Vacuum Bags Or Rolls
A common question about food vacuum bags or rolls is “Should I use pre made vacuum sealer bags or vacuum sealer rolls“. Don't full into the trap of thinking food vacuum rolls are cheaper and more economical than bags because that is what you mate or neighbor told you.So the answer is not the same for everyone. It depends on your vacuum sealer you own and how much vacuum sealing you are doing. Lets break it down a bit and take a look at pre made bags first.
Vacuum bags or rolls – Part 1
Pre Made Vacuum Sealer Bags
ProsPre made vacuum sealer bags are already made so it saves time. All that needs to be done is put the food into the vacuum sealer bag and vacuum then seal. If you are doing a lot of vacuum sealing at once the pre made food vacuum bags will save time. If this is in a professional kitchen the food vacuum sealer bags will also save on labour. Food vacuum bags vs rolls on price and if you are buying from food vacuum sealers Australia then food vacuum bags are cheaper than rolls. Summary is that you will save time and labour with pre made food vacuum sealer bags. Food vacuum pre made bags cost less than rolls
Cons
Because you can get through the process faster you may need a semi commercial or commercial machine to handle large volumes of vacuum packing and the machine will not over heat. Such as the Status Provac 360. With a pre made vacuum sealer bag there can be more wastage if you only putting smaller amounts in them.
Vacuum bags or rolls – Part 2
Vacuum Sealer Rolls
Pros
Buying your vacuum sealing bags in rolls may seem cheaper but it is not. Be sure to buy 1 long roll, like at least 12m or 15m, to achieve the maximum savings. Shorter rolls such as 6m or 3m will end up with more waist and defeat the purpose. With rolls you can custom make each bag to the exact length required so there can be less wastage when making your own vacuum sealing bags.Cons
The most common mistake made is cutting the bag to short and you end up with liquid or creasing in the seal area and then the bag lets go, that's great you saved on the length and then waisted the whole bag. If you are doing a lot of vacuum sealing, the extra seal to make the vacuum sealer bag can be time consuming. It also can cause smaller domestic machines to over heat if you don't rest them.
Vacuum sealer bags for hand held machines
Pros
These are the bags with the valve on them and so you can use a portable hand pump which will also usually run on batteries so no need for a big bulky vacuum sealer. The bags can easily be reused if treated right.
Cons
The bags are expensive. You are restricted to buying the bags from the place you bought the hand pump so they are compatible. If you get liquid into the valve it will not seal, the same as getting liquid in a heat seal machine. the valves are almost impossible to clean. If the bag is damaged after a few uses then it is no good and you throw it away.