FoodSaver Controlled Multi Seal VS3198

Air still in the bag – I have recently purchased the foodsaver multi seal and just wanted to get some feedback if other people have the same experience with vacuuming meat. Mine seams to still have air in the bag, any help would be appreciated.

Great Way To Store Food Longer – I hadn't seen a food vacuum system for at least ten years. I was really excited to receive the FoodSaver Controlled Multi Seal Vacuum Sealer (VS3198). I wanted to see what had changed over the years. The FoodSaver arrived quickly. The box and the packaging were eco-friendly, utilizing molded cardboard to keep everything safely in place. Inside… Read more ·  1

was a starter kit that included the FoodSaver machine, two rolls of bags (each 5.4m long), some zipper bags and FoodSaver bags, an instruction booklet, and two airtight containers. The airtight containers were definitely new to me.

For years now I've been using freezer bags with wire ties. Because the bags were thin the food was often at risk of being damaged by ice crystals affecting the texture and flavour when it thawed. I moved on to takeaway containers but once frozen the plastic would become brittle and sometimes the corners would shatter and the food would then become ice affected. The FoodSaver bags are quite thick and sturdy though and the containers are purpose made for freezing.

It didn't take much to set up the vacuum sealer and begin using it. The instructions were easy to follow. I wanted to test the effectiveness on various things. Firstly I chose to bag up my dog's meals for the week, something I do every week. I tried using the bag roll. I wasn't really understanding it so I got onto YT and watched a video of someone using it. I moved to using the FoodSaver bags with the handheld vacuum sealer. The sealer pulls out on a cord and you hold it to a prescribed circle on the bag and it extracts the air. The best part is that they can be washed out and reused. It was easy and quick to use and pretty soon I had all of them bagged and ready for the freezer (picture). I still had quite a bit of pet mince left in the manufacturer's bag so I tested the FoodSaver to see if it would seal. I chose the moist setting and it sealed perfectly.

We regularly buy bags of avocados. The trouble is they all usually ripen on the same day. For the second test I sealed half an avocado and it has been sitting in the fridge for five days now and is still looking fresh (picture). I am going to try freezing the avocado and then thaw it to see if it holds its texture and colour. I will post the results as a follow-up post.

Thirdly I bought a punnet of strawberries to test in the airtight containers. We waste so many strawberries as they become mouldy within two to three days in the fridge. I sealed half of the strawberries in a container and used the handheld vacuum sealer to extract the air until the green button went from convex to concave. After three days I noticed that the strawberries in the punnet are beginning to get very wet, whereas the ones in the container are not (picture). I will post the results when either become mouldy.

I can see the FoodSaver coming into its own at Christmas as we traditionally slice up and freeze the leftover meats on Boxing Day. I would love nothing more than to make a fresh ham sandwich from the Xmas ham in February or March. I will also be using it to vacuum pack the extra bbq chicken I always buy from Costco. I keep one in the fridge to use and strip the other and freeze it for future use. I am also going to seal bags of cereal as our family only eat it sporadically.

I liked the FoodSaver bags so much that I ordered extras from Harvey Norman (picture). It was easy to order online and arrived within a few days. I also ordered another set of the 3 and 5 cup containers for my vegan son to store his food in, and (for the meat eaters in the family) the 10 cup container to marinate meat in.

PROS: It's by Sunbeam and they have always had a great reputation in kitchen appliances. The FoodSaver bags will keep the food from getting freezer burn and allows food to store flat. All plastics are food safe and BPA free. I always have leftovers that need freezing. It is easy to use. I can buy extra accessories from a number of online suppliers. I can reuse most of the bags and all of the containers many times over. The stainless steel is easy to keep clean. There is a removable tray that catches any drips as you seal wet items which is easily cleaned. There is a sous vide function. The unit has a locking feature for storage. There is a cutting device on the front of the machine so you can cut your bag to size.

CONS: Like any kitchen equipment it will require somewhere to be stored, along with the bags and containers. Requires you to buy extra bags as you use up the original supply (however they are reuseable). I feel that the cord to the handheld vacuum needs to be handled with care to avoid breaking it. (If it doesn't retract gently pull it out a little further until it retracts back.)

I will update this post in six months. Hopefully I will have discovered more uses by then.

A Perfect Addition To The Kitchen – This Food Saver works well, comes with an easy-to-read manual, and has a contemporary look with a stainless-steel finish. I was impressed with the ability to vacuum seal containers, not only bags. The cutter is a plus and sealing is easy. Vacuum and sealing together is automatic after pressing “vacuum” but it is important to leave enough… Read more

excess bag space and place it correctly in the machine. I took a couple of tries but once you get the gist it is fine. I found that folding the opening before filling gives you a better idea of the overhang and makes it easier to fill as well. There are 4 mode options. All worked well. This machine has excellent suction and the ability to marinate in a short time is a bonus. The one negative I would say it that it is a large machine and a little heavy. I have quite a large kitchen with plenty of bench space, but I prefer to store appliances when not in use. As I would use this machine on a regular weekly basis, I have found a convenient spot. Stainless steel is notorious for showing every mark, however, it is easy to clean. The biggest plus for me, is that it will be a money saver. I like to buy in bulk as it is much cheaper but if you don’t use all “before the use by date” there can be wastage. The Food Saver allows me to divide all into usable portions, giving a longer shelf life to the remaining product. Less wastage saves money. It is also great for ground coffee. Nothing worse than stale coffee. Having had a large family, I am used to doing a lot of cooking. Now that there is only the two of us, any extra food is frozen for lunch or when I just can’t be bothered cooking. We are not fans of take away, so an occasional frozen prepared meal suits our lifestyle. I would generally freeze in containers or zip locked bags but using the vacuum saver makes the process a lot more efficient. Food seals much better, doesn’t collect ice and takes up less room in the freezer. I have tried both methods of reheating, in the microwave and in boiling water, both work well. Plenty of choices in the freezer has been handy with lockdown. I can see this machine will get a lot of use. We have a caravan and most winters head north for about three months. On our return, I very often have to clear my pantry of foods such as flour and nuts that have reached their use by date or are just plain stale. This machine will be an asset in this regard. I can extend shelf life by vacuum packing before we leave. Also saving me money as less wastage. Some items such as almond and coconut flour which are vacuum packed in portions can be stored in the freezer and pulled out when needed. There is limited storage in our caravan kitchen area and vacuum packing essential food makes it easier to pack and without the bulk of excess packaging I can fit a lot more in. Also, instead of taking a whole lot of ingredients, I can vacuum pack combined dry ingredients and when ready to use, all I have to do is add the wet ones and bake in the caravan oven. A quick and easy method for sweet treats with minimal fuss. I also take some frozen prepared food for the nights we spend off road. Being able to thaw in boiling water will make my life easier as we don’t have enough battery power to use the microwave. I have been using zip bags or cling wrap on food, but that requires time to thaw before heating on the stove top. The Food Saver method is quicker, healthier, and more efficient. As for fruit, I tried vacuum packing strawberries, and you definitely need to put in the freezer for a little over an hour before you use the machine. I tried to skip this step and had to redo. I will be looking out for extra containers for the Food Saver. They work well, although stacking in the freezer is probably a lot more efficient with Food Saver plastic bags. It is worth trying to make the contents flat when vacuuming as flat stacks better. I have tried the zip pouches which are manually vacuumed but I doubt I would use many. Ordinary zip lock bags are just as easy storing food in the main compartment of the refrigerator because they are not there for long. I also tried my own containers, inserted into a bag, vacuumed, and sealed. A little fiddlier but it did work. Lastly, as with most kitchen appliances the question to ask, “will it be used on a regular basis, or will it sit in the cupboard”? We all have things that have been used a couple of times and then never used again. The answer for me is certainly, yes. I will get a lot of use with this machine. A great appliance and worth trying out.

Best I've used – Whilst this particular vacuum sealer and some of its features are new to me, Vacuum Sealers 'per se', are not. I have owned one for many years now and found it particularly useful. Not an everyday use item, but particularly useful at times of the year when certain fruits and vegetables are in abundance from our garden and require packaging prior… Read more

to freezing, also for packaging foods to load up the caravan for a trip (pre Covid) our old one copped a serious flogging. So, is this one better than our current one? In short, yes it is. Why? Well for a start it's a good looker - as flash as a rat with a gold tooth - with its brushed aluminium top it could live out its life on the bench top posing for compliments. It is simple to use - well I guess they all are - however this one requires one hand only with the locking lever on the right hand side the movement of which also turns the machine on and off. It has a small handheld suction cup that separates from the main unit via a retractable umbilical tube, which is used on the Food Saver branded vacuumable and re-useable plastic containers and (with the additional use of an included coupling) their plastic bags. Internally, the unit has a removable drip tray that will collect any liquids drawn from bags being vacuum sealed and this is a really big "good thing" as anyone whom has used one of these units knows that when you draw fluid into the unit it can be a real pain the the proverbial, you need to turn the unit off allow it to cool then as best you can scrape, wipe, dig out the contents that spilled. Now you just lift out the removable gutter tray then wash and dry it and re-insert, wallah! Simples! Which leads me to the exceptional part of this particular Sunbeam Foodsaver VS3198 that I truly found useful and that is the 'Pulse' vacuum setting. This setting allows you, as the operator, to control the amount of vacuum applied to each bag, so if sealing a bag with moist or wet contents or even a bag containing fragile contents you can create as much or as little vacuum as you desire taking it to just the right level prior to sealing. This is highlighted in my attached video and in a photo showing vacuumed and sealed pies with no destruction of the pastry. Now, I cannot vouch that other brands do not have this particular feature/function but my last two units most certainly did not. The on board storage for the bag roll is also useful and makes the creation of bags a simple process. No longer are you required to pre cut the bags on the bench then returning to the unit seal one end, you simply pull out the bag past the heat bar close the lid and press seal, when this process has finished lift the lid draw out the roll to desired bag size close the lid and slide the cutter across. The bag can then be removed and by pressing the seal button you commence another bag if desired. As previously mentioned this Foodsaver is also fitted with a removable hand held suction unit that is attached to the main unit by a retractable tube. This unit can be used in conjunction with the Foodsaver Branded plastic storage containers and vacuum plastic bags of any brand available at supermarkets. This remote unit is also used in conjunction with the Marinate button. Simply place the food and marinate into one of the plastic Foodsaver containers connect the remote head to the top via the port and then by pressing Marinate, the unit will then vacuum and release the internal pressure of the container three times over a period of twelve minutes., thus hastening the process. It also has a Sous Vide mode which can be used to vacuum down on a plastic bag (provided) using the remote head drawing down on the food to be cooked to the correct pressure required. I cannot comment on this feature and its functionality, as I do not have a Sous Vide cooking device - yet. The remote vacuum head has a removable and see thru lower section allowing for easy cleaning should any liquids be drawn up. It can be used as is on the Foodsaver containers, or you can remove this lower section leaving a small tube protruding which can be pushed into a port on the top of the food saver containers. This is not mandatory however as the oval shaped rubberised base of the remote unit fits neatly onto a similar shaped port atop of the containers.

The plastic storage containers supplied were the 3 and 5 cup sizes. A quick on line search revealed they can be purchased in 8 and 10 cup sizes as well. The lids of the 3,5 &8 cup sizes are interchangeable, they are also stackable. They appear to be very robust and as mentioned are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe, also BPA free and recyclable when they reach the end of their lives. I have read that people had trouble opening them after they had been vacuumed down. The top turnable knob clearly states "open" on one side and "store" on the other, there is also a small rubberised button which draws down or pops up indicating the internal state of the container. Turning the top knob to "open" releases an audible rush of air and the lid is then easily removed. If the air is not released believe me no amount of pulling will remove the lid. I tried!

I found the enclosed instructions easy to follow. There are instructions on the underside of the top opening lid, you will require glasses.

I liked the fact that the operating lever has a "storage" position. In this position the unit lid is locked down for portability, however it is not closed tight as it is in the vacuuming process. Thereby prolonging the life of the internal seals by not compressing them. Someone was thinking here.

In summary, I really like the unit. It is easy to use and user friendly having lights illuminated to show you settings and process' with the onboard bag storage and cutting bar great inclusions, as is the removable internal spillage tray. And it looks good. Now, this has nothing to do with functionality I agree, however, my previous vacuum sealers were/are ugly plastic box things that I kept put away in the back of the pantry dragging them out when I had multiple tasks to complete. I could never be bothered grabbing it out for a quick one bag food storing project. This unit is currently sitting on a cupboard shelf in my kitchen area within arms reach. Having the bags on board and being so close I find that I use it on a regular basis, whether it be re-sealing of coffee beans (they've never been so fresh!) Or quickly sealing left overs to put back in the fridge or freezer. I never realised just how handy these thing are. The only fault I can find, and it is no biggy, is the power lead is short, far too short. This may be due to the fact that it is stored internally at the back of the unit and it was all the internal space allowed for? Surely Sunbeam could have fitted another 15cm? Oh, and probably being very picky here but the mode reverts back to the "Dry" vacuum setting after each use. i.e. when doing fragile or wet contents you have to remember to enter your desired setting each time or it will vacuum until it crushes the pie to death or sucks out liquids into the unit.

That's it really. If you don't already have a Vacuum Sealer go and buy one, in fact buy this one, it's the best I've personally used yet and I have owned several for at least ten years now. Get yourself a set of the Foodsaver containers whilst your at it, I have. They are great storage containers, even without being vacuumed out.

As a picture is worth a thousand words I have included a number of photo's and a video. It's my first attempt at taking and editing a video so be kind.

Food Saver VS3198 - – I wanted to love this product BUT the 1st thing I noticed was my finger prints stayed on the machine ( photo included) That's NOT a big deal but Then the instructions -  I personally found lacking. Example: the page explaining the PRODUCT  FEATURES has 2 photos on one side and on the other,-what these features mean PROBLEM  : the list of… Read more

features represent only one of the photos on opposite page and nothing agrees with each other.

The photo shows a CONTROL PANEL

Words opposite don't mention any thing called a CONTROL PANEL  - they do mention things called:

1 , 2 , 3 , 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d .

PROBLEM  : I  look at the photos and there's NOTHING  marked  1, 2, 3, 3a, 3b, 3c , 3d.

I wanted to read the instructions,  understand them, then go to the foodsaver  believing I had some knowledge of what the buttons represented.

It took me too long to work out the bottom photo wasn't even mentioned in the wording on opposite page.

Every word represented the top photo.

I actually had to have this pointed out to me by a male.

As a female,  I found these instructions not clear or wording accurate.

I'd prefer that the wording on the photo matched exactly the wording on the lists opposite.

I did however find videos on how to use but none showing from beginning to end.

I think it's lacking in this area

OTHERWISE,  I would have given 5  stars.

Once I worked out the inside plastic wasn't part of the machine and was packing ( again,  a male told me it's probably packing) and I followed the instructions,  I  was able to load, cut, seal, fill with food - then the automatic vacuum and seal.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

It was so easy to do.

I'm in Sydney and we're in covid lockdown.  I'm  going to do the marinate this week and also the zip bags.

I can tell you that so far it's been everything I hoped it would be except the instructions and videos aren't explicit.

I  didn't know if it mattered what direction the plastic roll went on  - Under or Over.

I did over and it worked great.

I have never used a machine like this before and I personally would've preferred very detailed instructions on every step and photos matching these instructions

I've included one of the pages photo as an example.

The manual needs work in my opinion.

HOWEVER,  I found it EASY to use, once I worked out the controls.

TIP  : Take the manual to the machine  - don't try and work out the manual first . Take it to the machine and check each step.

It is actually easy to do.

My first attempt was my Savoury Mince in a  Tomato Garlic Sauce.

I make a lot using fresh vegetables and mince.

I decided to vacuum seal a dinner's worth instead of using containers.

Usually the containers end up with ice in them. ( I've included a photo of items from my freezer - all with ice in containers)

The machine worked well and is a quality product .

I did the vacuum seal about 10 days ago and there's also a photo taken from the freezer.

This saves me space in the freezer, saves me ice in my food and actually allows the food to last longer.

I am a lover of fruit salad but I hate how it goes soggy after a day or two.

I also love ice berg shredded lettuce but hate how quickly it turns brown from the air.

I'm trying these two things and marinating diced lamb

I love  marinated leg of lamb.

If there was a chance to have a bigger container for a leg of lamb  - I'd buy it.

However  - the inadequate instructions are a problem.  The Foodsaver website has Facebook and Instagram links - so I went there.. I'd prefer that the website had videos... I had to search to find a video on Instagram  - with more details about the ingredients rather than how to actually marinate  .

I have no idea if I've done the marinating correctly  - I do know that the hand held has refused to retract.

After one use - it's just hanging loose. 2 days later and still can't retract the handheld control

The finger prints,  ( I actually touched it a few times to make sure it was my finger prints) lack of instructions,  confusing instructions ( edit in capitals ) OTHERWISE I'D HAVE GIVEN THIS 5 STARS

I love the vacuum seal.  If it just did the vacuum seal - I'd give it full marks. IF IT HAD A LINK TO A HOW TO VIDEOS - AGAIN 5 STARS I ACTUALLY DO LOVE THIS AND WOULD RECOMMEND

https://youtu.be/YYJeg6Tb41Y

I'm surprised at how useful this Vacuum Sealer is! It's so handy! – I hadn't ever thought much about vacuum sealing food in the past, it just never crossed my mind and I had never seen a home use one before. When I received this I had no idea what food to start using it for. But it didn't take long before I started sealing up so much food and loving it. When you unpack it, you will find a roll of double sided… Read more ·  1

plastic sealed at the edges, that's for making FoodSaver bags. You will also get pre made bags and Zipper bags (these are really handy). I also got 2 FoodSaver Containers and I really love them, I need more for sure. One thing that struck me was the Instruction book. I'm pretty good at understanding instruction books, but this one is a little simple and not explanatory enough for someone who has never used a vacuum sealer or even seen one before. Particularly the marinating aspect, there is very little in the main book about it and the leaflet that comes with the containers is too simple too. It wasn't until I watched the video on YouTube, pausing the section that shows where you remove the bottom half of the hand held device, that I knew what to do. The picture on the leaflet is wrong, it shows the liquid reservoir still on the hand held device but the instructions say remove it. I was so confused about what the "liquid reservoir" was anyway. This did take a while to work it out, watching the video a few times (it goes fast). So I hope readers here get some help with this info.

But, having said that, I am using the FoodSaver every day now. I can't believe how much more fresh the food actually is. It is really easy to make the bags from the continuous roll that comes with it. Definitely buy extra rolls because this is a great way to store so much. Here are the things I have found the bags really useful for: Cold meats such as ham, I make the bag bigger than I need because I cut the sealed strip off every time I use the meat, then reseal close to the edge, using the "moist" mode. I have not thrown out any slimy ham yet! I'm amazed! I've tried containers before but often end up throwing the last of the ham out because I don't want to take a chance. NOT any more. It has stayed fresh until the end. I would say though, if you buying a large quantity of meat, bag it in a couple of vacuum seal bags and use one at a time, great when you only want to buy it once a week, for the whole week. Cheese has been amazing stored using the FoodSaver. I like to buy a 1kg block and as you will see in the photos, I used to wrap it in foil, but even then, with changing the foil regularly, I would end up having to cut mouldy pieces off, such a waste and I think maybe not very healthy. I now cut the block in half, seal one half in a FoodSaver bag I made, the the other half I seal in one of the zipper bags, resealing every time I use some cheese. I also buy parmesan blocks but don't use it a lot, I've got half a block vacuum sealed ready for when I next need it. So good, no more waste. Other foods I have sealed with the FoodSaver bags are mince (pre frozen and raw ready to freeze, this takes up much less room in the freezer than those big packets the mince comes in), chicken snitzels (I noticed no freezer burn for once and they thawed out quicker), sausage rolls I made (I used the "pulse" mode to gently seal these as they were cooked), previously they would be wrapped in cling film then foil but they don't last long in the freezer than way. AND, something so handy for cake decorators like me, Royal Icing! I had some left over Royal Icing from some cookies I was decorating and decided to seal it using the "moist" mode. Absolutely perfect because as bakers know, Royal Icing should not have air on it because it will set. I even froze it in the sealed bag.

I love the containers so much I need more. I have stored my coffee beans in one, just need to get a bigger container now. I was using a battery operated container before because coffee beans should be stored vacuum sealed, but the batteries go flat so fast. At least now I can seal them using power. I also used one for whipped cream. I couldn't believe how long it lasted, right until it was all gone. I usually end up throwing it down the sink because it goes off. Really happy with this.

Marinating was MUCH better than I thought it would be. I don't usually marinate much because I often forget to do it the night before because I'm just not that organised to have the meat defrosted and marinated so far in advance. But occasionally I like to marinate pork fillet before I cook it to give it that nice Chinese BBQ flavour. The pork I bought actually came vacuum sealed (with a long use by date, proving vacuum sealed food lasts longer). I cut it into chunks, made a simple Chinese style marinade, mixed it through in the FoodSaver container. When you use the Handheld Sealer, you take off the bottom section (the "liquid reservoir), then you can fit the small rigid tube into the hole in the top of the container (that way you don't have to actually hold it, you can see this on one of the photos), then select "marinate" mode and it will pump the air out in 3 separate sessions, lasting for about 12 minutes. When it was finished I turned the dial on the container to vacuum and put it back into the fridge for about an hour while I got other things ready for dinner. I made stir fry pork and veggies. The pork tasted amazing, the flavour was better than I'd ever made before. Well worth using the FoodSaver. I'll be marinating a lot more now.

One thing you can't use it for is fresh herbs. I sealed some fresh Rosemary in the FoodSaver bags and it looked great. A couple of days later I wanted to use 1 packet, as soon as I cut the seal off, the Rosemary started going black and then I noticed it was smelly. There are specific instructions about blanching vegetables in the book or they won't seal properly. So I guess herbs can't be sealed. Never mind, I was just trying out different things.

I've found a spot in a cupboard for it because I didn't want it on the bench. And the cord tucks into a handy hole in the back of it, so that helps because I'm getting it out nearly every day. I think a finger recess at each end would have been handy to pick it up easily. The stainless steel finish on the front does show every finger print, but I keep a cloth handy to keep it looking clean.

So, in conclusion, I'm really happy with the FoodSaver vacuum sealer. It really does save the freshness of food.

EDIT, 4 YEARS LATER!! I can't believe I've had this food vacuum sealing machine this long and I'm still using it all the time! I can't imagine how much food I've NOT wasted in that time. I can honestly say I've not thrown one bit of cheese out at all. In fact, we eat a lot of left overs now because food is lasting longer in the fridge. I bought more containers and a tall one for coffee beans. Our coffee tastes amazing because the beans are fresh. It takes a minute to get the machine out and quickly seal a couple of items. It's no big deal but the food saved IS A BIG DEAL. I'm still loving this machine and I'm glad I came back to tell people

Who would have thought Vacuum sealing was so much fun! – I received my FoodSaver VS3198 and the first thing I noticed after unpacking it was the finger prints. I am not a fan of shiny fingerprint magnet surfaces, but I'll get over it. Other than that the quality of the item felt good, sturdy and well-built, I am a bit concerned about the vacuum device used to seal the containers and zip lock bags. It… Read more

has a retractable hose, and we all know that over time they don't really retract. But for now, I appreciate that fact it's retractable and works a treat. Can't say the same for the really short power cable, why so short?

Interestingly the supplied roll is not as wide or as long as the post-purchase packaged rolls. Reminds me of the starter toners you get with printers. (Look at images) You know where I am going with this, I'd prefer the consumables supplied to be the real deal. I love the Vacuum Seal containers, I will be buying more of these as I feel they are far more practical for sealing liquids, and the clip-lock bags are great for sealing dry foods (I am not sure how comfortable I'd be washing the bag and reusing if I had meat /proteins in there).

So let's get to the good stuff. This thing sucks, in a good way. Once you decipher the instructions, it's easy to create neat little vacuum-seeled packages of anything! You need to understand that you MUST seal the bottom of the bag, then wind out enough bag (for your food) + 8cm (seems like a lot of wastage) then seal and cut. (Don't panic, yes you sealed both ends, but the second seal is the bottom of the next bag and the cut is physically after the seal, got it... you will, it's easy).

My first attempt was cooked lamb cutlets. Now I followed the instructions and I tucked the open end of the bag into the green plastic drip tray. Glad I did, as it when it sucks the air out, the liquid extracted ends up in this tray as intended. If you don't tuck it into the tray it will dribble wherever, meat blood has no place inside the vacuum system! The good news it catches the liquid, the bad news it doesn't hold a lot so don't use bags for liquid unless frozen!

So, now that I'm getting into this sealing thing, Bacon, sealed into packs of 2 strips, no more slimy bacon. Leftovers, now I am happy to eat them 5 days later, the family dog is not happy, so no more leftovers for her!

This device is far more practical than I ever imagined, all I want is larger containers for Coffee beans. (I buy them fresh monthly, but I'd love to vacuum seal 500 grams). Vacuum sealing works, no question. All in all, the machine seals the bags instantly, just wait for the seal light to go off and done. I like the vacuum seal containers, so solid, so sturdy and they don't leak vacuum! I like the vacuum indicator on top too, very practical. You see Coffee beans give off gas so you have to re vacuum them when fresh, and once they stop giving off gas, you're good to grind and drink fresh coffee.

Sorry, I know, it's all about the coffee, but my electric and manual vacuum pots have all failed and this just works! I have not tested the marinate option as the containers are too small for the foods we marinate, (1.5kg Chicken, or 1kg of lamb etc!).

Note: the Wet seal option sucks more than the dry option, but I prefer the manual option, let it suck until the motor can't suck any more.

This is where it gets interesting, the manual stresses that vacuum sealing is not a substitute for freezing or refrigerating, and it explains the different ways food rot. Vacuum sealing helps against mould, but it cannot stop or slow Yeast/fermentation, nor can it stop bacteria. So how useful is it really?

I do recommend this product if you need to vacuum seal food or other items (coffee), and no I have not tried any other, but it does what it says it can do, and it can seal any length bag you want to make, clip lock bags and especially those great containers. (Note Updates below, they didn't last very long!)

UPDATE: After leaving the machine in the cupboard for a long while, I went to use it and it will NOT suck the air out of the bag. It seems the foam used to make a seal needs to be replaced, I can only assume it was left in a seal position rather than storage position- hence the foam is permanently squished. Now it a paperweight!

Update 2: The LIds on the vacuum containers loose their ability to hold a vacuum quite quickly, also note now that I need to replace the foam squish pads, the Big Warehouse does not have any spare parts, which is odd as the product is still available to purchase! ANd to be honest, I stop using it not long after receiving it! Disappointing..

Well thought out and useful product – A FoodSaver is one of those things I didn't really know if I would use often enough to warrant purchasing one, then I was asked to test and review one. There was the main unit with spare rolls, some ziplock bags and a set of containers. I set it up and decided to do what I assumed was the main use for it and that is to vacuum pack my meat for… Read more

freezing. It does so much more than just package meat! Although it does package the meat for the freezer brilliantly. I have used one of the containers to store my coffee beans and it was very easy to use. The other I had some seeds in but then decided to marinate some meat. Brilliant, kept the air out but odors in! The Ziplock bags are a wonderful idea especially for taking well packed and sealed lunches or snacks. Terrific idea when travelling. They are also perfect for storing useable amounts of vegetables, this means because food lasts longer there is less wastage. The containers came with an adapter so they can be used with other (hose type) vacuum sealer models. I like that I can reseal original product bags for foods which I don't use daily but lose their freshness and "crunch" before I get to the end of the pack. Rice cakes, chips, cereal all benefit from being resealed between uses. The book is very easy to follow, and I like the hints on preparing foods for vacuum sealing. There is also a page with ideas for vacuum sealing other items. Having a user guide under the lid is helpful. I really like that the channel (drip tray) is a bright green, so it is very easy to see where to place the open ends of the bag. Overall I am really enjoying the Sunbeam FoodSaver and am sure it will become an often-used appliance in my kitchen all year round. PROS: It is easy to use, has multiple options for use including custom sized bags from rolls and the Ziplock bags. Attachment with containers means other models can be used with them. CONS: both the power cord and handheld sealer cord could be longer. I recommend the FoodSaver and wonder why I didn't have one before this.