Review on 🍲 Strata Home Collection Monoprice Sous Vide Immersion Cooker 800W - Adjustable Clamp, Digital LED Touch Screen, Easy to Clean - Black/Silver by Chris Kidd

When I first learned about the sous vide technique I couldn't justify the cost of the Anova or Joule; So I originally wanted to go the DIY route. But like all home improvement jobs, there's a cheap way and a RIGHT way. Building an immersion circulator suitable for proper sous vide cooking would cost as much as buying an Anova. Then this guy popped up in my search and he was on sale for $70. First off, this is definitely a copy of an Anova product, but it doesn't support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. For my purposes it didn't matter much. It will beep when the right temperature is reached and beep when the time is up; I don't care if he pings my phone too. So with that out of the way; Monoprice did a good job on this task. I've read a few reviews of how the device arrives in DOA, but mine worked right out of the box. I put mine in a pot of water, set the temp to 160F and popped it. After a few minutes it beeped to let me know it had reached the set temperature, so I checked again with a candy thermometer. 160F. Perfect! I run it for 3 hours and check the temp every 30 minutes. It fluctuated, but not more than 1/2 degree. Ok cool, now how do you make it? Pretty good! I lowered the temp to 140F and put in some seasoned chicken breasts earlier in the day. A little nervous about how "done" the meat would be, I let the chicken sit for 3.5 hours (recipe says 1-4 hours). I browned the breasts in a cast iron skillet about 1:30 on each side, then let them rest before slicing. Not only was the center done, but it was some of the JUICIEST chicken I've ever eaten! I was so happy I added some pork ribs that I intended to smoke when the snow melted. 150F for 26 hours (I was running late) produced the juiciest boneless ribs I've ever tasted. The ONLY downside was the lack of the smoky flavor you would expect from BBQ ribs. I think next time I'll either add liquid smoke or burn them on the grill instead of in a pan. I'm a happy boy *addendum* Still happy a month later! I recently cooked a rotisserie chicken dinner for 6 and EVERYONE loved it! Also made a dozen hard boiled eggs for different dishes - each one was perfect. You don't really need Wi-Fi or Bluetooth if you know how to set a timer. Save your $$$ and get it!