Vacuum Sealers have become an Essential

I have owned various Vacuum Sealer’s over the years and bought a new one back in January. I used them fairly often but since the lockdown, it has become essential in our household. Like many people, we became a little worried about getting hold of food, which made us focus on minimising food waste. I’m a little embarrassed that this was not my attitude before this pandemic but is one benefit that I will bring out of this situation.

At the beginning of May, the team at Audew sent me the Audew DS1800 Vacuum Sealer and have had the opportunity to use it regularly over the past few weeks.

So what do I use it for?

The way we have been shopping over the past few months is the meat comes from the local butcher, the fruit and veg from a local company and then other consumables from supermarkets. I use the Vacuum Sealer in a few different scenarios.

• When we receive a butcher’s order much of it will go in the freezer. Rather than just putting it in the freezer directly in the bags the butcher puts the meat in, which contains a lot of air, we will use the vacuum sealer and repackage the meat. Sucking as much air out as possible avoids any freezer burn.
• We often have large cuts of meat (i.e. a pulled pork, brisket etc). The vacuum sealer is great to seal cooked meats, to either keep in the fridge for a few days or again freeze.
• With the veg, which is fairly perishable, we use the vacuum sealer to store any veg we want to keep fresher in the fridge. It is amazing how much this helps.
• You can also store liquids, again keeping them fresher longer. Recently, I made a plum and quince sauce which we needed to use a few days later and the vacuum sealer did a great job.
• This could be used if you want to experiment with Sous Vide cooking as it effectively seals the food.

The underlying point here is that a vacuum sealer helps preserve food and reduced waste. It will also be kind on your pocket, as you can make food stretch over a few different meals.

The Audew DS1800

The Audew Vaccum Sealer comes in a really nice looking box, which is black and red in colour. Unboxing it the aesthetics don’t disappoint, with a lovely brushed stainless steel and black finish. It’s a great size and should be easy to store in a reasonably sized kitchen.

The stainless steel does pick up fingerprint marks easily but is very easy to wipe clean and get it looking new again.

This works in a very similar way to other vacuum sealers I have used, with a vacuum trench where you position your bag, close the lid and start the sealing process. It works really effectively and has never had a fail over the past 4 weeks when I have been using this.

The control panel provides a number of different modes you can use:

1. A Mode button allows you to select between a ‘Gentle’ and ‘Standard’ mode. I haven’t used the ‘Gentle’ mode but the ‘Standard’ mode worked well with all foods I vacuum packed.
2. You can use the Food Setting Key to switch between ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ foods. Both modes worked great!
3. You have the choice to ‘Vacuum & Seal‘ which does what it says on the Tin. It draws the air out and seals the bag.
4. You have a ‘Seal‘ button which just seals the bag without sucking the air from it.
5. Finally, there is a ‘Canister Switch‘ and hose which allows you to remove the air from external vacuum canisters. This is something I didn’t test.

The Verdict

The Audew Vacuum Sealer works well. It has had 4 weeks of pretty hefty use and has not failed on one occasion. I also like the look of this device and with the stainless steel finish would look pretty good left out. However, it is small and light enough to easily store away.

The main thing for me if the effectiveness in sealing food and it does that well. If you are in the market for a Vacuum Sealer under £50, this is one that I think should be on your list of considerations.