Vacuum Food Sealer Brands and Links

Vacuum-sealing food

Vacuum sealers help preserve the life of perishable foods by removing the air from a plastic bag and sealing it to preserve freshness and prevent freezer burn. Consumers can save money by buying meats and other items in bulk and vacuum-sealing them for later use. Outdoors enthusiasts find vacuum sealers useful for packaging fish and game or foods for camping and hiking. Handheld models are compact, easy to use and convenient, but because they run on batteries, the seal strength often doesn't compare to that of countertop models, and the bags used for these models tend to be more expensive than buying rolls of food-grade sealing plastic.

The University of Georgia Consumer Sciences Extension posts a primer on vacuum packaging and food safety.

A contributor to the Chicago-based culinary site LTHForum.com offers a tutorial on flash-pickling with a FoodSaver vacuum sealer.

North Dakota State University has a handy guide that lists storage timetables for a variety of foods.

Budget101.com features a question-and-answer guide to vacuum sealers, including tips for reusing bags and sealing dry ingredients.

The makers of the Rival Seal-a-Meal provide 10 tips for food safety, including storing leftovers, appropriate thaw times and optimal temperatures.

Consumers use vacuum sealers for more than just sealing food. Outdoors enthusiasts and travelers often find use for sealing essential items such as toilet paper, preventing moisture from ruining it (and making it more compact in size). A discussion thread on SurvivalMonkey.com includes useful tips on the various uses for vacuum sealers.

TheKitchn.com offers a tutorial on a fun use for vacuum sealers: "How to Make Popsicles with a Vacuum Sealer."

Slate.com polled its readers to gather the most useful tips on reducing food waste. A number of other useful waste-reducing strategies are mentioned in addition to using a vacuum sealer to extend the life of foods.

Vacuum sealer bags are made of polyethylene plastic and nylon. With all the controversy surrounding the safety of plastics -- most notably the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA), which is used in the manufacture of some plastics -- consumers may wonder if vacuum sealer-bag material is safe. Bloggers at The Soft Landing investigate the issue by confirming with Jarden Consumer Solutions, the company that makes both Rival and FoodSaver vacuum-sealer products, that the polyethylene-nylon blend used in making the bags is BPA-free.

Sous vide cooking

Sous vide, or "under vacuum," preparation is cooking food in vacuum bags at very low temperatures, preserving moisture and flavor. You can experiment with it if you have a countertop vacuum sealer. Here are a few related articles:

Slate.com's Sara Dickerman explores sous vide in her article "The Slowest Food."

"Viva Sous-Vide!" at Chow.com discusses food sealers and how to use them for sous vide.

Chef Richard Blais discusses the benefits of the sous vide cooking and tips for perfecting the process with various foods in an ABC News video.

Vacuum food sealer brands

Debbie Meyer (Reynolds Handi-Vac)

Rival (Seal-a-Meal)

FoodSaver

Weston (makes Cabela's brand)