Sous-vide in professional kitchens: which cooker, which vacuum sealer?
Sous-vide is usually sold on the result: evenly cooked meat, nothing dries out, nothing falls apart. In a working kitchen something else matters more. Sous-vide is above all a method for batch preparation. You cook on Tuesday what goes on the plate on Saturday. That is why the purchase is not decided by the cooker, but by two appliances people rarely plan for: the vacuum sealer and what cools the food afterwards.
Three designs and what each is good for
Technically every sous-vide appliance does the same thing. It holds water at a set temperature and circulates it so the same value applies throughout the bath. The difference is whether the container comes with it and how much fits inside.
| Design | From | What speaks for it | Where it ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immersion circulator clamp-on stick | €100.08 | Clamps onto any GN container or pot you already own. Can be put away when not in use. | You need your own vessel and usually a lid. Without insulation, noticeable water evaporates over long cooking times. |
| Tank unit self-contained | €125.39 | Ready to use, insulated housing, stable footing. The simpler solution for a fixed workstation. | The capacity is fixed. More volume means a second appliance. |
| Kettles and professional units | €465.65 | Large batches, insulated tanks, and on the professional models a core temperature probe and programmes you can log. | Considerably more expensive and heavier. Only worth it once you produce in series. |
A stick is enough to start with. The SV ST15L immersion circulator costs €100.08, the Maxima stick for 20 litres €140.39. If you prefer a self-contained unit on the counter, the Bartscher SV G16L at €373.68 offers a 200 mm deep tank, control in 0.1 °C steps up to 90 °C and dry-run protection. For a GN-compatible tank, the Combisteel GN 1/1 cooker fits at €511.00.
The vacuum sealer is the real decision
This is the mistake that costs the most money at the planning stage, and it only shows up in daily use. There are two designs, and they differ not in quality but in what they can do.
An external vacuum sealer draws the air out of a bag that sticks out of the front of the machine. That works well with dry goods. As soon as there is liquid in the bag, meaning stock, marinade or escaping meat juices, the pump draws it along. The seam gets wet and no longer holds. With a chamber machine the whole bag sits inside a sealed chamber. Because the same negative pressure applies inside the chamber as inside the bag, the liquid stays where it is.
For sous-vide that means: if you want to work with stock, marinade or butter, there is no way around a chamber machine. And that is a price step. An external sealer starts at €107.28, while the cheapest chamber machine in our range is €590.39. In purchase terms the sealer easily costs more than the cooker itself.
If you only cook whole cuts without additions, an external unit will do. You should know that limitation beforehand, not afterwards.
What happens after cooking decides whether batch preparation works
Sous-vide only pays off once you cook ahead. That requires the food to leave the critical temperature range quickly after the bath. Letting it cool at room temperature is the opposite of that. A vacuum-sealed pouch releases its heat slowly, and low cooking temperatures do not reliably kill bacteria, they only hold them in check.
Batch preparation therefore needs a blast chiller. The smallest unit in our range takes 2 × GN 2/3 and 1 × GN 1/2 at €889.49; the version for 5 × GN 1/1 costs €1,376.99. How to size one and what to look for in its output is covered in our guide to blast chillers and shock freezers. Which temperatures and documentation duties apply to your business follows from your own hazard analysis. The basics are in our HACCP fundamentals.
Without this step sous-vide stays a method for the single plate. That can make sense, but it rarely justifies the investment.
Three set-ups and what they cost
All prices are net shop prices as of today.
| For whom | Appliances | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Trying it out individual dishes, no batches | SV ST15L stick (€100.08) + external sealer 305/15L (€107.28) | €207.36 |
| Batch preparation fixed menu, several days ahead | SV G16L cooker (€373.68) + 29 cm chamber machine (€590.39) + blast chiller 2 × GN 2/3 (€889.49) | €1,853.56 |
| Series production catering, large volumes | SmartVide 7 (€1,319.90) + 29 cm chamber machine (€590.39) + blast chiller 5 × GN 1/1 (€1,376.99) | €3,287.28 |
The jump from the first row to the second is the real step. It costs roughly nine times as much, and it comes almost entirely from the chamber machine and the chilling, not from the cooker.
Suitable appliances from our range
- Sous-vide stick SV ST15L, Bartscher — €100.08
- Sous-vide tank 8.5 l, Maxima — €125.39
- Sous-vide stick for 30 l, Maxima — €162.89
- Softcooker sous-vide, Virtus — €198.80
- Sous-vide cooker RIVOLI, Saro — €301.50
- Sous-vide cooker SV G16L, Bartscher — €373.68
- Sous-vide cooker SALERNO, Saro — €388.60
- Sous-vide tank 28 l, Maxima — €388.89
- Insulated sous-vide kettle SV K 28, Saro — €465.65
- Sous-vide cooker GN 1/1, Combisteel — €511.00
- Portable sous-vide cooker SmartVide 7, Saro — €1,319.90
Frequently asked questions
Is a stick enough, or do I need a tank unit?
A stick is enough to begin with. It clamps onto any vessel large enough and can be put away. A self-contained tank pays off once sous-vide becomes a fixed step in your workflow: the insulated housing holds the temperature with less effort, and the appliance stands securely.
Can I use the vacuum sealer I already have?
If it is a chamber machine, yes. With an external sealer it depends on what goes into the bag: dry goods work, stock or marinade do not. The liquid is drawn into the seal, and the bag will not stay tight in the water bath.
How large does the tank need to be?
What matters is not the volume but that the pouches are fully submerged and water can circulate between them. Stacked pouches cook unevenly. Allow for more space rather than less.
Do I really need a blast chiller?
Only if you want to cook ahead, which is the main reason to work sous-vide at all. If every dish is served straight from the bath, you do not need one. Anything held in between has to be chilled down quickly.
How long does sous-vide cooked food keep?
That cannot be answered in general. It depends on the product, the cooking temperature, the cold chain and the packaging, and it belongs in your HACCP plan. Businesses set these times themselves and document them. Our HACCP fundamentals show how that is built up.
What does getting started cost in total?
With a stick and an external sealer you are in from €207.36. For genuine batch preparation with a chamber machine and a blast chiller the total is around €1,850. The difference is not in the cooker but in everything around it.
Not sure what suits your kitchen?
Stick or tank, external or chamber, with or without a blast chiller: it depends on what you cook and whether you want to prepare in batches. Tell us what is on your menu and we will work out the right set-up.
You will find every appliance in the sous-vide category, with the matching vacuum sealers and blast chillers and shock freezers alongside.
Last updated on 16 October 2026.