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Try sous vide cooking at home with this 1,000-watt immersion machine for $50

Why pay $100 or more when this model does the job for half the price? Plus: Get Destiny 2 for PS4 for just $1.97.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read
ikick-sous-vide-cooker
IKICH

Happy Monday, friends! Hope you had a safe and healthy at-home weekend. I baked the DoubleTree cookie recipe that hit the interwebs last week (verdict: pretty darn good) and finally learned what all the Tiger King fuss was about (verdict: riveting, but I weep for humanity). I also had a fairly comical revelation: slippers! As in, now that so many of us are stuck at home, everyone needs a really good pair of slippers.

For the gentlemen out there, I was going to recommend these RockDove Nomad Slippers with memory foam, because they're the single most comfortable pair I've ever owned -- but the price just jumped to $27 from $20. If you're not in a rush, wait until it comes back down.

On to business. Some call sous vide cooking the most game-changing thing to happen to the kitchen in a decade. Apparently, giving beef, chicken, fish and the like a hot bath can produce amazing results. And with home cooking up roughly a gazillion percent, this might be the ideal time to give it a try.

Here's one of your cheapest chances yet: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon seller OptimMore has the IKICH Sous Vide Cooker for $49.99 with promo code RKM7XKG8. Regular price: $89.99. That's one of the lowest prices I've seen for a 1,000-watt machine. (Last time around, it was an 800-watt model for $1 more.)

If I remember my high-school French, "sous vide" means "sits in a pot for a while." What happens is, you seal your meat or whatever in a bag, then put it in a pot of water. The cooker keeps that water at a consistent (and fairly low) temperature, effectively sealing in all the juices and preventing overcooking.

Thus, as fans like to tell it, they can throw something into the pot in the morning, leave it cooking all day, and come home to perfection. All you do is finish the item with a quick fry-pan sear.

Read more: 10 cookbooks to get you through quarantine   

You'll be ready to sous vide at home with these appliances

See all photos

As you may have guessed, I'm no expert when it comes to sous vide, having never tried it. And this model has only 22 user reviews, with Fakespot and ReviewMeta in total disagreement about the legitimacy of those ratings. 

Still, I think if you want to get in on the sous vide action, this is definitely worth a look. A fair number of other popular models start at around $100, and some sell for as high as $200.

Your thoughts, chefs?

Read more: Best smart countertop ovens in 2020  

Buy a physical copy of Destiny 2 for PS4 for just $1.97

destiny-2-screenshot

Destiny 2 (for PS4) is just two bucks right now.

Xbox

Price mistake? Maybe, but take advantage while you can: GameStop has the 2017 shooter Destiny 2 (PS4) for $1.97. You may be able to get curbside pickup; otherwise shipping will run you about $4. Incidentally, the Xbox One version sells for $10, so this really is a crazy-good deal. Thanks to reader Jim F. for bringing it to my attention!

The game has a 4.3-star average rating from GameStop customers and an 8/10 score from GameSpot. For two bucks, how can you go wrong?

Watch this: How to cook the perfect restaurant steak at home

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