I noticed that the examples always indicate a specific amount of pieces. I was wondering what the maximum amount of volume is that you can prepare in 1 effort.
I believe the PC is rated to about 22 litres, but you can get away with a larger vessel if it’s insulated (and giving the PC a hand by filling it with hot water, so the preheating doesn’t take as long certainly helps).
You simply need to employ a little common sense - for example I wouldn’t fill a 22 litre vessel with packages of frozen filet mignon, then add water to displace all of the air between them and then drop the PC in and expect it to be successful cooking them in a reasonable amount of time. (indeed, it would take quite some time for such a bath to come up to temperature - if it ever did, because of such a high ratio of food vs water - the circulation would be quite poor).
You want the water to circulate well and you want your food to have uniform exposure to the water so it cooks evenly (which is why for many things such as steak and ribs, we often utilize sous vide racks). While they reduce the sheer number of items that you could cook in the vessel simultaneously, they provide spacing to ensure your food cooks evenly.
If you wanted to do many items on a frequent basis, you may want to acquire a larger camper-style cooler, place two sous vide racks in it and cut a whole in the lid for your PC. (and also preheat it with hot water…maybe some from a kettle as well, just to minimize the preheat time). Something I could see a caterer doing.
The quick answer is that the Anova Precision Cooker works great as long as there’s room for the water to move around and the container isn’t too big. Since YMMV, here are some tips to increase your output:
Tips for Maximizing output
Use a Vacuum Sealer
When using a vacuum sealer you can confidently let food move around. I’m always a little nervous but still use Ziploc bags with the water displacement method after years of sous vide cooking.
Container Shape Matters
If you are using Ziploc bags I’ve found the Precision Cooker to work well with wide and shallow containers. It seems obvious, but it means there’s more room for food than a tall and skinny container. For example, with our lower powered Bluetooth Precison Cooker I was able to do 12 steaks for my family. YMMV
Make a Sous Vide Cooler
Based on your desire to maximize the food prepared in one effort, I would recommend a closed and insulated container. Check out our [sous vide cooler guide] (Anova's DIY Guide to Building a Sous Vide Cooler – Anova Culinary). Pro tip: If you make one, push super lightly as you drill!