The Anova Precision Cooker Pro is the heavy-duty circulator in this group: 1,200 watts, a stainless-steel body over a Teflon-coated aluminium core, and a detachable skirt that lets you reach the coils without tools. Serious Eats measured it heating water nearly twice as fast as the previous model, and Sous Vide Guy rated it 9.7 out of 10. Connectivity setup has been the sore point.
Full review
Holds to within 0.05 degrees Celsius
Anova rates the Pro to within 0.05 degrees Celsius, and the cited reviews bear out that it holds a setpoint over long cooks without drifting, which is the entire point of an immersion circulator.
Published testing has it heating 2 gallons of tap-temperature water from 85°F to 150°F in roughly 23.5 minutes, about five minutes quicker than the Precision Cooker 2.0, and holding a one-hour bath at 190°F with consistent readings throughout.
1,200 watts, and 33 minutes to 190°F
Serious Eats found the Pro heated water nearly twice as fast as the previous generation, reaching 190°F in 33 minutes where the 2.0 took 60 minutes. The 1,200-watt element is what does it.
That speed matters most on large baths. The Pro is rated for water volumes up to 60 litres, so it can hold a full container of portions for a dinner party rather than a single steak in a stockpot.
Raised impeller above a beveled base
The impeller sits above a beveled base so the vent cannot be blocked by the bottom of a pot, whatever shape the container is. It is a small design decision that removes one of the more common sous vide annoyances.
Sous Vide Guy, rating it 9.7 out of 10, highlighted that the detachable stainless-steel skirt lets you reach the internal coils for servicing with no screws or panels to remove, which is unusual on a sealed kitchen appliance.
Stainless steel, IPX7, and a dual-line display
The body combines stainless steel and Teflon-coated aluminium with an IPX7 rating, so an accidental dunk is survivable. It measures 88mm across, 60mm wide and 350mm tall and weighs 1.29kg, lighter than several competitors.
The dual-line display shows time and temperature at once instead of switching between them, and the two-pin clamp adjusts on two axes to grip almost any medium or large container securely.
The app was the weak point at launch
Connectivity is the recurring complaint. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairing requires a specific sequence and has drawn reports of trouble, and at the time of the early reviews the unit-specific app had not yet appeared on either store.
Journey Monkeys still called the digital interface a walk in the park for dialling in temperatures and rated the Anova Culinary app one of the best appliance interfaces it had used, so the software is capable once it is connected.
Priced well above a starter circulator
The Pro costs considerably more than a basic circulator, and the reviews are consistent that a casual cook is unlikely to get that back. Noise is a minor mark against it too, running slightly louder than some rivals.
Serious Eats recommends it for cooks wanting to up their culinary game and for regular sous vide users who value accuracy and convenience. For occasional cooking, a simpler model does the same job for far less money.
Strengths
- +1,200-watt element heats a bath quickly and holds temperature without drift
- +Stainless steel over Teflon-coated aluminium with an IPX7 rating
- +Raised impeller above a beveled base keeps the vent clear in any pot shape
- +Two-pin clamp adjusts on two axes to fit medium and large containers
- +Detachable skirt exposes the coils for cleaning with no screws or panels
Watch-outs
- −Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairing needs specific steps and has drawn complaints
- −The unit-specific app was not on either store at the time of the early reviews
- −Costs significantly more than a basic circulator
- −Slightly louder than some competing models
How it compares
The Pro's stainless-steel build and raised impeller are what separate it from the Nano 3.0 and the Instant Pot Accu Slim: it is more durable and far less fussy about container shape than the basic Anova 3.0, which has a simpler interface and no comparable circulation system. Its Wi-Fi setup is more troublesome than the Breville Joule Turbo's.
Rating sources
“Since reviewing the leading Inexpensive Immersion Circulators several years ago, I have been regularly using the original Anova I recommended and have been very pleased with its performance.”
“The Anova app is one of the best appliance interface apps I've used. It's super easy to monitor, and keep a record of, your cook, make adjustments and is loaded with recipes from beginner to advanced.”
“The Anova Precision Cooker 3.0 wowed us with incredibly fast heating times and a super intuitive, versatile user interface.”
Our 4.6 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
