Blew $600 on a sous vide setup in 2023 and my cooks still give me grief about it

Iris Davis · 2026-10-16T03:55:05.135706+00:00

I finally admit I was wrong about this one. Back in early 2023 I dropped about $600 total on a sous vide circulator, a big plastic tub, a vacuum sealer, and all the bags that go with it. I was sure it would change how we do proteins on the line at my spot in Sacramento. Two years later it mostly sits in a closet, and I still hear about it from my lead cook every time we get slammed on a Friday. The thing is, for the volume we run, a good cast iron sear and a hot oven does the job faster and with less fuss. I wanted it to be the magic tool, but it just was not, at least not for a busy service where timing matters more than precision. What finally convinced me was a Saturday where we sold out of short ribs by 7pm and the sous vide batch was still not done. Has anyone here actually made a circulator work during a real dinner rush, or did you all just give up like I did?

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Blew $600 on a sous vide setup in 2023 and my cooks still give me grief about it | Chefs - Talk Freely