Using the Reynolds’s Handi-Vac System
by Joseph Parish on Feb 16, 2009 with 0 Comments
A while back I was fortunate enough to locate one of the Reynolds’s Handi-vac systems in our local Wal-Mart department store. It was not a costly item and so I decided to pay my ten dollars or so and give it a try. At the same time I put in another ten dollars for nine gallon bags that are used in conjunction with the machine.
The unit proved extremely simple to use and appears to be very reliable. Several experimental items that have been packaged with the machine still appear to be airless and secure.
I am basically a frugal type of person so I first pack of the meat items in a much cheaper type of bag such as an old bread bag, perhaps one of the non zip storage bags or even possibly one of the small zip or fold over sandwich bags. I proceed to leave these bags open and then use the Reynolds’s machine to suck all the air out. By leaving the first bag open I am successful in the machine taking all the air from both bags. Why you ask do I do it this way? By bagging my meats in this manner I can safely reuse the outer bag and thus save some expense.
An interesting note here is that when you vacuum seal your commercially purchased meats you may wish to remove some from the containers that they are already packaged in. It would actually depend upon the particular situation. If you had just purchased a large amount of meat which was packaged in a single pack then you may wish to repackage it into smaller portions. If you purchase say a roast you would be justified in putting the entire portion of meat including its store packaging into a Food Saver bag and sealing the complete thing. This process certainly helps greatly with controlling the blood and related juices that can leak and spread germs.
On the other hand if you remove the meat from the package place it on some wax paper that is covering a cookie sheet and pre-freeze it. When it has become firm you can remove the meat from the tray and place it into the sealer bag and finally seal it securely. These machines tend to remove the air better if the product being placed in the bags is previously frozen.
Either way the key is to get your foods frozen as quickly as possible or to keep them in the frozen state. By following these simple tips you are well on your way to enjoying the Reynolds’s handi-va system.
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Published in: Consumer Information
