31 March 2008
VACUUM SEALER APPLIANCES SUCK the air out of bags to preserve food!
Posted by kitchenboy under: Product Discussions .
These appliances really do suck, some better than others. You get what you pay for.
You’ve heard the tag lines “tired of freezer burned meat or rotten cheese and wilted vegetables? Then you need XYZ vacuum food sealer!!!”. The question is do they really work and do they save food?
But why review these here on KitchenBoy? While these appliances aren’t exactly culinary tools, gadgets, cookware or bakeware, they can serve a useful purpose and I wanted or rather needed to know if they were worth the fuss.
The basic operation of the appliance is to place food in some kind of bag or another, or between two pieces of plastic and remove as much oxygen as possible. Seems obvious no?
How they do it is by using a electric pump motor of some size and then seal the package using heat.
They come with various size bags or plastic rolls; usually 1 quart and 1 gallon size bags. The roll kind (FoodSaver, Seal-a-Meal, FreshLock) fit to form more closely and aside from a fixed width based on the width of the machine, can be as large or small as needed. This is with the understanding that trying to make the package too small may lead to improper sealing.
The quick take is that these appliances do a good job. They do keep foods fresher much longer. For example, I sealed some ginger using the Frisper and have kept it in the ‘frig for 2 months now and it looks great. Normally by this time, the ginger would be all dried out with only a small bit possibly useful.
I sealed and froze some rib eye steaks after cutting them from a large rib section and they look fresh in the pack, there is very little frost inside and no freezer burn.
I have oil soaked sun dried tomatoes in my pantry looking good. I have a few perishable vegetables in the ‘frig, and to date none look like a science experiment gone bad.
These machines work best with things that tend toward the drier or more solid state. Wet things or very soft foods need to be frozen a little before sealing to ensure a good clean seal. Imagine a tomato sauce or stock being sucked into the vacuum pump!
The justifications for these appliances are well known, save on food costs by buying in bulk, keeping foods fresher longer, keeping leftovers in a better state and making it easier to prepare those foods later. If you are in a position to buy food in bulk at a good price, then these sealers will help keep it fresher for much longer. Yes, allowing you to save money.
However with my wife and I - no kids - our vacuum sealing needs are limited and I find myself looking for reasons to use the product. I don’t have a big stand alone freezer, only a side-by-side model. And honestly, I don’t find myself buying large quantities of food. I prefer to buy food fresh and more frequently. But then again, I live in a large metropolitan area where going out for food isn’t a huge trip.
As for keeping leftovers longer, yes they can work, but if you are having problems eating your leftovers before they go into a funk, try cooking smaller amounts or make better plans to eat the food sooner. Some advertising shows people putting plates or bowls in these bags and sealing a perfect portion ready for reheating. While this looks good in an advertisement it seems to be awkward in the ‘frig and not something that makes the machines function to their best capability. Better to seal & store and distribute on serving plates/bowls later. Some of these bags or plastic are made in such a way that one can drop the bag into boiling water or microwave to heat and serve. I would recommend you not do this. These appliances are for storing and long life, stick with that function and reheat as you would normally with proper heat and microwave safe dishes.
Another television advertisement is the one showing people throwing away cheese because it has “fuzz” on it. This is just plain stupid. Cheese that is aged forms “coverings” naturally and if they occur after you purchase them simply cut it off and eat the “good” portions. Cheese is a living product, things grow, things happen. Don’t be so squeamish. However, fresher cheese like Chèvre, Brie and the like are meant to be eaten relatively soon after purchasing. If you find you don’t eat fresher, softer cheeses quickly then it is a good idea to vacuum seal them. Softer cheeses will become quite squished and misshapen when vacuum sealed, be prepared. If you do choose to store cheese with these sealers, take advice from a cheese monger who once told me to wrap the cheese in wax paper or butcher’s paper first, then seal it. The cheese being pressed against a plastic wrap can pick up oils from the plastic, particularly when under pressure like this.
And always remember, if you would normally refrigerate or freeze something, then do the same with the vacuum sealed stuff. Meat and dairy and similarly perishable products can’t be left at room temperature simply because they are vacuum sealed.
Whole bean coffee is a good thing to store in these bags or canisters, because really one shouldn’t put it in the freezer or refrigerator. Freezers and refrigerators allow moisture to accumulate on the beans, which adds unwanted water to the coffee later and can reek havoc on coffee machines and grinders. It will also not be good for the flavor and complexity of your coffee. The best rule of thumb is buy close to what you need for the week and vacuum seal the rest, storing at room temperature. There are other options, which are less expensive, if coffee is your only concern.
As with most appliances, one must follow the manufacturers instructions carefully, but with these machines it is even more important. If you look on manufacturers web pages, you may find additional details or videos if what you received in print form with the product was limited.
The main difference between these machines is in size and power.
Except for the Frisper, these machines are counter space hogs. And no they aren’t exactly quiet, so just accept it.
Without getting into ratings or “Kitchenboy says”, there is one appliance that is clearly the best product here - the FoodSaver by Tilia. It is simply the most versatile, powerful, long lasting and reliable machine out there.
My experience with the other makers the Frisper by Oliso, the Seal a Meal by Rival and the FreshLock by Deni leaves me lukewarm. There seems to be a hit or miss nature to the products. When they work, they work well, but when they don’t, they can be frustrating and wasteful. The pump motors aren’t nearly as powerful and their life span isn’t as long either.
The FoodSaver has very few problems and does the job the first and every time without issue. The only known problem for some is the canister sets. There have been some issues with these sets cracking from the pressure. I can’t say under what conditions these canisters cracked or which particular ones were failing, but use that information as a caution. I find also that the FoodSaver has the most robust line of accessories allowing one to seal and store more items including wine and other bottles.
The other three are good price point options for someone looking to get started vacuum sealing food for storage or for someone who doesn’t do much vacuum sealing. The Frisper for instance is good, but if the resealable bag isn’t heat sealed properly, then the whole bag is useless. I have had two of these units and still own one now. Mostly because it is the smallest one of the bunch. I have galley kitchen and space is a premium. This one has no attachments or accessories.
The Seal-a-Meal is slightly more versatile and trustworthy than the Frisper and the Seal-a-Meal has both bags and rolls as well as some accessories.
The FreshLock seems to be the most finicky and least powerful. The FreshLock has the roll bags only and no accessories.
In the end, the FoodSaver, while the most expensive, is the most reliable. And given its life span, power and versatility, the most cost effective in the end.
So are they worth the fuss? Yes…and no.
If you are interested, there are other models available in the Seal-A-Meal and FoodSaver lines…
2 Comments so far...
Deb Says:
31 March 2008 at 8:35 pm.
Ooooh, but what about all the plastic bags going into the landfill after the food is retrieved from the sealed bag?! Alas, there is an environmental cost to this vacuum sealing solution.
kitchenboy Says:
31 March 2008 at 9:01 pm.
You are so right Deb. Even though these manufacturers have designed it so that the bags can be used multiple times, all will eventually end up in a landfill. While we can save money on our food bills in the short term, the cost to our environment in the long run is no savings. We should just buy and cook more wisely.
