I would like to do quantities for banquets. How large of a container can I use?
Also does the water limit include the displacement volume of the item I am cooking?
Can I use a large 26" x 18" container full of lots of product and add more than one anova device to it?
You really would think they would put that in the official FAQ, wouldn’t you? 
I’ve seen it mentioned a few times that the capacity is 22 litres (about 5 gallons).
There’s a good discussion on vessels here:
You can save your PC having to work hard by having an insulated container (you’ll see some are using camping coolers) and filling with hot water to begin with. You’ll also see that you can use two PC’s in one container (obviously, I’d put them at opposing ends of the container to maximize their effectiveness). Also having a lid that seals will minimize evaporation - saving you from having to top up your water (and cooling off the vessel when you do so).
Yes, displacement volume includes whatever you put into the vessel to cook. (it IS heating that)
Umm…there’s three dimensions to calculating volume. 
I’ve used my Anova in a 48 qt ice chest to cook six 2.5 to 3# tri-tip at once.
Yeah, you have to fill with hot water from the word go or it will never heat up. It’s great at maintaining temp though if you go that route.
That’s more than double the capacity - I wouldn’t recommend doing that on a regular basis - you’d shorten the life of your unit considerably by over-tasking it like that.
Completely incorrect. The water is basically up to temp already before the unit goes in and the walls are insulated so the temp holds on it’s own. The Anova does very little work really. The heating element actually works harder to heat up a metal stock pot where you have cold water and lose heat out the sides continuously via conduction.
You’re making the assumption that the water is up to temp. If it isn’t, then you’re working it harder than it was designed for.
Just about everything is designed for x number of hours of use - within certain parameters (in technology, it was always MTBF (mean time before failure) - often in the millions of hours for electronic components). Regardless, all appliances designed for regular use are engineered for an expectation for how long they will last.
Using equipment outside of the parameters it was designed for can have a pretty significant effect on its lifespan.
If you have the vessel to temp, then yes, it’s a minimal load (at least initially) - if you add in considerable volume of product that brings the temperature down considerably (eg. frozen), then you’re still tasking it more than it was designed for.
ROFL.
Thanks for the important safety tip, Egon.
/rolleyes
Just read your post and I am really confused. I am considering a project that may be impossible for my first adventure. I want to cook 4 briskets, total of a bit over 15 pounds. I was considering getting one of the large plastic containers that I see in the pictures. (now that I read the posts prior to yours seems as if a camping cooler might be the answer if I fill it with hot water. I also saw on the app that each brisket needs to be at the proper temperature for 24 hours then to finish in the oven. I think I figured out the prep and and finishing, just fearful the basic cooking won’t work and I don’t want to have a disaster (they are for our passover seder for 30 people). If it will work, should I stand the briskets vertically? I also noticed some where it said to clip the bag to the side, is that for everything you use in SV?
Maybe I should start with something simplier! Any advice is appreciated.
Heh, I’m a firm believer that almost nothing is impossible. 
If the briskets will fit in a 20-25l enclosure, then you’re well within the realm of what the APC was designed to do. If you’re using a considerably larger container (such as a really big camping cooler), filling it with hot water will lessen the load on the APC to get the container to temperature.
Two things I would do to make it easier on the APC with your briskets:
In terms of impact - 15lbs vs a large (48qt ice chest as acs suggested) isn’t that significant, provided they’re at least not frozen.
In terms of how you place the briskets in the bath - ideally, you want something like a cooling grid on the bottom of the vessel to hold them up off of the bottom - you want the water touching all sides of your meat, so you get even cooking throughout.
People use clips to keep their bags from floating. If you do a good job of getting the air out before you put them in the bath, and they’re fairly large pieces of meat, they may not end up floating at all.
If you use (ideally freezer) ziploc bags, you can always pull them out briefly and re-displace out the air if it becomes too much. For the most part, I haven’t found floating to be a problem with meat.
The reason that you finish in the oven is to get that nice sear on the outside of your brisket.
Don’t be afraid of it…sous vide cooking is very forgiving!!! I think you’ll do fine!!
My largest piece of meat was a 4 bone standing rib, 136F 18 hours. I finished it in the oven at 425F for 15 minutes. Came out perfectly, hardly any heat penetration below the surface.
I want to make a 3 bone standing rib roast for Christmas dinner. Where do I find ziplock freezer bags to hold the roast. I realize I may have to use 2 bags because of the bones. I just can’t find a large enough good bag. I have seen some negative reviews on the hefty 2.5 gallon bags and they are just storage bags, not freezer. My pot is a large kettle my mom used for making a big batch of spaghetti sauce. Will I have to insulate the outside to keep the temp stable. The recipe says this cook should take 6 hours. Thanks for your help.
18 hours?? My recipe says a 3 bone will be done in 6 hours. I want to cook it to medium. I was thinking 138F would accomplish that. What do you think?
Laurie, 6 hours would be the absolute minimum cooking time even at 138F, definitely Medium doneness. 18 hours wouldn’t be too long. A 10 or 12 hour cook will result in a nice tender roast with only a little more moisture and colour loss than a 6-hour cook.
I recommend removing the bones from the roast to achieve more even heat penetration. Bones act as armour for the meat. If you need the cooked roast on the bones for a picture you can package and cook them separately with the roast. When it’s photo-shoot time, retie the meat on the bones, ideally after browning the dried and seasoned roast in your 450F oven or under the broiler.
If you cut the cooked bones by slicing tightly against the centre bone you will have two nice meaty portions and one for broth.
Removing the bones reduces the bag size your require. I am surprised you are having difficulty finding the largest sizes of Zip-Loc freezer bags, I see them in most large grocery stores and Walmart.
I have found the large, but not an extra large ziplock bags, which I thought I would need to accommodate the bones and meat. I will remove and cook the bones with the roast in a second bag. I definitely will save a bone for broth. I have started making all my stocks with roasted bones in my pressure cooker.
Thank you very much for your help.
You’re welcome Laurie, glad to know you found my thoughts useful. Remember to brown the bones with the roast for flavour.
That’s going to be a very special Christmas dinner.