Vacuum sealers for food - money-saving or not?

linzechris

Hi,
I just bought a Eiffel freshpack pro from ebay and there are no instructions with it. I can't find them online. Could anyone please send me them? Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

my vac sealers arrived from goodmans today and I am impressed with the company. The AJ sealing cap appears to fit well on top but we`ll see, I also have the alternative one from my other small sealer that will go into the hole whereas the AJ one goes over the top. I am looking forward to arranging rows of vac packed kilner jars

We are enjoying my vac prepared food, nuts are doing well and staying very fresh. We eat nuts every day so it was very cost effective to get the large bags and to re-pack. I am still very much on a cabbage roll and my very large home grown cabbage already shredded, so easy to use, is wonderful in the large AJ vac container. I am also convinced too about the space saving aspect in the freezer. My aim next year though is to use far less of the special bags

UpHillStruggle

Found this thread yesterday and have been reading avidly. Was quite disappointed when I found the last comment was late December.
I'm hoping uksunseeker is still around as I would like to now how they managed with the Foodseala AVS550. The price and features do make it attractive but still no reviews. It seems to be one of only two machines, for home use, rated at 0.8 bar. This was recommended in a link, mentioned earlier in the thread, as the minimum vacuum pressure for a sealer.
That said, it seems that many people are getting good results from sealer having lower pressure.

bassarisk

Tommy_Timebomb wrote: »

Please could someone advise me,
I am considering using Argos to buy a food vacuum sealer.
They have two at the moment, the JML and the Seal-a-Meal types.
Could anybody please tell me if they have to use there own bag types or will any make of vacuum bags work?

Hi Tommy - I bought the JML version sometime ago. Its great in the respect that it can use all types of bags - I even bought foil backboards to insert into the bags to give them that professional touch at one point.

The vacuum itself for a relatively cheap model is very good - a good test is that you can crush an empty coke can with it. For crushable foods - I simply vacuum away and hit seal half way through to stop damage to the food as there are only settings of seal or vacuum and seal (some expensive models have different vacuum strengths too).

All in all it worked great, but the build quality can be an issue - the sealing mechanism is basically two plastic clips that insert into the base that lock in place (its not just the JML version that uses this method - there are a number out there) - after a few weeks of use one of the clips broke off and I now have to press down on the broken side to keep the seal constant which is a pain. Due to the clip being built into the case it would also require quite a large replacement part - so even though the vacuum and even the sealing properties have impressed me - I am already looking around for something a little more robust and with a better closing mechanism - failing that a company who would provide replacement clips easily would also entice me.

Hope my personal experiences help with your purchase.

PoochieParker

Reviews for the AVS500 Advanced Vacuum Sealer from Bags of Freshness

"Quality machine"
Mike Lamond on 3/7/2012 9:04:26 PM
Review: This machine performs very well and looks good
Rating:

"Love it"
Caroline Hall on 16/6/2012 7:49:10 PM
Review: this is my third vacuum sealer in five years, two cheaper products. This product is so much better than any other I have tried. If in doubt dont delay buy it
Rating:

"Very useful addtion to any kitchen!"
Sue Packer on 14/4/2012 10:16:54 AM
Review: I've had another vacuum sealer (different make) for a few years but it finally gave up the ghost so I needed to replace it. After an Internet search I found the Foodseala AVS550, watched the video and decided this was the one for me! I am so pleased with it, it does so much more than my old model and I find it particularly useful as I make a lot of food for my elderly parents and also do lots of home cooking to keep my freezer full. Would highly recommend! And would also like to compliment Bags ... More details
Rating:

"Great Product"
Glenn Dyer on 11/4/2012 5:51:34 PM
Review: I had read some previous reviews and was expecting a quick delivery time. It was better than expected, you must have been working over the Bank Holiday.The sealer does what is is supposed to do, its is simple to operate and far quicker than I was expecting. This doesn't rely on looks alone. Thanks for a great service and an accurate description of your product.
Rating:

"FIRST CLASS SEALER"
ANTOINE D'AURIA on 4/4/2012 3:50:34 PM
Review: Tried other vacuum sealers and must say this is the one for me. I run a deli and find that most products we purchase come in large sizes. This allows to split up joints and make them last longer. One word of advice, don't skimp on the size of the bags when vacuuming. Always allow a generous length. It will work better and every time
Rating:

[Deleted User]

I am back to using my food sealer, I did have it in a cupboard but it is now much more accessible. Wrt the SHTF thread, someone recently had a brilliant link to a you tube video on how to seal mason (kilner) jars without electricity and that needed the foodsaver jar tops (goodmans link in a previous posting), which I did previously buy and a vac pump device which is in fact a brake bleeder. A brake bleeder just arrived from ebay and I have pretty well set it all up but need the narrow foodsaver tubing, so back to goodmans and have now ordered a few as they can wear out in time. I`ll be cutting one end off one and linking tubes together with connectors and tape.

I have vac sealed in the last two days: parsley, cabbage, satsumas, apples, grapes, linseed, various nuts and during the last few months have done tea and coffee. This time my machine is accessible and will be used a lot more

I still have cereals kept in a cool place and they are in perfect condition

I have an old basic foodsaver and a better AJ vac sealer, the foodsaver has its uses

sb44

kittie wrote: »

I am back to using my food sealer, I did have it in a cupboard but it is now much more accessible. Wrt the SHTF thread, someone recently had a brilliant link to a you tube video on how to seal mason (kilner) jars without electricity and that needed the foodsaver jar tops (goodmans link in a previous posting), which I did previously buy and a vac pump device which is in fact a brake bleeder. A brake bleeder just arrived from ebay and I have pretty well set it all up but need the narrow foodsaver tubing, so back to goodmans and have now ordered a few as they can wear out in time. I`ll be cutting one end off one and linking tubes together with connectors and tape.

I have vac sealed in the last two days: parsley, cabbage, satsumas, apples, grapes, linseed, various nuts and during the last few months have done tea and coffee. This time my machine is accessible and will be used a lot more

I still have cereals kept in a cool place and they are in perfect condition

I have an old basic foodsaver and a better AJ vac sealer, the foodsaver has its uses

Hi Kittie, it was me that posted about the brake thingy!

What are you going to connect your tubing with? You can buy connectors from a pet shop / aquatics centre, they only cost a few pence and form an airtight seal.

[Deleted User]

sb44, thank you for all the info re the connectors etc, one size tube will have to be connected to a narrower tube but there are connectors in the kit, if no good then I`ll look in the aquatic shop. It is going to be a darn good system

Well this vacuuming malarky certainly takes the stress out of buying certain foods for christmas. Shredded cabbage is still absolutely perfect as are coxes, satsumas, grapes etc. I have been dividing some lovely cheeses and vacuuming in portions and have just ordered some smaller bags, as they were best for the cheese. Organic meat box is arriving today and I`ll be vacuuming portions for the freezer

sb44

kittie wrote: »

sb44, thank you for all the info re the connectors etc, one size tube will have to be connected to a narrower tube but there are connectors in the kit, if no good then I`ll look in the aquatic shop. It is going to be a darn good system

Well this vacuuming malarky certainly takes the stress out of buying certain foods for christmas. Shredded cabbage is still absolutely perfect as are coxes, satsumas, grapes etc. I have been dividing some lovely cheeses and vacuuming in portions and have just ordered some smaller bags, as they were best for the cheese. Organic meat box is arriving today and I`ll be vacuuming portions for the freezer

I made some nice stir fry pork last week. One tbs of so of spice mix (made up recipe from Food.com), 1tb sunflower oil and 250g fresh pork strips into a small zip lock bag, squished it all about, flattened out the meat in the bag and froze for an hour or two, snipped off the corner of the bag and then put this bag into a foodsaver bag.

Used in a stir fry and it was lovely as the vac marinated the meat.

I know you will prob know about this but for others new to or thinking of buying a vac sealer.

sb44

Flatten your mince, meat strips etc in the bag when freezing, then you can stand them on their edge in your freezer baskets, bit like recipe cards in a box, easy to see how much stuff you have in there and easy to get at.