Vacuum-packed, and loving it
The cost for a machine that vacuum-packs food has dropped to a level where you have to wonder: What if I had one in the house?
Vacuum-packaging systems keep food fresh by extracting the air around an item, inhibiting growth in mold, bacteria and yeast. Perishables still require refrigeration, but shelf life gets extended. Vacuum-packaging, in theory, also eliminates freezer burn, because there's no oxygen to oxidize the food.
Tilia makes a line of vacuum-packers for the home under the FoodSaver brand, including a handheld model for $39.99, in white. For $79.99 you can get a sleeker machine that's black and brushed chrome, and provides hands-free operation.
FoodSaver's top-of-the-line product is the Professional III, with five settings for sealing foods. You control the amount of air the device sucks out, preventing delicate foods from getting crushed. It lists for $299.99 on the FoodSaver site, but Newegg has it for $179.99.
For a less-expensive hands-free model, check out Rival's Seal-A-Meal VS110 for $56.95 at NowOnSale.com. It's not just for edibles. "Food and even important documents" stay fresher longer, according to the Web site. And why not? At low-end prices you could go a little crazy vacuum-packing everything from your own ground coffee to your tax returns.
Or if you cook in bulk, divvy up chili, soup or sauces, even extra cookie dough, into portion-control bags and have it all waiting fresh in the fridge or freezer, as Christopher Lee, the chef at Philadelphia's Striped Bass restaurant, suggests.
Lee has a commercial-grade vacuum-packer at work that cost him $2,200. A Tecnovac E100 sits atop a 2-foot square table and can easily handle a side of salmon. Put it on ice, and the vacuum-packed fish can stay fresh extra days.
But consumer models can serve just as well in the right setting. "I use one at home all the time," Lee says.
Vacuum-packing also can speed the marinating process. If you have only a half hour to marinate a T-bone steak with olive oil, herbs and peppercorns, you can still get great flavor by vacuum sealing it in a bag. "Half an hour in a vacuum pack," Lee says, "is like a 24-hour marinade."