Before i proceed any further, i must put forth the disclaimer that i have not purchased the product from Taobao that i am introducing today. I still own and use the Anova circulator i have gotten many years ago.
My Anova still works flawlessly, but the clamp for holding it to the pot has broken off. Having used a Sous Vide circulator, though only on and off, i think it’s actually quite worthwhile owning one.
Obviously, all Sous Vide circulators are made in China, though they are not sold in the China market directly. For this reason, they are not readily available on Taobao, especially a few years ago. Well, now you can find some of them on Taobao – they’re either the imported and expensive, or those that are overstock of unknown brands and dirt cheap. This particular one said to be from Spain is probably the cheapest available, at only 266 Yuan (S$54). It comes in 3 different models, and model “C” looks almost exactly like the first generation Anova that i own. I suspect Anova licensed their design to other manufacturers.
You don’t seem to be able to specify the model you want, but i think it doesn’t matter so much. Well, i’m not sure if the clamp mechanism as found on models “A” and “B” are more durable than the one on model “C” (mine has broken off), but they will last a while anyway. The price is unbeatable, like what you would normally expect on Taobao (in comparison the current cheapest Anova model, the Nano, costs S$139).
If you’re getting a Sous Vide circulator, you might also want to grab a silicone bag and a water bath container, or use the thermal cooker like i do.
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