The Breville Joule Sous Vide and the Smart Oven Pro are two premium kitchen appliances from Breville that serve entirely different cooking functions. The Joule is a compact, app-controlled immersion circulator for precise, water-based sous vide cooking, while the Smart Oven Pro is a versatile, multi-function countertop convection oven designed for baking, roasting, and broiling with dry heat.
Here’s everything you need to know to decide which high-performance appliance is right for your kitchen.
Breville Joule Sous Vide
The Joule is a sleek and powerful sous vide immersion circulator designed for home cooks who demand precision and convenience. Controlled entirely through a smartphone app, it heats water to an exact temperature, allowing you to achieve perfectly cooked proteins, vegetables, and more with restaurant-quality consistency. Its compact size and powerful heating element make it a favorite among tech-savvy food enthusiasts.
- What it is: An app-enabled immersion circulator that clips onto the side of a pot to cook food in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath.
- Key features: Extremely precise temperature control from 77°F to 210°F, driven by a smartphone app with guided recipes, a fast water heating element, and a magnetic base for stability.
- Price: Around $199–$249
- Style: Minimalist, modern, and very compact. It’s designed to look like a sleek piece of technology rather than a traditional kitchen appliance.
- Materials/Construction: A durable, waterproof plastic body and stainless steel components ensure it can handle long cook times submerged in water.
- Pros: Delivers flawless, consistent cooking results. Compact size makes it incredibly easy to store. App provides helpful visual guides and remote control. Heats water quickly and holds temperature perfectly.
- Cons: Relies entirely on a smartphone app for control. Only performs one type of cooking (sous vide). Requires you to own a suitable pot and finish foods by searing them separately.
The Joule is the perfect tool for any experimental home chef who prioritizes texture and doneness above all else and appreciates a tech-driven cooking experience.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/sous-vide/bsv600.html
Breville Smart Oven Pro
The Breville Smart Oven Pro is a high-performance countertop oven that rivals many full-sized models in functionality and results. Featuring Breville's signature Element IQ technology, it intelligently directs heat to where it's needed most for precise and even cooking. With ten preset functions, it can toast, bake, roast, broil, and more, making it a true workhorse for any kitchen.
- What it is: A multi-functional countertop convection oven for everyday baking, roasting, and toasting tasks.
- Key features: Element IQ technology adjusts five independent quartz heating elements for precise cooking. It has 10 functions including Toast, Bake, Roast, and Pizza. Its interior is large enough for a 13-inch pizza or a 6-slice toaster capacity.
- Price: Around $250–$350
- Style: Classic yet modern, with a handsome brushed stainless steel finish that fits well in most kitchen decor styles.
- Materials/Construction: Features a sturdy stainless steel body, a reinforced glass door, and non-stick interior walls for easy cleanup.
- Pros: Incredibly versatile, replacing the need for multiple appliances. Cooks food very evenly thanks to Element IQ and convection. Large interior capacity for a countertop model. Intuitive controls with a clear LCD screen.
- Cons: Takes up a significant amount of counter space. The exterior can get very hot during operation. Higher price point than many other toaster ovens.
This appliance works best for anyone seeking a powerful oven that can handle a wide variety of cooking tasks without having to heat up a full-size wall oven.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/ovens/bov845.html
Breville Joule vs. Smart Oven Pro Comparison
Cooking Method & Functionality
The most important difference is how these two products cook. The Joule uses sous vide, a wet-heat method where food is vacuum-sealed and cooked in a water bath. This method gives you unparalleled control over the final temperature, ensuring a steak is perfectly medium-rare from edge to edge or chicken breast is moist and tender. However, it cannot brown or crisp food, that requires a final step of searing in a pan or under a broiler.
The Smart Oven Pro uses dry heat, circulated by a convection fan, to bake, roast, and broil. It excels at tasks requiring browning and crisping, like roasting vegetables, baking cookies, or cooking a frozen pizza. It is a versatile, all-in-one cooking station for traditional oven methods but lacks the pinpoint temperature precision of sous vide.
Dimensions & Footprint
Size is a major differentiator. The Joule is incredibly compact - roughly the size of a flashlight - and can be easily stored in a kitchen drawer when not in use. It takes up no permanent counter space at all.
In contrast, the Smart Oven Pro is a substantial countertop appliance, measuring approximately 18.5" x 15.7" x 11". It requires a permanent home on your countertop and needs adequate clearance around it for ventilation. For those with small kitchens, the Joule is obviously a more space-efficient choice, while the Smart Oven Pro is best for those with ample counter real estate to dedicate.
Technology & User Experience
Your interaction with each device is completely different. The Joule is operated exclusively through a smartphone app. This provides a very modern, visual experience, with guided recipes and remote monitoring. You can start, stop, and adjust your cook from another room.
The Smart Oven Pro uses a traditional control panel with physical dials and buttons alongside a bright LCD screen. The interface is intuitive and immediate - you simply turn the dials to select a mode, temperature, and time. This direct control is preferred by users who don't want to rely on a phone to cook dinner.
Price & Value
The Joule ($199–$249) is a specialized tool, and its value lies in its ability to perform one task perfectly. For chefs dedicated to the sous vide method, that precision is well worth the investment. It allows a home cook to achieve results that were once only possible in high-end restaurants.
The Smart Oven Pro ($250–$350) has a higher upfront cost but provides tremendous value through its versatility. It can act as a toaster, a second oven for holiday meals, or a primary oven for those in smaller living spaces, effectively combining several appliances into one high-performance package.
Who Each One Works Best For
The Breville Joule is designed for a specific type of cook. This includes tech-savvy individuals who are passionate about culinary science and achieving perfect food textures. It’s ideal for experimenters who love trying new techniques and appreciate the precision that only sous vide can offer for proteins like steak, pork, chicken, and delicate fish. If you live in a small apartment or are short on storage, its compact, drawer-friendly size is a major advantage.
The Breville Smart Oven Pro serves a much broader audience. It's perfect for busy families who need a reliable and fast way to get dinner on the table, from roasting a small chicken to baking a casserole or cooking a pizza. It's also an excellent choice for avid bakers who need a temperature-stable oven that preheats quickly. Anyone who wants the performance of a high-end oven without the size and energy consumption will find the Smart Oven Pro to be an indispensable kitchen workhorse.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both of these Breville products are excellent, but they are built for entirely different cooks and kitchens.
Choose the Breville Joule if:
- You are passionate about achieving perfect doneness and texture, especially with meats and proteins.
- You enjoy using technology and a smartphone app to guide your cooking process.
- You have limited kitchen counter and storage space.
- You already have a way to bake and roast but want to add a new, precise cooking method to your repertoire.
Choose the Breville Smart Oven Pro if:
- You need a versatile all-in-one appliance for baking, roasting, broiling, and toasting.
- You have ample counter space and want to supplement or replace your full-size oven.
- You cook for a family or frequently host guests.
- You prefer direct control via knobs and an LCD screen over a smartphone app.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Joule and the Smart Oven Pro?
The primary difference is the cooking method. The Joule cooks food slowly in a precisely heated water bath (wet heat) for ultimate texture control, while the Smart Oven Pro cooks with convection and radiant elements (dry heat) for baking, roasting, and browning.
Can the Joule brown or crisp food?
No. Sous vide cooking does not create a browned crust. To achieve this, you need to sear food cooked with the Joule in a hot pan, on a grill, or with a torch as a final step.
Which one is better for a small kitchen?
The Joule is significantly better for a small kitchen. It’s a very compact device that can be stored in a drawer, whereas the Smart Oven Pro requires a sizable, permanent spot on your countertop.
Do I need a smartphone to use the Joule?
Yes, the Breville Joule is controlled entirely through its companion app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices. You cannot operate it without a compatible smart device.
Can the Smart Oven Pro replace a regular oven?
For many daily tasks, yes. It excels at baking, roasting small recipes, and heating food. It preheats much faster and is more energy-efficient than a full-size oven, though it cannot accommodate very large items like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Is the Smart Oven Pro also a microwave?
No, it is a convection and radiant oven. It heats food using heating elements, similar to a traditional oven, and cannot reheat food with microwaves.
How much space does the Smart Oven Pro need on the counter?
The unit measures approximately 18.5" wide x 15.7" deep x 11" high. Breville recommends allowing at least 4 inches of clearance on the sides and 6 inches above the oven for proper ventilation.
Which appliance offers better value?
Value depends entirely on your cooking style. If you want unmatched versatility for everyday meals, the Smart Oven Pro offers phenomenal value. If you are a culinary enthusiast who prioritizes the perfect texture of a medium-rare steak above all, the Joule's precision offers unique value that the oven cannot match.
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