What is the Difference Between a Cryovac and Vacuum Sealer Bag?

While the vacuum sealing process is one of the simplest ways of preserving food quality and freshness, when something is new to you, it can be hard to get your head around the terminology. Fear not, Pac Food has all of the answers to your burning questions on vacuum sealing.

Let’s explore the benefits of vacuum sealing, the confusion between Cryovac and vacuum sealing and how to choose the right vacuum sealing machine for you.

What are Vacuum Sealer Bags?

Vacuum packaging bags are used with a vacuum sealer to store and preserve food. The plastic bag is filled with food and placed into the vacuum sealer. The sealer works to remove oxygen from the vacuum bag to create an airtight seal.

Removing all air from packaging when storing food protects food from spoilage caused by oxygen and bacteria growth. A fully sealed package keeps food fresh and reduces food waste, so you can save money.

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What are Cryovac Bags?

Just as ‘Band-Aid’ has become synonymous with adhesive bandages, ‘Cryovac’ is simply a brand name.

Cryovac bags are vacuum seal bags made by the food packaging division of US-headquartered company Sealed Air. The bags are used with a Cryovac machine, which creates an airtight seal around food to preserve it. These days the brand name has made its way into popular culture and the word ‘Cryovac’ is used interchangeably with vacuum sealing.

How Vacuum Sealer Machines Work

There are many different types of vacuum sealing machines on the market. However, Pac Foods’ sealers are constructed using materials of the highest quality, ensuring food stored in our vacuum sealer bags lasts up to five times longer.

Giving you a premium seal without the high price tag of similar appliances, we use advanced technology like customisable sealing and precise vacuum control to ensure your food is free of freezer burn or ready for sous vide cooking.

Out-of-Chamber Vacuum Machines

An out-of-chamber vacuum sealer removes air pockets surrounding food to keep it fresher for longer. Once filled, the bag’s opening is placed inside an edge. Air is then sucked from the bag and a tight seal is created.

In Chamber Vacuum Machines

In chamber vacuum sealer machines offer optimal performance when it comes to preserving food quality and reducing waste. These types of machines are more commonly found in commercial or food industry settings.

Rather than removing air from the bag only, in chamber sealers remove air from the entire in chamber, including from inside the vacuum seal bag. This creates a pressurized environment inside and out, which also works to reduce the size of the package and make it more economical for businesses to ship.

Benefits of Vacuum Sealing

Food Preservation and Safety

Vacuum sealing is the most effective method of preserving food, keeping it fresh for up to five times longer.

Ensuring food freshness saves money and time, not to mention it’s better for the environment.

Vacuum sealing also prevents freezer burn and spoiled food. Not only this, but it can be used for a whole range of food items including raw meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables and dry food like nuts or cereals.

The innovative method prevents bacteria growth for extended storage and food safety and locks in food freshness, meaning it retains nutrients and tastes better.

Convenience and Efficiency

Vacuum sealing is a convenient method for storing food as it makes portion sizing and reheating meals easy and is truly the number one way to beat food waste by easily storing leftover meals. Food vacuum seal bags can help you cut plastic waste in your home by allowing you to shop in bulk without compromising the quality of your food. You can also cut bags and reseal them to reduce bag waste.

There are also some non-food uses for vacuum sealing you may not have even considered. It can be used to preserve important documents and keep items dry in emergency boxes and on camping trips.

Vacuum Sealer Bags and Rolls

Standard Vacuum Sealer Bags

Pac Food’s micro channel vacuum seal bags are designed to work with every vacuum sealer on the market. By choosing our high-quality bags, available in a wide range of bag sizes, you get a good seal that won’t leak and your food product will remain protected during sous vide cooking.

Vacuum Sealer Rolls

Vacuum sealer rolls are a cost-effective option when you have large quantities of food to vacuum seal.

Whether as single bags or rolls, our vacuum food sealer bags are extra strong and puncture-resistant for food with sharp edges like bones.

Food Vacuum Sealer Safety

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Domestic-grade Vacuum Seal Bags

Domestic-grade Vacuum Seal Bags are suitable for most food items including fruit, vegetables, dairy food and dry goods. They’re also good for fish or meat fillets with no sharp bones.

Pac Food’s embossed vacuum seal bags, which work with all brands of food sealers, have a textured surface that makes them ideal for heavy-duty use, oily foods or those with sharp bones. At 100 microns, they also seal faster than our 85-micron bags.

Commercial-Grade Vacuum Seal Bags

Pac Food’s commercial-grade vacuum seal bags are great for use with an in chamber vacuum sealer for use in the food industry and have a lower cost compared with domestic channel bags. They can even be used with gas flushing to extend the shelf life of food and are available in 70, 100, 120 and 200-micron bags, in a variety of different sizes.

Common Questions About Vacuum Sealers

How Long Does Vacuum-Sealed Food Last?

The shelf life of food preserved in a vacuum seal bag is between 3-5 times longer than when stored conventionally. However, it also depends on the type of food, storage conditions and handling practices.
For example, raw meat stored in a vacuum seal bag will last 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator compared to 3-5 days for non-sealed meat.

Can You Vacuum-Seal Liquids?

Yes, in chamber vacuum machines can be used to seal liquids such as soup or sauces. However, out of chamber sealers cannot be used to vacuum seal liquids.

Is Cryovac the same as vacuum sealing?

Cryovac bags are made by a US brand for use with their vacuum sealing system but the word ‘Cryovac’ is often used to mean ‘vacuum seal’.

Do vacuum sealers require special bags?

You do need special vacuum packing bags for use with vacuum sealing machines but these are available from Pac Foods.

Which are better, vacuum sealer bags or rolls?

This depends on personal preference and how much vacuum sealing you plan on doing.

Seal the Deal with a Pac Food Vacuum Sealer

So now you know to ‘Cryovac’ something just means to vacuum seal it, what’s stopping you from boosting your food’s shelf life, preventing freezer burn and saving money with a premium-quality vacuum sealing machine from Pac Food?

Maybe you already have one of these money-saving machines but you’re having trouble sourcing vacuum food sealer bags. In that case, see our website for our range of vacuum seal bags that suit all machines on the market.