When connected to a suitable container, this circulator will provide an excellent water bath for sous vide cooking.

If you want to get started with sous vide cooking, this review will provide you with all of the information you need to determine if the Nomiku is the right immersion circulator for you.

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ABOUT SOUS VIDE COOKING

Long before top chefs in the United States began using sous vide cooking in their high-end restaurants, it was a staple of the international culinary scene.

Many fast-food restaurants, including Chipotle and Panera Bread, now use sous vide cooking methods.

One of the most significant advantages of sous vide is the ability to keep perfectly cooked food for a longer period of time before serving without drying out or overcooking.

Sous vide cooking is quickly becoming ingrained as a basic home cooking technique option, thanks to today’s simple-to-use, low-cost machines.

It only takes a little knowledge to debunk and comprehend the differences between sous vide and traditional cooking equipment and concepts.

BASIC NOMIKU IMMERSION CIRCULATOR SPECIFICATIONS

Nomiku’s basic specifications are listed in the chart below. Please refer back to this as I highlight some of the specifications.

SIZE OF THE NOMIKU IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

The small size of the unit, which makes it easier to use and store, is frequently mentioned in Nomiku marketing literature.

It is true that the heating unit itself is small and simple to operate.

Unfortunately, you have a power box that is 4.25″ x 4.25″ x 1.63″ (10.80 x 10.80 x 4.13 cm) and weighs approximately 9 ounces (255 g) tethered to this unit with a thick power cord, and because this also needs to be manipulated and stored, I find that the Nomiku has no real size advantage over most other immersion circulators.

NOMIKU MINIMUM/MAXIMUM WATER LEVEL SPACING

The Nomiku, like all immersion circulators, has a minimum level indicator that requires the water in the bath to be higher than it and a maximum level indicator that requires the water to be lower.

Each of these levels has a sensor that will shut down the unit if the water level is not between the two sensors.

Although most people don’t pay much attention to where these indicators are located, they can have a significant impact on the circulator’s usability.

Furthermore, the distance between the two indicators is possibly the most important factor.

Typically, the spacing between these two levels on most circulators is around 3.5″ (8.89 cm), but on the Nomiku, the spacing is only 1.25″. (3.18 cm).

This necessitates the user paying close attention to the water level during the cooking process.

For example, during a long sous vide cook in a medium-sized water bath, the level could easily fall below the minimum level several times.

This would necessitate the user monitoring the water level on a regular basis and adding water as needed.

Another issue could arise at the start of a cook when you have filled the water bath to the minimum level and heated the water to the target temperature.

Then, if you add a large number of items to the bath to be cooked, the water level may rise above the maximum level.

Clearly, this is not a show-stopper, but it does necessitate a closer monitoring of the water level because there is much less margin for error than with other circulators.

NOMIKU CLAMPING MECHANISM

The Nomiku employs a strong spring-loaded clip with a silicone grip.

The clamp’s main advantage is that it is very simple and quick to attach the unit to the side of the water bath. It can also be used on a wide range of water bath containers.

The clamp does not open as wide as most other circulators, which may preclude it from being used on a container with a thick side, such as an ice chest.

I’ve also heard from users on occasion that the clamp slides down the side of the container during cooking, which can obviously cause issues.

HOW MUCH DOES THE NOMIKU CIRCULATOR COST?

The popularity of sous vide cooking has grown significantly in recent years. This is largely due to the widespread availability of low-cost, high-quality immersion circulators.

Fortunately for sous vide enthusiasts like us, the market has become extremely competitive.

Anova and Sansaire, in addition to the Nomiku circulator, have introduced low-cost immersion circulators to the market.

Sous Vide Supreme and Caso, on the other hand, provide a dedicated water bath. In this expanding movement, all of these companies are competing for market share.

The immersion circulator was initially priced at $300, which was $100 more than the competition. They recently reduced the price to $200, making them more competitive in terms of pricing.

The newly released Anova Precision Cooker, on the other hand, is $20 less expensive at $180.

All of the immersion circulators’ prices will likely be reduced over time as they compete for market share and reduce manufacturing costs.

A NOMIKU DIFFERENTIATOR – SAFETY

ONE FACTOR THAT DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE BASIC 

• Specifications table but may be critical to some buyers is safety. This is one way in which Nomiku distinguishes itself from its competitors. The Nomiku has several safety features, which are detailed below.

TESTING AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

• The Nomiku immersion circulator is ETL certified and meets UL STD 1026. This indicates that the device has been tested and certified in accordance with published industry safety standards by two different independent testing organizations. This is a time-consuming and costly process that no other immersion circulator manufacturer has undertaken. These certifications are not legally required, but if you are concerned about safety, you may want to factor this into your purchasing decision.

POWER LOSS WARNING

• If the power goes out during a sous vide cook, the Nomiku will resume at the temperature that was set before the power went out. Furthermore, the “Power Loss” icon, a lightning bolt with a line through it (see image below), will alert you that the food may have been below the target temperature during that time.

• This could be critical information, especially if the bath’s temperature dropped into the “danger zone” for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, there is no way to know what may have happened in your absence if you have been away from the water bath for an extended period of time. As a result, the only option is to assume the worst and abandon the dish.

BACTERIA GROWTH ZONE WARNING

• When you adjust the temperature on the Nomiku to reach your desired temperature, a warning icon appears and the readout turns orange (see image above), indicating that you are in the FDA danger zone of 40 – 126°F (4.44 – 52.22°C). This is a great visual reminder to keep the temperature above the critical zone.

POWER SUPPLY

• The Nomiku immersion circulator is the only one that employs a separate “Power Box” rather than incorporating the electronics into the immersion unit itself. The designers claim they did this to keep the high-voltage components away from the water bath. As a result, they would argue that the Nomiku is a safer circulator to work with.

• However, I’m not convinced that the power box approach is any safer. Consider that the heavy power cord from the immersion unit to the power box is 20″ (50.8 cm) long, and the point at which it emerges from the immersion unit is typically 12″ (30.48 cm) above the countertop. That means the “Power Brick” is typically located on the counter approximately 6″ (15.24 cm) from the water bath container. In my experience, water frequently spills onto this area when: filling the water container, removing a Ziploc bag from the water bath, and taking the lid off the water bath.

SEMICONDUCTOR HEATING ELEMENT

• The heating element on the Nomiku has been designed in an unusual manner by the Nomiku designers. It is a powerful 1150 w element that is said to “never burn out.”

• If you place a high value on safety, you should carefully consider the features available on the Nomiku immersion circulator.

NOMIKU IMMERSION CIRCULATOR PERFORMANCE

A sous vide water bath’s primary function is to maintain a precise low temperature for the duration of the cooking cycle, which could be minutes or days.

A variety of factors influence how well the Nomiku Immersion Circulator performs this function. As you read through this section, please refer to the chart below as needed.

The performance of the Nomiku is comparable to that of other immersion circulators. It works well in water bath containers up to 5 gallons (20 L).

The pump is slightly less powerful than the competition, but the heating element on the Nomiku, at 1150 watts, leads the field of low-cost circulators.

The Nomiku is a little noisier than other immersion circulators I’ve tested. One minor annoyance is that as soon as you plug in the unit, the fan in the power box kicks on, producing a low hum.

This noise is present even when the circulator is not turned on. When you turn on the circulator, the sound of the impeller pumping the water adds to the device’s noise level.

Because all of the immersion circulators are sold on Amazon, it is a valuable resource for determining what other users think of the unit they purchased.

Regrettably, the Nomiku is rated one star lower than the other immersion circulators. I read through the reviews and noticed two issues that were mentioned several times.

The most frequently mentioned problem was a lack of dependability. Frequently, the unit would break in some way not long after it was put to use.

Other reviewers, to a lesser extent, complained about receiving products that were clearly not new.

It’s unfortunate that these two problems occurred more frequently than you’d expect from a high-quality product. When the unit worked properly, reviewers almost always gave it five stars.

USER INTERFACE OF THE NOMIKU IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

Nomiku is extremely user-friendly. A touchscreen and a rotating knob serve as the user interface.

One of the reasons the Nomiku interface is simplified is that it lacks a timer and thus does not require the ability to set it.

To begin a sous vide cook, plug the unit into a three-pronged outlet and the Nomiku “o” will appear dimly in the display. To activate the unit, press the screen, and it will begin to circulate.

The screen will initially show the current water temperature as the large number and the set temperature as the smaller number below it. Simply tap the screen to change the display from Celsius to Fahrenheit or vice versa.

To set the target temperature, simply turn the green knob. Turn right (clockwise) to raise the temperature and left (counterclockwise) to lower it.

One feature I like about the Nomiku is that the temperature increases faster as you turn the knob faster. This allows you to reach your desired temperature quickly and precisely.

As previously stated, temperatures that fall within the bacterial growth zone or FDA “Danger Zone” will be highlighted in orange so that proper precautions can be taken.

When the target temperature is reached, the temperature unit and set temperature will vanish.

To see them again, simply tap the screen or turn the knob. When the sous vide cook is finished, you can turn off the Nomiku by pressing and holding the screen for three seconds.

SUBJECTIVE FACTORS WITH THE NOMIKU IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

So far, the factors I’ve discussed have been primarily objective in nature. There are, however, a few factors that are more subjective.

In this section, I will express my thoughts on them. Because they are subjective in nature, you may completely disagree with my assessment – which is perfectly fine.

However, these are at the very least factors to consider as part of your purchasing decision.

STYLE OF THE NOMIKU CIRCULATOR

The Nomiku is a bit more fashionable than some immersion circulators, which resembled laboratory equipment.

The Nomiku has a friendly appearance due to its smaller size, smoothly curved neck, and simple green knob.

NOMIKU IMMERSION CIRCULATOR DESIGN

The power box is the Nomiku’s most distinctive design feature. They are the only manufacturer who has taken this approach to handling the immersion circulator’s electronics.

Nomiku’s marketing team portrays this as a product safety feature. Personally, I think it was the worst design decision they ever made.

It is yet another component that must be considered when using and storing the device. It is also a source of noise generated by the Nomiku.

Fortunately, the designers reconsidered their design decision and chose a more conventional one-piece unit for their follow-up product.

Unlike some immersion circulators, you cannot easily clean the submerged portions of the device. If you’ve ever had a sous vide pouch leak during a long cook, you understand the significance of this issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

CONCLUSION

Nomiku is most well-known for its wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. However, when they introduced their product to the market at a price that was $100 higher than the competition, their sales suffered.

Their main differentiators are safety and power, but most buyers viewed these as insignificant enough to justify the extra cost.

The Nomiku is now more reasonably priced, but it competes with the second-generation Anova, which is still less expensive and has wireless connectivity to a smartphone app.

We put ten of the most popular ones to the test to determine which is best for home sous vide cooking.

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WHAT IS A SOUS VIDE COOKER?

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS SOUS VIDE? 

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Sous vide is a French term that translates literally as “under vacuum.” When we talk about sous vide, we usually mean the cooking method that involves immersing a vacuum-sealed food in a water bath at a low temperature for hours.

The key point of sous vide is temperature control, which is accomplished through the use of a device that can heat at a precise and constant temperature. Which is better, a Sous Vide Cooker or an Immersion Circulator?

WHAT FOODS CAN I SOUS VIDE?

One of the most impressive aspects of sous vide cooking is this. Most people immediately think of sous vide cooking steak – and I don’t blame them!

However, there are numerous other options available, all of which benefit from precise temperatures to ensure a perfect cook. Any sous vide machine will allow you to cook any of the following, as well as many others:

• Beef
• Pork
• Chicken
• Fish
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Desserts

If you’re still not convinced, we recommend Claire Lower’s “Will it Sous Vide?” ” Lifehacker column She is constantly coming up with new and interesting ways to experiment with everyday foods.

Her sous vide hot pockets are an excellent example of her inventiveness! You can also find a plethora of delicious and simple sous vide recipes in our Recipes section of the blog. You’re very welcome!

WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE A SOUS VIDE COOKER?

A sous vide cooker will undoubtedly transform your life. It is extremely convenient and capable of producing the best texture that a frying pan cannot. Here are some of the advantages of using it:

PERFECT OUTCOMES from Machine

• Sous vide cookers, as a sophisticated device, can consistently cook food at an exact temperature on recipes. It enables you to cook like a professional chef with no fuss, with no under- or over-cooking. You can also easily replicate the perfect result the next time by simply setting the same time and temperature.

• Even cooking is one feature that distinguishes sous vide cookers from the millions of other cooking devices on the market. Grilling steak with a probe thermometer may result in “correct doneness.” However, due to the temperature gradient, some parts may be overcooked while others may be undercooked. Sous vide cookers, on the other hand, can solve the problem through evenly distributed heating. As a result, perfect results are obtained.

TENDERING CAN HELP YOU SAVE MONEY.

• Ribeye and tenderloin are fantastic, but they’re not common on the dinner table because they’re so expensive. Choosing less expensive cuts can help you save a lot of money, and you don’t have to sacrifice texture. Sous vide cookers can aid in the tenderization of meats. They can tenderize tough meats by breaking down muscle tissues, allowing you to enjoy a delicious dinner at a lower cost.

MORE NOURISHING

• In general, high temperatures destroy a greater proportion of nutrients. Low temperature cooking, such as sous vide, can, on the other hand, retain more nutrients than traditional cooking. Furthermore, because sous vide cooking involves vacuum-sealing the food, water soluble minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients are not lost.

CONSERVE SPACE

• An immersion circulator is a rod-shaped device that is less bulky than an oven. To use it, simply prepare a water bath in any container you have at home, such as a Dutch oven (not that OVEN you know), and place the circulator on top of it. It is easy to store, even in a drawer!

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A SOUS VIDE COOKER?

When shopping for an immersion circulator, you should consider power, temperature and time range, accuracy, connectivity, noise level, and so on. Before pulling out your wallet, go through the following checklist.

1. POWER. This is one of the most critical considerations when selecting an immersion circulator. You’ll need to read the wattages to figure out how much power you have. A higher wattage indicates a more powerful and faster heating system. Sous vide cookers with 1000 watts or more are generally quite powerful. Cooking for a large group, such as 6 or more people, necessitates the use of a more powerful cooker.

2. TEMPERATURE AND TIME PERIOD. A wider temperature and time range expands your cooking options. Cooking times vary depending on the recipe and food item. Temperatures can range from 77°F to 203°F (25°C to 95°C), allowing you to cook everything from an egg to a steak.

3. TEMPERATURE PRECISION. This is another critical point that can have a significant impact on the final outcome. A minor deviation can result in an overcooked or undercooked egg, or a medium and medium rare steak. A good sous vide device has an accuracy of 0.1°F / 0.1°C.

4. CONNECTIVITY. Even sous vide cookers now have Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity. Many cookers on the market allow (or require) the use of mobile apps to control temperature and time. This advanced feature allows you to remotely control and monitor the process. This, however, raises the cost. As a result, if you do not require this function, the cooker with built-in control will be more appropriate for you.

5. THE LEVEL OF NOISE. Humming sounds are annoying, especially when they last for a long time. You won’t enjoy being bothered by noises all night. As a result, opt for cookers with silent features. There are some other factors to consider, but we’ve selected the most important ones for you to review before making a payment.

BEST SOUS VIDE MACHINES FOR 2021

#1 THE BEST IMMERSION CIRCULATOR: BREVILLE JOULE SOUS VIDE

Breville CS20001 Joule Sous Vide, White Polycarbonate

Breville CS20001 Joule Sous Vide, White Polycarbonate

• Smallest, sleekest sous vide tool available at just 11 inches tall and 1.1 pounds, with streamlined white body and finishes.
• Saves space: Half the size of other sous vide machines, it’s small enough to slip into a top drawer.
• Heats up fast: 1100 watts of power for hyper-fast water heating. Operating Requirements: Frequency 50 to 60 Hz, single phase
• Perfect results: Visual Doneness feature in the Joule app displays exactly how food cooks. Dinner comes out predictably perfect, every time.
• Wifi and bluetooth ready: Works with iPhone or Android—connect with Bluetooth alone, or cook from anywhere with Wi-Fi.

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• The Joule is a powerful piece of sous vide equipment packed into a ridiculously small and light device. It has almost everything you could want in an at-home immersion circulator: it’s accurate, it heats up water quickly and quietly, and it has a sleek design with innovative features, such as a magnetic base that securely clings to the bottom of many pots.

• The Joule does have one major drawback: it lacks an onboard display and can only be controlled by a secondary piece of technology, such as a smartphone, tablet, or Amazon Alexa-enabled device. Having said that, the Joule app is intuitive, simple to use, and pleasing to the eye, with a slew of useful and well-thought-out features.

#2 THE BEST IMMERSION CIRCULATOR WITH ONBOARD DISPLAY: ANOVA PRECISION COOKER

Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Sous Vide Precision Cooker (WiFi), 1000 Watts

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Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Sous Vide Precision Cooker (WiFi), 1000 Watts | Anova App Included, Black and Silver

• Perfect results every time: Never over or under cook your food again. The Anova Precision Cooker circulates water at the exact temperature required for perfectly cooked meals, no matter what's on your menu. Use the Anova app to access thousands of free recipes and monitor your cook from anywhere via your smartphone.
• What to cook: Sous vide (pronounced “sue-veed”) cooking offers the perfect level of doneness for nearly any food. Chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, beef, lamb, pork and more are all ideal foods for sous vide. The ability to lock in flavor and moisture during the cooking process results in texture and taste that is second to none.
• Easy to use: Whether cooking a simple meal or an extravagant feast, the Precision Cooker heats water faster and holds temperature precisely so you can get cooking quicker than ever. It easily attaches to any stock pot or container with an adjustable clamp, and is water resistant for when accidents happen in the kitchen.
• Customer experience: Designed in San Francisco, CA. Anova delivers thousands of sous vide recipes for free in the Anova app, created for cooks of every skill level by award-winning chefs and home cooks alike.

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• Our favorite immersion circulator with a display and onboard controls is Anova’s Precision Cooker. We appreciate not having to use our phones to set up and calibrate a sous vide water bath, especially when working with messy ingredients.

• Fear not, app integration and connected devices enthusiasts! The Anova Precision Cooker comes with a WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled model, as well as its own app with a plethora of cooking guides and recipes (including content from a certain Kenji López-Alt). While it is larger and less powerful than the Joule, the Anova Precision Cooker is still a good sous vide machine.

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#3 THE BEST AFFORDABLE IMMERSION CIRCULATOR: INSTANT POT ACCU SLIM SOUS VIDE IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

Instant Accu Slim Sous Vide Precision Cooker, Immersion Circulator, 800W

Instant Pot 140-3085-01 Accu Sous Vide Precision Cooker, 0

• CREATE RESTAURANT-QUALITY DISHES: Precision-controlled sous vide immersion cooking delivers perfect results every time
• EVEN COOKING: Circulates heated water uniformly, with no hot or cold spots
• EASY TO READ: The tilted LED display and digital touchscreen with color-coded status indicator is easy to read from across the room
• QUICK CLAMP: Easily clamp the Accu Slim Sous to a cooking vessel with one hand
• PEACE OF MIND: Entire unit is waterproof to prevent damage in case of accidental immersion

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• After dominating the multi-cooker market, Instant Pot has entered the immersion circulator market with the low-cost Accu Slim. Professional cooks who remember when the only circulators on the market cost more than $1,500 find it difficult to believe that one can now be purchased for less than a hundred dollars.

• The Accu Slim performed the best of the affordable immersion circulators we tested. It’s a simple machine with no bells and whistles, no paired app, no Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity, but that’s what makes it appealing and such a good deal. It knows its lane and stays in it, effectively performing the essential function of an immersion circulator: heating and circulating water at a precise temperature.

THE CRITERIA: WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A GREAT SOUS VIDE IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

THE TESTING

• Before conducting any performance tests, we examined each immersion circulator to evaluate its overall design and functionality. It can be difficult to judge design features and construction quality based on product photos and user reviews on Amazon, and there are a number of immersion circulators available for purchase with truly terrible designs. We discarded the worst of those models because simply putting them in a water bath was a frustrating experience.

CREATING A WARM WATER BATH

• We began by measuring how long each circulator took to bring a gallon of cold water—57°F (14°C)—to the temperature commonly used for sous vide cooking vegetables: 190°F (88°C). We held the circulators at the target temperature for one hour after they brought the water up to the target temperature (not all of them were able to do so).

COOKING CHICKEN BREASTS

• We were surprised by how many of the immersion circulators in the testing lineup did not perform well enough to advance to the second round of testing—only four of the ten devices passed. Two of these four (the ChefSteps Joule and the Anova Precision Cooker) belonged to the higher-priced tier, while the other two (the Anova Nano and the Instant Pot Accu Slim) belonged to the lower-priced tier.

COOKING EGGS

• Eggs are well-known for being the most time- and temperature-sensitive food to be cooked sous vide. Chicken breasts cooked sous vide for one hour or two hours will taste the same. This is not the case with the chicken breasts’ precursors, eggs—because time and temperature can significantly alter the final texture of an egg cooked sous vide, we chose to cook soft-poached eggs to further test the accuracy and temperature recovery speed of our top four candidates.

IMPORTANT SOUS VIDE MACHINE FEATURES

• Water Capacity: If you choose a sous vide oven with a water bath, you’ll want to know how much water the device can hold. This will significantly increase the amount of food you can prepare sous vide. If you’re only cooking for yourself, a smaller meal will suffice. However, if you intend to prepare a meal for a large group of friends or family, a large water capacity is required!

• Heater & Circulator: For immersion circulators, this feature is more important to understand than for sous vide ovens. When using an immersion circulator, the food capacity is ultimately determined by the size of the container. Which is effectively limitless. However, if you use a large enough water bath, the immersion circulator may not be able to completely heat it.

• Temperature Range: Most sous vide machines can reach temperatures of 200 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

• Temperature Precision: The majority of available sous vide machines claim to keep temperatures within 0.1 degree F. Low water warning, for example, is an important safety feature. This will turn off the device if the water level becomes too low, preventing the unit from being burned. Another important feature to include is a power outage warning. It will notify you if the power goes out, which may cause food to spoil.

CONCLUSION

After reading our ultimate guide to the best sous vide machines, we hope that your purchasing decision will be easier.

We discussed the main ingredients required for sous vide cooking and identified our top picks for best sous vide machine.

Now, let’s go over some frequently asked questions to ensure that you leave this article knowing everything there is to know about sous vide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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