Anyone have any thoughts on a covered container suitable for the Anova to stick out while mostly remaining covered? Between water loss and filling my house with steam during the summer when I’m already cranking the AC to reduce moisture, I’d love any ideas. I’m open to something already available with an opening that would fit the Anova or even a DIY hack.
Or…maybe Anova should make one…hint hint.
Edit: For height reference, I should add that this is for the Anova unit that has a touch screen.
$20 insulated drinks cooler, $10 circular drill bits from the local hardware store, fits like a glove, costs next to nothing to run, no steam or other condensate. Good luck!
@cjbomb said:
Or this- Cambro tub and plastic wrap. Easy.
Do you know exactly which cambro that is or have a link to it somewhere online? I think that’s the size and shape I’d like to have but it’s so hard to figure out where to get it. Thanks
I use the Cambro 12189CW135 4-3/4 gal Polycarbonate Food Storage Box @ $17.79 and the lid Cambro 1218CCW135 Half-Size Flat Lid for Food Box @ $6.79. I got them at the FoodServiceWarehouse.com site. I am sure there are other sources, however, this one was reasonably priced. I plan on cutting a hole for the Anova (well maybe I will) sometime. So far I have just been just covering the container as best I can with the lid and using a strip of tin foil to bridge the gap. What I like about this is that I can use the box and lid for other food storage needs. It has virtually eliminated the evaporation issues.
There are other great containers available from Cambro that are useful for smaller meals. I have not got anymore yet as I use a stock pot for most other things. Evaporation only seems to be an issue for the longer cooks and possibly for vegetables that require higher temperatures.
You can get them at any kitchen warehouse store or on Amazon. I recommend the 4.75 gallon container as a starter. Unless you are cooking for very long periods of time (I once did a brisket for three days) plastic wrap should suffice to keep evaporation from being a problem. It is how it is done in many a professional kitchen.
I don’t know how to leave a link, but searching for Rubbermaid should bring up a post from me called “Ok to leave the cooker in water?” It describes my setup, I’m still happy with it.
I use a Cambro container. I got the lid that goes with it and just modified the lid to have a hole in it for my Anova to stick out of. There is a little bit of a gap that steam can escape from but a small piece of plastic wrap solves that problem. Ran mine at 176 F for 72 hours and had little to no water loss.
I, too, use a Cambro polycarbonate container; however, mine is the larger size (measures about 40 x 25 x 25 cm). I took the lid to a shop that does windows and for 10$ they cut a “mouse hole” in one end of the lid: the dimensions were sized so when the lid is in place, it just leaves enough space for the Anova to fit. The result is that there’s very little moisture loss. The only “down side” is that there’s enough condensation on the inside of the lid that I have to beware about creating a small flood when I remove the lid. All of that said, I only use my Cambro when cooking a large item or quantity of food. If it’s just a couple of chicken breasts I use my 12 L stockpot, and cover with a scrap piece of aluminum foil.
@DoradoDave Styrofoam will work although it does not have great durability. I would use a flat piece of wood or rigid plastic on each side of the clamp so it does not dig in. For long term use I would not recommend it as I think they will be damaged over time and replacements will cost more than the less than $20 polycarbonate ones.
Tummes–The styrofoam cooler with a liner is almost perfect. Is there any concern that the cooker will ever be too hot locally at the lid to not use the included clamp as an insulator? The “Caution Hot” sticker is like a warning.
I bought two lids for my polycarbonate container so that we could cut a whole out of one of the lids to fit the anova. I like having one intact lid so that I can use the container for food storage when I need to. Plastic wrap also works really well.
I used a regular Styrofoam cooler box for about a week or so but the bottom started leaking slightly. No visible openings, but like the water was leaching out bit by bit
I use a couple of approaches, depending upon the length of time needed to cook. For shorter periods, say, less than a day, I use an 8-quart stock pot on an induction cooktop with plastic wrap. The cooktop quickly heats the water, then is turned off; the plastic wrap keeps evaporation and steam to a bare minimum so I don’t need to add water.
For longer cooks, 1-3 days, I use either a Rubbermaid 12-quart or 16-quart plastic container. This is like the Cambro’s others have but I already had the Rubbermaids. I put this on a wooden cutting board on the counter. While cooking I cover with plastic wrap to minimize evaporation and steam, and wrap a bath towel around the unit itself to help retain heat to save a bit of energy. I can easily do a 3-day cook with only about an 1/8" loss of water, so adding more is unnecessary.
I know many professionals who use Sous Vide Polypropylene Spheres. Effective, quick and easy. Plus, because you don’t have to worry about condensation, there is no flood as when using a lid. An example of the Polypropylene Spheres can be found here;
I’ve been using a small-ish Coleman cooler for the past 8 months or so. It holds one SousVide Supreme rack. I also have the Cambro polycarbonate container and a rather large 33 can cooler for large stuff. I can use two PCs together if necessary, for large hams or a lot of burgers! I also use two racks from SousVide Supreme to hold the bags.
