Breville recently introduced an upgraded version of their popular Joule sous vide cooker called the Joule Turbo Sous Vide. What makes it stand out from its predecessor and other sous vide circulators is its ability to speed up cooking time using an algorithm developed by Breville. According to the company, this new feature allows you to sous vide in half the time.
This advancement could greatly improve sous vide cooking for the home cook. While the sous vide method offers precise and predictable results, it takes significantly longer to cook compared to conventional methods.
The Joule Turbo Sous Vide achieves faster cooking by utilizing two important variables: weight and thickness of the food being cooked. By taking advantage of the fact that heat transfers more rapidly when there is a greater temperature difference, the Joule Turbo initially raises the temperature slightly higher than the desired doneness at the start of the cooking process. Eventually, it brings the temperature down to the desired doneness, effectively reducing the cooking time.
At first glance, this approach may seem contrary to the idea of sous vide cooking, which involves cooking the entire food at a single temperature. However, according to the folks at Chef Steps, there is no need to worry about overcooking the outer edges because the heat from the water transfers to the core of the food at a quick enough rate to prevent the outer surface from becoming overdone.
This time-saving functionality reminds me of a feature on my favorite sous vide circulator, the Breville Commercial HydroPro Plus. The HydroPro Plus has a “delta cooking” function that uses a probe to carefully monitor the core temperature of the food being cooked. It uses this data to slightly elevate the cooking temperature above the desired doneness temperature at the beginning of the cooking process before bringing it down to the target doneness temperature.
I have to admit, I don’t usually use the delta cooking function because it involves the hassle of using a probe and foam tape while sous viding. However, I like the idea of only needing to measure the thickness and weight of my food and letting an algorithm handle the rest. I could see this being a time saving game changer!
I am eagerly looking forward to trying out the Breville Joule Turbo so that I can write a comprehensive review and determine if it’s worth upgrading.