Gourmia GSV140 Review: More Power, Better Design
Gourmia GSV140 Review
- Performance - 8/108/10
- Ease of Use - 9/109/10
- Design - 8/108/10
- Features - 7/107/10
Summary
Gourmia enhanced their base model sous vide immersion circulator by introducing the GSV140; a more powerful motor and circulator lets you cook more at once and a cleaner design and interface makes usability easy.
Full Gourmia GSV140 Review
We already reviewed Gourmia’s GSV130 precision cooker immersion pod, their flagship immersion circulator, earlier in the year. The GSV130 is a great entry-level sous vide machine. As we move to their new GSV 140 model, much of the great selling features remain (low cost) but with added features and performance. Let’s take a look at the full review of the Gourmia GSV140 immersion sous vide pod.
Design and Unboxing
Gourmia stepped up and really improved the design of their new GSV140 model. With a few minor yet noticeable tweaks and modifications, they managed to give this affordable sous vide machine a more luxurious appearance. The first thing that catches the eye is the change in the position of the LED display and control panel. Now, they’re angled downwards, enabling you ease of access when changing controls as well as better visibility.
Additionally, Gourmia also rotated the display for 180 degrees so it would face the clip. If you’re looking at it from a design perspective, it might not be immediately clear why they decided to do this, but it will be understandable as soon as you use it. This change enhanced the functionality, as the display is facing you while you’re attaching it to the pot. Unlike most other sous vide immersion circulators out there, the Gourmia GSV140 won’t have to be attached to the back of the container or to the side in order for you to be able to see its display.
The clip on the Gourmia GSV 140 works very well. It attaches to pots and containers better than Sansaire’s clip which left the device wobbly. However, this is not as sturdy as clamps which are used on Anova and PolyScience sous vide machines.
Another fantastic design feature of Gourmia GSV140 is that it comes in various colors. The fact you can choose the color of the device is completely unique in the sous vide machine world. Available colors include white, silver, gold (we opted for this glam color), blue, and black. When comparing the other design differences between Gourmia GSV 130 vs Gourmia GSV140, we haven’t seen many. The remaining changes Gourmia introduced are focused mostly on the internal components and performance, which we’ll dive into now.
Gourmia GSV140 Features
Heater/Watts
The Gourmia GSV140 has a powerful 1200 watt heater which will raise the water temperature evenly and fast, and ensure your food cooks quickly. It’s insanely impressive that Gourmia managed to squeeze in a 1200 watt heater into a device that has such a price tag. As a comparison, some of PolyScience’s immersion circulators with similar heaters run upwards of $800 or more. That makes Gourmia GSV140 fantastic value for the money in my book! The motor was also relatively quiet, especially given how powerful the heater is. Of course, if you’ve been using 800 watt sous vide machine prior to this one, you might find it a bit louder than you’re used to.
Circulator
The GSV140’s enhanced circulator now pumps up to 2.1 gallons per minute. The company claims that this immersion circulator is compatible with water containers up to 10 gallons in size, which is huge. We haven’t had the chance to put that claim to the test, as we didn’t have a container that big on hand.
But, having in mind its powerful performance with a standard-sized water bath, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it really was able to tackle a 10 gallon container. Of course, you’d have to leave enough room for water to circulate and not overstuff the vessel with food. Check out this video we recorded of the circulator in action- it’s great if you want to see if the noise level is acceptable to you.
Sous Vide Timer
Gourmia GSV140’s built-in timer works well, however, it can be a bit fickle at times. For instance, if you have to pause the cooking process for one reason or another, the timer could lose its progress and start over from scratch.Even so, we appreciate any sous vide machine that includes a timer!
Sous Vide Cookbook – Included!
Gourmia includes a mini cookbook for free with the purchase of the GSV140 model. Surprisingly, this booklet is packed with great sous vide recipes. Take a peek at some of the recipes that can be found in this cookbook- complete with finished meal photos.
Performance
Overall, this sous vide machine packs a lot of power, especially considering its exceptionally affordable price tag. Apart from our timer resetting when we paused it, we haven’t had any issues with this sous vide cooker, and we prepared a delicious ribeye without any hassle.
We tested the heating element by heating 6 liters of water from 75 degrees to 135 degrees. Our test concluded in just over 13 minutes, which is more than decent for a device in that price range. As a comparison, the Anova took 24 minutes and the PolyScience CREATIVE, which is 2-4x the cost, took 12 minutes.
We also tested the accuracy of the temperature with two thermometers, both digital and infrared. The results show that the water was roughly 1 degree colder than what the sous vide device read.
Take a look at the videos we recorded below of the Gourmia GSV140 circulation power and noise levels.
Circulation power:
Circulation sound:
Final Thoughts
Gourmia definitely improved their flagship sous vide pod by introducing the GSV140 model. The design changes made their sous vide cooker easier to use, and introduced a powerful heater and circulator. As a result, the food is cooked faster and at more precise temperatures. Of course, the budget-friendly price tag doesn’t hurt, either! The new improvements definitely make the Gourmia GSV140 immersion circulator an excellent buy for entry-level sous vide enthusiasts that are not looking to spend much money on their first device. It’s still too early to write about reliability, but so far, the device is holding up to semi-regular household use.
Absolutely amazed. Roasts, steaks, and ribs are fork tender. Shrimp has never tasted as consistently tender. Seasoning doesn’t simply stay on the surface of your food, the seasoning melts into it. The ribs are my favorite, the fatty portion melts off leaving seasoned tender meat waiting for a quick grill. One recommendation, we use distilled water. Tap water leaves a mineral build up which requires cleaning out. There is no residue in distilled water.
After trying sous vide cooking without an immersion pod and discovering an amazing new way of cooking, I purchased the Gourmia GSV140 and am extremely pleased with the results. The pod works great on anything I cook and I found I didn’t need the additional WiFi connection, as I am close by in the kitchen while preparing meals. I am impressed with how fast this device brings water to temperature and maintains it for the entire cook time. Also, the circulation pump handles every size container I throw at it. I’ve cooked chicken breasts, steaks, port roast, and eggs and everything comes out like my dream chef is preparing food for me. This device makes me look like a world class chef.
I have two of these units. I have had them a bit longer than a year. Now when I try to start one up, either one, I am most likely to get an error reading. Only after repeated attempts can I get it up and running. Can you give me any advice. I am following directions exactly.