Vacuum sealer

valve90210 · 25 Jan 2018 at 09:51

The texture is there to allow the air to be vacuumed out more effectively as it prevents the plastic becoming airtight and leaving air pockets trapped in the bags.

Squid Vicious · 25 Jan 2018 at 11:08

The Aicok is a nice bit of kit, seems robust and is easy to use...

Mark M · 25 Jan 2018 at 12:15

What is the benefit of a vacuum sealer? I notice above it can prolong the life of food? I have a sous vide machine which I know you can use it for but currently I just use zip lock bags.

valve90210 · 25 Jan 2018 at 13:33

Squid Vicious said:
The Aicok is a nice bit of kit, seems robust and is easy to use...

Tis a good bit of kit!

Quick tip, I always do a double seal at the top and bottom to guard against any issues of a seal failing, also it can be a useful way of marking what things are if they look similar (if you've not got a sharpie or something to hand) for example if I'm doing pulled pork and pulled lamb at the same time I'll do a double seal on the pulled pork and a triple seal on the lamb so I can instantly see which is which. I also do the same when packing the delicious jelly and juices from them to make sure I put the correct ones with the correct meat

valve90210 · 25 Jan 2018 at 13:35

Mark M said:
What is the benefit of a vacuum sealer? I notice above it can prolong the life of food? I have a sous vide machine which I know you can use it for but currently I just use zip lock bags.

Main benefits:

Prolonging life of food
Perfect using for sous vide
Nice and simple way of packing portions of batch cooking for the freezer
It's strangely satisfying watching things compress during the process of vacuum packing

dwarf · 25 Jan 2018 at 13:55

Don't have a vacuum sealer but I often put food in a zip-lock bag, dip it in water to force the air out and then seal the bag. I'm sure it's not quite as effective as a vacuum sealer but gets the job done for me in terms of space saving in the freezer.

Squid Vicious · 25 Jan 2018 at 14:18

valve90210 said:
Tis a good bit of kit!

Quick tip, I always do a double seal at the top and bottom to guard against any issues of a seal failing, also it can be a useful way of marking what things are if they look similar (if you've not got a sharpie or something to hand) for example if I'm doing pulled pork and pulled lamb at the same time I'll do a double seal on the pulled pork and a triple seal on the lamb so I can instantly see which is which. I also do the same when packing the delicious jelly and juices from them to make sure I put the correct ones with the correct meat

@valve90210 Thanks for the tip

I'll ensure I do that as the reason I bought it was to guard against leaks!
I completed my first long cook on the weekend - a modest 24 hours for some confit ducks legs and noticed that one of the two ziplock bags had taken on a small amount of water at some point during the process which I'd like to try and avoid in the future

And I agree, it is quite satisfying vacuum sealing things

krooton · 25 Jan 2018 at 15:49

I don't sous vide, so the plastic ikea double seal bags (cheap and don't leak) do me fine for all my freezing needs. I don't do liquids, but wetter meats (like chilli) are fine, I just squeeze out most of the air and seal.

I tend to eat my bulk cooks within a few months any way, so full vacuum isn't needed.

neviditelny · 26 Jan 2018 at 06:40

valve90210 said:
The Aicok is a great bit of kit, been using mine since the summer and don't know how I managed without it.

Personally I prefer to use bags rather than rolls as it takes out a bit of the time sealing etc and to be honest they're not that much more expensive than the rolls. That said, if I see the rolls for cheaps (occasionally Lidl have them in stock etc) I will pick them up too.

Re the pro tip for freezing liquids, yep, definitely a good idea, ideally best if you can get it completely frozen before vacuum packing as, without spending a lot of money on better kit, you don't really want to pack liquids as it can end up getting into the suction area.

Which bags would you recommend to buy? I've just ordered the Aicok and the rolls someone else linked previously but I have a feeling bags would be easier to use. Will see how this goes. Will get the Aicok delivered tomorrow and the rolls during next week. I'm planning to stock up on more chicken and fish next weekend and get the sealer to work then.

jpaul · 26 Jan 2018 at 07:36

The original bag rolls are expensive you could make up 60 20x28cm bags for £10 - 16p each - that's more expensive than a banana.
For genuine sous-vide probably justified .. but I will be looking for something cheaper for freezer uses - per my posting about very long rolls.

Brian The Snail · 26 Jan 2018 at 09:57

When choosing bags you may want to consider checking if they are BPA free.

valve90210 · 26 Jan 2018 at 10:26

neviditelny said:
Which bags would you recommend to buy? I've just ordered the Aicok and the rolls someone else linked previously but I have a feeling bags would be easier to use. Will see how this goes. Will get the Aicok delivered tomorrow and the rolls during next week. I'm planning to stock up on more chicken and fish next weekend and get the sealer to work then.

These are the ones I've been using since the summer and have been very happy with:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001HCKDZM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mr.Cookie · 28 Jan 2018 at 11:20

I use the same ones and very happy with them