Vacuum storing food is not a new concept, but one new company aims to turn it into a staple product of the modern home kitchen. Vacuvita is a Dutch company and one of the first in the Netherlands built on crowdfunding.

Their stated mission is allow you to enjoy your fresh food for longer periods of time. In order to achieve this, they have patented and built a new and innovative vacuum system. Let’s take a look.

Vacuvita Review – Food Storage Meets the Future

Every kitchen has essentially two places in which food is stored: a pantry and a refrigerator.

Vacuvita Home Base – Stunning To Look at and Display

The refrigerator works well in keeping food cold, and indeed some manufacturers have made great strides in finding ways to better preserve our fresh fruits and vegetables. The kitchen pantry is not so much where we preserve our dry goods, but where we store them as they begin to stale.

Home base station serves as both a food preserver and the vacuum pump.

The Vacuvita vacuum chamber aims to change this. As a set package, the Vacuvita will include a home base station, a set of vacuum storage containers, and a set of plastic vacuum bags.

Vacuvita Home Base

The home base is a stunning piece of appliance art. Its sleek design, colorful case options and stainless trim work really drive home the fact that this was a well-thought out endevour. A beautiful blue LED light carves out the button for opening the case.

A light push of that button and you are greeted with a whoosh of air as the vacuum chamber is depressurized. The motorized door opens gracefully giving you access to the contents inside.

Home base opening

Storing bread

Removable air filter

The home base functions not only as the main vacuum motor for sealing the canisters and bags, but also houses a decent size vacuum chamber for dry goods. In our home we’ve tested this with all kinds of different dry goods, from potato chips to sour dough bread.

Each lasted notably longer in the vacuum chamber than in our pantry. Most items lasted days longer than usual. The home base functions as a great dry goods preserver for items that tend to go stale quickly in the kitchen pantry.

Full parts breakdown on the Vacuvita system.

A note to first timers: You must be careful what types of items you place in the vacuum together. Storing crisp, dry foods and humid products in the same Home Base or container causes the dry products to go soggy and the moist products to turn dry. Dry items like potato chips and crackers will easily and quickly stale next to humid items like fresh bread or cake. When storing bread, I recommending keeping it wrapped in paper or plastic bag inside the home base.

Starship Enterprise is calling, they want their food canisters back.

Vacuvita Star Trek Containers

The Vacuvita storage containers are as innovative as the home base itself. And just as essential.

Clearly designed by someone with a Star Trek fetish, these containers are of high quality. The plastic used feels very durable and strong and the double seal around the edges ensures that air leakage will not occur. They are also dishwasher and microwave safe.

Home base and containers are offered in 5 different colors.

While you can purchase the home base on its own I don’t recommend it. The little containers are half of the value of this device. Keep your fruits fresher for longer. Extend the shelf life of dinner leftovers by days. Easily and quickly marinate meats and poultry in a fraction of the normal time.

Believe me, I’ve done them all.

Fresh strawberries have been a problem for us for years. We could never seem to eat them before they would spoil. Now, as soon as well get home I wash them and place them in one of the Vacuvita containers for airless storage. We’ve yet to waste a single strawberry since.

Fresh strawberries stay for days longer under vacuum.

Marinades are accomplished with ease by placing the meat and marinade in a vacuum container and removing the air. Once the meat is under vacuum, just place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 15  minutes. When the pressure is released upon opening the pores in the meat will open and accept the marinade. Something that usually takes hours is now easily accomplished in minutes.

Vacuvita Food Tracking App

Vacuvita Phone App

You’ll notice that each Vacuvita container has a unique barcode on it. This allows you to easily scan and label your food within the Vacuvita smartphone application.

By labeling your products, the Vacuvita app automatically will track when you stored an item, what’s inside it, and when it expires.

The app will even send you reminders when an item is nearing the end of its shelf life. This way you can plan to use it while it’s still fresh.

I found this especially useful for keeping track of our leftovers. A reminder that you’ve still got leftovers waiting is welcome news after a long day at work.

Vacuum Bags and Sous Vide Life

Bone-in Porkchops in Vacuvita Bags for Sous Vide

The vacuum bags that are designed to work with the Vacuvita are the easiest I’ve come across. They come with a double ziplock seal at the top for easy opening. The plastic is thick and double sealed at the edges, perfect for sous vide water immersion.

Each contains a special vacuum seal port where you can attach the Vacuvita sealer attachment to remove the air from the bag.

Vacuum sealer attachment for use with the containers and bags.

While this can be a bit tricky to figure out just the right way to hold it against the bag to make the right seal, it does work quickly once under way.

Be careful with bags that contain liquid marinades, as the vacuum is strong and will quickly begin to suck out your liquid if not careful.

Bone in pork chops vacuum sealed for sous vide. #instacook #instagood #instafood #appliancebuyersguide #awesome #vacuvita #sousvide #instafood #instagood #foodie #kitchenlife #chefmode #foodporn #eatingfortheinsta

A post shared by Appliance Buyers Guide (@appliancebuyersguide) on Apr 30, 2017 at 8:05pm PDT

We’ve begun using the bags for cooking with sous vide, and the results have been stunning. We’ve cooked steak, fish, chicken, even vegetables. If you’re looking into getting started with sous vide cooking, the Vacuvita is a great appliance to pair with your newfound hobby.

It really is essential if you’re getting started with sous vide.

Conclusion

After two months with the Vacuvita in our home, we feel like we are just scratching the surface of all the things we can do with it. Just yesterday my daughter lined up her Oreos in one of the containers and sealed them under vacuum.

Nothing is more important than a fresh cookie.

There are a few annoyances of note, one of which is that positioning the vacuum sealing attachment to the container port or the vacuum port takes a little finesse. Sometimes it connects right away and other times you have it slightly off one way or the other and the seal is not made properly. There is a learning curve, but once you’ve done it a few times you start to get a feel for it.

One other issue we’ve come across is that the black glossy top, while it looks stunning out the box, does not stay this way. In just one months time we’ve accumulated quite a few scratches that no amount of cleaning will dispense. For a product that is meant to be out on the counter all the time, this may not be ideal.

The Vacuvita is available for purchase from $249. I myself highly recommend the starter set, for $299. as it comes with all the items most kitchens and cooks will require. The product is warrantied against defects in craftsmanship or manufacture for up to 12 months from the date of purchase.