Our Favorite Sous Vide Machine from Breville Is Compact and Powerful—And It's 20% Off for Prime Day

Sous vide cooking is as much about accuracy as it is about convenience. By heating food slowly in a temperature-controlled water bath, you can nail your desired temp without fussing. Plus, since food is sealed in a plastic bag and cooks at a controlled temperature, it's really dang hard to overcook things. And while there are a number of different immersion circulators out there that can get the job done, our favorite is the compact Breville Joule Sous Vide, which heats water quickly, accurately, and quietly.

To buy: Breville Joule Sous Vide was $250, now $200 at amazon.com

Why It Won Our Review

When we tested immersion circulators, the Breville Joule Sous Vide was one of the fastest, bringing a cold water bath up to temperature in just 35 minutes (and only 10 minutes when we started with room temp water). The motor is also whisper quiet, and since it draws water in near the base, it can also operate in just a few inches of water (the base is also magnetic, which holds the Joule upright in a stainless steel pot or Dutch oven without having to fiddle around). The Breville is controlled by the Joule app (available on smartphones and tablets) which was intuitive to use, and the lack of an onboard control panel also made the gadget more compact and easy to store. Above all else, it’s accurate and consistent: it kept water bath temperatures within one degree even when we dropped six refrigerated eggs into it. No small feat!

Good to Know

• Materials: Polycarbonate
• Weight: 1.28 pounds
• Dimensions: 13 x 4 x 4.1 inches
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Wattage: 1100 watts
• Time taken to heat water bath (using a gallon of cold water to start): 35 minutes
• Time taken to heat water bath (using a gallon of room temperature water to start): 10 minutes

FAQs

How does a Breville Joule Sous Vide work?

The Breville Joule Sous Vide is an immersion circulator that heats a water bath and holds it at a specific temperature. This allows you to bring vacuum-packed foods slowly up to temperature. Sous vide cooking is popular for cooking eggs with a perfect runny yolk, or cuts of meat like lamb where the cook temperature has a small window between under and overdone. 

How do you use a Breville Joule Sous Vide?

In order to use the Breville Joule Sous Vide, first you’ll need to vacuum seal your food (unless you’re cooking hard boiled eggs, of course). Next, fix the Joule to a container filled with water (you can use a Cambro, a stock pot, or even a Dutch oven). Once it’s all set, open up the Joule app on your smartphone or tablet, and set the time, temperature and any other custom settings you want to begin the cooking process.