I am an avid "clearance rack" shopper when it comes to the grocery store - especially the meat counter! I watch for my favorite cuts of meat (especially organic and grass fed cuts, which tend to be a bit on the pricy side) to go on markdown due to impending "fresh by" dates and then I buy up. Thanks to the Seal a Meal Vacuum Food Sealer, I'm able to seal up these cuts of meat and store them in the freezer for several weeks without worry of freezer burn and less than fresh meat. I love that I can custom size my bags, rather than using a huge bag for a small cut of meat. I also love that I can use it for more than just meat - garden veggies, fruit purchase on great sale, etc. This is a very high quality product that has been a great assett to my kitchen appliance lineup!

schwietertj

Colesburg, IA

rival seal a meal food sealer is a must have for homes. i freeze a lot of things. i usually buy more when things are on sale and save them for later to save some money. this is great but then the food gets freezer burn and doesnt taste the same. theres nothing i hate more than a great steak getting frozen and then tasting totally different when defrosted and cooked. i decided to invest in a vacuum food sealer to save the quality and taste. i love that you can custom size the bags and the seals always stay put for me. i no longer worry about food tasting different after being in the freezer. vacuum food sealers may cost a lot but they are worth it and can even save you some money. i would recommend this.

katek9lover

Washington, DC

I thoroughly enjoy saving money and buying meat and veggies in bulk is one way I do this. Thankfully, I was able to purchase this Rival Seal A Meal at a deep discount and it has been extremely helpful. When I used regular bags I frequently ended up with freezer burn. I hate the taste of food that has been freezer burned so I was ready to give this product a try. It is incredibly easy to use and protects my food very well. I like the fact that I can cut the bags to the appropriate size so I don't have to worry about waste. However, I sometimes have issues with pressing the machine down and it will not seal. It sometimes takes me longer than I'd like to get a good seal. It is worth the time, though...happy with the product overall and with NO freezer burn on my meats and veggies I choose to freeze.

savemoremom

Shelby, OH

My wife and I recieved the Rival Seal A Meal as a gift from my mother. We are pretty big on buying things when they are onsale and saving it for later, and just saving food in general, so this has turned out to be a great gift for us. So far we have not had hardly any issues. I will agree that if you try to seal very juicy or wet products, then the seal a meal does not seal very well. The best thing that you can do is try to remove as much of the liquid within the products as you can before you seal it. Another things is to allow more room between where the food is and where you seal it up, this also helps. So far this is the best thing to help combat againest freezer burning, and expiring food. This allows you to keep frozen foods for much longer than traditional methods. Another issue that it seems like has been pretty major, is that if you don't apply enough pressure when pushing down to seal it, sometimes that will also cause it to not seal properly. All in all, this is a great product, and was a very great gift.

chrys0203

Campbell, OH

I like to cook and store food in my freezer in bulk , and many a times I cook enough on weekends to last a couple of weeks for my family of four . I found that storing this food in the freezer in my boxes was taking up a lot of space plus I would worry about the freshness of these foods. Until I found the Rival Seal A Meal Vacuum Food Sealer. Now all I have to do is put my food in the bag , remove all the air out of the bags and seal it up. It is compressed into a nice enough size that I can store a lot more food into my freezer than before, at the same time not worrying about food spoiling. Food remains fresh for days together and freezer burn is completely eliminated! I have had so much less food wastage since I started using the Rival vacuum food sealer. Definitely saved a lot of money since i started using it. I also like the plastic rolls that come with it which I can use to cut out bags of whatever size I want. Storing big cuts of meat has never been easier! Love my Rival Seal A meal!

saralee0123

Nashville, TN

We got this RIval Vacuum Food Sealer from my sister in law for our wedding. We have peach trees, and I think her intent was for us to freeze the peaches (we have so many, they'll rot if we don't do something with them). It wasn't hard to use, but it was a bit of a hassle. We used it pretty much through the first season, and then it just stopped working. I'm not a big cook, and I'm not a big food sealer, so maybe it really did job. But, to me? Why not just use freezer bags? They worked as well, and were faster! I'm just saying maybe I don't know quality when I have it since I'm not sure what else you'd use it for. And, since it broke, we just stopped using it altogether. It's in our basement somewhere...with some strange meat injection flavors received as part of the gift as well. Go figure.

bribaile

Cayce, SC

A few years ago, you could purchase a small handheld battery powered sealer that used special bags. It worked well, but they stopped manufactoring the bags. I really used that item, so when I had an opportunity to purchase one the the Rival vacuum sealers, I snatched it up. I use it frequently--it eliminates freezer burn on meats, so it is a great way to save money, buy the cuts when they are on sale and seal! I also like it for freezing chopped fresh veggies from the farmers market, it works great on things like chopped green peppers, zuccini, etc. I also use it to seal up 1/2 of an avocado--they usually turn in a day and this way, it keeps for almost a week. I found it great to send cookies to the kids at college as well. The only thing I think it ISN'T good for is delicate bakery, like burger buns or softer breads. It is very easy to use, just plug it in and insert the bag with your food and it does all the work. Great product.

misellie

Oak Lawn, IL

We are constantly trying to find good deals on meats (primarily chicken breasts) and where there are sales we always try to stock up. We used to use plastic bags but felt like we never got a good shelf life on the proteins when we tossed them in the freezer and decided to spend a little money and get the Rival Seal a Meal Vacuum Food Sealer. It really was one of the best things we bought! The loved how we can custom size the bag to put smaller portions and seal them or if we had bigger portions it would work too. We even used it to seal up some vegetables from our garden. We we opened them up a few months later, the flavors were amazing, like we just picked them. I highly recommend this to everyone!

ejvigil

Agoura Hills, CA

This was one of my best investments ever. My family is able to save a bunch of money now that we buy in bulk. Its also great to freeze individual leftover packets so everyone can choose their own meal once a week. Its our potluck Friday. The machine is very simple to use. I just load up a bag then set the end inside lid, hold down for a few secondsand the sealer does the rest. It sucks all the air out so you can buy steaks in the summer and enjoy them as if the were just purchased from the grocery store that day only its 1 year later. I date and label verything in my freezer so it gets rotated all the time. I did run across ribs that were a year or so in the freezer, cooked them up and they were fantastic. The bags can seem pricey, but if you buy the rolls and make your own you save alot. I also wash my bags and reuse them. They are dishwasher safe. The unit is fairly small and fits on the counter nicely, but you can also stash it away in the cabinet and pull it out after you get back from the store. If your like me it will pay for itself in less than a year, saving you a ton of wasted food.

lmack7900

Brookfield, IL

I have a Rival VS230 Seal A Meal Vacuum Food Sealer and i save money all of the time with it. Ever since i bought this Food Saver, i have bought my food in quantity and Froze it useing the Rival Seal A Meal. I have not had any problems with freezer burn at all with the bag rolls that are made for this. I really like the idea that the bags can be as big as you want them to be because you cut the bags and the size. The only thing that i have noticed with this machine is if you don't put the sack in the Seal A Meal just right, it won't vacuum seal the bag and you will have to do it all over again. The bag compartment has a cutter built into it which makes it very handy. My cutter however is starting to dull out because i have used it so much. The bag rolls that go with this machine are better than any other brand bags because they keep the food fresher by Vacuum Sealing. I will never have a worry about my food going bad in the freezer again. The Rival VS230 Seal A Meal Vacuum Food Sealer is a great investment for any household. This Seal A Meal will save you money in the long run by keeping your food from freezer burning.

gumbycoast

Greenbrier, AR