Hello! I just received my unit today (backer #3417) and I am so excited to use it! But, I have a question for those who have used their Anova: where do you put your setup while in use? The manual says not to use it on or near the stove/oven, and also that it can damage marble or corian countertops. I don’t know if they can damage quartz, but I have relatively new quartz countertops and would not want any harm to befall them! Unfortunately, that’s all the surfaces in my kitchen. Should I put the setup on a wood/butcher block sideboard in my dining room? On the countertops but with foam or wood or some sort of insulator under them? Do I need to get a cart of some sort just for this purpose? Where do you all have your setups?
If I’m using a pot, I put a silicon potholder or a trivet (like you’d use under a hot casserole dish on the table) under it.
If I’m using a Cambro, I’ve built a sleeve out of that bubble wrap type insulation. You could even put two layers of it on the bottom if one doesn’t seem like enough.
What’s the logic behind not putting it on the stove? Is it fear of accidentally turning the stove on and burning the cord or something? The top of the stove actually seems like a pretty convenient place. I’m thinking I’m just going to put my pot on a trivet on the countertop… But if I’m soaking at like 140 or under… I’m not terribly worried about it.
Thank you both! I was also wondering why the manual says not to put it on the stove… maybe Anova is concerned people will accidentally turn a burner on and set the electrical cord on fire? I am really not sure. The stove definitely seemed convenient to me too, gwendelen.
In case you are interested in my test set up from last night, my husband grabbed a piece of rigid insulation from Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Project-Panels-2-ft-x-2-ft-Project-Panel-PP1/203553730) and we just put the pot on that on the counter. We’ve ordered a Cambro but didn’t have it yet so we just used a pot. I will definitely consider bubble wrap or a more appropriately-sized piece of insulation once I have my Cambro in hand!
Any other gems to share about your setup, KEddings? Which Cambro do you have and do you have a rack inside it to organize things? Any other protips?
I got the 18qt square one to use with the Anova 1.
I got two lids which sell separately anyway. One I cut to fit with the device, the other for when I might want to use it for something else.
I used to use a DorkFoods controller hooked to a large rectangular roaster… I used racks in that to both hold food down and space it off the bottom. Things wanted to float in it for some reason.
Currently I haven’t needed racks as the food seems to behave better in the vertical position that is natural in either the pot or the plastic container. I do use a binder clip to clip the top of a bag to the pot sometimes.
I had the same question as rsacks, and the same answers as above. Of course, if I’m using a long sous vide cook time, chances are I’ll also be heating both my stove and my oven while the immersion system is going. My kitchen’s not big enough to store a separate water bath device. And I always thought Corian could handle 183 degree temperatures – though perhaps not for 100 hours. Marble, I’m guessing, would crack from the stress of uneven heating over a long period.
I’m eager to hear more feedback on this topic, before I heat up my counter.
In another home, we had a Wilsonart resin countertop (Corian competitor) that separated at a joint. The warranty repairman said something like, “Looks like someone’s been using a Crockpot on this counter. That voids the warranty!” I was appalled that the product (countertop) was unsuitable for a countertop appliance. Checking our paperwork, it turned out that Wilsonart had changed their paperwork on the warranty some time after our installation, so we were covered for what was quite an extensive repair.
So, I’d think twice about setting the water bath container directly on such countertops. We used a heavy wood cutting board for subsequent Crockpot operations. rsacks127 rigid insulation sounds like a good idea. Our setup uses a wooden, wheeled patio service cart, and If I could figure out how to post a picture of it, I’d be glad to do so!
I’m sure a piece of rigid insulation would serve to protect the counter top from the heat. I’m using a thick layer of newspapers right now.
Some kind of flexible wrap would probably be better, for the top and sides. I’ve heard of Reflectix. Does anybody have any suggestions? What kind of R-values am I looking for?
I have an insulation solution:
I went to Home Depot last night and bought a 24" X 24" X 1" thick piece of rigid foam (pink, R5.7) insulation, for $5.48. This morning I was able to cut a 10" X 16" base, for the 5 gal.plastic tub and a 13.5" square, to put under my big, steel pots. Now I have adequate thermal protection for my kitchen counter tops. Goodbye, pile of old newspapers!
I also made a 10" circle, to cover my 10 qt. pot, cutting a 1/2" rabbit into the edge and a cutout for the ANOVO. It fits snugly and will provide great insulation and evaporation control. I need to buy another piece, to make a 13" cover for my 22 qt pot. I inquired about Reflectix, wraparound insulation, but they were out of stock. They promised to email me, when it came in, though. I’ll just use bath towels, for now.
The foam is soft and easy to cut with hand tools, but it crumbles easily, making a mess out of my workroom. I wish I could say,“The Maid is coming tomorrow.”, but, alas, I will just have to get the vacuum cleaner out, myself!
If I’m using a Dutch oven or large stockpot, I set it on top of my induction burner and use the burner to help get the volume of water quickly up to temperature. Then I shut the burner off and let the Anova do its thing, leaving it on the burner. Since there is no flame and the burner itself doesn’t get hot, the plastic-coated cord is in no danger of heat damage. If I use a Cambro tub, I just put it on a wood cutting board or the bare granite counter. The setup is a little quieter on the cutting board than on the bare counter.
I used my own dutch oven and set it on my quartz counter - it caused my counter to crack at 194 degrees. So, lesson learned.
Learned the hard way…do NOT set your pot on a solid surface countertop. My husband walked into the kitchen a few minutes ago, just in time to hear a loud “pop” as our counter cracked along a diagonal seam several inches from the bottom of a pot (140F) that was sitting on the counter. Ouch.
I’ve used the identical sous vide setup on my opposite countertop dozens of times without issue (there are no seams on that side), so if you’ve managed to escape my fate so far, please - use a trivet to get some distance between the bottom of the pot and the counter.
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