At a time when everything is becoming more expensive, we are all trying to be a bit more prudent with our money. With household bills rising daily, including all those essential daily food items, food is not something that we want to be wasting (the UK already throws away around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste annually according to figures from sustainability charity WRAP, most of which ends up going to landfill sites). Whilst buying just what you need and actually using it is probably the best way to manage your levels of food wastage, that doesn’t always work, especially with the size of packs etc. In our house we do tend to freeze a lot of food for later use rather than throw it away.
Freezing leftover or unused food as to not waste so much comes with its own problems. Packaging can be bulky or if packets have been opened, portions can end up being stuck together and still ends up in some being thrown away. Using freezer bags can also leave the food with freezer burn. The best way to safely store unused or leftover food is to seal it in a vacuum bag using a kitchen vacuum sealer.
What is a kitchen vacuum sealer? A vacuum sealer is a very efficient and extremely effective way to store food for longer by sucking all the air out of your food bags. Whether it is leftover or unused food, or you have made up extra portions for future use, vacuum sealing is an effect way to preserve food for longer and an excellent way to manage portion control as well, locking in all the freshness. Vacuuming sealing food bags can keep food fresher up to 8 times longer.
Why can’t I just use freezer bags? The problem with using freezer bags is that when you seal the bag you are also sealing in a lot of air with the food. Oxygen allows the food to grow mold and bacteria so that the food goes off quicker, even in the freezer. By using a vacuum sealer, most of the air is sucked out of the bag prolonging the life of the food stored within by depriving it of oxygen, protecting the food from dehydration and freezer burn and bad smells. It also reduces packaging sizes so that you can fit more in your fridge or freezer. With reduced oxygen in the storage bag, mold and bacteria cannot grow.
I was lucky enough to be sent the Housmile Kitchen Scales Vacuum Sealer which is a kitchen countertop vacuum sealer for review. Not only is it a machine for vacuum sealing food bags, it also features some small kitchen scales so that you can weigh and portion out food (enough for a dinner, before sealing) for better portion control and storage.
The Housmile Kitchen Scales Vacuum Sealer comes with:
- Vacuum Sealer Machine with inbuilt Kitchen Scales
- Power Cable
- External Suction Pipe
- 2x Vacuum Sealer Rolls
- Cutting Knife
- User Manual
The Housmile Kitchen Scales Vacuum Sealer is sleek black device that sits on the countertop (or in the cupboard should you prefer to only have it out when needed) and looks a bit like a laminator. It doesn’t really take up make room and the power cable has a storage compartment underneath to keep it tidy. It is very simple to use and sucks the air out of the bags before sealing them, locking in all the freshness and keeping the food fresher and usable for longer. It also features a built-in weighing scales, which is perfect for weighing out individual portions (ideal for making up individual dinners for yourself of a loved one to leave in the fridge or freezer). It doesn’t even have to be used with bags, it has a handy little attachment, an external vac, to vacuum seal jars and containers (you will need containers that are suitable for vacuum sealing).
With 5 functions on one machine it is very versatile. You can Seal, Dry Vacuum, Moist Vacuum, Soft Vacuum and use as an External Vac for storage containers.
Overall, I found the machine easy to operate and a brilliant piece of kit. Not only does this seal food ready for the fridge or freezer, using the vacuum bags leaves no mess as the bags do not leak or pop open, the freshness of the food is sealed in and lasts a lot longer and I have a lot more space in my fridge and freezer (and it also means that I am finding things easier).
The scales are perfect for weighing out individual portions, the only small negative with these is that whilst the machine itself is mains powered, the scales require 2xAAA batteries to operate.
The Housmile Kitchen Scales Vacuum Sealer is a kitchen gadget that every home should have. It helps to create less food wastage (and in a time where food costs are on the rise it helps pay for itself). The bags can be on the expensive side but looking around on Amazon I did find the price varies a lot so the cost can be reduced (and they come on rolls that can be cut to size so less wastage). If the scales were powered from the mains power, just like the vacuum sealer, rather than battery it would be perfect.
If you want to reduce your food wastage, have more room and less mess in your fridge and freezer or even just want to be preparing individual meals that can be sealed, keep fresher longer and stored easier then you really do need a kitchen vacuum sealer and the Housmile is really up to the job.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £35.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.
Disclosure: I received this item for free for the purposes of writing an honest and impartial review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review uses an affiliate link which I may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the link.
