This review covers the VacMaster SV1 immersion
circulator the Vacuum Sealers Unlimited services.
Before I get into the operation and function of the
Vacmaster SV1 let me answer a couple questions most
folks initially ask.
What is Sous Vide?
Accurately put, Sous Vide is French for "under
vacuum". Cooking under vacuum has significantly
grown in popularity for the simple reasons that it
provide consistent results, enhanced flavor and
amazing tenderness. This require a heat transfer
method which water bath has become the most used
method. There are a couple types of Sous Vide water
bath heat transfer device type.
What are my options?
Self Contained Units -
Self contained units are quite with little
evaporation but are limited in the amount one can
cook due to their vessel size.
Immersion Circulators - The Immersion circulators provide greater flexability
as they are more portable, easier to store and
can be fitted to vessels from small to large.
How much water they can heat is limited to the
heaters wattage specs. Most are rated around
1000 - 1200 watts for up to 5 gallons of water.
The Vacmaster SV1 has a 1500 watt heater and is rated
for up to 8 gallons of water. The immersion
circulators you will require a vessel to hold the
water and preferably a lid. This can be any large
pot or in most cases folks buy Polycarbonate storage
containers and lids off of Amazon.
Why the Vacmaster SV1?
Now that we understand how the cooking process works
and what types of devices are available, I will
proceed with my choice in Sous Vide cooking tools. I
stared my endeavor with a self contained unit. I
quickly found that Sous Vide was an incredible way
to cook as it was easy and produced constantly and
perfectly done food every time. I want medium rare
and I get medium rare edge to edge every time. I
also found that the self contained unit had
limitations on how much I could cook at one time.
This got me looking into immersion circulators in
general. After allot of research I decided to go
with a more commercial type unit. I have had great
experiences with Vacmaster products and decided on
the Vacmaster Sv1. It didn't have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi
capabilities like other popular brands. That said,
to be honest I just don't see myself pulling my
phone out of my pocket to set, change or check my
temp. When using these things you have to know your
temp and cook time. You set it and walk away for
hours. If I know my temp and time I won't be
changing it unless I just like to fiddle with
things. I don't need my cell phone or PC for that. I
would rather invest in a unit that is accurate at
holding temp and has a high wattage heater and can
handle small jobs to larger jobs (8 gallons). In
view of this the Vacmaster SV1 stood out of the
pack.
Build and Design
I found the Vacmaster SV1 to be extremely
well built and super easy to operate. The lower unit
is stainless steel for easy cleanup. The unit is
portable and easily storeable in your pantry or
kitchen drawer. Simply retrieve the ubit fron your
pantry, clamp
the unit onto a vessel of and fill to the
correct level clearly marked on the front of the
SV1. Plug in the unit then turn the power switch on
the rear of the unit to the "On" position. The LED
panel will turn on and display the water temp and
timer as well as a heating icon and a circulation
icon.
Controls
I found the controls to be very intuitive and
easy to read. There is power button on the rear of
the unit to turn it on or off. On the front panel, a button to change
from Celsius to Fahrenheit. There are two sets of
buttons one for temp up/down and time up/down. The
time is displayed in hours and minutes with a max of
99 hours (hh:mm). Allot of people have misunderstood
the display to read minutes and seconds (mm:ss) and
have complained that it only goes up to 99 minutes
(99:00). This is not the case its hours and minutes
(hh:mm). Two hours and 30 minutes is display as
2:30. Once you set your temp and time you simply
push the start button. Once the water comes up to
temp you will hear a series of beeps. This is
indicating to you its time to cook and you then push
the start button a second time to start the timer
count down. This is where allot of folks have not
read the manual and missed this step. They complain
about the unit beeping all through their cook. All
they had to do was push the start button and the
beeping stops and the timer begins counting down. I
found the controls and setting functions to be very
simple and intuitive. This is where I will reiterate
for me wanting to do any of this from my phone is
just not something I would even do if I had the
capability. Some will have a difference in opinion
on this subject as they are compelled to do as much
via their phone apps even if its non value added.
For those folk I say knock yourselves out. by a unit
that makes you happy. Now that we have the SV1
cooking away you simply walk away. I constantly
checked mine during the first 143 F degree test cook
and found the temperature fluctuation to be between
142.7 F to 143.0 F. Surprisingly to me it never went
above the 143.0 degree F set point. I also found the
unit to be very quite. Some of the immersion
circulators on the market have been reviewed by
others to be are a bit noisy. This is not the case
with the Vacmaster SV1. While the cook is under way
the display shows an icon of a fan turning
indicating the circulator is running and water is
being circulated thru ought the vessel to maintain a
very even temperature. As the heater cycles on and
off to maintain a perfect temperature the display
will show a heating icon that appears as the heater
is heating and the icon disappears when its not
heating. I found the display to be very easy
to read as the information is presented in a nice
layout and adequately sized so that all information
can be read with a simple brief glance. At the end
of the cook the unit makes a series of beeps that
sound every once in a while letting you know the
cook is complete. At this point you simply
press the stop button to end the cook and retrieve
your food from the water vessel.
Easy to read display
Submersed in a 16 quart Polycarbonate container.
Further Testing - Last Settings
Memory
One thing I was curious about was what happens upon
sudden loss off power. We sometimes get short power
outages or power bumps. So I decided to pull the
power plug mid stream in a test cook. The unit
powered down, Upon plugging the unit back in it
startup with the circulator churning and the unit
was still in cook mode retaining all of the settings
at the time of power loss. This to me is a nice
feature. I have another unit that does not do this.
If that cooker loses power its all over.
Features
Maintains consistent temperatures for
uniform cooking Heats and circulates up to 30
liters of water at a rate of 7.5 liters per
minute
Pump with AD 12V motor
Easy to use digital control panel
Quiet operation
Adjustable clamp allows attachment to most
water containers
Last settings memory
Stainless steel construction
Low water level alarm
120V, 1500W, a cord and plug are included
Specifications
Temperature Range: 25° C to 99°C ± .01°C
Tank Capacity: 30 liters (7-8 gallons)
Timer: 99 hours with alarm Safety: High
temperature protection and low water alarm
Pump: 12V motor Electrical Specifications:
120V, 60Hz, 1500
Circulation rate: 7.5 Liters per
minute (1.9 gallons)
Power: 120/240V Heating Power: 1500 watts
Weight: 4.5 lbs.
Overall Dimensions: (W D H) 13” x 2.5” x 6”
What's in the Box
Maintenance Kit
User’s Guide
Service
I find the Vacmaster SV1 very impressive as was the
service from Lisa Bilotta from Vacuum Sealers
Unlimited. I received same day service and my
Vacmaster SV1 was shipped from the manufacturer to
my door step arriving very well packaged and within
4 days. I have been ordering vacuum bags and
supplies from vacuum sealers unlimited for years now
and I have grown to really appreciate the great
service and fast shipping.
Summary
If your looking for a Sous Vide device to help take
your culinary experience to a professional level, I
highly recommend the Vacmaster SV1 immersion
circulator and Vacuum Sealers Unlimited as your
supplier.
The following are reasons I chose to cook with the
Vacmaster SV1.
Superior build and design quality
Stainless steel makes for easy cleanup
Intuitive and easy to read and use control
panel
Easily storable and easy setup
1500 watt heater
Rated for up to 8 gallons of water
(capable of handling small or very large
batches)
Fast heat up time
Quiet pump that circulates 1.9 gallons per
minute for even heating.
High temperature protection and low
water alarms for safety
Minimal temperature fluctuation from initial
set point
Costs less than other units with like heater
rating and capacity capabilities.
Vacmaster is known for its commercial
build quality and dependability over time.
Consistent edge to edge doneness for
Professional results
