PARTU Sous Vide 850W Review

In addition to being a great value, the PARTU impressed us with its particularly powerful pump, delivering one of the best performances we have seen in our circulation tests. This makes it a great option if you are using larger vessels or plan on having a rack with multiple items cooking at once, ensuring you get an even temperature throughout the water bath.

Temperature

We timed how long it took each machine to heat 9.5 quarts of tap water, and the PARTU required 55 minutes to heat the water from 48°F to our set temp of 147°F. The fastest models took about 20 minutes less to heat up the water. You can always expedite this by preheating the water on the stovetop or in a kettle.

The PARTU took only a minute to regain the set temperature of 135°F in the same water bath when we dropped in three frozen hamburgers in a vacuum-sealed package. Unfortunately, this sous vide machine didn't do as well in our temperature stability and accuracy tests. We found the PARTU tended to be slightly under the prescribed temperature, averaging 0.87°F under when we had the temperature set to 135°F and 1.29°F under when we set the temperature to 147°F.

Over an hour-long time period, the PARTU spent close to a third (28.33%) of the hour off of its steady temperature, but the average error was only 0.25°F. The best sous vide machines maintained the temperature within a tenth of a degree for the entire 60 minutes.

Circulation

To compare sous vide circulation performance, we introduced a measured quantity of diluted food dye to each water bath. The PARTU took a mere 16 seconds to integrate this dye and produce a consistent color throughout the water. Some products took over 3 minutes to achieve the same level of mixing.

Ease of Use

The PARTU does not have a companion app, so you are limited to the interface on the device itself to input the time and temperature. We weren't huge fans of this method, as the buttons weren't the most responsive in our test, and the interface isn't that intuitive. The mode selector to toggle between setting the temperature and time isn't illuminated and can be hard to see, and the wheel to set either makes it hard to set them accurately. It tends to change the numbers frustratingly slow or far too fast.

The mount is fairly easy to use, as it has a separate holder that you clamp to the container and then slide the sous vide in once it is attached. It's nice to be able to clamp the holder on without the PARTU getting in the way but we did find this product to be so large that it can be quite cumbersome compared to other products.

Value

The PARTU 850W is a fantastic value, getting you going with sous vide cooking for a super low price compared to the premium models. It isn't the best, but it definitely offers more than acceptable cooking performance.

Conclusion

The interface can be a bit finicky, and the temperature accuracy is nothing to write home about, but these flaws can surely be overcome with a little experience. It can definitely make plenty of tasty meals, though we would advise some caution if you are making recipes that are right on the line when it comes to food safety, since this machine was typically slightly under the set temperature in our tests, and giving yourself a bigger margin of safety is never a bad idea.