What sold me on the idea of sous vide was the video below, but Joule has become our favorite way to cook and this kitchen device fits perfectly with the idea of keeping a light, nomadic household profile.

Experience

The entire user experience is polished from unboxing this solidly-constructed device through producing our first extremely tasty meal. The ChefSteps team put as much effort and production value into Joule as they do everything else.

My favorite part of the whole package are the video guides. The app opens with Grant’s welcome and a set-up tour. Each recipe has step-by-step and visual doneness videos. There’s the loveably-quirky motif throughout the app providing a homogeneous sense of fun while cooking.

Portability

There are other manufacturers of home sous vide devices, but Joule’s size struck a perfect balance for me. Measuring in at 28 x 4.7 cm (11.0 x 1.85 inches) and weighing 580 grams (1.28 pounds) this device will easily pack with us during our next move. Other machines have bulky on-board controls. Joule departs from this by using a smartphone for interaction. Cooking sous vide provides an easy, foolproof way to cook as long as we land somewhere we have access to electricity, water, a pot, and some zip-top bags.

Eco-Friendlier-ish

With observational evidence only, Joule seems to be cutting down on some of costs and wastes of meal preparation on top of producing, sure-fire great results.

Electricity: Power here in Costa Rica is pretty expensive as most of it comes from renewables and distributed by a state-run company. I haven’t metered it, but there’s a marked reduction in the amount of excess heat produced by the immersion circulator over the stove or oven.

Water: Except during the dry season, water is inexpensive and easy to come by. Water consumption is higher than other cooking methods. We end up using the water to clean dishes or once cooled to water our garden.

Plastic Bags: Here’s where I’d love to find a better angle. We use more plastic baggies than I’d like. Some of the zip tops find reuse to seal up compostables to prevent attracting bugs. Then, some meals get cooked in the vacuum packaging that comes from the store. We’re on the lookout for a fix :-/

Food Waste: I mean you can’t mess it up. We’ve all overcooked and ruined food that ends up in the trash. With the sous vide method, it’s super hard to mess up expensive meats.

Conclusion

Joule checks off a lot of my needs as a digital nomad. The device provides great meals the family loves. It’s portable, tech-friendly, well-designed, and just straight up cool.

Check out this video to see Joule in action:

(3:55 at 1x speed)

My opinions are my own. I received no compensation from the company or companies mentioned. I use affiliate programs when available.

~dnwk~