REVIEW – Sous vide is a cooking method I have never tried before, and it’s time to fix that. Meet the INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker, a device that combines precision control with integrated Wi-Fi app management to provide an advanced cooking experience. Let’s learn new things. To the review!
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $109.99
Where to buy: Go to the INKBIRD web site!
What is it?
It’s a sous vide cooker paired with a WiFi-enabled app for remote control. The model I am testing is the ISV-300, which includes manual button controls in addition to app connectivity.
Tech specs
2.4 GHz WiFi remote control (with app)
32 degrees F to 90 degrees F cooking range
Max timer setting of 99 hours, 99 minutes
2.37″ deep & wide, 16.12″ tall
3.08 pounds
47.2″ power cord
Supports water vessels up to 15 liters
Over-water and under-water safety sensors
Design and features
The INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker is a one-piece unit designed for vacuum sealed immersion cooking. You start with a water vessel, inserting the business end of the cooker into the water to circulate the heat at the desired temperature as shown below.
This unit has a big, bright LCD display that shows your status, the programmed goal water temperature, the current water temperature, the set cook time, and the time remaining in the cooking process. You can also choose Celsius and Fahrenheit measurements. My test model (the ISV-300) also has physical buttons so you can set your cook preferences manually if you don’t want to use the app.
There’s a status LED on the front face that turns red when not running, and switches to green when cooking is happening.
You’ll find a big clip on the back side of the unit that attaches the cooker to the sidewall of your water vessel. This model can support up to 15 liter capacity vessels. It also sports IPX7 water resistance. The stainless steel lower half is obviously designed to be submerged, but the top half can take splashes without damaging the components.
All the heating/circulation elements are contained in a closed cylinder with small holes to keep your vacuum sealed bag from getting sucked in while cooking.
The unit also has sensors to detect if there is too much or too little water to function properly. See those little dimples at the top of the stainless steel barrel? Those are your overflow sensors. I believe the low water sensors kick in if the water drops below the vertical holes near the bottom of the barrel.
When you’re ready to cook, you’ll find that the unit can run for up to 99 hours and 55 minutes and anywhere in between. It defaults to that max time. Note that the measurement is hours & minutes (HH:MM) not minutes and seconds (MM:SS) as I found out the first time I set the timer.
When you establish your starting temperature, the unit will not start the clock until the goal temperature has been hit. In the example below the unit was set for a 50 minute cook (“set time”) and has 33 minutes left to go (“time left”).
When you hit zero, the unit stops cooking. The “run” indicator in the upper left changes to “stop” and the device plays a tone to indicate that cooking is completed. This can also be set as an alert on the app, which we’ll discuss in a moment.
Using the INKBIRD App
You can manually set up your INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker, but the WiFi-enabled app simplifies the cook setup. It also enables you to monitor and tweak your settings through the WiFi from a distance.
The app does require pairing through WiFi, which can be a pain depending on your home setup. INKBIRD tries to optimize this process through a series of prompts to help you through it. You’ll pick the device from the menus, connect the app to your WiFi (with your password), and then pair the phone to the app. You’ll need to allow location access while using the app and allow Bluetooth connection as part of the process.
I found this bit to require a little fiddling to toggle the settings properly due to my mesh network overlay, but it wasn’t too bad. I was amused by the fanfare when pairing was successful. Huzzah!
Once you turn on the cooker you can connect the app to the device and get busy. The home screen is as simple as it gets. The big number is the current temperature of the unit’s thermostat. The icons below represent the timer setting, the temperature setting, the start button, and a delay option.
Tap the thermometer icon to set your desired cook temperature.
Tap the timer icon to set your cook time.
When you press play, you’ll see the icon in the lower right change to “preparing.” You’ll also see the temperature start to rise as the water heats and circulates in the vessel.
When the desired goal temp is reached, the status changes to “cooking” and the timer kicks in.
During the cook, you can see the status bar at the top show how far along you are in the cooking process in addition to the time remaining above the set time for the cook (lower left).
The app will notify you when cooking is complete. You can also set a notification to pop on your phone if desired.
Additional features include a delay function that can be preset to start cooking after a specific timeframe.
There’s a water anomaly alert on the phone that lets you know if you’re too low (or too high) on the water sensor we mentioned above. This comes in handy for long cooks, especially if you wander off to mow the lawn or something. There’s also an alert on the device’s LED screen.
You also have some presets available from a menu of proteins and vegetables that you can consult if you’re not sure about where you want your cook settings. I believe you can also add your own presets, but I have not played with that yet.
Your presets come with some nice inspirational messaging along with defaults that you can save to a preset menu on the home page.
Performance
I have never done sous vide cooking before, so I don’t have a lot of reference points. I can say that the INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker made my first time experience very easy through simple operation, intuitive controls, and a nice little app.
I do not have a dedicated sous vide vessel, so I did my first cook with my 8 quart stock pot. at roughly 7.5 liters this represents about half of the max volume the cooker is rated for (15 liters). A full pot of cold tap water hit the goal temp of 135 degrees in less than 10 minutes.
I also tested the actual temperature as it came up to heat and found the measurements to be spot on. This device allows you to do some temperature calibration if needed, but mine has been accurate right out of the box.
I kept this first cook simple with tilapia. Some spice rub and olive oil go on the fish, which go into a vacuum sealed bag. I used the FEPPO Vacuum Food Sealer & bags from a previous review for this (check it out here). It’s important to note that the kit does not include any bags, so you’ll need to provide your own supply. I believe you can use heavy duty freezer bags as well, and I’ve seen web sites that talk about methods for getting the air out. The point is that you want as much air out of the bag as possible.
Setting up the cook time (50 minutes) and cook temp (135 degrees) was simple enough. I preheated the water and dropped the fish. When I plunked my bag into the pot it floated a little bit at first, so I had to gently weigh it down to keep it all submerged with a pair of tongs.
After that, you just walk away and let it do its thing. The app and the LCD screen keep you apprised of progress, and you can make adjustments on the fly for the time & temperature. It really is that simple.
The final product is juicy and delicious. I did transfer them to the stove to get a bit of a crust on them before serving.
I’m slowly starting to expand my arsenal of recipes after that first cook. Fish is a breeze, and I’ve done some experiments with eggs and chicken breasts. I’m learning very quickly that there is a whole world of tools and techniques associated with this cooking method that I need to explore. The simplicity of the INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker makes it a pleasure to work with. I haven’t done reverse-sear steaks yet, but that is on my list!
I should note that the basics of the app are lovely, but I have seen lags sometimes between the status on the app and the device. Not big lags, but I’m assuming there’s a refresh in there somewhere that you may notice if your phone is side by side with the LCD screen.
I will also note that I found the ability to save your own preset cooks handy, but I found it interesting that the preset recipes did not include any adjustment for the volume of protein. There are tons of references online that you can access for those sorts of details.
Final thoughts
For my first gadget in this category, I found the INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker to be a great starting point. It’s very simple to use, the build is solid, and the combination of manual and app-driven controls gives you options. The 15 liter vessel capacity seems to be just fine for protein volumes to feed a family or a small party. The temperature control is very accurate and it has some more advanced features that allow you to explore more options like super-long cooks and delayed starts. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this for anyone experimenting with sous vide cooking for the first time. Just keep in mind that you only get the cooker, so you’ll need to source the rest of your accessories.
What I like about INKBIRD WiFi Sous Vide Cooker
- Simple to set up and operate
- The app is easy to use
- Manual setup available if you don’t want to add another app to your phone
- Consistent performance so far
What needs to be improved?
- WiFi connectivity can be tricky if you’re using a mesh network, but the app makes it as easy as posisble to get there
- Does not include any accessories for first-timers
Price: $159.99
Where to buy: Go to the INKBIRD web site!
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by INKBIRD. INKBIRD did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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$193.56 (as of August 6, 2025 19:20 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
