Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 Review

For those unable or uninterested in paying top dollar for an over-engineered sous vide machine, the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 is a practical choice that performs remarkably well, especially for its price. It's the smaller, less powerful, and less expensive version of the full-size Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0, but it retains many of the same outstanding features, such as the intuitive interface and the useful Anova smartphone app.

Temperature

The Anova Nano doesn't have the strongest heating element on the market, with just 850 watts of operating power, though that is a 100-watt improvement over its previous version. As a result, it took a bit of time to heat our bucket of water from 52.5 degrees to 147 degrees — 47 minutes, to be specific, or two degrees per minute, which is slower than average for the group.

However, once the water was up to temp, the machine showed good accuracy, with an average discrepancy less than a 10th of a degree — nearly nothing. So, while the Anova Nano may take a little while to heat up the water bath at the start, it certainly can maintain an accurate temperature throughout the course of an entire cook.

Circulation

One might assume that the lower wattage and smaller size of the Anova Nano would greatly affect the circulation performance, but that's not necessarily the case.

In our dye test, it took 15 seconds for the Nano to circulate the water — impressively fast, especially considering its power specs. Despite its size, it effectively circulates the water, creating even heat distribution throughout the bath for the food you cook.

Ease of Use

We consider the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 a beginner-friendly sous vide because you can start cooking with it right away, and it doesn't have much of a learning curve. Lesely, our lead tester, said “I didn't need to use the instructions to get the machine going” — it was that simple to use.

Regarding the interface, we took a look at both the manual on-device controls and the companion smartphone app. The device's screen clearly displays the temperature and timer. Around the edges of the screen are +/- buttons, a play/pause button, a timer button, and a thermometer button. On the device itself, you can set your chosen temperature to the nearest half degree, and on the app, you can dial it down to a 10th of a degree. The app is also home to many other great features — it can notify you when the water is heated and when the timer is done, so you don't have to stand in the kitchen and wait by the device, and it contains a smorgasbord of different recipes to try.

We were less impressed with the attachment style. The Anova Nano has a fixed twist-style clamp, and we found the knob a bit difficult to turn. You can't slide the clamp up and down for different heights, and there is only a .89-inch gap, which limits the containers you can attach it to. Accessories are available to purchase that work around this restriction — for instance, there's a flat base that connects to the bottom of the sous vide so that it can stand freely in a cooking container without needing to use the clamp, but it costs extra.

Cooking

We put the Anova Nano to the test by trying to create the perfect jammy egg with it.

We cooked the egg at 144.5 degrees for one hour, and quickly transfered the egg to a waiting ice bath so it could cool. When we examined the texture and consistency, the Anova Nano produced an egg that matched our expectations. The temperature was accurate, and the circulation never faltered. We were elated with the result.

Should You Buy the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0?

The Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 is a terrific entry-level sous vide and a fine choice for those who don't want to splurge on a top-of-the-line model. Since its accuracy is on point and the circulation is strong, this appliance is more than capable of being your home kitchen's primary sous vide machine, as long as you have extra time beforehand to allow the water to heat. Plus, the app is practical and informative — it's something you'll be comfortable using daily, and the wealth of recipes may get you to try new things. It's also fairly compact, making it easier to store in numerous ways when it's not in use. But if you want a fast sous vide, you should look for a more powerful model.

What Other Sous Vides Should You Consider?

While we think the Anova Nano is great for its price, there are sous vide machines out there with better performance and features; however, they cost more. If you like what you've read about the Nano but want a faster and more versatile machine, consider the full-size Anova Culinary Precision Cooker 3.0 — this model is only slightly larger, but it packs more of a punch and has a much better attachment that's fully adjustable and more practical. However, if a small and lightweight design is more your cup of tea, but you still desire faster heating and cooking times, the Breville Joule Turbo is where you want to set your sights.

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