Hamilton Beach 78213 Nutri Fresh Vacuum Sealer Review

Eating healthy is very important to me. When I was younger, I used to eat all kinds of junk food, and I just didn’t care what I put into my body.

I was overweight and out of shape until I finally decided to do something about it. Now, I make sure to eat only fresh ingredients, and I’ve managed to cut out almost all junk food (I still indulge now and then, though).

One aspect of eating fresh ingredients, though, is that I run the risk of tossing food out much more frequently than I did before.

I even started growing some of my own food, but keeping it fresh is always a struggle. That is until I found the Hamilton Beach 78213 Nutri Fresh Vacuum Sealer.

Now, I can keep all my fruits, vegetables, and meats longer without worrying about throwing away rotten food.

Today I’ll show you why this machine can help you in your kitchen, and why vacuum sealing is the best way to ensure fresher foods.

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What is Vacuum Sealing

If you’ve never heard of vacuum sealing, you’re really missing out. A big reason that food spoils is that air gets to it and breaks down the molecules, which ages and decays your food.

What vacuum sealing does is that it removes almost all of the air from around your food, thus preventing spoilage.

With no air to break it down, your food will stay fresher for much longer than it would in a traditional container or bag.

A vacuum sealer literally sucks all the air out, leaving you with an airtight and spoil-free seal.

Benefits of Vacuum Sealing

If you’ve never thought about vacuum sealing your food before, here are the top reasons to start doing it today.

Save Money: Food waste is a big problem in this country, with the average household throwing away almost forty percent of the food in the fridge.

This means that you have to go grocery shopping more often, and you’re literally tossing money in the garbage.

With a vacuum sealer, you can keep your raw ingredients fresher longer, so you can save money in the long run.

Save Time: If you’re like me, you hate having to cook every day. That’s why I like to cook a lot of food at once, and then just eat leftovers for a few days.

With a vacuum sealer, I can make a whole week’s worth of meals and never have to worry about the food going bad by the end of the week.

Buy in Bulk: Another big reason to get a vacuum sealer is that you can take advantage of sales on bulk items and then store the excess in the freezer.

Vacuum sealing prevents freezer burn, so you can stock up on meats and other foods and keep them frozen until you need them.

Prevent Stale Foods: vacuum sealing is great for a number of reasons, not just storing perishable foods. You can also seal dry ingredients, like nuts, pasta, and other foods to prevent them from getting stale.

Like potato chips? Don’t just clip your bag, seal it with the Nutri Sealer and you’ll have fresh, crunchy chips for a lot longer.

Preserve Flavor: While no one likes rotten food, there is another danger to storing your food in a traditional Ziploc bag or Tupperware container.

Over time, the flavor of the food dissipates, so even if it’s not necessarily rotten, it still doesn’t taste as good as when it was fresh.

Vacuum sealing means that you not only preserve the food from spoiling, but you keep it as tasty as when you put it in the bag.

Tips and Tricks for Vacuum Sealing

Although vacuum sealing is a pretty easy and straightforward process, there are still some things you should consider to get the most out of your machine.

• Leave space at the top to ensure a proper seal
• Don’t seal sharp items, as they can tear open the bag
• Only use vacuum seal bags, as they work the best to keep air out
• Don’t seal hot ingredients; let the food cool down first
• Wait for a few minutes between seals for the machine to cool off
• If sealing powdered goods, leave extra space so it won’t get sucked into the machine
• Freeze any liquids before sealing
• Freeze fruits and blanch vegetables before sealing
• If possible, seal food in pre-portioned segments, so you don’t have to reseal the bag after
• Keep the bag as smooth as possible to prevent any wrinkles while sealing
• Keep your sealing area as dry as possible so you get a perfect seal every time
• Clean your machine after every use to ensure it will work properly next time
• Treat your machine with care and respect to extend its shelf life

Factors Keep In Mind

Although the Hamilton Beach Nutri Fresh Vacuum Sealer is one of the best on the market, it’s still important to know what to look for, so you can make an informed decision.

Here are the top considerations you should think about when buying a food vacuum sealer.

Size

Many vacuum sealing systems are rather large and bulky. While some models can be sleek and take up less space, you will invariably need to reserve a sizeable chunk of your counter for sealing.

Make sure that the machine you get will fit on your counter comfortably, while still leaving room for the food you want to seal.

Cost

When it comes to vacuum sealing, there are more costs than just the machine itself. You will also need to factor in the cost of replacement bags and any accessories you might need, like a special attachment so you can seal jars and Tupperware containers.

While many vacuum sealers work on Ziploc bags and their equivalent, it’s best to use vacuum seal bags if you plan on freezing or storing your food long term.

Also, depending on the types of food you’re sealing, you may or may not be able to reuse bags, so keep that in mind as well.

Portability

Some vacuum sealers are handheld, allowing you to seal bags, jars, and other containers with ease.

Unfortunately, portable sealers are not the best at vacuuming all the air out, so you won’t get as tight a seal as you would with a countertop model.

Compare the convenience and benefit of a handheld model and see if it’s right for your needs.

Interior vs. Exterior

Another thing to think about with vacuum sealing is whether or not the device will seal the bag from the outside or from within.

Some models are designed for you to place the whole bag into the machine, while many devices are just made to be used by sucking the air out of a single opening.

If you want the best seal, interior vacuum sealers will give you the best results. However, these are typically much larger and costlier than exterior models.

Pros

• Durable construction
• Easy to use
• Versatile
• Adjustable settings
• One-touch operation
• Fits variety of bag sizes
• Makes bags from scratch

Cons

• In some cases, the device may not remove all of the air from the bag
• Depending on the product being sealed, air pockets may remain
• In rare instances, the device may not work properly
• The sealing system may not create an airtight seal at times

Features

• Wide bag sealing system
• Adjustable settings
• Seals delicate and wet foods or dry and durable foods
• One-touch adjustment and operation
• Can seal bags without removing air to create bags
• Works on large and small bags
• Vacuum seal bags are included
• Easy to align
• Five different sealing settings

FAQs

Q: Can you seal other items besides food?

A: Yes, this device works on a wide variety of items. As long as they fit in the bag and aren’t powdery or granulated (since that can get sucked into the machine), you’re ready to go.

Q: How many bags are provided?

A:  Hamilton Beach actually just gives you rolls for making your own bags. You get two eleven-inch by twenty-foot rolls, so you can make up to 48 gallon-size bags.

Q: How big is this sealer?

A:  According to the manufacturer, the size dimensions of this product are 6.3 x 15.4 x 3.5 inches.

Final Verdict

Since I got the Hamilton Beach Nutri Fresh Vacuum Sealer, I’ve been able to stock up on my favorite ingredients and enjoy them whenever I want.

Before I would only buy a few of each item, so I wouldn’t have to toss it when it went bad. But now, I can buy fruits, vegetables, and meats in bulk, and just freeze what I don’t use.

I can now enjoy seasonal items all year round, and make all kinds of dishes that I wouldn’t have before.

Thanks to this vacuum sealing system, I rarely throw anything away anymore. I even use it to seal my dry foods, so I don’t have to worry about eating stale pasta or veggie chips. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the Hamilton Beach Nutri Fresh Vacuum Sealer.