we make a pot of sauce or soup we portion it out and bag it, it takes up much less freezer space then containers.

I have a very old model from this company:

Sous Vide Supreme

And a VacMaster VP215 chamber sealer.

I have had both for 12-15 years and both still work like new.

If either gave up the ghost, I would buy again, no matter what the prince, in a nanosecond.

I have the sous vide supreme as well. Love it. I got it years ago, before the Anova units came out, I think.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
I also use the Anova. As mentioned they would also need a vacuum sealer, bags, and a large enough vessel to use it.

A large stainless stock pot works well. I also got reusable bags that cut down on roll purchases.

CREATIVECHEF Sous Vide Bags 47 PCS - 30 pack Reusable Vacuum Food Storage Bags with 3 Sizes Vacuum Food Bags,1 Hand Pump,5 Sealing Clips and 6 Sous Vide Clips，for Sous Vide Cooking and Food Storage Freezing https://a.co/d/fkDO85N

I have an Anova unit and a vacuum sealer, they both work fine. I can see where the vacuum sealer may not be needed with the proper use of a ZipLock bag.Despite what method you use to seal the bag you must make sure the seal can't be breached or water incursion into the bag will ruin your meal.

My Anova has all the bells and whistles, I wish it did not. I really don't see a need to have WiFi and bluetooth to operate a tub of hot water.
A simple temp setting and timer is all that's needed.