Previous build?

What are other folks upgrading from? This is my beautiful contraption, built in 2011 or 2012, lives in garage 'cause it looks like a bomb. The sensors keep dying, and I have to buy new ones. Rice cooker is lined with housing insulation tape. If it has to heat up water from cold, will overheat. NIIIICE!!! Part of me will miss this ugly old beast.

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Comments

Jeremy_131558

I jumped from hot water in a cooler to Anova 1. But after 2+ years it's becoming persnickety. Part of me is jealous I never got to tinker like that.

artstype

I had the same PDI, used it with a bucket warmer and an aquarium pump in an ice chest. Then I got the Anova. No problems with it.

fisher23

Gas stove on and off the burner, then an Anova, which I have had reliability issues with.

Adam_Gierke_192515

Two Anovas, just need to find a buyer to take them the second my Joules show up.

coryhansen78

I had an on-off temperature controller hooked to a crock-pot initially (probably about a decade ago), then to an immersion coffee-mug style heater. After a few shocks, I tried a few different PID controllers, and eventually settled on the unit you have above.

I run it through a very large, very well insulated Tiger rice cooker. I also have gone through several sensors (bought a few spares last time). Seemed to always fail in the middle of the night and/or when I was not home! The PID tuning was a major pain (very powerful rice cooker, with a huge volume of water, well-insulated), but I kinda geeked-out over it, read a lot of PID tuning methods, theory etc, did some data logging/spreadsheet stuff, which I somewhat enjoyed. It works pretty well, especially for long, (relatively) low temp cooks (like tough cuts of meat) but doesn't really hack it for high temp/quick cooks.

I've never had an actual circulator until my Joule arrived last Friday.

I. LOVE. IT.

It's so fast to come up to temp and very well-tuned. The CS engineering/math folks did a fantastic job.

nasv

Sansaire for me... it has worked very well for 2+ years, though it's a bit clunky.

FrankM_3301

Polyscience...still lots of life left, but will probably be relegated to back-up status. I am looking forward to quieter operation, more options for different types of cooking vessels, and the ability to stick Joule in a drawer when I am not using it....plus the remote operation....plus the ability to travel with it...plus the coolness factor....

brian_martin2001

got my feet wet with this diy project. from there i progressed to an Anova, which I have every intension of using until it kicks the bucket. For certian the joule is going to be a primary, but as i progress to bigger and more grand cooks, even if I am using an well insulated water vessel, having a second one going cannot hurt.

tshewman

I'm upgrading from my PS and anova. I'll be keeping my PS .

Rae_96031

I had exactly that setup in 2011! I upgraded from that to the original Anova when I graduated from college, and now I'm eagerly awaiting my joule.

JasonWirth_68226

Nice! I've got the same one but also ordered the heating arrangement. (The attachment is a heating element in a long, green silicone housing.)

I got it before the Anova and other models came out. If I remember correctly at the time it was PolySci or this. It works really well but setting it up and breaking it down is a pain so I only use it for long cooks of large items. In this photo I'm making eggs for eggs Benedict.

Martin_411586

Same start: I hooked mum's old electric rice cooker up to a PID I found on DealExtreme. The beast worked well but there was a slight temperature gradient in the water because I didn't use a circulator.

I've got an Anova PC now and although the oversimplified app does get to me sometimes, it's been a great upgrade.

whenric

You're giving my ugliness a run for its money!

EricJ_279379

I bought several PID controllers and temperature sensors, but never did cooks because my family was "helpful" and "tidied up" by moving different parts to random different locations in the house and garage. I was just too lazy to fight it any more. :-(

When the Joule arrives I will only have one thing to keep track of. Almost anything can hold the water. There is room for the Joule right next to the immersion blender. Would not be room for SansAire or Anova.

Eric_Schwartz_56524

I built one of those, too, but I couldn't find a water pump that could handle high (~180ºF) temps for any period of time. I went through two of them before I broke down and bought an Anova. I had two replaced under warranty, after I would remove them from the water immediately after hitting my time. Once I left it in the water until it cooled off, I have held on to the 3rd one for almost a year now.