MAGNIFIQUE 6 Quart Sous Vide Cooker: The Ultimate Solution for Superbly Cooked Meals Every Time, 8-in-1 to Steam, Bake, Roast, Sear, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Delay Start Programmable, Stainless Steel

We just received a SousV Pot we had ordered through Amazon.com. The first thing we tried to cook was white rice. We followed the directions carefully for making 4 cups of white rice per the instructions that came with the appliance, that is, using the supplied measuring cup, we added 4 cups of rice, and then added water to the 6.25 line inside the pot under the heading of white rice. Then we started the cooking process.After a while, we noticed that hot water and rice was being blown out of the vent hole in the top cover of the appliance. Quite a lot of water was on the counter and the appliance was making a mess. We noticed at this time that the temperature on the front LCD display was reading 218 degrees F. which is well above the boiling point for water. (The display also read "White Rice" so we know we had selected the correct mode setting.) We continued to let it cook while keeping a close eye on the pot and its front display. In a few more minutes, the water and rice stopped coming out of the vent hole, presumably because the water inside had boiled away. At this point, the internal temperature started to rise rapidly. When the display showed a temperature of 260 degrees F., I figured the appliance must be malfunctioning. So I turned it off and unplugged it. We sampled the rice at this point and found that it was grossly over cooked and had turned to mush.At this point, we are wondering whether we received a unit with defective temperature control or if this resulted from poor design. We would like very much to learn from other purchasers whether they have ever used the SousV Pot for preparing white rice, and the results that they got.We immediately return shipped the appliance back to Amazon, but will wait before ordering a replacement until we learn from other purchasers that they got good results cooking rice, and that the unit we received must have been defective.I have sent all of this information to [email protected] per the booklet that came with the appliance. I have not yet received a reply, a little more that 24 hours later. This is apparently a company that handles warranty claims. There was no telephone or other customer service contact information in the literature accompanying the appliance, which also makes me hesitant to reorder a replacement.If I reorder the appliance, I'll update this review.UPDATE:Following our return of the SousV Pot, we received a timely reply from the manufacturer's representative concerning our unsatisfactory experience with this product. Based on this input, we decided to reorder the SousV Pot and give it another try. As it turns out, the problem we experienced resulted from neither poor design nor a defective unit, but rather from poorly worded instructions in the accompanying recipe booklet which had caused us to add too much water to the rice. The rep offered to telephone us, and was most helpful.When we received the replacement SousV Pot, the first thing we used it for was to cook two prime rib eye cap steaks using the sous vide setting. Cooking foods sous vide was actually our primary reason for buying this appliance in the first place. The result was two perfectly cooked steaks that were very tender and delicious. Also, there was virtually no clean up beyond rinsing and wiping dry the interior cooking pot. So we found the appliance excelled at sous vide cooking in terms of convenience and cooking results. The mess we created afterwards trying to sear the steak in a fry pan is another story. Next time, we plan to try using a searing torch.So, at this point we were pleased both with the appliance and the assistance we received via email from the manufacture's rep.However, we again tried to cook white rice in the pot, this time following the correct instructions received from the manufacturer. This time we tried to cook only two cups of rice. Towards the end of the cooking cycle, apparently just before the remaining water had boiled off, starchy water again started spewing out of the vent hole in the top lid of the SousV Pot and tracking down the surface of the lid towards the rear of the pot. We had been watching it closely and started dabbing the liquid with a paper towel to prevent it from making a mess. In a minute or two, all of the remaining water had boiled off and only steam was exciting the vent. When the cooking cycle was finished, we let it sit for a few minutes before raising the lid and sampling the rice. The rice was fully cooked, but not the firm individual grains as we prefer. It also was not particularly flavorful though we had used basmati rice. The bottom of the rice had a bit of a crust where the rice had been in contact with the hot bottom of the pot. My wife, who's been cooking rice at least weekly for more than 50 years, says she normally adds a bit of oil, and stirs the rice at least once during normal cooking on the stove top. She also cooks the rice a shorter period. I'm wondering if we would have gotten better results if we had used a bit less water and had added a little oil to the rice water.Despite the less than perfect results with the rice, we do recommend the SousV Pot for sous vide cooking. The cooking chamber is a bit small, too small I think for say a medium size roast. But it looks like it will be more than adequate for cooking steaks, chops, and most other proteins for two people.I should point out the problem with the recipe book. On the page 21 instructions for white rice, it states "Use provided measuring cup and add desired amount of rice to inner pot. Match the water level to the line for white rice on the inner pot." Below this is a table with the heading "UNCOOKED RICE (CUP)" and "WATER NEEDED" For 4 cups of rice, it give 6.25 as the water needed. Turns out, (according to the manufacturer's rep), 6.25 refers to the number of (provided) cupful's that it takes to bring the water to the correct level, with is 4 cups, not 6.25. Hope this helps those following this recipe :-)

Worked way better than immersion circulators!

One pot to rule them all... okay, I realize some pots also air fry and this one doesn't, but I love it anyway. It's a squared design which I love. Flatter sides to use to sear the edges of the steak and chicken while also searing the bottom. More room for item placement. Makes it easier to get my dish wand in there for washing it. I haven't even used it for functions other than sous vide and searing, I'm excited to try the others.The flavor... sous vide is my favorite way to cook meat. I'm considering getting a second one for veggies, since most of the veggies I cook need a higher heat. Getting the normal sous vide setup out and cooking was a pain. The instrument, the bath tub, the lid, the balls, the wire holder. Then washing everything and putting it all away wasn't quick nor easy either. Had a bag leak and oils got all over everything which was terrible to clean. This sous vide pot is the easiest to set up and clean. As others mentioned, the nonstick is fantastic. Cook, dump water, sautée setting on high, sear and done. And as others mentioned, the sides are high so the splatter from searing all stays in the pot. No more lugging the heavy cast iron to the sink or spending half my life cleaning up grease splatters from the stove top!I will comment on the pre-heat time which took me by surprise. I cooked from frozen and I knew it would take an extra hour. So I set my timer for 2.5hrs and walked away. It didn't finish preheating for about an hour 20, then the 2.5hrs started. So now I know the timer should only be cook time and not include the defrost time. No biggie.I love that it holds the temp better than a wand and tub setup. The heat was kicking on way more in a tub even with the insulation around the plastic tub and lid. It has a thermometer in the lid that automatically comes down when cooking so it knows when the top of the water is getting cold and kicks on the heat on the bottom. I was a little worried with no water circulation it would overheat the bottom or something negative could occur from it, but I haven't experienced any problems bc of it yet.A note on corned beef. My goodness, the most tender juicy cb came out of this sous vide pot. Costco and a Safeway pre-brined, prepared per the instructions, beer and everything thrown in a vacuum bag. Bathed for 48 and 60 hrs respectively. The 48hr one was so flavorful and juicy, my favorite. So I figured 60hrs must be even better. Well, it was more the traditional fall apart texture, yet was also drier, but the flavor was still outstanding. Reheating in the bath from the fridge back up to original temp -5 degrees is simple and honestly it tasted better than the first day.That's it kids. IMO this is a phenomenal sous vide device, cooks evenly, no hassle setup, sears directly in the same pot, sears the sides at the same time as the bottom, so easy to clean, no more stove cleaning, and cooks a multitude of other things with its other functions. I'm definitely happy with my purchase.