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Dinner goes high-tech via 'sous vide'

Heating Immersion Circulator serves as an important part of sous vide cooking.

Jennifer Lowell
Jenn Lowell spent her time at the University of Colorado building robots and other toys before earning her graduate degree in mechatronics and mechanical engineering. She is a self-proclaimed lover of anything that runs off of electricity and has moving parts or motors. Currently pulling double-duty as a high school science teacher and freelance blogger, she has free time seldom enough to deeply appreciate the modern technological conveniences that give her more of it. She is a long-time recreational blogger currently living and working in Brooklyn, NY.
Jennifer Lowell
2 min read
Several days ago, I visited a wine shop and asked to see their chilled selection. I was surprised, however, when I was told that I could have any bottle chilled within 15 minutes. She indicated a waist-high metal water bath in the corner, filled with a swirling pool of icy water.

Machines like this one operate on the principle of convection: an item can be brought to the temperature of a surrounding medium (like air or water) at a faster speed if the medium is moving over its surface. As in the case of the wine shop water bath, some of these gadgets are meant to work as super coolers. In many cases, as with some ovens and microwaves, they are intended for even distribution of heat.

This Sous Vide ED Heating Immersion Circulator serves as an important functional component of Sous Vide cooking, a method in which food is sealed in an airtight plastic bag and immersed in a circulating bath of warm water. It heats the water bath using a heating element, then circulates the water, ensuring the the heat is dispersed evenly. This particular immersion circulator is designed to fit any tank up to a volume of 13.2 gallons, a depth of 6.5 inches, and a wall thickness of up to 1 inch, meaning that it can easily be used either with an existing tank or with a new one.

Unlike a saute pan, there are no hot spots in a tank that uses the immersion circulator. The bright LED display allows for greater cooking control than a pan as well, allowing you to set a target temperature to an accuracy within 1 degree.

The Sous Vide ED Heating Immersion Circulator is available online through Sur la table's Web site for $999.