This TV Chef Cooks for 4,000 People At a Time, and His Secret Is This Under-$100 Tool

Known for his 20-season run as the face of Restaurant Impossible, chef Robert Irvine has some strong opinions about how restaurants should operate, but his strict adherence to fresh ingredients and scratch cooking is the bedrock of his career.

The outspoken chef and author of Overcoming Impossible often cooks for huge crowds of up to 4,000 people in unusual locations, from outdoor settings with limited power sources to the confines of a private plane. Irvine swears by the simple and surprisingly affordable Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3 to accomplish these tasks and more. 

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano 3.0

Cooking sous vide is an increasingly common practice today. It’s especially useful because it allows you to prepare a lot of food ahead of time and to hold that food at the perfect “doneness” for extended periods. 

Low-temperature cooking has existed for centuries, but in the 1960s, when technology for safely and effectively vacuum packing foods was first discovered, it led to the development of sous vide cooking as we know it today. This method involves sealing foods in plastic before cooking them in a warm water bath at a specific, monitored temperature until done.

In the 21st century, the process is augmented by codified guidelines and techniques supported by a sous vide tool, which ensures the water bath maintains the proper level of agitation and temperature to complete the task safely with perfect results every time. 

"My chefs and I have welcomed the sous vide cooking revolution with open arms. Whether I’m serving a family of four or a crowd of four thousand, this sous vide cooker is foolproof. It also ensures the consistency of the finished product. Plus, the lack of oxygen in the bag means that any extra time in the hot water bath won’t overcook the food."

The Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3 is compact, accurate, and easy to set up and use. It comes in models that are either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi compatible so you can keep an eye on it or control it from anywhere. 

In addition to the  Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3, Irvine relies on standard Ziploc bags and Lexan containers, which are easily accessible tools anyone can procure. He cautions that patting the food dry before putting it into the plastic bag is one fundamental aspect of sous vide cooking success. 

Irvine uses these tools and techniques to bring steaks to medium rare and hold them there until he’s ready to finish them on the grill for flavor (a practice most steakhouses use today). He also poaches hundreds of eggs at a time for perfect Eggs Benedict and cooks butter-soft salmon filets for a crowd. 

According to Irvine, “This sous vide cooker from Anova is a great way to dip a toe into the perfectly precision-controlled waters of sous vide cooking.”

At the time of publish, the Anova Precision Cooker Nano 3 was $99.