Vacuum Food Sealers-Do You You Have / Want /recommend?
Decorating By lizamlin Updated 4 Aug 2008 , 12:41am by ibmoser
Hi all,
I'm becoming interested in a vacuum storage system, but am concerned about the ongoing cost of supplies vs benefit of food last 'that much' (?) longer. Very interested for frostings/icings (don't even know if that'll work lol).
So, do you have / want /recommend a system? tia
I have one for personal use, but I don't use it for my cake biz at all. I absolutely love it because i buy a lot of things in bulk and freeze (meat, seafood, etc) when the prices are good and it can be in my freezer for AGES and comes out fresh as the day it was bought! I also use it for veggies from my garden, so I can have em "fresh picked" in the middle of winter lol
I use it for my MMF... It is fansastic at keeping the fondant from drying out.
I also use mine to vacuum seal large family packs of meat into smaller sizes!
IMO it is a great investment!
Oh and also with regard to personal use, there is NO BETTER WlAY to organize you freezer and make good use of the space. I vac seal leftover soups, sauces, stews, chili, etc., and freeze them completely flat. So much easier to fit TONS in the freezer this way because you can stack them or stand them on end like books in a row. MUCH better than containers or boxes in the freezer
I lOVE mine! I've used them for years. I cook or grill in bulk, freeze it off adn I have enough main meat items for dinner for months. It comes out as if you just cooked it. Cheese is good to vacume also. Very much worth the money.
For the bakery I like to store the leftover colored bits of fondant till I need them again.
Some of the brands are more expensive than the others. I've had them all over the years and did not see much of a difference in them.
There is a HUGE difference in them. If you use it once a month, once a week, etc. the Food Saver type would be OK. If you use it everyday or package a large amount of items then go with the better brand. The one I use is the Cabelas 15" sealing bar...retails for $399. We use it on packaging fish when we go on fishing trips, packaging vegetables, etc. It works great for fondant. I don't use it on my regular buttercream icing.
It's like buying cake levelers....do you want the cheaper Wilton type and deal with the blade moving around, not cutting, etc. or the more expensive Agbay leveler and get a perfect cut, perfect level slice every time.
It's your individual choice based on what's right for you and your use.
As far as "ongoing cost" goes, remember that most, if not all, of the bags made for vacuum sealers are reusable. You cut a small strip off the top when you open it, and the remainder of the bag can be turned inside out and washed in the dishwasher (or by hand) for reuse. Bags are expensive to purchase but last through many uses.
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