Anova Nano : FirstLook
... next generation sous vide cooker!!!
Sous vide is the ONLY way we cook our protein (steak, chicken, and seafood) since we got on the immersion-cooker train seven years ago. As a cooking method, sous vide is practically fool-proof, scales well for larger gatherings, and requires very little work.
Because we were relatively early-adopters of home sous vide cooking (the technique actually traces back to the late 1800s), we ended up with immersion-cookers that were relatively expensive and leaned more toward the commercial side—bigger, stand-alone, a little bit unwieldy—regardless of makers.
Fast-forward to today, and the new sous vide cookers one the home market are smaller, less industrial, and available at around $100.
Anova Nano
We wanted to see how the new cookers compare to the heavier-duty units of the past, but instead of looking at them all, we decided to look at ones from makers whose products we had great experiences with in actual use. The company at the top of the list is Anova.
No it’s not a flashlight that tells time incorrectly
FirstLook
The Nano is Anova’s smallest precision cooker. It is completely self-contained, and has a fixed clamp and sealed touch controls.
It’s a…mighty space-agey looking thing
Nano Specs:
- Performance/Power: 750 WattsFlow Rate: 8 Liters/min
- Durability: Plastic & stainless steelIPX7 water and splash resistant
- Precision: Accuracy: +/- 0.1˚C (0.2˚F), Range: 0˚-92˚C (32˚-197˚F)
- Size: 3.07in W x 4.1in D x 12.8in H (78mm W x 105mm D x 325mm H), 1.39lbs (0.63kg)
- Container Size: Min water line: 2.56in (65mm), Max water line: 6.02in (153mm)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth iOS and Android app
The big advantage to a smaller unit is the ability to use it in smaller or shallower containers. The Nano can operate in a pot with just slightly more than 2.5 inches of water, just enough to cover the heating element and circulator.
It’s certainly a thingy-looking thing
Compare
We thought it would be helpful to show the older and newer unit side-by-side view. With them next to each other, it is clear how much smaller and slimmer the Nano is than the original.
This is one of those things that if you didn’t already know what it was, you wouldn’t know what it was…
Our original Anova cooker has a much more flexible clamping system. It is adjustable along the length of the shaft and has a much wider opening for gripping the thicker side of a (like an insulated cooler). The Nano is attached to the shaft (meaning it’s stationary) and the clamp is shallower (good for standard pots, etc.). However, based on how we have used the cooker in the past, we don’t see any limitations to the new design.
This difference in what the device can be clamped on to doesn’t seem to be an issue
Containers
The container we use most often for sous vide is a ceramic pickling crock (think home-made sauerkraut). Because of its straight side and heat-retaining nature, it is our go-to container of choice. The Nano was able to clamp onto its thick side, but just barely.
Just plug it in and let it do its thing
However, the one disadvantage with the ceramic pickling crock is that it is quite tall, which means a lot of water has to be heated to temperature before we can use it. That is fine when we have a lot of things to cook, but less convenient if we just wanted to make one steak, a few pieces of chicken, or 1/2 dozen jumbo shrimps.
We are hoping that with the shorter 2.5″ depth of the Nano we’ll be able to use smaller containers for meals that we are cooking for one or two people. We’ll see how this all shakes out in the coming months.
Smaller size means less water needed for the bath (five-gallon pickling crock in the back)
We’ll have the FirstUse of the Anova Nano next month. The plan is to cook something we have cooked many times in the older sous vide unit, both to see the quality of the results and to share our thoughts on the usability of the Nano cooker. Look for it in May.
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