If you’re shopping for sous vide containers, you’re probably familiar with the joy of sous vide — cooking food slowly in a water bath until it reaches precisely the temperature you desire. Immersion circulators (sous vide cookers) make it painless to cook everything from eggs to steak to your desired doneness without risk of overcooking.

For a quality setup for your water bath, try Anova Culinary ANTC01 Sous Vide Cooker. It’s made by the manufacturer of the top-selling sous vide cooker, has an energy-efficient design with an integrated rack and a sealing lid for worry-free sous vide.

What to know before you buy a sous vide container

Compatibility

If you already have a sous vide machine, you need a container that fits your circulator (usually through a hole in the lid) comfortably without wobbling or toppling.

If your cooker has a clamp, be sure to choose a container with sidewalls that are thin enough to allow you to clamp it securely in place.

Size and shape

If you like to entertain or cook large roasts, racks of ribs or brisket, you’ll need a larger sous vide container to accommodate it. When cooking sous vide, you need good circulation of the water freely flowing so the temperature can evenly distribute throughout the water bath.

If you have a smaller household (less than five people) or like to cook smaller portions (filets of fish or pork chops), you can get by using a smaller container or a pot you already own.

One downside of using your deep pasta pot is its shape. In sous vide cooking, raw ingredients are sealed inside a rectangular plastic bag. These can be awkward to arrange in a round pot. Most containers designed for sous vide cooking are square or rectangular.

Keeping your food in place

It’s crucial to keep your food submerged while cooking sous vide, otherwise it will be undercooked. Preventing food from bobbing up to the top can be a challenge, especially with more buoyant foods like vegetables.

You can hold your food underwater with binder (alligator) clips, sous vide weights or clever weighted sous vide magnets. Manufacturers have also created custom racks for sous vide containers that prevent food bags from popping up or keep steaks filed neatly in a row for even cooking.

Temperature control

Preventing heat loss and evaporation in your water bath will ease the strain on your immersion circulator because it won’t have to work as hard to maintain the water temperature. Some containers are insulated or come with a sealing lid to prevent moisture loss. You can even buy an insulating sleeve for your sous vide container.

Sous vide container features

Material

Polycarbonate: Most dedicated sous vide containers are made from durable polycarbonate. Some advantages of polycarbonate are:

Retains heat better

Transparent for easy viewing

Lightweight and portable

Compatible with tailored lids (specific to your model circulator)

Look for polycarbonate that’s “food-grade” and free of BPAs.

Metal: You can also use a metal pot such as a large stockpot with an immersion circulator to cook foods sous vide. This is common when people first start out, when they have an immersion circulator but before they invest in a dedicated sous vide water bath container. Be sure to use a non-reactive stainless steel pot if you try this.

Tailored lids

While sous vide machine brands have their own containers with lids designed specifically for their own cookers, they’re usually compatible with other immersion circulators.

Floating “lids”

Sometimes, instead of a plastic lid, foil, parchment paper or weights are used to cut down on evaporation, serving as a kind of “floating lid” over the surface of the water. Ping-pong balls might be the most famous floating lid, such as this set of dedicated sous vide cooking balls.

Racks

Since it’s a food safety risk to have food pop out of the water bath during cooking, many sous vide containers have integrated racks to hold food in place to allow proper circulation of heat. Racks can also be purchased separately.

Sous vide container cost

Sous vide containers range from less than $20 to over $75, depending on size and the features included. At the higher end of the range, expect a lid customized with a hole that fits your exact model of immersion circulator. At the lower end, you’ll be buying the container only or with a standard lid, but you can purchase a tailored lid separately.

Sous vide container FAQ

How much water do I need to use with sous vide?

A. The exact amount of water depends on the capacity of your container, but most sous vide immersion circulators require around 8 inches of water for optimal cooking.

What’s the best sous vide container for brisket?

A. You’ll want to use a larger container than the typical 12- to 16-quart capacity; go for at least a 22-quart container.

Which sous vide container should I get?

Best of the best sous vide container

Anova Culinary ANTC01 Sous Vide Cooker: available at Amazon and Sur la Table

Our take: Anova’s oval 16-quart container is attractive, but the oval shape is engineered for efficient temperature circulation.

What we like: Fits their best-selling sous vide cooker perfectly. Comes complete with a rack for keeping food submerged and a removable lid with rubber sealing ring to prevent evaporation and heat loss.

What we dislike: Higher price point. Some sous vide fans prefer square containers.

Best bang for your buck sous vide container

Rubbermaid Square Commercial Storage Container: available at Amazon

Our take: This sturdy 12-quart standby has been used by sous vide enthusiasts for years who simply cut a hole in the plastic lid for their sour vide cookers.

What we like: Inexpensive, lightweight and easy-to-grip handles.

What we dislike: You’ll need to buy a separate lid made to fit your sous vide machine, or cut a hole yourself.

Honorable mention sous vide container

VÄESKE Insulated Sous Vide Container with Rack and Sleeve: available at Amazon

Our take: If you’re looking to pick up a complete sous vide setup at a reasonable price, this 12-quart sous vide container comes with an insulating sleeve, stainless rack and anti-float crossbar to ensure optimal temperature distribution.

What we like: The tailored lid can accommodate most popular sous vide cookers up to 2.5 inches in diameter.

What we dislike: Some have complained that the container is tapered and not as large as expected.

Rachel Boller is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

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