Go to the Article: How Chamber-Style Vacuum Sealers Work
Can you share what the brand and model of the chamber sealer in this video is? The digital readout of the pressure is something I had not seen before.
- originally posted by Justin Berman
Sure. It's a Multivac C350
Are there any feasable affordable vacuum sealer you could recommend? The Multivac costs around $8000 (from what I can tell) and is going to take up a huge amount of space in a home kitchen.
Wouter — Our community has a very active discussion about the various options at different price points and sizes. I recommend take a look at this thread and feel free to ask for advice, it's a very helpful group: http://forum.chefsteps.com/dis...
Here in argentina we have Multivac too but very expensive. I have a Turbovac st 420. Incredible machine...but I need something elsa like a runner for sous vide. I don´t know how to controle the fire without that runner machine.i love chefstep and hesto´n feast.
Do I have to use a bag in my VacMaster vp112? I saw a video of a chef at The Fat Duck placing a bowl of liquid gel in their chamber vac to remove the excess air bubbles. They also had strawberries on a plate and were macerating them.
Thanks for sharing experience . I am looking for information . Can I leave a link to my site ?
http://www.foodsaverreview.com/
WTF!! So, I can't sous vied unless I purchase an 8000 dollar vacuum sealer, this is so wrong.
I have a VacMaster VP112 chamber sealer and tried to seal some stock in a large bag--there was good head room above the stock in the bag, but then as I started the cycle, the stock started bubbling and began to seep out of the bag, making a big mess. The manual said that a good test time for the vacuum cycle is 40 seconds--any idea what a good amount of time is for normal vacuuming? What am I doing wrong here? Sealing is set to 2-3 seconds.
Hi Julius, I have a Henkelman Mini Jumbo, I think is quite similar to the VacMaster. The way how I do it during vacuuming, watch the bag closely and once the liquid start bubbling, manual stop the vacuum process and let it seal.
Can you tell me a little about the various modes you can set, it is just vacuum/seal times or features like on off cycles for marinating and such?
Also make sure the food is cold. That should really help. Cool the food in the refrigerator or an ice bath first. My Vacmaster VP215 has a "stop" button that ends the vacuum and immediately starts the bag sealing. Maybe yours has that function also.
Hello everyone,
I have purchased a Joule and am excited to receive it. In the meantime I have been exploring chamber vacuums. Are there any updated thoughts on the differences between the VAC master 1125 dry pump versus the VAC master 215 oil pump? How about how they compare to the poly science 300? They all appear to be in the price point I can afford. This is a big investment and I need some Yoda help to "choose wisely". Thanks
Debra
Hello, I would like to know, when you reach the percentage of vacuum you want for the food, how many seconds do you leave it under that pressure?
It sounds like you experienced "degassing" of your stock. That fluid was at normal atmospheric pressure before you put it in the chamber. At normal atmosphere the fluid will contain entrained air ( think of it like carbonation ) at equilibrium with the surrounding environment. When you vacuum the stock that air is going to rush out just like air rushes out of a bottle of champagne. As with champagne if the degassing is vigorous enough it will take fluid with it.
Most vacuum chambers aren't used in cooking. They're used in industrial applications and primarily for degassing. You cure silicone under a vacuum in order to make it clear. Same for most plastics. The process is used here by the ChefSteps guys when they degas gels to make them clear. If you've ever been to a high end joint and wondered how they made the ice in your drink look like glass...now you know. They degassed the water.
If your chamber allows you to slowly introduce vacuum ( most don't that why I make mine ) just valve off the pressure slowly in increments and you should not boil that stock.
The best price is to make your own. 1000$ commercially made machines are for commercial / industrial applications and way over the top for the home Chef. And, frankly, they are pretty weak kneed. I've made many vac chambers and the simplest one would fit most folks purposes. If you have a large sauce pan or pot with a flat rim you've got the makings of a great vac. An old stove top pressure cooker is even better.
It costs about 200 bucks or less to make a powerful multi use chamber vac. The one I now use will chamber vac as shown in the vid above either in the open or produce a sealed bag. The vacuum source can also be used to evacuate storage canister and the newer valved bags. The vacuum pump motor is in a cupboard and only a line is taken out to the counter next to the cupboard for use. I attach the line to the chamber, a valved bag or canister..whichever I'm using. Vacuum is modulated via a momentary switch on the line. I can take that thing way down. Into the 29 inch range or less than 15 microns.
One thing I don't see mentioned is oil contamination if you use a vac chamber to dry ( as in HB's triple cooked French Fry method ) . Unless your vacuum pump is equipped with a gas ballast valve or is a piston type you'll contaminate the pump oil if you dry with it.
3500 used about 8 grand new. ChefSteps is a wonderful site but if it does have a flaw it's in matching it's mission, audience and in house capabilities. If your goal is to teach us how to do the stuff you do it's a bit on the unrealistic side to drag out a tool that cost's as much as that vac. No one has it but if they do they probably aren't spending much time at ChefSteps. My friend is a culinary arts instructor and he doesn't have a tool like that. I don't remember seeing one in the CIA in Napa either.
You make your own chamber vacuum sealers, Richard? I was just looking into that, since I have some old FoodSavers that I can scavenge parts from, and I can't justify hundreds of dollars of new kitchen equipment right now. What did you do for the chamber material, and what kind of vacuum pump did you use? Any resources or tips you could give me?
I just purchased a VacMaster VP112S for US$600 and it has on-off cycles for marinating.
Hi Debra, your question is pretty old, but maybe this can help someone else if you've already decided. I got the VacMaster VP215 with the oil pump and I'm glad I did. It does require oil changes, but it's pretty easy to do and in a home use situation, not required very often. The big advantage for me is the fact that there's no cool-down time between cycles. This was a big part of why I wanted to upgrade from a FoodSaver. I do a lot of sous vide cooking ahead where I'll cook enough individual servings for a week. Any sealer with a dry pump requires some cool down between cycles. If you're loading a couple bags, no biggie, but if you're loading 10 it can get pretty annoying. The oil pump will run all day long with no cool-down time. Other advantages are that the oil pump is way more quiet, pulls a stronger vacuum, and it should last you pretty much forever if you change the oil when you're supposed to. The dry pumps all wear out eventually and have to be rebuilt or replaced. Overall, just on the subject of chamber sealers in general, get one! It's the best thing I've bought for my kitchen in a long time. I use it multiple times a day, not just for sous vide. I love it.
Just wondering how 200 - 500 mbar would display on my VP215. The gauge displays values beginning at 0 and going up with values of .02, .04, .08 and then -.01. I'm guessing that a value of .02 is the equivalent of a 20% vacuum or 200 mbar. A value of .05 would then be the equivalent of a 50% vacuum or 500 mbar. Does that sound right?
Hello, the Link to https://www.chefsteps.com/courses/accelerated-sous-vide-cooking-course/vacuum-compression-of-plant-foods is broken
use this link instead: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/vacuum-compression-of-plant-foods
