Now here’s one versatile appliance any serious food establishment should have. In this 21st century, throwing food away after a few days because it’s gone bad is no longer an option. Ways have been devised to ensure food is kept edible for longer—whether raw or cooked.
By making use of a commercial vacuum sealer, you can seal anything from jars to bottles and everything in between. We’ll discuss that in depth below
How Exactly Does it Work?
Before we delve deeper into this topic let’s get the basics out of the way by discussing how exactly it works. Basically this machine works by sucking air out of a bag or container. Once this is done the bag is then quickly sealed to ensure air doesn’t get back in.
What Can You Use it For?
Food Storage
Companies in the food industry have to adhere to certain Food Safety Standards. Realizing the food you just took from a freezer has mould all over isn’t the best of scenarios. With this machine the shelf life of your food is greatly increased compared to storing it in conventional storage containers. That’s already a good enough reason to get on the vacuum sealer machine bandwagon.
What you must know is the time frames will differ depending on where you’re going to store it. Will you be storing the food in the pantry or refrigerator?
- Freezer: Since you’re into serving food it means you’re likely to buy meat in bulk right? If that’s the case then this machine is definitely for you. Placing food in a vacuum bag will ensure your meat lasts not just a couple of months—even years! Meat in a vacuum doesn’t oxidize so it won’t turn brown. Apart from meat you can also seal other foods including vegetables. The only food this mechanism won’t preserve is a puree or paste.
- Refrigerator: If you’re going to store food in the refrigerator you can expect it to last weeks—not days.
- Pantry: Your bulk dry foods aren’t excluded from this convenient innovation. You can seal anything from flour to spices. What you must do is pick the appropriate attachment first. For instance: If the food is in a mason jar then you must use a jar sealer attachment.
Protection
Apart from preserving food these machines also serve as a protection measure. When air and moisture come into contact with certain metals, corrosion occurs over time. Want to maintain that shine on your restaurant’s silver cutlery? Investing in a vacuum sealer might help you with that.
Also, you’ll appreciate that vacuum sealing will save your staff a lot of time on polishing cutlery and focusing on other duties. However make sure the cutlery is in a thick paper or cloth before sealing. This will prevent sharp edges from puncturing the bag.
Buying? Features Worth Considering
Automated or Manual Sealer?
Both mechanisms are equally effective. The only difference is with the automated vacuum sealer you don’t have to do much. Simply insert the edge of the bag onto the vacuuming slot and the machine does the rest. With the manual sealer it gives you control over how much air you take out of the bag.
Gas Flush
An important feature present in other machines is what is known as a gas flush. This functionality is designed to remove oxygen and replace it with a mixture of nitrogen & carbon dioxide. As a result the rate at which food spoils is greatly reduced. Supermarkets that specialize in pre-packaged meats will find this very useful and it will save you money in the long run.
Vacuum Cycle
The vacuum cycle is basically the point at which the air is drawn out of the bag. However the time it takes to do so will vary depending on the machine you pick. Some will suck air out in as little as 20 seconds. If you want to increase your establishment’s operational efficiency you might want to opt for that type.
Seal Cycle
Still on the subject of saving time let’s discuss how long it takes the machine to close off the seal. Again, this time frame will also vary from one machine to the next. The more efficient models can create a secure seal in as little as six seconds thereby saving valuable time.
Bag Storage
A machine with integrated bag storage is quite convenient because it also comes with a built in cutter. This makes it easy to cut the bag to size and the feature is normally present in the larger models. However be prepared to spend some extra cash on this model as it’s a bit on the expensive side.
Good to Know
Pre Freezing
The mechanism is the same but there are certain precautions you need to take depending on what you want to use it for. When sealing the softer or juicier items—particularly for freezer storage—you might want to freeze the items first for a couple of hours before vacuum sealing.
This will help prevent the food from being crushed or losing its flavour during the process.
Liquids
More often than not as soon as you break the seal on your liquid product, its shelf life reduces drastically. So if you want your wine bottles to last longer, make use of this sealer. Other liquids you can reseal include vinegar and oil.
[Conclusion]
It’s clear your business or home will definitely find this machine useful. When will you get yourself one?
