KEY INFORMATION ABOUT the SO-VIDA Sous Vide Container Sleeve

Now available for a range of plastic sous vide containers including:

• Rubbermaid 12, 18 and 22 Quart container
• Lipavi CL10 12 Quart container
• EVERIE EVC 12 Quart container
• Cambro 12 Quart container

Here’s a little bit of background to better understand what a container sleeve is (feel free to skip this section if you have your head around the concept already!)

Sous vide cooking is the process of putting food into vacuum sealed bags (food pouches) and submerging them in low temperature water (a water bath) over a long period of time. This cooking style delivers delicious and perfectly cooked food EVERY time.  One of the kitchen tools that can be used to perform sous vide cooking is called an immersion circulator. That device is attached to the side of an every day pot from your kitchen. For larger cooks, it can also be attached to the side of a larger plastic container which acts as a water bath. That is where the container sleeve comes in. A container sleeve can be placed over the plastic container being used as a water bath to better insulate the water bath whilst food is cooking over a long period of time.

The idea of a sous vide container sleeve is a relatively new concept in sous vide cooking. And for those home cooks who love to sous vide with the Rubbermaid 12, 18 and 22 Quart container, Lipavi/Everie 12 Quart container and the Cambro 12 Quart container, listen up! This container sleeve is a bit of a game changer. That is because it increases the insulation of your plastic container water bath. Increased insulation means reduced electricity bills which means you have more money in your pocket to spend on food for future sous vide cooking fun!!

We know that a lot of you tend to put your water bath containers wherever you can in your kitchen. The SO-VIDA has the added benefit of protecting your work surfaces. So that’s your kitchen bench top (if you have a big one) or your kitchen floor (maybe you have timber floorboards you want to protect??). And in a general sense the container sleeve also looks a lot better than your container does by itself. Let’s face it, a few shabby towels around your water bath for insulation is not super pretty. We are not being judgy…just sayin’.

Key Features

• The container sleeve uses premium neoprene. This ensures greater electricity savings, quicker heating times and maximum work surface protection

Specifications

• 10.5 x 8.4 x 1.9 inches
• Weight of approximately 9.9 ounces
• Models available for a range of water bath containers including the Rubbermaid 12, 18 and 22 Quart container, Lipavi CL10 / EVERIE EVC-12 Quart and the Cambro 12 Quart
• The product has been designed in the USA and manufactured in China

QUICK REVIEW

At Sous Vide Hub, we know that many of you are time poor. That’s why we provide a short product overview just below in all of our product reviews. Don’t get us wrong, we would love you to read our extended review. But if long reviews are not your thing, then feel free to just read the next paragraph and the summary of pros and cons after it.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW COMMENTS

When reviewing sous vide products we normally have many products within a specific category to compare. Container sleeves are certainly a fairly new sous vide product category and the SO-VIDA container sleeves are a relatively new product. It is difficult to comment on the lasting qualities of the container sleeve so soon after its release. In this review we will focus on the initial feedback from those using the container sleeve as part of their home sous vide cooking.

Our initial sense is that the idea of a container sleeve is a good one. It’s sleeker than the current standard DIY set up for sous vide water baths. The container sleeve means you can do away with balancing towels under your current plastic container set up. The look and free of the SO-VIDA is pretty cool too. The initial response to the product is really positive although the reviewer numbers are still building.

The container sleeve won’t break the bank. It shows promise in shaving some money off your electricity bill so from that point of view alone, it is worth serious consideration. If you have an existing set up that you are happy with, then certainly don’t race out and buy one of these. It’s not going to make the difference between a good sous vide result and a great one. But it shows promise if you are into something that looks a little more presentable and may save you a few dollars on your electricity bills along the way, especially if you tend to do some pretty long sous vide cooks.

One word of caution; whilst SO-VIDA manufacturers suggest the container sleeve can be placed on kitchen bench tops, keep a close eye on your first sous vide cook just to make sure there is no mark left behind. Kitchen counter tops can be made of a range of materials –  granite, timber, laminate, caeserstone etc. One of the early reviewers of the SO-VIDA container sleeve noticed a dark mark on their counter top after use. The reviewer did not state the material of their counter top. We encourage you to monitor your first sous vide cook with this product closely to ensure it doesn’t leave any marks on whatever surface you choose to place it on.

The SO-VIDE container sleeve doesn’t come with an insulated lid. Consider using this container sleeve in conjunction with some sous vide water balls on top of your water bath. And voila, you have a complete sous vide set up ready to go.

Product Images

Here’s a few images of the SO-VIDA Sous Vide Container Sleeve:

In a nut shell here are the key pros and cons of the SO-VIDA Container Sleeve:

PROS

• Insulates your water bath which keeps the temperature stable. In turn this means reduced electricity bills
• Serves as a noise reducer or “muffler” if you happen to have a noisy sous vide immersion circulator
• Replaces the need for towels in and around your water bath container which can be awkward to use, bulky and unstable
• It’s kind of stylish – well, way more stylish than old shabby towels around your water bath container anyway!
• Cut-outs have been added for the handles (as seen in the pictures above) which should prevent tearing at the greatest stress points
• The neoprene doesn’t get in the way of your water bath in any way. You can just clamp your immersion circulator as per usual onto your water bath container. The neoprene will compress where the clamp is

CONS

• You can’t watch your food cooking if you like to keep an eye on your food pouches as they cook in your water bath
• The container sleeve is not available for all plastic container types…yet!
• This sous vide product hasn’t been around long enough to make a call on whether the quality of the sleeve will stand up over time
• Some reviewers have noted a slight smell to the product when they unbox it. You may need to air the sous vide container sleeve initially to get rid of the smell if you notice one

More info

DETAILED SOUS VIDE HUB REVIEW – SO-VIDA Sous Vide Container Sleeve

We join the many sous vide home cooks who wonder why we didn’t think of this idea ourselves! A sous vide container sleeve is such a great idea. There is no doubt there will be some copycat products out soon given the initial response to the concept has been so positive. In the meantime SO-VIDA has the market to itself.

PERFORMANCE

As we mentioned earlier, it is too early to judge the longer term performance of this sous vide container sleeve. However the initial feedback could not be more positive. Putting this sleeve on water baths will definitely enhance the sous vide cooking experience for home cooks. It insulates better than a plastic container alone. It’s ability to insulate reduces the variance in water bath temperature which is really important for cooking a sous vide meal successfully. This container sleeve is unlikely to assist you to increase the speed at which your water bath warms up BUT it should assist to keep the water at a constant temperature.

EASE OF USE

The SO-VIDA sous vide container sleeves fits “like a glove”. The fact that it has been designed specifically for particular plastic containers means that it is a custom fit for each of those containers.

CONVENIENCE

Unless you have now got your “towel around plastic container” routine down to a fine art, this container sleeve offers a very convenient alternative. It insulates the water bath. It protects your cooking surfaces and it folds down for easy storage between uses.

DESIGN

We have to say that the design of the SO-VIDA is pretty sleek. No one could deny that a neoprene “skin” for a plastic container wins out over towels wrapped around, under and over the top of the container being used as a water bath. Another nifty aspect of the design is that cut-outs have been added for the handles. In theory this should prevent tearing at the greatest stress point. Time will tell whether this part of the design stands up.

Of course the key design feature worth measuring is SO-VIDA’s insulation effectiveness. At the end of the day, this is what is going to save you money on your electricity bill. Based on the reviews to date, this part of the design is living up to expectation.

WARRANTY AND SUPPORT

It doesn’t look as though there is a company website for SO-VIDA. This makes it difficult to comment on the support this company will provide after purchase. Certainly, the company is answering questions promptly on Amazon. The company also offers a 100% money back guarantee. These are both great signs that SO-VIDA are not in the business of just moving stock out the door.

ACCESSORIES INCLUDED

There are no accessories included with the SO-VIDA Sous Vide Container Sleeve. You will note that many of the pictures show the container sleeve with a container inside it. This is not included.

Here are the water bath containers that SO-VIDA container sleeves are available for:

Lipavi 12 Quart Plastic Container

Cambro 12 Quart Plastic Container

Rubbermaid 12, 18 and 22 quart plastic container (12 quart pictured below)

EVERIE 12 quart plastic container

Helpful links:

Here are some additional items you might like to consider to be used with the SO-VIDE container sleeve and water bath containers for your next sous vide cook:

Vacuum sealer

Vacuum sealer bags

Sous Vide Water Balls

SousVide Supreme Zip Cooking Pouches (can be sealed without a vacuum sealer)

PROS (RECAP FROM EARLIER IN THIS ARTICLE)

• Insulates your water bath which keeps the temperature stable. In turn this means reduced electricity bills
• Serves as a noise reducer or “muffler” if you happen to have a noisy sous vide immersion circulator
• Replaces the need for towels in and around your water bath container which can be awkward to use, bulky and unstable
• It’s kind of stylish – well, way more stylish than old shabby towels around your water bath container anyway!
• Cut-outs have been added for the handles (as seen in the pictures above) which should prevent tearing at the greatest stress points
• The neoprene doesn’t get in the way of your water bath in any way. You can just clamp your immersion circulator as per usual onto your water bath container. The neoprene will compress where the clamp is

CONS (RECAP FROM EARLIER IN THIS ARTICLE)

• You can’t watch your food cooking if you like to keep an eye on your food pouches as they cook in your water bath
• The container sleeve is not available for all plastic container types…yet!
• This sous vide product hasn’t been around long enough to make a call on whether the quality of the sleeve will stand up over time
• Some reviewers have noted a slight smell to the product when they unbox it. You may need to air the sous vide container sleeve initially to get rid of the smell if you notice one

HINTS AND TIPS FROM REAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THE SO-VIDA Sous Vide Container Sleeve:

Here are some first hand hints and tips from people who have used the SO-VIDA Container sleeves so far:

Tip #1

Complete your set up with some water balls on the top of your sous vide plastic container. That way you have insulation around the container AND on the top of the container as well.

Tip #2

If you up for water balls, complete your set up with some towels on the top of your sous vide plastic container. That way you have insulation around the containers AND on the top of the container as well.

Tip #3

If your plastic container water bath takes up too much space on your kitchen counter top, consider putting your sous vide set up in your laundry or your garage!

Click here to view the current price of the SO-VIDA Container Sleeve on Amazon.

Keen to know more about some of the best sous vide immersion circulators on the market? Here are some of our top picks:

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Immersion Circulator (also comes in a WiFi version)

Feel free to check out our product review of the Anova Immersion Circulator by clicking here.

ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide Immersion Circulator

Feel free to check out our product review of the Joule immersion circulator by clicking here.

Sansaire Sous Vide Immersion Circulator

Feel free to check out our product review of the Sansaire Sous Vide immersion circulator by clicking here

Kitchen Gizmo Immersion Circulator

Feel free to check out our product review of the Kitchen Gizmo immersion circulator by clicking here

Wancle Immersion Circulator

Feel free to check out our product review of the Wancle immersion circulator by clicking here.

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