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East of Broken Bow | I have a Cabela's brand commercial grade chamber type vacuum sealer.
One thing with a vacuum sealer, you can vacuum seal things like leftover chili or soup. I even sealed a bag of water once, just to see if I could.
Compared to something like a FoodSaver brand, the bags are MUCH cheaper, like cheaper than Ziplock freezer bags if you buy bulk and shop around a little.
Get one big enough. Remember, if it doesn't easily fit in the chamber, it won't seal it properly. Downside is the bigger ones take up more space. Ours is one step down from the big one, and can do half a rotisserie chicken without problems, and CAM do a full one if it is smaller, and you use the right bag.
Vacuum packing things like fruit and veggies is quicker than canning, but you need to keep them in the freezer instead of just on the shelf. Quicker because depending on the fruit/veggie, all you have to do is boil it for a minute or two, then you can seal it in the bag, and freeze it. One thing I will comment on is that vacuum packed things seem to take up less space. Even if you buy an 10 lb log of hamburger into 10 little 1 pound bags, it seems somehow 'smaller'.
Takes a bit over a minute per bag to load it in the sealer, and for it to cycle, or about as long as it takes to fill the next bag. One hint I will give, is to fill a cup, then use the cup to fill the bags. You will get consistent servings, and with the cup you stand less a chance of contaminating the sealing area of the bag.
As to cost, I really don't know. My wife was wanting one, so I let her pick out the one she wanted at the store in Kearney, and I had enough Cabela's bucks saved up there was no out of pocket cost. | |
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Chamber vacuum sealers
