There are many times that I find using a ziplock bag to store food is not ideal because they tear easily in the freezer (especially those bought from cheap stores and of poor quality) or they don’t keep the food fresh at all. So having seen the FoodSaver demonstration at the Home Show, it made me wonder if I really needed one for my family.
After giving it much thought, the answer is yes. It’s helpful in a number of ways – it helps keep food fresh for a very long time, it can also be a space saver for your fridge or freezer, it means you cook only the portion that you need and you can also boil the bag in low temperature.
This FoodSaver FFS002 comes with:
- Machine
- 28m x 3.04m heat seal vacuum roll
- 94 litre heat seal bags x 5
- 78 litre heat seal bags x 5
- Accessory hose
- Instructions
This model comes with a built-in roll storage which allows you to store and cut the vacuum roll at the same time. Simply lift up the roll cutter bar and feed the roll end under the bar. Get the right length of the seal vacuum roll and slide the cutter across to cut it.
It also comes with a removable drip tray (bright green colour) for an effortless clean that is also dishwasher safe.
The machine is slightly bulky but lightweight. It can be stored vertically (at an angle) providing more room for food preparation. So far, I’ve been resting it flat on my kitchen counter top to keep it close to the wall socket. It comes with a cable tidy at the base. The cable is about 1 metre long. There is no on/off button on the machine. Once you plug in and switch on via the wall, it will turn itself on when the lid is clipped properly and the green latch pop out. Sometimes I do have to squeeze the lid down hard, in order for the latch to pop out. I suspect this will become easier the more I practice using it. There have been times when I have pushed the wrong buttons – instead of vacuum, I hit the seal button.
Barring my user errors, the machine itself is very easy to use. This model has two buttons, one for seal and one for vacuum. It takes around 15 seconds to seal the bag and also to vacuum. Once it is sealed, the red sealing progress light goes off which is the same as for the vacuum. When it is in the vacuum mode, it does make quite a loud sound. It will not deafen anyone but it is approximately as loud as a vacuum cleaner.
The seal bag is BPA free and made from great quality plastic. It comes with a smooth surface on one side and a thick rough surface on the other side. The bag is not microwavable but you can defrost the foods inside the bag. The bag is suitable for sous vide cooking at a low simmering temperature below 75°C. After the bag is vacuum sealed, simply write the food name and date it. According to the instructions, poultry, vegetables and pastries could keep up to 2 – 3 years. It also mentions to never vacuum pack fresh mushrooms and soft cheeses etc.
I am delighted to be able to use this to prolong the life of our foods. Many times, I find that I have left frozen meat for too long and I have had to discard it.
It also comes with an accessory hose for you to use it on pantry containers which you could buy separately. From easy-to-use bottle stoppers to handy canisters to lunch boxes and a Quick Marinator.
This is my video demonstration of how the FoodSaver works.
I enjoy using the FoodSaver as you can see in this picture how much shelf space I have after using it. Also I am able to control the portions of the foods to cook more easily.
This is a great product for saving food and making it last longer. It is definitely a benefit to my family. It is available from Argos and Lakeland, RRP £74.99.
Disclosure: We have received this sample to do an honest review.
