Product Review: FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System

I received the FoodSaver 2 in 1 Vacuum Sealing System 4400 a few weeks ago with the intent to review. I've spent the last few weeks vacuum sealing everything in sight and I want to tell you all about it!

Firstly, I love that it arrived fully assembled and ready-to-use, complete with a sample variety pack of constructed bags, as well as a FoodSaver roll to make custom-sized bags. The machine is compact, with the electrical cord tucked neatly away at the bottom. I generally like a clear, uncluttered counter and FoodSaver's design is modest enough to keep it stored on the counter for easy access.

Secondly, I found it very user-friendly. Once out of the box, I plugged it in, turned it on and for once enjoyed vacuuming. 😉 I think it would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift! Or just a gift in general.

I also think it's the perfect little sidekick for anyone who bakes. I like to think of it as Spanx for cookie dough - everything sucked in nice, tight and compact. Not only did it help to free up freezer space, it kept freezer burn away and preserved the freshness of its contents.

I even stored baked cookies and two weeks later that freshly baked aroma from the day they were made, wafted through the air upon cutting the bag open. The taste was equally as fresh. I left another batch deep in the freezer and will revisit after a couple months to test against those stored in a regular freezer bag, just to serve my curiosity.

If you ship or sell your goodies, think of how handy this would be!

Thirdly, if you're like me and purchase meat in the family pack size and don't have a family, this is the thing for you.:) The Dude is vegetarian, so I am the meat-eater in our household. We both have pretty hectic schedules, so I like to marinate and portion my meat for easy preparation during the week. I would normally store them in regular freezer bags, which worked fine if I stuck to my plans. But we eat out quite a bit - with so many amazing restaurants in the city, it's hard not to. Any meat left over a week, usually ended up in the green bin followed by a self-imposed, guilt-ridden tongue lashing about being wasteful.

These breasts were stuffed with veggies and cheese and marinated to perfection, so there would be no waste on my watch. After placing them into a prepared bag, I started the vacuuming process and realized that some of my delicious marinade was being sucked out. I panicked and went to hit the power button, but pressed the seal button in error and quickly learned that I can control the amount of vacuuming! By pressing the button, it stopped the vacuuming early and skipped to sealing the package. So yeah, I guess I would have known this, had I read the instructions, but hey, I like to live perched on that jagged, dangerous edge.

Oh and by the way, the excess liquids are channelled into a discreet little tray that is easily removed and cleaned. So if your aim is to have all the liquids removed from the item being sealed, press the button and watch in awe of the FoodSaver's sucking power.

Thirdly, fruits! Long, frigid winters here usually mean a shortage of locally grown, in-season berries - and I love me some berries. We use them in smoothies daily and I like to dehydrate them to make powders for a boost of natural flavour and colour in my baking, like I did with my Strawberry Shortcake and White Chocolate Ganache Mango Macarons. Because they are free of moisture, I also love using them in chocolate. Storing them this way is a great way to keep locally grown goodies that are out-of-season, on hand.

These raspberries made their way into some deliciousness that I'll soon share with you.

Finally, the FoodSaver is very simple to use. I love that I was able to make my own custom-sized bags and it was super. Maybe because the step-by-step photos were staring at me from the flipped up inner lid. 🙂 It even has its own built-in cutter. You will need to remember to leave a four-inch clearance on each side of the plastic before cutting. This provides enough of a lip for the machine to create that seal.

It also has a handheld vacuum feature (see that bottle tucked into the side?). I haven't had a reason to use it yet, so nothing to share on that front at this time.

Thoughts: I was a little startled at the grunting sound the machine made when it began vacuuming the bag, but I got over it quickly. Additionally, the bags were sturdy and according to the FoodSaver site, BPA-free. I didn't see any mention of the bags being recyclable, which would be a big disappointment if they aren't.

All in all, I really liked FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System and will continue to use it regularly. It is said to keep food fresh up to five times longer, with thousands of dollars in savings.

 

{Disclosure: This post was sponsored by FoodSaver®. I received this product with the intent to review. All opinions are my own}