The Best Sous Vide Machines
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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The Breville Joule Turbo was the one machine that showed up at or near the top of every source we analyzed. America's Test Kitchen named it the overall winner, Reviewed and Food Network both made it Best Overall, and Consumer Reports rated it dead even with the Anova on precision. Its signature is speed: TechGearLab and Reviewed both clocked the Turbo mode heating water to target faster than any competitor, which shortens the wait before you even drop the bag in.
It is also the smallest circulator in the group. At 1.28 pounds and about 11 inches tall, ATK singled it out as the easiest to store, and the sealed magnetic base is dishwasher safe. Temperature holds were excellent across long cooks, landing within a fraction of a degree in ATK's testing.
What you give up is a screen. There are no buttons on the Joule, so every cook starts in the Breville+ app. Reviewers who cook with their phone nearby barely noticed, and the app itself is polished with guided recipes plus Alexa and Google voice control. For most buyers the speed, size, and consistency outweigh the app-only design, and that combination is why it wins.
What It Won't Do
There is no onboard display or buttons, so you cannot start or adjust a cook without your phone. If your battery dies or you simply want to punch in a temperature at the counter, the Joule cannot do it. Engadget flagged this as the single most divisive thing about the machine.
The Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0 delivers the parts of the experience that actually matter for about $100 less than the Joule Turbo. It carries the same ±0.2°F accuracy rating as Anova's flagship, and TechGearLab measured its holds on par with the pricier Precision Cooker, which earned it their Best Buy pick. Food Network reached the same conclusion and called it Best Budget.
Crucially, the Nano keeps a two-line onboard touchscreen, so unlike the Joule you can set a cook without your phone, then use the mature Anova app when you want remote monitoring. That is a lot of capability at a genuinely budget price.
The tradeoff is power. Its 850W element preheats more slowly than the 1100W flagship, and it is rated for smaller pots, so very large batches are not its strength. For a first circulator or a household cooking a few portions at a time, none of that gets in the way, and the savings are hard to argue with.
What It Won't Do
The 850W element is the slowest of the Anova line to bring a large pot up to temperature, and the Nano is rated for smaller volumes. Cook for a crowd in a big stockpot and it has to work harder to hold a steady temperature than the 1100W models do.
Who Should Buy Which
Breville Joule Turbo
The fastest, most compact circulator, and the top pick in every serious test we found
- Cooks who want the fastest heat-up available
- Anyone short on kitchen storage who values a compact unit
- People happy to run cooks from a phone app
- Buyers who want the broadest smart-home and voice support
Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3.0
The full Anova experience with onboard controls for around $100 less than the flagship
- First-time sous vide cooks on a budget
- Anyone who wants onboard controls without a phone
- Households cooking a few portions at a time
- Buyers who want genuine Anova accuracy for around $100 less