We’ve all had the disappointment of working hard on a meal designed to impress… and then digging in excitedly, only to find that it’s thoroughly unimpressive. And this is even worse when you’re using gorgeous ingredients (that probably cost quite a bit).

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We’ve all had the disappointment of working hard on a meal designed to impress… and then digging in excitedly, only to find that it’s thoroughly unimpressive. And this is even worse when you’re using gorgeous ingredients (that probably cost quite a bit).

Luckily, sous vide cooking can solve this problem, ensuring that your food is perfectly cooked every single time. At least, it can do that if you have a good-quality sous vide machine that holds your water bath at the right temperature!

And that’s why we love the PolyScience CREATIVE sous vide immersion circulator. It’s well-built, durable, and precise to 1/10th of a degree Fahrenheit. This is almost unheard of among other sous vide brands, and goes to show the value of PolyScience’s history as a maker of scientific and laboratory instruments. With such accurate control over your cooking, you’ll never again need to guess about whether your food is perfectly cooked.

Quick Summary/Overview

In short: we wholeheartedly recommend the PolyScience CREATIVE Series Sous Vide Immersion Circulator! Its reasonable price, incredible precision, power, durable build, and straightforward operation make it a fantastic choice for the serious home cook. In fact, it took the #2 spot on our list of our top sous vide immersion circulators. It was only very narrowly edged out of first place by the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker, which won thanks to its slightly lower price.

Key Features & Benefits

With its incredible temperature accuracy of 1/10th of a degree Fahrenheit, this sous vide device does exactly what it’s supposed to do. With some lower-quality devices, you still need to worry, because temperatures can be inaccurate to up to 5°F (or occasionally even more!). This means that even with one of these lesser machines, you’re not guaranteed the results you deserve. That’s why the incredible precision on this one is so special; it ensures that your sous vide process will be as straightforward, consistent, and accurate as it should be. After all, that’s the point of sous vide cooking, right?

Unlike some other models made for home cooks, the PolyScience CREATIVE sous vide doesn’t come with an app, and it’s not WiFi or Bluetooth compatible. If you have a smart home and want all of your devices to be as high-tech as possible, you might prefer a different option. But for us, this is a major selling point for this machine. No fussing with connections or trying to get notoriously finicky apps to work—just a few simple buttons and you’re good to go.

One of the main benefits of sous vide cooking is its relatively low need for active attention, and the CREATIVE excels here too. Its powerful 1100W build heats the water bath quickly, meaning you can get your food cooking much sooner than you would with weaker machines.

Pros & Cons

Pros An affordable option for creative home cooks who want quality without the industrial-sized price tag

An affordable option for creative home cooks who want quality without the industrial-sized price tag Can circulate up to 5.3 gallons, enough to serve approximately 12 people

Can circulate up to 5.3 gallons, enough to serve approximately 12 people Includes a timer

Includes a timer Incredibly precise temperature accuracy to 1/10th of a degree Fahrenheit Cons Strictly for home use, not rated for commercial use (this is only a con if you would want to use it in a professional kitchen; for home cooks, it’s irrelevant)

Strictly for home use, not rated for commercial use (this is only a con if you would want to use it in a professional kitchen; for home cooks, it’s irrelevant) Larger than some other options and may take up more space on your counter or in your cabinets

Larger than some other options and may take up more space on your counter or in your cabinets Doesn’t allow you to control the pump speed. This shouldn’t affect the typical home cook, but it’s worth noting in case it’s important to you

Audience

PolyScience designed the CREATIVE sous vide for the home cook, and they did a great job. It’s affordable enough to be within reach for many passionate home chefs (without the need for a restaurant’s business bank account). In fact, it’s not much more expensive than many of the other immersion circulators on the market, despite its significantly better temperature accuracy. If you’re a passionate home chef who wants to get into the world of sous vide cooking (or who is just tired of burning or undercooking steaks), we wholeheartedly recommend this device.

However, if you’re a chef or restaurateur looking for an immersion circulator for your restaurant, look elsewhere. Unlike PolyScience’s other sous vide offerings, this one is not rated for commercial use; it’s truly designed and tailored for the home cook.

Specs and Details

Maximum capacity: 5.3 gallons

WiFi or Bluetooth enabled: No

WiFi required: No

Adjustable flow: No

Pump rate: 1.6 gallons (6 liters) per minute

Wattage: 1100W

Maximum temperature: 210°F (99°C)

Weight: 5.5 pounds

Pricing

While this immersion circulator isn’t cheap by any means, it’s dramatically less expensive than the company’s other options, while maintaining the traits that make this brand so highly appreciated among chefs. You still get the scientific precision and the durable build, all for a comparatively great price.

You’ll definitely find other sous vide devices for cheaper, as well. Most of those, though, make sacrifices in order to be so affordable. And as far as we can tell, none of the less expensive options have the same remarkable precision as this one. While it’s not the cheapest option, it’s an incredible value for the quality of the product.

Final Verdict

PolyScience as a company has a background in creating scientific instruments for “liquid temperature control solutions,” and it shows. Their entire range of sous vide devices, including the CREATIVE, offer unparalleled temperature accuracy. This is vitally important for consistently successful sous vide results. Their other products might be financially unjustifiable for the average home cook, but they’re intended for commercial use anyway.

With the CREATIVE, PolyScience has successfully created a product designed for the home chef, at a price to match. While it’s not the cheapest option out there, you definitely won’t find this combination of power and precision for a lower price. The company has excelled, and this product would be a great addition to any passionate cook’s home kitchen.

Alternatives

It’s hard to talk about alternatives when the original device is this good! Again, for most home cooks, we think this would be a fantastic choice. With that said, if you’re looking for something specific, here are a few great alternatives with various strengths. (And to learn more, you can read all about them in our list of the best immersion circulators for sous vide!).

Best alternative for a tighter budget: Inkbird WIFI Sous Vide Cooker. This one doesn’t have the same quality level as the PolyScience CREATIVE, but it will absolutely work to get you started in sous vide cooking (and it comes at a fraction of the cost).

Best all-around alternative: Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker. This one just barely squeezed out the PolyScience CREATIVE for first place on our list of the best immersion circulators thanks to how much value it delivers for a price, its app, and its sleeker construction.

Best option for professional chefs: PolyScience CLASSIC Series Sous Vide Commercial Immersion Circulator. If you’re going to use your immersion circulator in a restaurant or other commercial kitchen, you’ll want something that’s rated accordingly. The PolyScience CLASSIC is the OG sous vide machine and it will serve you well for this purpose.