The thing about food is that it’s never the loyal friend you think it is. You can basically do whatever you possibly can to make it last longer in your kitchen, but without exception it will eventually perish. So what can be done to extend the shelf-life of food to its maximum? Well, the answer lies in food saving, and more precisely, vacuum sealing.
Put simply, vacuum sealing is the act of sucking air out of a plastic bag in which you store food, to make it last longer by keeping it air locked, and oxygen-free. To do that, you need a good vacuum sealer that does the job efficiently, while not weighing too heavy on your budget either.
There are plenty of vacuum sealers out there, all offering the same functionality but in a variety of different ways that set them apart in terms of quality, performance and durability. So if you are investing in a vacuum sealer, you must invest in the one that gives you good value for the money.
Foodsaver vs Ziploc Vacuum Sealers
The primary function of every vacuum sealer is essentially the same, i.e., to suck the air out of the bag and extend the shelf life of the food by keeping it fresh. There are many factors that come into play when you are differentiating between the two types of vacuum sealers.
Today, Ziploc Vacuum Sealers and Food Savers are two of the most popular brands in the market, offering top of the line performance and highly reliable vacuum sealing. In this article, we’ll look at their differences in terms of cost-effectiveness, ease of use, durability, bag type, power, and sealing quality.
This Foodsaver vs Ziploc Vacuum Sealer review should give you a decent insight into both brands so you can make an informed choice between the two products.
Basic Mechanism
If perishable food is exposed to air for a long time, it tends to become rotten and become inedible or unusable. Vacuum sealers live to expel the air out of the plastic storage bags that are designed to store food. By doing so, the food remains fresh and preserved for a long time. Both FoodSaver and Ziploc Vacuum Sealers offer the same basic functionality, at, however, different performance pace.
Sealing Ability
Each vacuum sealer is different from another in terms of sealing ability that determines the shelf life of the food contained in the bag. FoodSaver offers a number of vacuum sealers with varying sealing abilities, but the V3240 gives the best sealing, locking the bag twice in one go for a strong seal, making sure no remnants of air remain in the bag. Although Ziploc Vacuum Sealers also perform well in this arena, they don’t offer double automatic sealing for a reinforced bag locking.
Advanced Features
Vacuum sealers generally come with basic sealing functionality. But some vacuum sealers come with additional features that add value to your food preservation activity. FoodSaver offers an easy-to-use roll cutter that customizes the plastic bags to get the exact size you want. With Ziploc Vacuum Sealers, however, you have to pre-portion your meals before you seal them in a bag.
Ease of use
Most vacuum sealers come with straightforward instructions and well-labeled controls. But the process of sealing bags determines whether the machine is easy to use or not. Here both the vacuum sealers on review offer easy operation that does not require too many instructions to follow. However, Ziploc vacuum sealers offer an additional function that allows you to customize your sealing experience according to the food type. A pulse function allows you to customize the vacuuming process according to the food type, whereas in FoodSavers, you can only adjust the sealing speed from Normal to Gentle.
Variety
Each vacuum sealing brand produces multiple versions of the same sealer to accommodate all kinds of consumers. Ziploc offers a range of vacuum sealers with medium power, decent seal and limited features. They are light on your pocket but do not offer high-end features.
FoodSaver, however, manufactures vacuum sealers at different price points, offering moderate to high-end functionality, depending on use and need. All their high-end products offer more power and feature more resilient heat sealing abilities that ensure a longer shelf life of both dry and wet food.
The Durability of the Machine
The durability of any vacuum sealer is determined by its power and the material it’s constructed from. Both Ziploc and FoodSaver offer high quality, durable vacuum sealing, but FoodSaver offers some versions in stainless steel that automatically gives it an edge over other vacuum sealing manufacturers. Although some FoodSavers tend to heat up when used continuously, the material of the vacuum sealer makes it lasts for years at a stretch.
Durability of sealing
The whole purpose of sealing food in plastic bags is to keep it secure, away from the external factors affecting its health. While both vacuum sealers offer optimum sealing ability, they are both packed with some pros and cons that render them different from each other. The quality of sealing is, by far, the most important factor to determine a vacuum sealer’s ability to preserve food. Bags sealed by Ziploc Vacuum Sealers leak air with time, which means that food cannot be stored in bags sealed by Ziploc Vacuum Sealers for a long time, lest they will lose their freshness and decay.
Verdict
A If you are looking for a sealer that can seal food for the short term and also on a budget, then a Ziploc Vacuum Sealer model is ideal. But if you are looking for a vacuum sealer that is hard-wearing while also providing secure and effective sealing, then a FoodSaver is your best bet.
Both machines are easy to use and provide adequate sealing, but the durability of the FoodSavers brand makes it a better buy than that of the Ziploc Vacuum Sealer. In the end, the choice is yours, but the above-mentioned factors can help you make a more informed decision. In the match: Foodsaver vs Ziploc Vacuum Sealers, the former wins out.
