REASONS TO BUY
Incredible circulating skills
Extremely easy to use
REASONS TO AVOID
Pricey
Mediocre results in our stability test
Anova Culinary Precision Cooker AN500-US00 Review
Thanks to its exceptional all around performance, it's our first choice when looking for the best of the best
RELATED: Best Sous Vide Machine
Our Verdict
As one of the best sous vides of the group, the Anova AN500-US00 has superior performance that delivers beautifully cooked food consistently. It did a very thorough job of circulating the water throughout the container in our test and was one of the more accurate models in our temperature tests. On top of all that, it is extremely convenient and easy to use, making it one of the best SV machines you can get to add to your appliance lineup.
//Editor's note: This sous vide review received an update with new sections to help you make a great buying decision. It was updated on February 14, 2022.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Anova Culinary Precision Cooker AN500-US00 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Sous Vide Machine |  A Model with Excellent Circulation |  Budget-Friendly with an App | ||
| Price | $219 List $94.41 at Amazon | $150 List $139.99 at Amazon | $130 List $99.99 at Amazon | $149 List $64.99 at Amazon | $100 List $49.77 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | If you don't mind spending a bit on a premium SV machine, this is a great option | This sous vide offers stable temps and an intuitive interface at a more-than-fair price point | With its stellar circulation, it's no surprise that this budget-friendly model heats up quickly, and the large LCD screen is very easy to see | An overall excellent product that doesn't sacrifice much in performance and boasts the addition of an app | If you want to try out sous vide cooking without spending a ton of cash, this is a great choice |
| Rating Categories | Anova Culinary Prec... | KitchenBoss G320 | Greater Goods Preci... | Anova Culinary Prec... | VPCOK Sous Vide Cooker |
| Temperature (40%) | |||||
| Circulation (30%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (30%) | |||||
| Specs | Anova Culinary Prec... | KitchenBoss G320 | Greater Goods Preci... | Anova Culinary Prec... | VPCOK Sous Vide Cooker |
| Clamp/Mounts | Adjustable and removeable screw clamp | Adjustable and removeable screw clamp | Fixed plastic clip | Fixed screw clamp | Removeable fixed plastic clip |
| App Control | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Wattage | 1000W | 1100W | 1100W | 750W | 1000W |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The quality of the food can be affected if the sous vide oscillated around a temperature, rather than maintaining a steady-state.
Credit: Laura Casner
Temperature
Our series of temperature evaluations are the most significant of our entire testing process, with this metric responsible for 40% of the final score for each kitchen appliance. We evaluated and scored how well the AN500-US00 recovered the temperature once the food was added, how stable it held the set temperature, its accuracy, and how long it took to heat water initially.
While the AN500-US00 isn't the fastest to heat in our test group, it did pretty well in the recovery test. This sous vide machine took just under an hour — 55 minutes — to warm up our test container of cold tap water to 147°F. However, it only took around three minutes to heat the water back up to 135°F after we dropped in three frozen hamburger patties in a bag.
The Anova Precision Cooker is one of our all-time favorite sous vide machines.
Credit: Laura Casner
This immersion circulator also proved to be one of the more accurate models in our tests. It only had an average error of 0.12°F when the temperature was set to 135°F and 0.06°F when it was set to 147°F.
We did see some slight temperature oscillations over our hour-long test.
Credit: Laura Casner
Unfortunately, this model showed some temperature fluctuations in our stability test, spending 18% of the hour off its steady-state temperature. However, it never wavered too far, only having an average error of 0.16°F throughout the 60 minutes.
The Anova Precision Cooker spread the dye throughout the vessel very quickly.
Credit: Michelle Powell
Circulation
Next, we compared how well each sous vide moved water throughout the container, which helps ensure everything is cooked to the desired temperature and there aren't any hot or cold spots. We measured performance by introducing a concentrated amount of food coloring into the container, then timed how long it took each product to mix the dye and water until an even temperature was achieved, accounting for 30% of the final score.
The Anova only took around 15 seconds to completely disperse the dye, which is one of the fastest times we have seen to date. The slowest machines took over three minutes to complete this task.
The Anova Nano is very easy to operate.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ease of Use
Finally, we ranked and compared each immersion circulator's overall ease of use and user-friendliness, which accounts for the residual 30% of the total score. We awarded points based on the interface and features of each sous vide and how easily it can be attached to different vessels. The AN500-US00 again delivered top results.
The Anova can be controlled through its companion smartphone app or the controls right on the device. The interface through the phone and from the device itself is very easy to use, though it can occasionally be a little glitchy through the app. This was never really a problem, simply forcing us to close the app and restart it to regain the connections.
The Anova app is very straightforward and easy to use.
Credit: Laura Casner
The touch buttons are also very responsive and are paired with an easy-to-read digital screen, making the interface on the device itself just as easy — if not easier to use than the companion app. The app also allows you to browse recipes and send the prescribed cooking time and temperature directly to the machine and create custom profiles to reproduce your favorite recipes once you have them dialed in.
The screw action clamp is fairly easy and quick to operate.
Credit: Laura Casner
It has a clamp that makes it quick and easy to attach to the sides of most containers as long as the walls aren't too thick, with a screw action that rotates freely without resistance.
Should You Buy the Anova AN500-US00?
If you are looking for a top-notch sous vide machine, it's hard to go wrong with the Anova AN500-US00. It's easy to use, accurate, and circulates water well, making it one of our all-time favorite products in this category. It even has a companion smartphone app that can browse recipes and send them directly to the machine or even start or stop it remotely. Anova has been one of the leading companies when it comes to bringing sous vide to the masses and provides tons of helpful information and is a great resource overall if you are just starting, further increasing our opinion of this machine. While the AN500-US00 is a top-tier sous vide machine, it is a little on the more expensive side. It's the best of the best in our fleet, but we got tasty results from machines that cost less.
What Other Sous Vide Machine Should You Consider?
Looking to save a few dollars but still want a top-ranking machine with impressive test results? Then the Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Nano is another sous vide to consider. This option will save you around eighty dollars, and you still get great circulation and ease of use with better temperature test results. If budget is of concern, and you can't find this machine on sale, the VPCOK Sous Vide Cooker might be the gadget you are looking for. This model only ranks lower than the Anova AN500-US500 in the ease of use metric.
—
Michelle Powell and David Wise
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