Reber Vacuum sealer.

manxman · October 26, 2005, 04:44:19 PM

Hi Folks,

Anyone got any experience of the Reber Family Deluxe Vacuum Sealer (model 9701)?

See:

www.sausagemaking.org/

and "Equipment" then "Vacuum Packers".

More specifically it would be useful to know if anyone has used the bags off this system on a Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer, I have a Foodsaver but the bags off the former system are a LOT cheaper this side of the pond!!

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer.

Manxman.

jaeger · October 27, 2005, 06:04:40 AM

manxman,
I have a food saver. When I tried to vacuum with a 3 mil smooth type vacuum pouch with the food saver it did not seal. If you plan to try these bags, don't buy to many until you have tested them in the food saver![;)]

Doug

manxman · October 27, 2005, 05:34:02 PM

Thanks jaeger, I had a close look at the bags on the website I posted and they look "ribbed" like the foodsaver version to me.

They are around 60-70% cheaper than buying the Foodsaver bags which I think have to be imported from the USA and then I have to buy them from Germany!![:(]

The Reber appears to be of European manufacture and I can buy in the UK,like you say I will buy a small quantity of bags to start with and "suck it and see"!!??[;)]

Manxman.

jaeger · October 28, 2005, 04:03:19 AM

Let us know if they work manxman.[8D]

Doug

manxman · October 28, 2005, 10:14:16 AM

Sure will jaeger, ordered them last night so they should be here in a couple of days.

Got a load of salmon, brisket, ribs and pork loin awaiting vacuum packing, I have some Foodsaver bags left but will only use those if the new ones don't work.

Manxman.

manxman · October 29, 2005, 11:36:07 AM

Found out a little more about the Reber units and the bags sound similar to the Foodsaver ones:

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> Multiple-layer embossed bags NYPOL 105,REBER vacuum-packaging bags are built in multiple-layer material, outside in airproof nylon, inside in atoxic material for food.
They are available in different sizes to meet any preservation requirements<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Prices for the unit itself seem to be around 200 Euro/135GBP/255US$

They also do a range of polycarbonate containers.

For further information, Googling "9701 Reber Vacuum Sealer" will display several relevant sites.

Manxman.

manxman · October 31, 2005, 05:36:28 PM

www.sausagemaking.org/

Also note this website supplies a good range of herbs, spices, curing agents (e.g: saltpetre, prague#1 and #2) and a host of other bits and pieces that may be useful to the home curer/smoker.

It also looks quite an informative website.

Some of these things are not easy to get hold of on this side of the pond so it may prove useful to some.

I am not in a position the recommend them as yet, I will post again on that score once I have received my order![;)]

Manxman.

manxman · November 02, 2005, 10:21:05 AM

First impressions of these bags are good.

One side is "ribbed" in a similar fashion to the Tilia Foodsaver bags, slightly different design with vertical strips running top to bottom of the bags of rectangular shaped "ribbing" approx 1 inch wide separated by a thin gap of clear non ribbed area across the whole width of the bags.

The foodsaver bags seem to have a diamond shaped ribbing covering the whole surface of one side of the bags.

The bags are not as substantial as the Foodsaver ones, this is reflected in the price when comparing like for like of 16pence/27cents each for the Reber as oppossed to 42 pence/70cents for the Foodsaver ones.

However, although it says you can reuse the Foodsaver ones I actually don't, I find it difficult to clean them completely and they seem to stain with food easily so I think the difference in quality is unimportant when each bag is used once.

Initial impressions are favourable and that the Reber bags seem to work fine with the Foodsaver vacuum packer, I will post back in a couple of weeks with an update when these bags have been boiled and frozen and generally abused!!![}:)]

Also very impressed with

www.sausagemaking.org/

Fast efficient delivery, reasonable shipping rates etc..... what more can you ask![:)]

They also have a forum for anything to do with the goods they sell, although at the moment it is down for a security upgrade as it has been hacked into and corrupted![:(]

Manxman.

manxman · November 29, 2005, 01:18:50 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I will post back in a couple of weeks with an update when these bags have been boiled and frozen and generally abused!!!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I have now frozen, boiled and generally abused these bags and they seem fine, I have switched over to using them in preference to the Foodsaver ones as they are more easily available in the UK and a lot cheaper.

Also tried some smooth pouches which I got for next to nothing, as jaegar said in an earlier post, they don't work in a Foodsaver! The bags must be ribbed.

Still can't find any bag satisfactory for vacuum sealing whole lobster and crab, blasted spikes on the shell or tips of legs pierce the plastic/nylon 8 times out of 10 when I have tried this. Anyone got any tips or ideas?!

Manxman.

jb9 · November 29, 2005, 11:21:18 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by manxman
Still can't find any bag satisfactory for vacuum sealing whole lobster and crab, blasted spikes on the shell or tips of legs pierce the plastic/nylon 8 times out of 10 when I have tried this. Anyone got any tips or ideas?!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I think you'll probably be better off putting in padding than trying to find a stronger bag. The ham I cooked for thanksgiving had things stuffed in the vacuum bag in two places to keep the bone from poking through the plastic. You could try some thick waxy paper or cotton wrapped in plastic or ... It shouldn't be too hard to find something around the house to stick in there, but it's probably unlikely that you'll find a bag that's tough enough.

manxman · November 30, 2005, 09:19:46 AM

Thanks jb9, your suggestion was the way I was beginning to think on this one and you have given me a couple of ideas for material to try.[;)]

Manxman.

Kummok · November 30, 2005, 03:28:37 PM

I think jb9's suggestion is right on the money, Manx! I haven't tried to vac seal any Alaskan King crab yet...simply because it doesn't last that long in our house[:p][:p], but I've got half a case, fresh from Dutch Harbor, waiting for me at home this weekend, so I'll be sealing some of it up in Foodsaver bags. I'll wrap the legs in a few layers of paper towels first, then stuff in long bags to seal.

I've used paper towels before, inside the bag, when trying to seal up wet stuff, (like raspberries, rhubarb, etc.), by rolling up a sheet into about a 1/2 to 1" strip and placing it across the mouth of the bag before sealing. The paper towel strip captures the moisture before it can get out to the sealing edge of the bag...works great!

35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA

manxman · November 30, 2005, 05:06:56 PM

Hi Kummock,

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I've used paper towels before, inside the bag, when trying to seal up wet stuff, (like raspberries, rhubarb, etc.),<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I've used this successfully when vacuum sealing raspberries and blackberries too, although now I tend to lay them out on a tray on foil, freeze them first and then vacuum pack em.

Got a load of blackberries stored that way to make a few blackberry and apple crumbles over the winter! [:p]

It was a very good summer for crabs and lobster, no crabs left but around half a dozen lobsters! I will try the paper towel idea, thanks.[:)]

Manxman.