The FRESKO New V8 Advanced is an automatic vacuum sealer that runs about $129.95 and starts the moment you close the lid, with nothing to press and no button to hold down. FRESKO rates it for up to 40 bags in 20 minutes without stopping to cool off, and the reason that number matters has less to do with gear than with how you buy meat.
The FRESKO New V8 Advanced Vacuum Sealer is $129.99 direct from FRESKO and is also available on Amazon.com. FRESKO sells three sealers - the V2 Compact, the V6 Premium and the V8 - and the V8 also turns up as the V8 Heavy Duty or model V8-2 depending on the seller, so check before you order.
Almost every complaint about a household sealer is about effort and waiting, and that is what FRESKO built this one around.
- No cooling break between bags - the pause most sealers force on you after a handful of seals is what this one removes.
- Nothing to press or hold down - close the lid and the machine finds the bag and starts on its own.
- It reads the food instead of a setting - FRESKO says it senses dry versus moist and adjusts on its own.
- Any textured bag works - there is no brand lock-in, so the rolls you already own keep working.
- It cuts its own bags - built-in cutter and roll storage, so you size the bag to the cut.
- Here's How To Make A Vacuum Sealer Work For You: A Rib Roast Costs Less Than The Steaks Cut From It
- Close The Lid And The Machine Takes Over
- Forty Bags In Twenty Minutes Is The Number That Matters
- What To Do Before The Bag Goes In The Freezer
- This Is A Great Choice For Guys That Want Power And Automatic Settings
I reviewed the INKBIRDPLUS sealer a few years back, and I liked it - works well for preserving meat that I want to freeze and it also worked well for sous vide - it's just a good typical compact vacuum sealer. On the other hand, this FRESKO V8 model is what you get when you're looking for the "ULTRA" model, something better in most every way, and though the price is a bit higher, I think for a lot of us having something that does what we want it to do without talking back is worth a few extra dollars.
Here's How To Make A Vacuum Sealer Work For You: A Rib Roast Costs Less Than The Steaks Cut From It
If you have never thought about owning one, this is the argument. A rib roast and a ribeye steak are the same beef. The steak is a slice of the roast, and the roast sells for less per pound. The difference is how you buy it, not what you are buying.
What stops most guys is the rest of it. Cook the whole roast and you are feeding a crowd whether you planned on it or not, so you skip it and pay steak prices one steak at a time.
Cut the roast down yourself, seal the steaks one or two to a bag, and freeze them. A good ribeye on a Tuesday then costs about what the roast cost per pound. You are not buying better beef, you are buying it in the cheaper shape and storing it so it keeps.
Close The Lid And The Machine Takes Over
An internal grip holds the bag square so the seal lands straight, and the built-in cutter lets you size the bag to the cut rather than trimming the cut to fit a bag. FRESKO says the V8 reads dry versus moist food and sets the pressure and seal time itself, with a manual mode for delicate things like chips and berries. Breaking down a roast is a dozen repetitions of the same small motion, and taking the decisions out of each one is most of what you are paying for.
FRESKO also sells the V8 on being quieter, and that is the one claim buyers push back on - one verified reviewer called the noise moderate. Read it as marketing, not a feature.
Forty Bags In Twenty Minutes Is The Number That Matters
The complaint FRESKO built the V8 around is overheating. Most household sealers make you wait for the heating bar to cool after a handful of seals, which is fine for two steaks and useless when you are working through a whole roast. FRESKO rates the V8 at up to 40 bags in 20 minutes of continuous work.
Size is the trade-off. At 15.75 by 4.69 by 7.99 inches, this is a big stainless machine that wants a permanent spot. If counter space is your real constraint, a compact sealer is still the smarter buy.
What To Do Before The Bag Goes In The Freezer
Most of what you get out of vacuum sealing comes from what happens before the bag goes in. FRESKO claims food stays fresh up to 8 times longer sealed, which assumes you handled the boring parts correctly.
- Chill or partly freeze wet items first so juice is not pulled toward the pump.
- Portion by the meal, because a bag you open is a bag you have to use.
- Leave a few inches of empty bag above the food to seal against.
- Label and date everything, because two sealed steaks look identical in February.
- Keep it cold anyway. Sealing slows spoilage, it does not stand in for the freezer.
Beef is the easy case. How beef compares to chicken and game is its own subject, and if you are putting up venison, how long venison keeps depends on the wrap as much as the freezer.
This Is A Great Choice For Guys That Want Power And Automatic Settings
If a sealer is going to sit in a cabinet eleven months of the year, buy the cheap one. The V8 makes sense when it is going to run, and the rib roast math is what keeps it running: once breaking down a roast stops being a project, you do it every time beef goes on sale.
One thing to sort out before you order. The V8 takes 8-inch and 11-inch rolls but ships with the 11-inch only, so if you are cutting roasts into single steaks, add an 8-inch roll to the same order. For current pricing and availability, check Amazon.com.