I don't like anything made by Rival, all their stuff is very cheaply made and I have owned enough small appliances of this brand to swear them off permanently. The reviews on Amazon for other models are not very favorable either.

PEACE

woot...that's just *wrong*!!

But yeah, great product. I can really use it ... for ..my latest crop. Glass just costs so much more! But, not sure about the plastic. Do you think it'd change the taste of the, um, basil?

Oh yeah, I raised a lot of basil this year! four different kinds. way good stuff...

HarryBeanbag wrote:I thoroughly enjoyed the write-up substituting basil for um... you know. As the late, great Mitch Hedberg said, "I love the FedEx driver. He's a drug dealer and he don't even know it."

Yeah, Mitch Hedberg: The guy who died doing a speedball despite knowing he had a heart defect.

...Not exactly the person I'd be taking advice from on how to hide your basil.

Deleteme129 wrote:Are bags reusable? I'm guessing no, so where can I find more?

You can, but keep in mind you'll lose some off the end each time (my Foodsaver uses about an inch). Only one half of the bag is smooth, so it wouldn't be quite as easy to clean as a zipper bag. Personally, I do not reuse the bags.

for weeklong camping/backpacking/tailgating trips i would vac seal a bunch of steaks and chicken and other stuff and open it and grill. sometimes I would make an omelot and vac seal it, and when I wanted to eat it I would open the top and boil the bag.

worked pretty great and food stayed fresh longer

Deleteme129 wrote:Are bags reusable? I'm guessing no, so where can I find more?

they are, but you loose a little of 'em each time cause you gotta cut 'em to open it. wash 'em up really good and re-use.

Concerned about Nightghost. OK,old chap?

Abhorred by nature!

This thing blows. Got it for my wedding a few years ago (3 to be exact if my wife is watching this) and it didnt work very well at first, now it hardly does anything. Advise against it.

Unless you're rough with your food or have special needs like Boiling Bags, regular plastic storage bags should do just fine. In fact, I rarely use vacuum-specific bags. As long as you buy quality bags that won't puncture easily, it'll work. For foods that have sharp edges like crab claws, I'll use the vacuum bags because they're generally thicker.

Its more cost effective to buy the rolls. You can make your bag as large, or small as you need. Cut the size you need off the roll (plus an inch or so to seal each end) and there you go. If you want to use it like a zip-lock, add a few inches so you can cut off one of the sealed ends, and you have room to re-seal it.

freelance wrote:I don't like anything made by Rival, all their stuff is very cheaply...

In general, that's my feeling about Rival too. But in my past life as a scientist, we had an old Seal-a-Meal in the lab that saw more use than it would have in the average kitchen. It took a beating, but never quit.


P.S. We weren't just rogue scientists, by the way. This product is specifically mentioned in various protocols. If you're curious, check out The condensed protocols from Molecular cloning : a laboratory manual.
(Just doing my part to spread science awareness. Sagan would be proud.)

This is a lot cheaper than a foodsaver.

Deleteme129 wrote:Are bags reusable? I'm guessing no, so where can I find more?

Not sure if anyone answered, but I would say no. I have a Foodsaver and it'd be like reusing Ziplocs only weirder since you cut off part of them (a sizeable portion of the FoodSavers) when you vacuum. Plus if you were using wet stuff, you'd want to wash out the bags... probably just buy more. I buy my bags at Target, they have the entire Foodsaver line there and I would guess they'd work with this unit.

I have borrowed one of these from my father for years. I think now it is time to get my own. You can't beat the price.

It really works great with marinades if you seal the meat in with a little flavor.

You can save left overs, cuts of meat, garden veggies, lots of uses.

mkentosh wrote:http://www.rivalproducts.com
web site!

Can you find the vacuum sealer though? I can't find it.
If NightGhost is available, maybe he can find it. Of course, he could be on vacation, sabbatical, dead/sick (naw), taking a break, or scaling back in general (he certainly sounds like he's got an eclectic and busy life).

I LOVE basil !

O_O

but i feel bad for Mortimer.

Does anyone know what is the largest size bag you can seal?

zentex wrote:they are, but you loose a little of 'em each time cause you gotta cut 'em to open it. wash 'em up really good and re-use.

If possible wash in the dishwasher or with very hot water and antibacterial detergent, paying extra attention to the seams. Cross contamination is a risk, especially with foods like raw chicken.

Gee wiz, woot, up the price and add some basil.

gwilks98 wrote:Yeah, Mitch Hedberg: The guy who died doing a speedball despite knowing he had a heart defect.

...Not exactly the person I'd be taking advice from on how to hide your basil.

And THE master of paraprosdokian comedy. RIP Mitch.

jessiebyrd004 wrote:THere are a pretty good amount of Buzzillions reviews. Average is about 4.3 stars.
http://alatest.com/searchaction.html?brand=&keyword1=Rival+Vacuum+Sealer&search_category=

These are reviews for vacuum sealer BAGS only. Not the vacuum sealer itself

Oh, yeah! I Love Toni Basil!!! 'Oh, Monkey...You're So Fine! You're So Fine, You Blow My Mind! Hey, Monkey!'

whatsamattaU wrote:Can you find the vacuum sealer though? I can't find it.

The vacuum sealers aren't on Rivalproducts.com; they have their own product site:

http://www.sealameal.com/

kevin038 wrote:Does anyone know what is the largest size bag you can seal?

Since the width (they call it length) of the machine is 15", my guess is that the heating strip is about 13-14". That means the bag shouldn't be wider than 13-14" but the length is unlimited.

Technically, you can actually use larger bags by sealing several times, going across until you've sealed the other end.

Asks Woot to just give NightGhost a quality comment just for old times sake.

You are purchasing history. This will be collectible some day cause you need to understand that this food saving technology is the prequel to Star Wars, Han Solo frozen in Carbonite.

Batman4oz wrote:Oh, yeah! I Love Toni Basil!!! 'Oh, Monkey...You're So Fine! You're So Fine, You Blow My Mind! Hey, Monkey!'

Blowing the monkey, eh? Hmmmmm...

javajnkie wrote:The vacuum sealers aren't on Rivalproducts.com; they have their own product site:

http://www.sealameal.com/

So are you saying that the products listed there are the same even though the brand is different? I can't get the photos to magnify their two sealers, but they say sold out anyway:
http://www.sealameal.com/products/vacuum/index.aspx

best product description ever!

sdc100 wrote:Since the width of the machine is 7", my guess is that the heating strip is about 6". That means the bag shouldn't be wider than 6" but the length is unlimited.

Technically, you can actually use larger bags by sealing several times, going across until you've sealed the other end.

OK thanks for the help.

Question: If one were to squeeze the woot monkey, would it still screech its deathly call even though it is vacuum sealed?

ThunderThighs wrote:In the ancient days before the DiaperGenie, I used one of these to seal "funky diapers" before pitching them into the diaper pail. Made for less stink. LOL

I hope you didn't use the same sealer for your food... The thought of the vacuum sucking the smell out of the bag and blowing it into the room is, well, kinda nauseating.

sdc100 wrote:Unless you're rough with your food or have special needs like Boiling Bags, regular plastic storage bags should do just fine.

Wait, wait, the normal "40 Hefty quart bags in a box for $2.00" should work OK?! That certainly makes me lean towards hitting the gold button.

drunkenalien wrote:You are purchasing history. This will be collectible some day cause you need to understand that this food saving technology is the prequel to Star Wars, Han Solo frozen in Carbonite.

Since Star Wars happened "a long time ago," wouldn't this be the sequel?

I have used vac-sealers for years in my professional life with food. I’ve never used a Rival, but can’t imagine it’s much different than other brands. It’s not high tech. A small pump sucks out the air and a heating bar seals the bag.

Always buy the rolls where you can make the size bag you need. Period.

There are cheaper bags and more expensive bags. Cheaper bags are thinner, more expensive bags are thicker. It all depends on what you are going to do with them.

These types of vac-sealers don’t work well with wet ingredients. You can’t bag soups, sauces, wet marinated meats, or other liquid items very well with them. The technology for that costs more that $24.99.

They work really well for sous vide. Go on ebay and buy an immersion circulating heater and a 5 gallon bucket and go to town. 48 hour short ribs, whole beef tenders at 127 degrees, etc. You’ll also need a blow torch – go with MAP gas.

Sous vide is “boil in bag” with finesse, for those not in the know.

Bottom line, literally, you can do cool stuff with this.

Just a heads up for anyone planning to use this for sous vide... This type of vacuum sealer will suck the liquid out of the bag (marinade etc.) along with the air.

sdc100 wrote:Since the width of the machine is 7", my guess is that the heating strip is about 6".

Looks to me like the machine is 15" wide (side to side) with about a 12" wide sealing strip.

The other dimensions are most likely 4" from top to bottom (to the counter underneath), and about 7" front to back.

(edited to correct 7" dimension description)