Reynolds Handi-Vac

[Tex]

I've heard good & bad things about this tool. It looks like it should fit over the one-way valves on coffee bags. Has anyone done this? Also, how porous are the Reynolds vac-bags - most plastic bags let off-flavors seep into a bag?

I'd like to try freezing some roasted coffee, but I really hate wasting money on toys that don't work. Suggestions?

[MGLloyd]

I like my Handi-Vac for various food freezing applications.  I did a test in which I froze coffee for two weeks in my usual airtight clamp-lid preserve jar, and in a Handi-Vac bag pulled to vacuum.  We could not tell a difference between the two storage methods, at least when the storage was limited to two weeks. 

BW had some interesting thoughts as to if the Handi-Vac bags were oxygen-permeable.  I don't know if the typical coffee bag valve can be used with the Handi-Vac. 

I would not buy a Handi-Vac solely for coffee storage, but it sure comes in handy for other food uses.   I used to borrow my neighbor's FoodSaver, but the Handi-Vac is a lot easier to use.

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

I've heard good & bad things about this tool. It looks like it should fit over the one-way valves on coffee bags. Has anyone done this? Also, how porous are the Reynolds vac-bags - most plastic bags let off-flavors seep into a bag?

I'd like to try freezing some roasted coffee, but I really hate wasting money on toys that don't work. Suggestions?

We just bought one when their was a (don't miss this sale, sale) on meat at the local Piggly Wiggly... it is a good tool for what it was designed to do, I thin it is a better value than the Ziploc? version I looked at... I think the Reynolds vac is a little more $ but the bags are cheaper per bag... the Reynolds vac fits over the one way valves in my bags and the ones I put in mason jar lids... if I was going to use it for the mason jars I would have to get a little glue involved... I could suck the air out of 50 % of my jars with no problem... the others had a little too bi a hole in them (so I don't vac I just let the CO2 push the air out bu then again I just roast a weeks worth right now

I believe BW said it only works if you hot seal the bag... the ziplock is not air tight..

[loginhater]

Consumer Reports tested the Handi-Vac with steaks and had good results:

The claims. Press a button on the Reynolds Handi-Vac Sealer for about 10 seconds and it sucks the air from an attached bag of food, "virtually eliminating freezer burn," those unsightly (but not unsafe) dry patches that can afflict frozen food. The device costs about $10, the quart- or gallon-size bags you use with it cost 24 cents or 37 cents each, and it takes six AA batteries.

Quick Seals are plastic zip-slider tops with adhesive strips. Attach them to food boxes or bags to "seal in freshness." Cost: 20 cents per seal, and they aren't reusable.

The checks. We put steaks in bags sealed by the Handi-Vac; in bags sealed by the Tilia Food Saver, a $100 vacuum sealer; and in Glad, Ziploc, and Hefty zipper freezer bags.

We left all bags in a freezer for more than a month, speeding freezer burn by turning the freezer off for 3 hours each day. We attached Quick Seals to original bags or boxes of crackers, chips, and other snacks, placed the same snacks in Glad and Ziploc bags, and used a clip to close several bags of chips.We left all bags and boxes for five weeks.

CR's take. Both sealers were the real deal. Steaks bagged by the Handi-Vac were free of freezer burn. The Tilia also worked. Steaks in Glad and Ziploc bags had lots of ice crystals; steaks in Hefty had some. Quick Seals kept snacks' flavor and texture as fresh as in a newly opened bag or box. Clips worked equally well (though just on bags) and are reusable. Glad and Ziploc bags didn't keep food as fresh-tasting.

I used this for several 2 lb. bags of greens, and the vacuum seals did not hold 100%.  I haven't roasted these beans yet, so the jury is still out.

However, my steaks still look fine.

[peter]

I used this for several 2 lb. bags of greens, and the vacuum seals did not hold 100%.  I haven't roasted these beans yet, so the jury is still out

Do you think that was an issue with the bags or the sealer?

I'd look at the bags not being air-tight, be it the material itself or the zipper.

[MGLloyd]

On the Net, you read frequent reports of some of the Handi-Vac bags losing their vacuum in relatively short order.  Most of the time, it seems to be a problem with the zipper seal either failing or not being completely closed due to liquid or food particles trapped along the seal. 

When this has happened to me, I have sometimes been able to rehabilitate the bag by cleaning the zipper track, resealing the bag and pulling the vacuum again.  Other times, this does not work, and I discard that bag and try another.

[headchange4u]

I used the Handi-Vac for a long time. I quit using it for coffee because after you opened the bag 2-3 times it would no longer keep a seal, and approx 1 out of every 10 bags wouldn't hold a seal at all. I still use the HV for frozen food.

[ButtWhiskers]

I use my handivac for evacuating valved coffee bags after I have heat-sealed them.  The nozzle is exactly the size of the degassing valve.  I keep one in my coffee cabinet as it is very handy, as you can see if your coffee bag is airtight by putting it under vacuum and seeing if that holds.  Usually if it does not you have a bad heat seal (never a problem for pouches, but the gusseted bags are harder to seal).

The zipper bags that they have are not consistently airtight (variable valves, leaky zippers, permeable plastic relative to foiled mylar) and for longer term (over a month or two) you will get quite a bit of leakage.  They work great for food in the short term (less than a month) as you can slice steaks off a cut of meat and refrigerate them under vacuum and they will keep for 4 or 5 weeks.  I don't bother freezing them anymore - the quality is better and they keep long enough in the fridge to get used up before they get funky.

[MGLloyd]

A Handi-Vac update.  Several months ago, I bought a 3 pound bulk pack of pepperoni slices at Costco, since we like making pepperoni pizza at home.  I divided the pack into 8 ounce batches and vacuumed each batch into a quart size Handi Vac bag.  I was out in the freezer this evening and noticed all of the bags still had a tight vacuum on them.  So they have been holding a vacuum for about four or five months now.  As far as I could tell, there has been no leakage.