Useful Mainly Only for Bulk Buyers
Written: Jul 19 '02 (Updated Jul 19 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: When it works, it works well.
Cons: When it doesn't work, it works badly
The Bottom Line: Think carefully before buying an item like this. Are you so dissatisfied with things in your kitchen that you think Foodsaver will be your saviour? Probably not.
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| ismith's Full Review: Tilia Foodsaver Compact II Vacuum Sealer |
If you shop at Costco or a similar outlet, and have a deep freeze capable of stockpiling enough food to last through a nuclear winter then the Foodsaver could be for you. But if you are a single person, with nothing in your fridge but last night's left over take-away and half a bottle of Chardonnay then save your money and buy a cheap MP3 player instead.
When I first took the Foodsaver home, there was practically nothing that I did not try to vacuum. Forget the foodstuff - how about those ski underwear and socks that need to be stored until next season? Vacuum them and reduce storage space. How about that fleece jacket I have to take with me on my trip just in case.....vacuum it and save luggage space! Fortunately, those days are gone as the novelty has worn off.
I've found Foodsaver to be good at vacuuming large quantities of chicken pieces and pork chops bought at Costco. Sometimes I even marinate the meat before vacuuming and freezing. In my experience, it is even better at vacuuming fresh fruit for freezing so that jams, jellies and shakes can be made in the winter.
The bags are prohibitively expensive and, in my experience, do not work as well second and third times around. After initial use, I pull them inside-out, pop them in the dishwasher and then hang to dry. Frequently, they will not hold a vacuum after that. Frankly, I sometimes get fed up with all the little plastic bags hanging up to dry all over the place.
I've also found that cheeses and other like perishables will last longer when vacuumed.
I have always had problems with the cannisters - it takes a lot of fiddling around to get the Foodsaver to evacuate them. It rarely works first time for me. As for the cannister that they sell as an extra, for placing marinated meat in and then vacuuming - their claim about speeding up marinating time is, to me, dubious and I am skeptical of that.
Would I buy the product again? Probably not, solely on the fact that the bags are too expensive. I think I could live without it.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
ismith
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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