Vacuum sealer for food

JenL

I've been giving serious thought to buying a vacuum sealer to help keep leftovers and part packs of food fresher and for freezing purposes. I was wondering if anyone here has one and found it worthwhile? Also would there be anything I need to be aware of about their use? Thank you.

joedenise

Going to keep an eye on this thread as this is something I've been thinking about getting too.

buildersdaughter

Only just seen this!
I love my vacuum sealer.  We buy mostly at co-operatives, independent shops, markets etc. We live in a rural area, so we plan our shopping trips and storage. I used to have very little freezer space, but ill health has meant that it made sense to do more batch cooking and have simple food easily available, so we now have a small chest freezer. A vacuum sealer helps us make the most of this. We try to be very careful with plastic, but this makes a lot of sense. This is what we seal:

Any raw meat, (other than sausages!) poultry or fish that is going in to the freezer for longer than a few days. Also game, because I live in an area where idiots don't take the pheasant they shoot, and leave it for the likes of us.
If I know that I am going to use some meat or poultry in the next week, I might vacuum pack (sometimes with some herbs or spices) and put in the fridge.

Cooked meat & poultry that is to be eaten cold will keep much longer if vac-packed. This when I sometimes seal in a larger bag than immediately necessary, so that I can cut it open, use, and re-seal.
We buy hard cheese at the farmers' market. We would use about 1kg of cheddar a month. I cut in 2 and vac-pack 500g to keep (it will keep for a few months in fact).

Nuts, and occasionally rice or pulses, depending on how long I expect to keep them.

Rarely, because they get used quickly, I might vac-pack a hard vegetable like half a celeriac, squash or cabbage.

When I make the Xmas spiced beef, which traditionally is 'pressed' (I occasionally do half a ham in the summer) I vac-pack instead, and provides much more even pressure.

I will rinse out and re-use the bags (I actually use rolls which i think cheaper) if they haven't had raw meat, poultry or fish in them.
I think if you are seriously aiming for plastic-free, this won't work for you. But I cut down on plastic elsewhere, to make the best use of our food and to shop carefully an efficiently.