One cheap and easy trick that you all need (and that Anova should sell)

Anova Precision® Cooker
1

Here you go . . . a gasket! Improve energy efficiency, and prevent condensation affecting the APC. This does the job brilliantly, with less than $10 of materials and less than 10 minutes of time.


Start with a cheap sheet of silicone (got mine from eBay Australia, AU$6.10 delivered). Silicone is stretchy and flexible so it is forgiving of amateur DIY cutting and still give a perfect result. Thank you silicone!



Tools for the job shown.  



I wanted a square so I took a piece of scrap A4 and did the thing we all did in kindy:



If you cook Sous Vide, and especially if you have a vacuum sealer, a Sharpie is your new best friend.


My Ginsu paring knife, not relevant to the topic, I wanted to show it to you. Recently I bought a new set of chef’s knives just so that I wouldn’t have to get the Ginsu’s dirty. I am an idiot.



So what size to cut the inner hole? Luckily the APC’s own impeller guard will help you here.


It even has a helpful greeble right in the centre so you can eyeball the alignment.The thread shaft diameter is a perfect cutting template to ensure a good fit, so run your knife at an angle (don’t forget to use a cutting board) to cut the centre hole.


Now you’re done! Stretch the silicone gasket over the shaft of your APC and cook away! Silicone is stretchy, so you will get a good tight seal unless you really screw up, but even then, what have you lost? Give it another go! No condensation, superior energy efficiency, significantly reduced condensation, better water usage. 

2

Nice work Simon! That looks really good!

3

Simon, I assume the lid is double wall. Did you add anything to keep the moisture out of the space between the walls? Is there any issue drying it out so that there is no mold from residual water that condenses?

4

Thanks @Bill, it completely fixes condensation issues at higher temperatures. I would have preferred a white Anova-branded one though hint hint :slight_smile:



Hi @john.jcb, correct, the lid is double wall. There’s nothing between them at the moment but I’m planning on getting some expanding builders foam squirted in there and then shape it with a file once it’s hardened. 
5

@Simon_C I missed this post somehow but I have to say – AWESOME!! Glad to see this idea come to life - how’s it working for you? Do you use it regularly?

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Hey @jordan, it gets used every time I use the APC, which means around 3 times a week. Have you thought about offering something similar as an add-on? I would love a white one to match my APC, with the Anova logo printed discreetly in one corner. 

7

Brilliant!

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I did this for my cooler and it works great!

9

Do you think this would allow the use of a larger capacity water bath container than what the docs state as it would not have to fight trying to maintain temp as hard? If yes, then I wonder how big a cooler you could use to allow for SVing a large piece of meat or a BUNCH of steaks for a large party.