Most people do not realize that there are two very different types of vacuum sealing machines. The vacuum process they utilize is very different, and there are pros and cons to both types of machines.
The most common type of vacuum sealing machine is called a suction device. These machines are the most common and the least expensive. FoodSaver and Seal-a-Meal systems use this type of technology.
After you place your food items in a specially designed bag, or you make your own bag from rolls of special material, you place the end of the bag in the machine, and the air is sucked out. After the vacuum process, the end of the bag is heat sealed by a special heating strip on the interior of the machine.
These machines are typically much less expensive than the chamber-type machines, and you can find them at your local store or online for anywhere between and 0, depending on the features. These low-end machines are a very inexpensive way to get started.
Any of these entry-level models that you may purchase come with a starter pack of vacuum sealer bags and rolls. As I mentioned before, these machines can only work with specially designed bags.
In order for the suction process to effectively vacuum out all of the air in the bag, it must have a textured side. The air is funneled along this textured surface and into the machine.
If you do not have textured surface on one side of the bag, the vacuuming process simply will not work. This means that you must purchase these special bags.
Unfortunately, as you will notice, these bags can be expensive. Most people return to the store where they purchased their machine to purchase bags.
FoodSaver bags and Seal a Meal bags purchased at the store can be as expensive as $.75 each. Most customers do not realize that you can purchase FoodSaver bags up to 60% less online.
Expensive bags can undermine the cost savings that most people are seeking by buying in bulk and then preserving with their vacuum food sealers and then freezing. However, enough cost savings are realized to encourage people to continue vacuum sealing.
Another problem with the suction-type vacuum sealers is that the machines are typically not designed for heavy use. You can typically vacuum seal approximately eight to ten items before the heat sealing strip gets too hot and starts sealing the bags prematurely before the vacuum process is complete.
When this happens, the user must wait several minutes before resuming use in order to allow the heat strip to cool down. This is especially troublesome in the lower end machines.
VacMaster has a patent on their Pro130 machine that keeps the heating strip in a channel until the sealing process is started. This avoids the premature sealing problem that I just mentioned.
Another issue with the suction-type machines is that it is very difficult to seal liquid foods. If you try to seal a bag full of soup, for example, the liquid could get sucked into the engine of the machine and break it.
There are a couple of methods of avoiding this pitfall. They just take a little extra work.
The least expensive way to freeze a liquid is to put it in a plastic or aluminum storage container and freeze it before sealing. After it is frozen, simply pop the frozen food out of the container and vacuum seal it, or you can also put the entire container in a vacuum sealer bag and seal it that way.
Even with all of these issues, the suction-type vacuum machines remain extremely popular, because they are inexpensive to purchase, super-easy to operate, and very small in size. You can easily keep them on your kitchen counter.
The second type of vacuum sealing machine is called a chamber vacuum sealer. This technology is perfect for heavy users and also for people who want to seal liquid-rich foods.
To use a chamber machine, you simply place whatever you want to vacuum seal into a plastic bag, close the lid, and start the vacuum process. Instead of sucking the air out from the bag, all of the air is removed from the sealed chamber
This way, liquids are not being sucked out of the bag. Once the chamber has been emptied of air, a sealing bar rises and heat seals the bag.
Once the bag has been sealed, the air is returned to the chamber. Chamber vacuum sealing technology is utilized by restaurants and other commercial sealers.
There are now smaller home models that are available online. These units do not overheat like the suction machines, and are perfect for heavy users.
There are some things to consider when purchasing chamber vacuum sealers, however. First, they are more expensive than the suction machines.
Chamber machines start at around 0, and go up from there. VacMaster makes the VP112 model, which is a very nice counter-top machine that is around this price point.
For heavy users, the cost savings are soon realized when they purchase the necessary bags. Unlike the FoodSaver bags, which can cost up to $.75 each when purchased at a retail store, the chamber vacuum bags can be purchased online for approximately $.03 each.
These savings can add up quickly and make the chamber machines a more economical choice. Like their suction bag counterparts, the very least expensive place to purchase these bags is online.
After considering the pros and cons of both types of vacuum food sealers and evaluating your usage, you will be able to choose the technology that makes the most sense for you. I typically recommend the suction-type machines to my customers who seal at home a few times a week, while I recommend the chamber vacuum sealing systems to my customers who like to hunt or fish or who seal large quantities of food at a time.
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