Before I bought a Sunbeam Food Saver, I only ate fish in the early part of the week, as after purchasing it fresh on a Saturday, it had to be consumed within 3 days! Not having time to shop during the week, this fact dictated the weekly dinner menu! And then someone told me about the Sunbeam Food Saver! It has had a significant impact on what I cook – no more restrictions!!!
What is it and why is it so good? You may be aware that vacuum sealed food stays fresher for longer. With a Food Saver, you can vacuum seal your fresh produce at home! Meat such as lamb and steak will last 2 weeks, vacuum sealed from fresh in the fridge. Fish, 1 week. If I want to freeze meat, I no longer use freezer bags, I just vacuum seal and put it in the freezer! I can assure you that if the produce is fresh to start with and you vacuum seal it, whether you freeze it or not, it is as fresh as when you purchased it when you open it and decide to use it!
I will add a word of caution regarding chicken. I have found it works well if you vacuum seal it and freeze it – it does not work well vacuum sealing chicken and then leaving it in the fridge. The few times I have done it, I found the chicken had a smell so I did not use it – it is not worth the risk. I spoke to the chicken butcher and was advised that chicken does not do well if it is vacuum sealed and left in the fridge.
It also works on other foods such as Smoked Salmon. You could cook a dish and portion it out into bags and vacuum seal it – works just as well!
It is not difficult to use. It’s not a huge device so it does not take up too much space. It comes with special rolls of plastic, sealed on 2 sides. You cut a portion of plastic to the size you want, seal the third side using the Food Saver, put the food in, leaving a 4-5cm gap and then vacuum seal the final side – done. It takes no time at all! Do not be fooled into buying cheaper copies of the plastic rolls on eBay – we tried this and found they simply did not work and did not keep the food as fresh – you are better off buying the original rolls made by Sunbeam. Costco has stocked the Sunbeam Food Savers and the associated plastic rolls for many years – it was where I first purchased mine – I have had it for over 6 years, I use it every week and it is still going strong!
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