Sous Vide Supreme Demi Review

Rating: 4.3 Reviewed by Susan

The SousVide Supreme Demi is a slightly smaller version of the original water oven by this manufacturer. It offers the same quality and performance but with a smaller footprint that makes it easier to use and to store.

This is a compact model water oven that has a 9 liter capacity and is designed for sous vide cooking by home users. It has built-in technology that enables it to maintain very precise temperature control, which produces excellent results when cooking meats and all other types of foods.

The average rating of reviewers across the web is 4.3 stars, but the “real” average is much higher. In many cases those who gave it less than 5 stars did so only because they thought it should cost less. That obviously has nothing to do with quality or performance, and in every other way those consumers gave this model very high praise.

Note: If you’re interested in the larger size water oven, click here to read the SousVide Supreme Water Oven SVS10LS Review.

Features

• Compact Size for ease of use and smaller footprint
• Precision temperature control
• Simple push-button operation
• Digital LED display
• Built-in timer with audible repeating beep
• Cool touch housing
• 1 year limited warranty

For clarification: “Sous vide” is simply the name of this cooking method. “SousVide Supreme®” is the registered name of the manufacturer of this particular water oven.

The SousVide Supreme Demi has a coated steel shell with a polished aluminum lid, and the interior is anodized aluminum. On the manufacturer’s website it is available only in black, but Amazon also sells this same model in red. (red will cost you a few dollars more)

Compared to the full size model from SousVide®, the main advantage of the Demi is that it makes a slightly smaller footprint, which saves you space for countertop use and cabinet or pantry storage.

Like the larger model, the Demi has an LED display that is easy to read and understand. At all times you can easily see the temperature of the water bath. The push button controls are not complicated, making the unit simple to operate.

Most important is the precision temperature control, which maintains cooking temperatures consistently within 1 degree Fahrenheit. This is not possible with a simple on/off thermostat (the way temps are controlled by slow cookers). The accuracy of the SousVide Demi is achieved via PID technology. This is what ensures that temperatures remain within the very narrow range required for sous vide cooking.

The timer will beep to alert you when cooking time is complete, but the timer does NOT automatically shut off the machine. This is intentional, and it’s a safety feature. If you shut off the machine and leave cooked food unattended, the temperature in the water bath will drop, possibly to temperatures low enough to breed bacteria and spoil the food. Basically, the manufacturer does not include an auto shut-off feature because that might make it too easy for us to poison ourselves.

The video below runs about 9 minutes and gives you a closer look at the unit, as well as a basic introduction to sous vide cooking. This demo shows you step-by-step how easy it is to operate.
NOTE: Contrary to what the video says, the universal pouch rack is not sold separately. The links on this page will take you to Amazon where you can buy the SousVide Supreme Demi with the universal pouch rack included.

Have you already decided you want it? Click here for the lowest price listing I’ve found on Amazon. (This model is no longer available in the red color shown in the video.)

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Size & Capacity

Exterior Dimensions: 11.3″H x 10.96″W X 12.99″L

Interior Dimensions: 6.5″H x 8.75″W x 11″L

Weight: 9.8 pounds

The maximum volume of this unit is approximately 2.3 gallons (9 liters). That’s the total capacity up to the fill line, including water and food pouches.

At about 60% the size of its big brother, the Demi will hold approximately twelve 4-oz. food pouches for cooking.

What’s Included

• Universal Pouch Rack
• Perforated Bottom Grill
• Detachable Power Cord
• Owner’s Manual & Recipe Book

The pouch rack lets you stack foods vertically or horizontally, and it serves two purposes. One is to help keep food bags submerged. The other is to keep food bags separated, which maximizes the number of food pouches you can cook at once and allows for proper circulation so that foods cook evenly.

The grill is designed to generate thermal convection and keeps food bags from contact with the interior surface.

One other nice feature is that when the lid of the water oven is flipped over, it is designed to serve as a drip tray where you can place food pouches or the rack to drain. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing fancy, but it will sit flat on the counter to conveniently hold wet bags as you unload them. It’s also handy for carrying your cooked food pouches from one location to another.

Bags & Optional Accessories

The water oven itself comes complete with everything you need, so it’s ready to use right out of the box.

The one additional “accessory” you do need is food pouches, and you have a few options there.

Naturally, the manufacturer recommends that you only use their bags. They are good, and they come in varying sizes: 1 quart, 1 gallon, and pouch rolls that can be cut to the desired size and sealed.

If you do not own a vacuum sealer and aren’t ready to invest in one, SousVide® also offers zip pouches that do not require using a vacuum sealer. These also come in quart and gallon sizes. Check them out here: SousVide Supreme Zip Cooking Pouches

You are not limited to a specific brand of food pouches. Bags by Food Saver and other brands will work fine. What’s important is to make sure your bags are made of food grade plastic. The material should be BPA free and approved for cooking, and the brand should tell you the maximum temperature for which the bags are rated.

SousVide® brand pouches and rolls are available directly from the manufacturer and also from Amazon. There isn’t much price difference in the rolls, but you’ll definitely want to check the price on the pouches at Amazon.

If you are also interested in a vacuum sealer, you have lots of options there too. See complete details of the best selling models in our Vacuum Sealer Comparison Charts.

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Customer Reviews

It’s hard to find complaints about this model. A few (very few) disgruntled users didn’t like the long cooking time required or the fact that some foods cook much faster than others. Apparently, these poor folks were uninformed shoppers and didn’t understand what sous vide cooking is about. When cooking a variety of foods at once, you do have to plan ahead to know what to add when, and all foods require a much longer cooking time than with traditional methods. A sous vide machine is only a time saver in the sense that once you have the cooking process started, you don’t have to babysit. It doesn’t require stirring or any other kind of continual attention.

Otherwise, the overwhelming majority of users love this model. The comment you’ll find most often is that meats are unbelievably tender and moist, better than you can achieve by any other cooking method. You may even save money buying cheap cuts of meat because even they turn out exceptionally good.

Favorite features include the fact that there is nothing difficult to understand about the push button operation, and cleanup couldn’t be easier. You just dump out the water and wipe the interior with a clean dishtowel. Also, the handles on the base unit are offset to make it much easier to lift and carry when it’s full of water and you’re ready to empty it.

Of those users who bought the unit just to give sous vide cooking a try, just about every one reports that once they tried it they ended up using it far more often than they had expected to.

While the Demi really shines when it comes to cooking all types of meat, it also produces excellent results with vegetables, fruit, fish, shellfish, wild game, eggs, and (so I’m told) even homemade Greek yogurt.

Average Customer Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.3

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Pros

• Simple to use
• Runs silently
• Doesn’t heat up kitchen
• Very easy cleanup
• Lightweight when empty, easy to move & store
• Compact size for smaller footprint

Cons

• Even the compact model is still a fairly large appliance
• Slight learning curve involved if you’re new to sous vide

SousVide Supreme Demi Review: Summary

Don’t expect to find lots of fancy bells and whistles because they aren’t needed. It’s a simple, straight-forward way to cook that requires very little prep time – season it, bag it, and cook it.

For sous vide cooking, this water oven is simple to use, very easy to clean, and it does exactly what it’s designed to do. It has built in technology for precise temperature control, and that gives you excellent results on a wide variety of foods. This compact model will save you some space on your kitchen counter or when stored in a cabinet, so if the interior capacity will meet your needs, the SousVide Supreme Demi is an excellent choice for you.