Laica

A vacuum sealer draws the air out of a bag and seals it closed, which slows spoilage and oxidation in prepped food and keeps portions compact in the coolroom. Sealed bags are also what sous vide cooking needs, since the food must stay watertight.

Sous vide is cooking food sealed in a bag in a water bath held at a set temperature. Because the water never rises above that temperature, the food cannot cook past it, which gives consistent results across a batch and lets portions be held ready for service.

An immersion circulator is the unit that heats and moves the water in a sous vide bath. Circulating the water keeps the temperature even throughout, so every bag cooks the same way instead of the bags nearest the element cooking faster.

Vacuum sealers use bags or rolls made for vacuum sealing, and the format has to match the machine, because some sealers take textured or embossed bags and others take smooth ones. Rolls let a kitchen cut a bag to the length of the portion.

Vacuum sealing lets a kitchen prep in batches, portion once and hold food with less waste. It also keeps items separated, which helps with allergen control, and it prepares food for sous vide cooking and for reheating straight from a sealed portion.