Should I wait for the Anova Touch?

Anova Support
1

I have tried cooking sous vide using the usual tricks - beer cooler, manually adjusting temperature of water in a stock pot - but want to invest in better equipment.

I am considering buying the Anova Precision but the Anova Touch was announced in January with anticipated release date in summer 2015. I have researched the Anova forums and using Google it looks like there has not been any news on the Anova Touch since the January announcement and summer nearly over.

2

We have not heard what features are going to be in the next generation Anova Touch. The user community submitted a number of really good suggestions but I do not know which ones (or others they thought of) will be in the new model. One thing to consider is that sous vide is really quite simple. Set the temperature, add bag of food to water and cook for specified time. I have both Anova models and quite often use them together; one for meat and one for vegetables. I have never used the phone application or the on board timer on either one. I use a multi-function timer that hangs from my neck. No worries about being out of Bluetooth range or missing the units timer. When compared to other kitchen appliances the Anova is a bargain and you could buy now and buy later without much damage.

3

Here’s my take.


I have used the app once… and never again.  Not because it’s bad, necessarily (although it needs a LOT of work) but rather because as John said… it’s simple.   Set the temp and then walk away.   No worries about exact time or overcooking.

Get an Amazon Echo and tell it to set an alarm and/or timer and you are set :wink:

What else would you need a wifi enabled device for?    The only thing I could think of would be turning the device off if you are for some reason away for a LONG time… but in that case well you probably wouldn’t have set it to cook anyway.  

All that said I’m a gadget geek and want the coolest newest stuff… but having Sous Vide is so cool in and of itself that I bought the current version knowing the newer version was coming out, and I’m so glad I did.
4

I would like to be able to turn the device on remotely in the evening. When I get home the water bath is ready to go and all i need to do is drop in my bag of food. If I get delayed it could also be turned off. Also with Wi-Fi you could use the apps timer and not have to worry about bluetooth range.

5

John, my reasons for possibly waiting are similar to yours. They are: 1.) I am slightly worried that the second I revive the Precision the Touch will be released. I would prefer having the newer model if possible. 2.) Assuming that the WiFi features work the way I am hoping, I would find it convenient to remotely heat up the water before I head home from work. It would also be nice if I could get remote updates without having to be in range of Bluetooth. 3.) It sounds like the Touch will have a touchscreen which sounds nice 4.) The Touch will have a movable screen so you can adjust it to ensure it is in view no matter how the pot is positioned 5.) I think I also read that they have increased the power back to 1000 watts (some people were unhappy that the Precision dropped to 800 watts from the One's 1000 watts).
6

Just to note the Precision rotates within the clamp so you can adjust it for easier viewing.
In actual practice there is not much difference between 800 and 1000 watts. I try to use as small a vessel as practical to conserve water and cut down on heat up time. I have a larger Cambro that holds most everything that is large that I have wanted to cook.

7

Any word on new release date for the anova touch? It’s been radio silence for a while - has the company offered any updates?

8

We’ve no new news on the Anova Touch - But as soon as we do, we’ll absolutely update all of our loyal followers :slight_smile:

9

No updates since the first information. It takes some time to make prototypes, test and then make it production ready.

10

I’ll test!

11

personally, I have no use case for the app so WiFi vs Bluetooth is moot. I find the mouse-wheel control on the precision cooker very nice, familiar and quick, with good feel.  The clamp and swivel work great.  The P.C. easily keeps large baths at constant temps for me (I’m talking 20l of water in a cooler), so power isn’t an issue, however it would likely heat up a bit quicker with more output.  (I start with near 60C tap water, so that point is also moot for me).


The new model will not make your food taste any better, and it couldn’t be any easier to use, so not much point from my perspective, YMMV!
12

Well I guess your answer is here. They’ve announced the wifi version.


http://anovaculinary.com/anova-precision-cooker/wifi/

13

Yup !

14

WiFi doesn’t necessarily sound like a good idea to me, potentially leaving raw uncooked food in room temperature water for what could be hours. 


Bacteria, anyone?
15

Could you counteract that by putting in frozen meat and/or chilling the water first?

16

@FastEddie I would not leave the uncooked food in the water all day. I would use WiFi to heat the water ahead of my arrival home so the food could go from the refrigerator straight into the hot bath. Conversely if I was delayed I could turn things off. If you are cooking vegetables it takes a while to reach a proper cooking temperature and this would be a time saver.

The other benefit of WiFi is range. I often find myself out of Bluetooth range when at home but I do always have a wireless connection.

17

You can also create an icebath in the early AM with the wifi PC in it, then use the new WiFi app to set a time when you plan on eating dinner :slight_smile:


You’ll come home to the perfect meal!
18

@Bill said:
You can also create an icebath in the early AM with the wifi PC in it, then use the new WiFi app to set a time when you plan on eating dinner :slight_smile:


You’ll come home to the perfect meal!

This might work if you were cooking in a well insulated container. I think the ice would melt and everything would be at room temperature fairly quickly if you used a stock pot or similar vessel.

This would be a good experiment for a rainy Saturday when you can monitor temperatures over the course of the day.


19

@john.jcb said:

Bill said:
You can also create an icebath in the early AM with the wifi PC in it, then use the new WiFi app to set a time when you plan on eating dinner :slight_smile:


You’ll come home to the perfect meal!

This might work if you were cooking in a well insulated container. I think the ice would melt and everything would be at room temperature fairly quickly if you used a stock pot or similar vessel.

This would be a good experiment for a rainy Saturday when you can monitor temperatures over the course of the day.

 

I’ve been using a Coleman cooler for, heck, almost a year now. I think an ice bath in a home at room temperature in an insulated cooler
would work just fine. I’m going to try it as soon as my new wifi unit arrives next month. I guess I’ll have to give away one of my “old” units! I do like the old style Anova One with the 1 KW element. It seems to be stable and heats up quickly. So how many wifi units can you control at one time?


20

I welcome the wi-fi because it will attract many more third party programmers. The main reason being a bigger marketplace for programs/apps as almost everybody has wi-fi. Anova has been better than most in allowing third party programmers, but their software is not even adequate and restricted to smart Bluetooth devices. Like who in their right mind would buy a $500 phone/tablet to control a cooking device. Better they should hire  a programmer familiar with cross platform programming who is also interested in sous vide cooking. Lots of them out there.