TO STIR OR NOT TO STIR?

A couple weeks ago, we posted important points to consider before you buy a circulator. Some of you replied asking: How big of a difference is it to cook with a water bath controlled by a thermal circulatorversus a non-stirred water bath?

The answer depends on 3 points:

Level of precision desired and needed

Click here for experiment video

For delicate and short-time cooked foods (seafood, eggs and certain cuts meats) a non-stirred bath is not able to regulate temperature and uniformity with absolute precision. Meaning, the temperature of the bath will overshoot and food will be cooked at a higher temperature than desired.  Consider also that the less precise core temperature of a non-stirred bath and longer response time may create a risk factor in food safety that is not given with a bath controlled by a immersion circulator.

Setting and workload
Applied in a professional setting a non-stirred bath cannot cope with the demands as well as an immersion circulator controlled bath. It takes significantly longer to reach set temperature and to get back to set temperature after the product is added to the bath.

Portability and Practicality
The PolyScience immersion circulator can be attached to virtually any tank and when not in use stored easily in a drawer or cabinet. Cleaning is obviously a much simpler act and allows to use a dishwasher for the bath.

To demonstrate the these points in a direct comparison, we’ve set up an experiment and documented it in this video and stirred vs non-stirred chart. The results very clearly illustrate why cooking sous vide with a stirred bath gives superior results.

For more frequently asked questions regarding cooking sous vide, click here.