Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 Review

This top-tier sous vide ticks all the boxes, crushing the competition in all of our tests. The metrics speak for themselves, but to sum it up, we love how easy this machine is to use and how accurately it cooks. It's an all-around excellent kitchen appliance.

Temperature

Heating water in a timely and accurate manner is the main job of a sous vide, and it is an extremely important factor to consider when deciding which to purchase. Because of this, temperature makes up 40% of our overall score. To gauge this metric, we tested how fast the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 could heat water and how precisely it kept the water at the temperature we requested.

In the time to heat test, we filled a 9.5-quart tub with 50-degree tap water. Then, we set the Anova Precision Cooker to 147 degrees and timed how long it took for the device to heat the water to the specified temperature. It was able to accomplish this in a quick 36 minutes — far faster than the average sous vide. This means less time you have to wait before putting food into the water bath. It also means the Anova Precision Cooker will reheat the water back to temperature quickly after you add cold food to the bath.

We performed an additional test to measure temperature accuracy, heating water to 135 degrees and periodically recording the temperature six different times. Then, we averaged out the six readings and checked the result against what the device was set to. The Anova 3.0 again scored remarkably well with a .06-degree average discrepancy, which is well above average for the group. It was incredibly accurate in our testing, which is ideal for when you want to cook food that is highly temperature-sensitive.

Circulation

Water circulation is an essential part of the sous vide process. When the water is properly circulated, the temperature is more likely to remain consistent throughout the entire water bath, ensuring an even and thorough cook.

To test the Anova Precision Cooker's ability to circulate water, we filled our same 9.5-quart container with water and injected high-contrast food coloring into one corner of the vessel. We did this using a tool we created with a syringe and an aquarium hose, making sure to cause minimal disturbance to the water. Then, we turned on the sous vide and timed how long it took to homogenize the color of the water bath.

A mere 10 seconds had passed by the time the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 completely mixed the dye with the water. The sous vide's circulation was astounding in its performance, so much so that our lead tester Lesley noted that “The powerful circulation could be too strong if you are doing many eggs at once.” However, as you'll see in our cooking test below, we did cook an egg and it survived the strong circulation unscathed.

Ease of Use

A sous vide that is easy to use is one that is more likely to take part in your meal preparation time and time again. To evaluate this metric, we took into account the interface and the attachment style of the device.

The Anova Precision Cooker has a straightforward on-device interface with buttons for controlling the timer and temperature and a play/pause button for activating the machine. We like that the buttons are quickly identifiable and easy to press. The screen also displays the time and temperature clearly and can be read from a distance.

Similarly, the smartphone app is very user-friendly. You can set the cooking temperature to the nearest half-degree on the device itself, but on the app, you can set it with a 10th of a degree of precision for fine-tuning a cook. The app is also home to a ton of recipes and helpful cooking ideas to inspire you. Navigating the app is as easy as can be, but we did experience one hiccup: the device timer automatically starts when the set temperature is reached. We wish we could turn this feature off in the app because, otherwise, you have to reset the timer once you put food in the water, making that automatic timer essentially useless.

Among the highlights of the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is the adjustable attachment clamp. Not all sous vides have adjustable clamps, which is a shame because it ensures you will be able to attach the device to just about any container you want to use. The Anova has a twist-style clamp with a wide 1.4-inch gap. The knob spins easily, and the clamp locks on securely.

Cooking

We wanted to see how all of these tests and metrics would be represented in an actual cook, so we performed a cooking test to see how it all came together. We cooked an egg with the Anova 3.0, and when it was finished, we evaluated its texture and consistency against preset expectations.

We placed our egg in a water bath and cooked it at 144.5 degrees for 60 minutes. At the end of the hour, we cooled the egg into a prepared ice bath before cracking it over a plate for examination. A 144.5-degree egg should have a set white with a thickened yet runny yolk akin to what some might call a jammy or dippy egg. The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 produced results very close to what we were expecting, and we believe it is a sous vide you can rely on to cook to the exact specifications and expectations of any appropriate recipe.

Should You Buy the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0?

The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is easily the sous vide we most highly recommend. Our testing proved it to be fast and accurate when heating, excellent at circulating water, and exceptionally user-friendly. Plus, our cooking test showed that these results translate to an excellent real-world application; you can depend upon the device to cook food exactly how you want it and get the results you expect. If you desire a sous vide that will perform well in all aspects, this is the one to get.

What Other Sous Vides Should You Consider?

Recommending any sous vide other than the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 is a tough task. However, if you like what you've learned about the Anova here but would prefer a less expensive and smaller device, consider the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0. Another more compact sous vide is the Breville Joule Turbo, which actually costs more but is able to cook a number of turbo recipes in less time than a conventional model.