There’s zero need for a vacuum sealer for sous vide… A standard Ziploc will remove all air when submerged in water with the top open. Not a critical equipment piece for that.
Yes it is handy to vacuum seal portions before sous vide, especially if it can handle a wet marinade which will help push the marinade in but it’s not needed to just sous vide.
This makes more sense for preservation then. Also. What does that hose attach too? Yes… It exist but is it a standard? To what? Since no container/ball lid adapters are included? What can it be used with? If it’s proprietary it’s worthless.
Note: Canister, jar sealer, and bottle stopper not included
So… Worthless?
I don’t know if it’s bad for a basic vacuum sealer but the angles being pitched on top of that feel very meh
@unksol There are some bags, and some vacuum-seal jars, that are designed to work with the hose. I mean, if you want to use those things, you can buy them. My sealer doesn’t have a hose adapter, so I couldn’t use that. Whatever.
@CBL_WV that was kinda my point. Does it use a standard connection? If it does it’s beneficial to say that/provide examples. Like if it works with foodsaver products. Great it works with stuff you might have or you know you can always get stuff if this company is out business. If its proprietary and being discontinued… Cause it’s on meh… Sure generic bags work. Maybe not on the hose.
@unksol apparently, you never done a corned beef, pastrami, brisket, or ribs sous vide. Anything I do that goes over 20 for 22 hours gets at least a double seal on the bag, and then sometimes double bagged, as ziplocs almost always, always blow open after 20 or so hours…
I have a FoodSaver and it’s great for storage, I vacuum seal everything that goes in the freezer and food doesn’t dry out or get frosty or smell funny.
@awk
My mom uses one also and I’m the one who actually eats the food that is being sealed. Everything comes out delicious, fresh as if it was just cooked!
@werehatrack Well, actually… You can put multiple portions into 1 bag and give it a larger lead (extra bag at the end) and then reseal as you use the items inside. It’s imperfect but it does allow for more than single use and depending on how well you cut and seal your waste can be minimized. Down side is that it takes up more room in your freezer, which goes against the added value of using a vac sealer.
@irenegade@kalma@werehatrack Our local Lions Club collects plastic for the Trex recycling program. The company takes waste plastic and provides plastic park benches that get installed in local parks and other public places. https://recycle.trex.com/
@werehatrack We have been using FoodSaver machines for about 20 years. We learned long, long ago that the special bags are indeed washable and reuseable. Either wash by hand with dish soap and or a bit of dilute bleach or cut off the ends, turn them inside out and put them in the dishwasher for a more thorough santization.
FoodSaver type bags, which is what is used for this Meh offering, are composite plastic layers of polyethylene and nylon (for toughness). They have a special knobbly pattern embossed into one side in order to allow air to be evacuated through the soft pinched sealing gasket before the seal heat tape is activated.
As you repeatedly use them, the bags will get shorter and shorter as the seal area wastes almost an inch and a half per use. When that happens or if the reused bag develops pin hose, or are too short to use, only then do we discard them. FoodSaver bags are not recyclable owing to the nylon in their construction.
Owing to the expense of these special rolls, reusing the bags makes good cents for the more frugal and conservation minded.
There is the added benefit that food that might spoil or be otherwise wasted can be preserved and consumed. A win win.
As long time FoodSaver users, when the last machine died last fall, we switched to an Avid Armor Ultra chamber vacuum, which was 4X more expensive in the initial purchase than a top of the line FoodSaver machine and 12X more expensive than this Meh offering, but uses plain and much, much less expensive bags.
On the whole, we like the Avid Armor chamber vacuum much better for many things. A big advantage of a chamber vacuum is that one can seal liquids and wet items and control the amount of vacuum drawn very easily. We can even use regular freezer type Ziploc bags in the Avid Armor machine, which I do quite often for things that are not going to be stored in the freezer for any length of time.
We still wash and reuse the purchased, plain type chamber vac bags as well. And unlike the special laminated composite FoodSaver type bags, the vacuum chamber bags are fully recyclable.
We purchased an inexpensive vac sealer of the FoodSaver type for other tasks such as resealing chip bags, vacuum sealing Mason-type jars, and FoodSaver hard plastic storage containers.
The $$$ Avid Armor chamber vac doesn’t have an external vacuum hose sealing feature. If it can’t fit in the chamber, you’re out of luck with that machine. While I love that machine, I think they could have made it better in several ways, one of which would include having an external vacuum port.
The upshot is that no machine is perfect. All will have a limited life and will fail either from a burned out sealing tape or a defunct vacuum motor or some other issue. However, once you really start to use these one of these things, you will wonder how you ever got along without one. Frozen foods will last much, much longer, without freezer burn or off tastes. Works particularly well with meats of all types, fruits, berries, veggies and nuts. Cheese in the fridge won’t mold. Leftovers stay fresh for days. And on and on.
So if you don’t have such a machine, this Meh offering, even though it only has five bags included, will get you started. You will have to purchase FoodSaver bags or rolls pretty quickly. Other accessories such as Mason Jar sealers, and food storage/marinating containers can be purchase later at most big box stores and some supermarkets.
We bought some silicone molds of various cup sizes and freeze liquids (soups, broth, etc) in them and once frozen we seal into the bags. It’s very odd to thaw a square of stew but so far it’s working like a champ.
Gather around kids and let me tell you a story. There was a time people had so much food, and they didn’t want to waste it. Everyone had freezers in their garages or utility rooms, and they froze extra food. Ok, off to bed now.
You can get it cheaper by $5.13 if you buy it at TheCloseOut.com and subscribe to their newsletter for a 10% discount. It is $19.99 plus s/h for $8.99 minus the discount comes to $28.87 vs. Meh $29 plus $5 s/h. Unless you pay the monthly Meh s/h fee.
Product: Vremi Vacuum Sealer Machine - Designed for Food Preservation and Sous Vide - Includes Starter Bags and Suction Hose for Jars and Containers
Model: VRM030391N
Condition: New
Sealer: 14.2" L x 5.9" D x 3" H
Pre-Cut Bags: 7.8" W x 11.8" L
Bag Roll: 7.8" W x 78" L
Suction Tube: 15.7" L
Weight: 3.1 lbs
Power cord: 3.5’ L
3 mm wide sealing strip
Details
LED indicator lights
Strong suction power
Stays fresh up to 5x longer
Soft-touch digital control buttons
Stops automatically after the sealing process
100-watt fully automatic vacuum sealing operation
Works on vacuum jars, containers, and wine stoppers
“Dry” mode for solid items and “Moist” mode for wet items
Good to Know
There is no “on” switch, just plug it in
Bag should not be more than 1" to 1.5" longer than the contents of the bag
Place the bag end to be sealed into the vacuum chamber nice and flat
Ensure the machine locks on both sides before you press “vac seal” or air cannot be removed
Care Instructions
Wipe the outside of the appliance with a damp cloth
Clean the vacuum chamber with tissue paper
Dry thoroughly before using it again
What’s Included?
1x Vremi Food Preservation Vacuum Sealer Set
5x Pre-Cut Bags
1x Bag Roll
1x Suction Tube Note: Canister, jar sealer, and bottle stopper not included
Newbie question: where do you get replacement bags/rolls? How locked in am I? Do I have to get them from this unit’s manufacturer, or can I use the brands they sell at Target, Walmart, et al?
I use third party bags rather than rolls because they are easier. I suck at cutting the rolls straight, although that’s easier with my newer Food Saver with the roll holder and cutter.
@craigthom@squishybrain@st_ellis@unksol
I generally buy 8 in wide and 11 in wide rolls from Amazon.
I take my rolls, mark them the length I want the bags to be, then fold them over at the marks and use a long kitchen knife to cut them, sort of like you would use a letter opener. Since I have certain things that I use most frequently, I now know what those lengths should be. I have them noted on the flaps of the box that the food saver is stored in. It’s also nice that you can cut them in half if you need to… for instance to make 5 and 1/2 inch bags out of 11 inch rolls.
For years I’ve had a vacuum sealer and love it for foods I’m freezing but when I learned to use it to re-seal purchased bagged foods and plastic tubing that I package my wares in, it was a game changer. Seal those chips, crackers, and dog food back up!
I still use the Rival 3-Step Vacuum Sealer (Refurbished) I purchased from Meh on July 27th 2015 two or three times a week. I’m all about 32 hr sous vide sessions with the cheapest cuts of beef I can find. I’ll find a large roast and section it into 3rds… season… jab with a pointy thing a few times then vacuum pack and then off to the freezer. Then simply throw the frozen bag in the sous vide water and 32 hours later and sear with a torch. I’m eatin’ high on the hog.
I heard there’s a suction chip shortage so you actually have to use your lungs
@outz I thought they used vacuum tubes.
The deal sucks!
@yakkoTDI Actually, a lot of Amazon reviews say it doesn’t suck as much as it is supposed to.
@phendrick So it sucks at sucking?
@phendrick @yakkoTDI I wouldn’t trust those. Fakespot.com gives the amazon reviews a D rating.
Rly??
@Yurg60Y Bad at first glance, but’s only $1 more for me on Meh - as I get free shipping here, and shipping on that site is $9.
OH MY GOD THEY FILLETED AND VACUUM-SEALED GLEN!!!
@shahnm I’m just glad they didn’t fillet, vacuum seal, and kill KENNY!!
@shahnm Just asking … has anyone actually seen Glen and Kenny at a party together?? I’m no conspiracy theorist, but I do have to wonder …
@dskin1127 That’s a different show…
There’s zero need for a vacuum sealer for sous vide… A standard Ziploc will remove all air when submerged in water with the top open. Not a critical equipment piece for that.
Yes it is handy to vacuum seal portions before sous vide, especially if it can handle a wet marinade which will help push the marinade in but it’s not needed to just sous vide.
This makes more sense for preservation then. Also. What does that hose attach too? Yes… It exist but is it a standard? To what? Since no container/ball lid adapters are included? What can it be used with? If it’s proprietary it’s worthless.
Note: Canister, jar sealer, and bottle stopper not included
So… Worthless?
I don’t know if it’s bad for a basic vacuum sealer but the angles being pitched on top of that feel very meh
@unksol There are some bags, and some vacuum-seal jars, that are designed to work with the hose. I mean, if you want to use those things, you can buy them. My sealer doesn’t have a hose adapter, so I couldn’t use that. Whatever.
@CBL_WV that was kinda my point. Does it use a standard connection? If it does it’s beneficial to say that/provide examples. Like if it works with foodsaver products. Great it works with stuff you might have or you know you can always get stuff if this company is out business. If its proprietary and being discontinued… Cause it’s on meh… Sure generic bags work. Maybe not on the hose.
I just like details on my threaded connectors lol
@unksol apparently, you never done a corned beef, pastrami, brisket, or ribs sous vide. Anything I do that goes over 20 for 22 hours gets at least a double seal on the bag, and then sometimes double bagged, as ziplocs almost always, always blow open after 20 or so hours…
@Technologist that would have to be gas in the bag but should not be steam… So. I wonder how that happens
What the heck kind of mehrathon is this?
@Lynnerizer Seriously, I thought for sure one was coming up soon, but of course they are gonna wait till I’m out of quarantine.
@Lynnerizer This is one deal a day foreplay.
I have a FoodSaver and it’s great for storage, I vacuum seal everything that goes in the freezer and food doesn’t dry out or get frosty or smell funny.
@awk
My mom uses one also and I’m the one who actually eats the food that is being sealed. Everything comes out delicious, fresh as if it was just cooked!
@awk I find that frozen clowns do smell funny.
Just what we need, another way to generate more single-use plastic packaging.
@werehatrack Well, actually… You can put multiple portions into 1 bag and give it a larger lead (extra bag at the end) and then reseal as you use the items inside. It’s imperfect but it does allow for more than single use and depending on how well you cut and seal your waste can be minimized. Down side is that it takes up more room in your freezer, which goes against the added value of using a vac sealer.
@werehatrack This is exactly why I’m not buying one of these. I try very hard to avoid putting more plastic into the garbage.
@werehatrack If it prevents food waste, it saves more in energy/plastic than the bag is worth.
@kalma @werehatrack Plus, we have recycling here in NY, so there’s that besides reusing the bags.
@irenegade @kalma @werehatrack Our local Lions Club collects plastic for the Trex recycling program. The company takes waste plastic and provides plastic park benches that get installed in local parks and other public places. https://recycle.trex.com/
@werehatrack We have been using FoodSaver machines for about 20 years. We learned long, long ago that the special bags are indeed washable and reuseable. Either wash by hand with dish soap and or a bit of dilute bleach or cut off the ends, turn them inside out and put them in the dishwasher for a more thorough santization.
FoodSaver type bags, which is what is used for this Meh offering, are composite plastic layers of polyethylene and nylon (for toughness). They have a special knobbly pattern embossed into one side in order to allow air to be evacuated through the soft pinched sealing gasket before the seal heat tape is activated.
As you repeatedly use them, the bags will get shorter and shorter as the seal area wastes almost an inch and a half per use. When that happens or if the reused bag develops pin hose, or are too short to use, only then do we discard them. FoodSaver bags are not recyclable owing to the nylon in their construction.
Owing to the expense of these special rolls, reusing the bags makes good cents for the more frugal and conservation minded.
There is the added benefit that food that might spoil or be otherwise wasted can be preserved and consumed. A win win.
As long time FoodSaver users, when the last machine died last fall, we switched to an Avid Armor Ultra chamber vacuum, which was 4X more expensive in the initial purchase than a top of the line FoodSaver machine and 12X more expensive than this Meh offering, but uses plain and much, much less expensive bags.
On the whole, we like the Avid Armor chamber vacuum much better for many things. A big advantage of a chamber vacuum is that one can seal liquids and wet items and control the amount of vacuum drawn very easily. We can even use regular freezer type Ziploc bags in the Avid Armor machine, which I do quite often for things that are not going to be stored in the freezer for any length of time.
We still wash and reuse the purchased, plain type chamber vac bags as well. And unlike the special laminated composite FoodSaver type bags, the vacuum chamber bags are fully recyclable.
We purchased an inexpensive vac sealer of the FoodSaver type for other tasks such as resealing chip bags, vacuum sealing Mason-type jars, and FoodSaver hard plastic storage containers.
The $$$ Avid Armor chamber vac doesn’t have an external vacuum hose sealing feature. If it can’t fit in the chamber, you’re out of luck with that machine. While I love that machine, I think they could have made it better in several ways, one of which would include having an external vacuum port.
The upshot is that no machine is perfect. All will have a limited life and will fail either from a burned out sealing tape or a defunct vacuum motor or some other issue. However, once you really start to use these one of these things, you will wonder how you ever got along without one. Frozen foods will last much, much longer, without freezer burn or off tastes. Works particularly well with meats of all types, fruits, berries, veggies and nuts. Cheese in the fridge won’t mold. Leftovers stay fresh for days. And on and on.
So if you don’t have such a machine, this Meh offering, even though it only has five bags included, will get you started. You will have to purchase FoodSaver bags or rolls pretty quickly. Other accessories such as Mason Jar sealers, and food storage/marinating containers can be purchase later at most big box stores and some supermarkets.
We bought some silicone molds of various cup sizes and freeze liquids (soups, broth, etc) in them and once frozen we seal into the bags. It’s very odd to thaw a square of stew but so far it’s working like a champ.
@kalma Not if you buy square bowls for serving!
Needing a meh deal on a sous vide now.
@pcolachiller
/giphy I second that motion.
@pcolachiller Ok, emotion, not notion…
ok, between the roomba-clones, the sharks & now these- I’m seeing a pattern that suggests you haven’t had a date in a really long time.
Gather around kids and let me tell you a story. There was a time people had so much food, and they didn’t want to waste it. Everyone had freezers in their garages or utility rooms, and they froze extra food. Ok, off to bed now.
You can get it cheaper by $5.13 if you buy it at TheCloseOut.com and subscribe to their newsletter for a 10% discount. It is $19.99 plus s/h for $8.99 minus the discount comes to $28.87 vs. Meh $29 plus $5 s/h. Unless you pay the monthly Meh s/h fee.
I’m disappointed that the seal the email referred to was not a pinniped.
Specs
Product: Vremi Vacuum Sealer Machine - Designed for Food Preservation and Sous Vide - Includes Starter Bags and Suction Hose for Jars and Containers
Model: VRM030391N
Condition: New
Details
Good to Know
Care Instructions
What’s Included?
Note: Canister, jar sealer, and bottle stopper not included
Price Comparison
$48.99 on Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Jan 27 - Monday, Jan 31
Ok, I chuckled at Ramenstein.
@haydesigner Actually you’re not eating Ramenstein, you’re eating Ramenstein’s Monster.
Newbie question: where do you get replacement bags/rolls? How locked in am I? Do I have to get them from this unit’s manufacturer, or can I use the brands they sell at Target, Walmart, et al?
@st_ellis Any vacuum bags will work with any vacuum sealer so your good to go with this one.
@squishybrain @st_ellis I assume with the qualification that it is the correct width…
Without reviews some can be very meh.
@st_ellis my first meh purchase years ago was a foodsaver, i order generic rolls on amazon. Works just fine.
@st_ellis Aldi usually has good deals on rolls if you can find them.
@squishybrain @st_ellis @unksol as long as the bags aren’t too wide the width isn’t an issue.
I use third party bags rather than rolls because they are easier. I suck at cutting the rolls straight, although that’s easier with my newer Food Saver with the roll holder and cutter.
@craigthom @squishybrain @st_ellis @unksol
I generally buy 8 in wide and 11 in wide rolls from Amazon.
I take my rolls, mark them the length I want the bags to be, then fold them over at the marks and use a long kitchen knife to cut them, sort of like you would use a letter opener. Since I have certain things that I use most frequently, I now know what those lengths should be. I have them noted on the flaps of the box that the food saver is stored in. It’s also nice that you can cut them in half if you need to… for instance to make 5 and 1/2 inch bags out of 11 inch rolls.
Irk!
For years I’ve had a vacuum sealer and love it for foods I’m freezing but when I learned to use it to re-seal purchased bagged foods and plastic tubing that I package my wares in, it was a game changer. Seal those chips, crackers, and dog food back up!
@callow ooh that is a good idea, never thought it would work with chip bags, thanks!!
@callow It seems like applying vacuum to a plastic chip bag would crush the contents. Does it not?
@macromeh Just seal, no vacuum!
@callow Ah, makes sense!
I still use the Rival 3-Step Vacuum Sealer (Refurbished) I purchased from Meh on July 27th 2015 two or three times a week. I’m all about 32 hr sous vide sessions with the cheapest cuts of beef I can find. I’ll find a large roast and section it into 3rds… season… jab with a pointy thing a few times then vacuum pack and then off to the freezer. Then simply throw the frozen bag in the sous vide water and 32 hours later and sear with a torch. I’m eatin’ high on the hog.
OK, color me impressed. I ordered this thing at 15:00 on Thursday and it arrived at 12:20 today.