Amerifriend: SousVide Supreme Demi $179 with coupon + F/S (USA)

Cold. The Sous Vide Supreme is obsolete tech when there are easier to store and more versatile immersion circulators on the market for around the same price.

I've been in the market for an entry style one. I know people can DIY and there are several hand-held versions now new on the market. They are all around $200 USD price point - but this itself is the 'full machine' if you will. No need to find a right size pot or container to clip the hand-held versions.

At $179 USD, I think it's a good time for me to try the whole sous vide thing! In for one and shipping it to my friend in US - I'm going down there to visit next month.

Also the link is incorrect in OP's post
https://www.sousvidesupreme.com/product ... oductID=31

That's the right one! Deal ends May 17th.

Timothy2 wrote: ↑Cold. The Sous Vide Supreme is obsolete tech when there are easier to store and more versatile immersion circulators on the market for around the same price.

apples and oranges. Like saying I can buy a whirlpool spa for $1000, or I can get one of those things that hang over the side of a bathtub and spin the water for $100. Plus, how is it obsolete tech?

The SVS has absolutely no advantages over a clip on unit. The SVS doesn't even circulate water. It takes up space and you're limited by it's size.
With a clip on I can sous vide a single egg or a whole pork shoulder.

shutterbug wrote: ↑The SVS has absolutely no advantages over a clip on unit. The SVS doesn't even circulate water. It takes up space and you're limited by it's size.
With a clip on I can sous vide a single egg or a whole pork shoulder.

Totally incorrect. Your pot has extremely limited thermal insulation. You are literally bleeding heat out all sides and the top. The SVS, on the other hand, is insulated. Think it's no big deal? Maybe not for an occasional salmon sous vide for 30 minutes at 116. But now think about ribs over two days. I'd rather use the SVS for that and my Anova Precision Cooker for the quicker meals.

shutterbug wrote: ↑The SVS has absolutely no advantages over a clip on unit. The SVS doesn't even circulate water. It takes up space and you're limited by it's size.
With a clip on I can sous vide a single egg or a whole pork shoulder.

Can you share a similar clip on product that in your view is superior?

Not sure what the rules are on the board (I do not gain any benefit by linking this) but I really like the Anova Percision cooker. It can link to your phone or tablet too
http://store.anovaculinary.com/products ... aQodJ7QAOQ

Watch out for the shipping though - it can be a killer especially if you get HST tacked on after the fact. In their FAQs they say that they will cover VAT (HST), customs and duties. I can vouch for this as they refunded my credit card once I showed them the extra bill I got from UPS (HST & their fee to collect).

Painman wrote: ↑Totally incorrect. Your pot has extremely limited thermal insulation. You are literally bleeding heat out all sides and the top. The SVS, on the other hand, is insulated. Think it's no big deal? Maybe not for an occasional salmon sous vide for 30 minutes at 116. But now think about ribs over two days. I'd rather use the SVS for that and my Anova Precision Cooker for the quicker meals.

Who says I have to use a pot? I can use anything I want including an ice chest. A clip on offers versatility. An SVS doesn't. It also doesn't CIRCULATE water.
I own a Nomiku which was the original before everyone else jumped on the home sous vide bandwagon.

After reading the thread, I think I'm more interested in getting the Anova Precision Cooker and build my own Water Bath Container based on this recommendation: http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com ... ner-to-use

Easy guys. All I'm saying is that THIS is a good deal for THIS product. We can argue until the cows come home about whether this or an immersion heater is better (apple vs pc). Bottom line, it's almost 1/2 price. If you think it's crap, move on. If you like it, buy it. I'm tired of watching a candy thermometer in a pot on my stove, so this works for me. Just thought I'd share.

maybe this is a dumb question but can i use any type of vacuum bag to seal the food? eg foodsaver vacuum sealers using foodsaver bags?

ordered 1 just cos i wanna try this sousvide cooking out! im terrible with the pan or the bbq either getting the correct temp or the time. hopefully this sous vide lays that to rest & i can make an excellent steak or chops or prime rib! thanks op

now to find a vacuum sealer on sale for cheap! would still like to know if a reg foodsaver vacuum machine/bags work on this

scotsum wrote: ↑ordered 1 just cos i wanna try this sousvide cooking out! im terrible with the pan or the bbq either getting the correct temp or the time. hopefully this sous vide lays that to rest & i can make an excellent steak or chops or prime rib! thanks op
now to find a vacuum sealer on sale for cheap! would still like to know if a reg foodsaver vacuum machine/bags work on this

Depends who you ask. Foodsaver doesn't certify their bags for sous vide, but lots have used them. google it.
http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com ... ls-to-fail

Casper wrote: ↑apples and oranges. Like saying I can buy a whirlpool spa for $1000, or I can get one of those things that hang over the side of a bathtub and spin the water for $100. Plus, how is it obsolete tech?

Where are you seeing $100? I thought it was $180.
It's obsolete (to me anyway) because it's a fixed size. I can clip my stick type to a bigger container (within reason) and cook something like a whole rack of beef ribs (or 4).

Painman wrote: ↑Totally incorrect. Your pot has extremely limited thermal insulation. You are literally bleeding heat out all sides and the top. The SVS, on the other hand, is insulated. Think it's no big deal? Maybe not for an occasional salmon sous vide for 30 minutes at 116. But now think about ribs over two days. I'd rather use the SVS for that and my Anova Precision Cooker for the quicker meals.

It's not a big deal. Even at 300W running (which I've measured) compared to 0W for this unit (since I can't measure it), you're looking at $0.03/hr assuming $0.10/kWh. Over 48 hours you're looking at a buck fifty. Actually less since the SVS still uses something for maintenance heat.
If you're THAT concerned about it (or cook ribs quite often) there's no reason you couldn't spend $30 on a cooler. You'd pay for it in 20 cooks.

Besides... you couldn't even fit a rack of ribs in this thing.

shutterbug wrote: ↑Who says I have to use a pot? I can use anything I want including an ice chest. A clip on offers versatility. An SVS doesn't. It also doesn't CIRCULATE water.
I own a Nomiku which was the original before everyone else jumped on the home sous vide bandwagon.

Yeah exactly. There's LOTS of examples of people using coolers.
Hell someone did this:

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/2DPpZmP.jpg[/IMG]
Credit: http://www.reddit.com/r/sousvide/commen ... ded_cooks/

scotsum wrote: ↑maybe this is a dumb question but can i use any type of vacuum bag to seal the food? eg foodsaver vacuum sealers using foodsaver bags?

You technically don't even need that. A lot of people use displacement and ziploc bags.

Casper wrote: ↑Depends who you ask. Foodsaver doesn't certify their bags for sous vide, but lots have used them. google it.
http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com ... ls-to-fail

thanks. also read that ziploc bags can be used as well which is pretty cool!

cant wait to try it out & surprise my gf with the best steak/chop she's ever had!!!

scotsum wrote: ↑thanks. also read that ziploc bags can be used as well which is pretty cool!

cant wait to try it out & surprise my gf with the best steak/chop she's ever had!!!

I've been using ziplocks in my "low tech", stove top, sous vide, and it's worked great.

I don't know where you are getting 300w from. Sticks just aren't energy efficient (at all) compared to baths.

Baths don't require circulation like the sticks do. It's just wasted energy. The bath heats evenly and uses the naturally occurring convection to circulate.

I have both kinds of units. I can tell you from experience that the bath is the easier of the two to use the and much simpler to maintain (no moving parts and cleaning is a no brainer). The stick looks cooler and running it from an app on my phone or tablet while sitting with guests in the living room is fun.

There's some concern about what kinds of plastic you use. I use Ziploc bags or freezer bags at low temps and time. At higher temps or for long baths, I use the Foodsaver bags that I make with my sealer. For most sous vide cooking, you don't need a vacuum sealer (use the water displacement method). Because I'm cooking Sous Vide a lot, I've ordered silicone reusable and resealable bags. Can't comment on how well they work yet as they are in transit (I've read that getting the air out is more work). Better for the environment and 100% safe for the family. Next up... a blow torch for finishing

Painman wrote: ↑I don't know where you are getting 300w from. Sticks just aren't energy efficient (at all) compared to baths.

Kill-A-Watt. I didn't plot the temperature for any length of time but the spot check was 300W. I'd be highly surprised if it actually took 300W full time even in an uninsulated container.
If someone is genuinely curious about it I will run extended testing on it.

I don't own a SVS so I don't know the running power but even with insulation I doubt it's zero for a full cook.

But like I said, if you're seriously that concerned, buy a $30 cooler. It'll perform just as good (if not better than a SVS due to circulation).
Yes it's more expensive but I'd rather have the versatility. With a fixed sized container you're very limited as to what you can cook in it.
I can cook anything that fits inside a full sized food pan. If anything I'm limited by the size of my vacuum bags.

Baths don't require circulation like the sticks do. It's just wasted energy. The bath heats evenly and uses the naturally occurring convection to circulate.

I would still be interested in seeing the temperature variation when the unit is loaded with food. Not just like one or two steaks but like a dozen.
Someone posted some FLIR images of a SVS and it did look pretty consistent but it didn't have any "depth" to it. Only surface temperatures.
Plus it was taken while it was empty.

I have both kinds of units. I can tell you from experience that the bath is the easier of the two to use

I don't understand how it's "easier" to use in any way. It's not exactly hard setting the temp on the stick types.
Even if it were any harder to use it'd be a one point difference on a scale of 1 to 100.

and much simpler to maintain (no moving parts and cleaning is a no brainer).

I don't understand how cleaning is any easier either considering the inner pot isn't removable. If anything it's harder to clean if you get a good mess in there (eg if a bag leaks).
If I leak a bag in a stick type, I dump the water and toss the pan in a dishwasher. I swish the stick in some soapy water and call it a day.

I've had a sansaire for a while now and it's as simple as it gets. Stick it in the water, turn the top until the desired temp is indicated on the big led display, and walk away. How is that complicated? I love how portable it is. I use it often at home in a large pot (18L, tall pot I think) but when used at my parents or friends you can use anything provided you meet the minimum water depth (which isn't hard).

As for consistent temps, while I'm sure the SVS manages to be quite consistent, but ci circulating the water is always going to be more efficient and consistent at maintaining a temp. Also I'd assume that when throwing stuff in at various times the temp would recover faster and evenly when being circulated.

Either way tho, if you've been wanting to get in on one do it, it's like a fine dining slow cooker. Never overcook anything and because of that it's fantastic for gatherings or even maintaining a perfect dinner if someone is running late. Fun tech.