How the FoodSaver System Operates

It's one of life's most frustrating moments: You open a bag of potato chips you carefully sealed up the night before, only to find that the chips are now stale.

Things get even worse when you grab a steak from the freezer that you carefully stored weeks ago, only to discover it's discolored, with brown spots and a coating of ice crystals. This is what’s known as freezer burn. But why does this happen? There's a simple scientific reason behind it when food goes stale or gets freezer burn. It's all about the presence of air.

Food can either have too much moisture or not enough. When it's packed with moisture, a chemical reaction occurs with the surrounding air. Take a steak, for example: moisture escapes, causing it to dry out. In the freezer, ice crystals form as moisture condenses outside the meat. Meanwhile, oxygen from the surrounding air fills the empty space left by the escaping water molecules. This process causes the meat to brown [source: LOC].

On the other hand, when chips – which lack moisture – are stored, the air exchange introduces water molecules, causing them to become stale and soft. It’s not just food that suffers from this air exchange. Wine spoils, and soda loses its fizz. In either case, it’s a poor outcome.

Luckily, there are solutions to prevent freezer burn and stale chips. One such solution is the FoodSaver System – a home vacuum sealer that extracts the air surrounding the food we want to store, helping to keep it fresh. Turn the page to discover the technology behind this innovation.

Mechanics of the FoodSaver System

As you might expect, the FoodSaver System uses a vacuum mechanism to remove air around the food or drink you wish to preserve. Like any vacuum, it moves air from one place to another, resulting in lower pressure in one area and higher pressure in another. As you may recall from physics, nature doesn’t like a vacuum and seeks balance. When air pressure is reduced in an area, air rushes in to fill the gap.

The movement of air filling the void is called communication, and it can happen very quickly – about 1,115 feet per second (340 meters per second) [source: LaesieWorks]. This is as fast as sound travels, though that speed can be overcome. That’s exactly what the FoodSaver system, and other devices that generate suction through reduced air pressure, do. By using a motor and fans, the system pushes air out of a food storage bag faster than the surrounding air can enter the space. The result is the bag shrinking around the food, effectively vacuum-sealing it. When the bag is opened, it makes a whooshing sound as the air outside rushes in to fill the vacuumed space.

The outcome? With no exposure to ambient air, food sealed by the FoodSaver stays fresh for approximately five times longer than it would otherwise [source: FoodSaver]. A review of the FoodSaver V3840 mentioned that packages of meat showed no freezer burn even after a month in the freezer [source: Kitchen Contraptions].

The FoodSaver vacuum’s design also aids in faster food prep and storage. A marinating method known as [https://recipes.Mytour.com/tools-and-techniques/sous-vide.htm]sous vide (meaning 'under vacuum' in French) employs a vacuum sealer hose and tray to extract air and open up meat for marination. The vacuum effect within the meat tissue causes it to absorb marinades more quickly. The FoodSaver System uses a pulse vacuum approach for marinating, which vacuums the air out of the marinating tray for several minutes, pauses for 30 seconds, then continues removing air again.

Along with the vacuum unit, the FoodSaver System incorporates a set of sensors that monitor both the internal and external conditions of the bag. A liquid detection sensor identifies when liquid spills from the top of the bag and automatically halts the vacuum. Another sensor detects the presence of a bag, activating the motor to begin the vacuum process. Once the pressure inside the bag drops, the machine seals it shut using a heating element that bonds both sides of the bag together.

Though the FoodSaver’s mechanics may seem intricate, the device is surprisingly simple to operate. Flip to the next page to learn how to use the FoodSaver System.

Using the FoodSaver System

As we’ve seen, there are two ways to use the FoodSaver System: with bags and with containers featuring specially designed lids. Let’s explore both vacuum sealing methods.

Vacuum-sealing food with bags is straightforward. A roll of plastic bags – one long roll, in fact – is stored inside the FoodSaver unit. To create a custom-sized bag, simply pull out the desired length of plastic and cut it with the built-in slicer blade. The first bag from a new roll will already have one sealed end. If the roll has been partially used, the bottom end of the bag will also be sealed, as the last sealing fused the end of the last bag with the top of the next one.

Once the food is placed in the bag, the open end is inserted into the vacuum channel, a horizontal slot at the base of the unit. The FoodSaver detects the bag and starts the sealing process. It will stop automatically, but the company recommends pressing the "Seal" button for delicate or soft foods like potato chips or angel food cake [source: FoodSaver]. This ensures the bag seals immediately, preventing the machine from removing air further, which could crush the chips or damage the cake. To avoid liquid spilling into the drip tray (which would halt the vacuum process), freeze liquid items before sealing them in the bag, so they remain solid.

The machine also includes a retractable hose for vacuuming air from wine bottles, Mason jars, and for marinating meats or infusing oils. The hose connects to the tops of lids sold by the company (though some units come with accessory lids, the hose is only compatible with FoodSaver accessories). Just like with bags, the FoodSaver hose attachment automatically shuts off once the air pressure inside the jar or bottle has been reduced. Simply unscrew the hose from the lid to seal it.

The FoodSaver doesn’t just preserve food. The company also offers a variety of other uses for the vacuum sealer. If you live in an area prone to flooding, you can protect important paper documents by sealing them. This method also works for emergency kits, keeping items safe and dry during water-heavy activities like kayaking trips. Additionally, it’s an excellent way to store gardening seeds between seasons.

Head to the next page for more details on the FoodSaver and other related topics.