One Foodie Tries the Anova Precision Cooker

There’s nothing more frustrating than spending hours in the kitchen only to serve an overcooked, burnt dinner. However, there is a tool that not only solves this issue, but also allows you way less time in the kitchen and more time running outside. Want to cook up a meal that tastes like a five-star restaurant special? No joke—the Anova Precision Cooker is a kitchen tool that you can use to make tender, juicy meats, vegetables and more.

Anova uses the sous vide technique—French for “under vacuum”—which circulates water at a constant temperature in a pot. So why cook sous vide? You can cook your meal without hovering over the stove; submerge your food in the water and walk away.

First Take

When first receiving the Anova, I was a bit perplexed. I ripped open the box and looked up a few different recipes to try. I printed out the chicken recipe for dinner and went to the store to pick up the few ingredients I didn’t have to prep my meal.

Using The Anova

I clicked on the first video “How to Use the Anova” and to my surprise, I had already thrown away part of the device. Lesson number one when trying a brand-new product: Don’t throw away the box until you have every part. The clip to the precision cooker is in a separate area of the tube, which I did not open. So I had to go dig in our garbage can to get the box out.

Once I dug out the clip—and thoroughly washed and disinfected it—I was ready to cook. I placed my chicken in the bag, clamped the Anova to my pot, dropped the meat into the water and stepped away.

While the chicken was cooking, I made a nice side salad, answered some emails, mapped my run route for the next day, did a 25-minute circuit workout, and then set the table.

Related: Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

I then prepped the sauce as the meat cooked during its final few minutes. Once the meat was done, I took it out of the bag and noticed how moist and tender it looked. I dressed the meat with its sauce, took a bite and was quite impressed. I’m a big advocate for the slow cooker because it allows me to cook dinner while getting on with my day. The Anova is very similar to the slow cooker, but the meat texture turned out a bit different. Sometimes in the slow cooker the chicken pulls a bit too much, making it too similar to pulled chicken. The Anova slices with ease but does not pull into stringy pieces.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a foodie that prep meals for the week, this is an excellent tool to use. The meat stays juicy for days and the clean-up takes less than 5 minutes. Anova also has an app you can download to watch videos and get recipes, which makes it handy to follow directions and plan dinner on a whim.

If you’re on the road a lot and don’t have a formal kitchen to cook, this is perfect to use. All you need is a pot and an outlet.

Related: Healthy Recipes For Cooking Lovers

Like any new device, you should read the directions first to learn how to use it. It will take a little time to get used to using the Anova, but once you figure it out, it’s not too difficult to use. The hardest part is waiting for dinner to be ready.

Ready to give it a try? Whip together this guilt-free eggs benedict dish by award-winning Chef Ming Tsai. This recipe packs in tons of flavor and nutrients without all the fat.

—