REYNOLDS® HANDI-VAC™      

I have been using this gadget for over a year now - so I can't say that it's a new item - but it may be new to you. This is one gadget that you should have to help you save money on food that is wasted and thrown away because it has freezer burn or vegetables that have gone limp and wilted.

You may have seen the hand-held and ergonomic and easy to store gadget in the clam shell packaging which includes three 1-quart bags to get you started for an unbelievable retail price of $9.99 - the sealer required six AA batteries which are included.  Sold in major supermarkets, Target Stores, WalMart.  Even BJ's warehouse stores in the northeast are selling only the bags which are one quart and 1 gallon size unless they were just out of stock on the vacuum sealer itself when I bought the bags.

From the very first time I used it, I could understand how this vacuum sealer would save me money - having the ability to buy larger quantities of various foods, place them in the special bags and suck out the air with the gadget for safer freezer storage or even a longer refrigerator shelf life. It's that simple!  There is a space for you to write the date, contents and other information as we can all relate to finding a package of "mystery meat" in the freezer and we just don't know what it is! 

Basically, the Handi-Vac Vacuum Freezer bags have a zipper closure and an air valve system that works with the Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer that removes air from the bag by pressing the button and holds a vacuum seal of the contents.

Here's an example - when you buy a pound of bacon but you aren't going to use more than a few slices, the best way to store the remainder is in portion sizes and freezing the bacon.  As you can see in the photos, I have stacked the bacon in 2 slices, four a cross and separated the stacks so that I can remove one stack of two slices at a time or however much I need to cook.

An other example is the pork chop - why supermarkets package 3 pork chops to a package when you only need 2 is a marketing technique to get us to buy another package of 3 chops if we need 4.  But in either case, there is one chop or two left over to store - and again, the vacuum sealer sucks out the air from the bag for the best way to store foods in the freezer.

Examples of how I've used the Handi-Vac Vacuum Freezer Bag system over the past year are many - from storing portions of food raw or cooked, and it's a great way to store half of an onion or cheeses to keep their odors from permeating the refrigerator.

I'm going on a working vacation soon and I'm using the Handi-Vac bags to bring some New York foods to my foodies in Honolulu - New Yorkers will recognize the bialy's and the black & white "cookies" - two very New York edibles.  I hope the Handi-Vac gadget and bags are available in Honolulu as I want give one to six of my culinary colleagues in Honolulu!

We have all seen more expensive similar vacuum sealer products being sold - but this one by Reynolds is truly a great gadget, at a very affordable cost. Even though the bags can retail for $3.29 or thereabouts, you can re-use the bags - as long as you wash them out with soap and hot water thoroughly if a raw meat or fish was vacuum sealed.  What you will save on food by not having to throw it out because of freezer burn or spoilage, will more than cover the cost of the bags.