LaVide Sous Vide Water Baths

LaVide water baths, designed in Germany, have a robust construction and modern, contemporary look with an unobstructed temperature controlled space for you to cook your sous vide dishes to perfection. They also brisstle with the latest high tech features not found on other water baths. LaVide offer a comprehensive range of sous vide water baths and a heated stirrer which cater for those venturing into sous vide cooking for the first time or for the professional chef progressing into the cutting edge of sous vide and scientific cooking techniques. The LaVide water bath has become among the most essential pieces of equipment in our kitchens. They fit in well and, with their precise temperature control, are great for experimenting and for the development of new dishes. Equally important, they are also solid, reliable ‘workhorses’ helping us to produce dishes of consistently high quality day in, day out and with minimum hassle in terms of operation and cleaning. After two years in development, LaVide is so confident in their products that they carry a 5 YEAR WARRANTY unserpassed by any other water bath manufacturer. Click here to see our range of LaVide Water Baths.

Vacuum Packing Advice

The articles on this page cover the most common questions that we get asked. However, if you have a question that is not answered here or you would like some general advice then please call Andrew on 0871 716 8170.
 
Which is the Best Vacuum Packing Machine for My Needs?
This article explains differences between the two different types of machine on the market. These are usually referred to as ‘vacuum chamber machines’, where the whole bag and contents fit inside the machine, and ‘external bag machines’, where only the end of the bag fits into the machine and the rest of the bag and the contents remain outside of the machine.

Buying a Home Vacuum Packing Machine
Most people who buy vacuum pacing machines for home use start off with one specific requirement. This is usually something like packing meat for the freezer or packing vegetables from the garden. However, they often find that vacuum packing is saving them both money, because it can cut down on waste, and time because they can pre-prepare meals and then pack them in single servings. This being the case, it makes sense to buy a quality machine that is going to give you a few years of service.

Choosing Between a Domestic and Commercial Vacuum Packing Machine
Do I need to buy a commercial machine or is a domestic one going to be OK? This is a question that we are asked every day of the week. The answer depends on: how many packing operations you expect to do, how large the items are and in what type of environment the machine is going to be used. This article discusses these factors in detail.

Volumes and Costs for Vacuum Chamber and External Bag Machines
If you are packing significant numbers of items per week then you will need to consider the ongoing cost of the vacuum packing pouches as well as the up-front cost of the machine. There is a significant difference in the cost of vacuum pouches suitable for use in vacuum chamber machines and external bag machines. This means that the decision of whether to buy an external bag vacuum packing machine or a vacuum chamber machine is usually dependent on the number of packing operations that you expect to do.

Looking After Your Lava Vacuum Packaging Machine
Lava vacuum sealer machines require minimal maintenance. However, there are a few things that you should be aware of which will prolong the working life of the machine.

Using Continuous Vacuum Packing Rolls
A question that we are asked quite regularly is ‘What are the advantages of continuous rolls over vacuum pouches?’ The advantage of continuous vacuum rolls over pouches is that they are more cost effective if you are packing small amounts of varying sized items. For example many of our customers who use their vacuum packing machines at home use them to pack small quantities of a wide variety of things and find it more cost effective to buy one or two rolls rather than to buy packs of 50 or 100 of several different sizes of vacuum pouch.

Using Vacuum Containers
Most people associate vacuum packing with using vacuum pouches or bags. However, you can also use a Lava vacuum sealer machine to create a vacuum in a vacuum container. This is a very useful feature and it can help you a lot, not only with packing very soft items but also with smoothing out the flow of work around the kitchen.

How Vacuum Packing Works
This article explains how vacuum packing helps to maintain the freshness of your food by eliminating oxidation and contamination. Vacuum packaging also prevents freezer burn which is important if you want your food to look its best after freezing.

Vacuum Packing Meat – A Practical Guide
This article is based on our own experiences of vacuum packing venison from a whole carcass. It details exactly how to get the best results when you are packing meat either for home use or for sale to the public.

Guidelines for Vacuum Packing Cooked Meat
There are several factors that you need to consider when vacuum packing cooked meat. This article covers these in detail so that you can be sure that your stored food is both fresh and safe. The Shelf Life of Vacuum Packed Foods. This article details the shelf life of vacuum packed and non vacuum packed foods.

What is the Shelf Life of Vacuum Packed Food
Vacuum packing is not a substitute for refrigeration or freezing. You will still need to keep your fresh foods at a controlled temperature - ideally about 3 degrees for refrigerated food and sub-zero for frozen food. This table shows you typical shelf-lives for vacuum packad and non vacuum packed foods.

Vacuum Packing Sauces & Casseroles
Sauces and casseroles can be vacuum packed to retain their flavour, consistency and texture. The absence of air and the consequent lack of oxidation mean that sauces will keep their flavour better than if they were stored in the fridge without being vacuum packed. Reheating casseroles in a vacuum pouch avoids the problem of drying out because there is no water lost in evaporation. In addition, the heat is applied from all sides so that you don’t need to stir the casserole during reheating. This prevents any cooked meat and vegetables from breaking up and means that the reheated food looks as good as it did when it was first made.

Vacuum Packing Cured Meat
Vacuum packing cooked and cured meats to be refrigerated can be of great benefit by dramatically prolonging the shelf amongst other benefits.

Vacuum Packing Fish
To preserve, retain colour, taste and prevent freezer burn, there is no better way of storing your fish than vacuum packing it. To get the best results, it is important that the fish is as fresh as possible and that it has been kept chilled. The length of time that fish have been held on ice or in chilled storage greatly affects the storage time of the frozen product.

Vacuum Packing Seafood
You should buy any seafood you intend to freeze as freshly as possible and should keep them as cold as possible right up to the point at which they are put into the freezer. The length of time that seafood has been held on ice or in chilled storage greatly affects the storage time of the frozen product.

Vacuum Packing Cheese
The main reason for vacuum packing cheese is to prevent it from drying out, developing surface mould and losing its fresh flavour and appearance. As a general rule, hard cheeses vacuum pack better than soft cheeses.

Vacuum Packing Fresh Vegetables
Vacuum packing fresh vegetable becomes especially useful if you grow your own. There will always be times during harvest when you will be overwhelmed with produce, most commonly runner beans, French beans and so on. This year I decided to do something about this abundance and set about vacuum packing all my excess vegetables which I could then enjoy over the winter months.

Vacuum Packing Fruit
There are two main reasons and associated benefits for vacuum packing fresh fruit, one is to prolong the shelf life in the refrigerator and the other for freezing for future consumption.

Vacuum Packing Soup
It makes a lot of sense economically to make soup in fairly large quantities. This is because the time and effort involved in purchasing the ingredients, preparing them and cleaning up afterwards is not greatly affected by the amount made. It is also cheaper to buy the ingredients in larger quantities than in smaller ones.

Preparing for a Dinner Party
I am sure that everyone has experienced the stresses and strains associated with hoisting a dinner party. First of all you are too busy preparing the meal to truly enjoy the company of your guests and then by the time the food is ready your appetite has gone. All this now can be eliminated with the simple use of a vacuum packing machine a little preparation time the day before.

Cooking for One the Easy Way
The problem with cooking just for yourself, is most of the time you just can’t be bothered. I am a lover of good food and do very much so enjoy cooking, but not every night. I had to come up with a solution that would offer me a balanced diet, but with the great taste of home cooked food.

Food Sealer Bags
We have the largest range of Foodsaver  and Seal-a-Meal compatible bags in the UK. Our bags and rolls are made from the highest quality PA/PE food safe material, ensuring the bag material is safe for your food. These bags and rolls have a 5 layer chanelled 'criss-cross' pattern ensuring the air is expelled quickly and efficiently.