Outlet Reviews

In a nutshell - bought this item in late Oct. for an Xmass gift. (I like to get my shopping done early.)

Christmas day my mother went to try it out. Product was defective - sealer would not seal, which made the unit useless.

Due to Amazon's return policy - item was ordered more than 30 days ago, I was only able to get a partial refund - not even a replacement for the defective item. Needless to say, I will no longer buy Xmass gifts from Amazon - at least those that are of the electronic nature. BUYER BEWARE!!!

I have been looking for a vacuum sealer for some time. I have compared them in the stores and online. The products are similar, but the Rival seems more robust and the clamping device much more secure. When Amazon offered the VS110-BCD at a special price with free shipping, I made my decision. The quantity of bags that come with the unit is impressive. The bags deserve mention. They are reusable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. This is just the device for preventing freezer burn. I have read the mixed reviews of the canisters. Mine came with one sample unit - a round one. So far, so good, but they seem pricey. I note that Rival's rival Tilia makes a vacuum lid for wide mouthed Ball jars. I may give this a try. All of the vacuum hoses appear the same, only some of the connectors are different, so it seems that competing brand's units can be used. I also found that the vacuum bags take up less space in my freezer, in addition to stopping freezer burn.

I received this as a gift after discussions with the gift giver about how we both thought something like this would be a great product. I am thrilled with it! I have been using it on a fairly regular basis for over a year now. The closing mechanism is a bit tough, and I wouldn't recommend it for someone with poor dexterity or arthritis, however, for the average person, a few tries whoul be all it takes to get the hang of the locking mechanism.

I buy all my meat in bulk and seal them in meal size portions. I have even boiled my meat right in the bag!! I also have made large meals with lots of leftovers and have sealed those away for easy re-heating (you can really put a whole meal on a plate and seal it all in).

A few tips:

1-Liquids should be frozen first. I usually cut the bag longer than I need, seal it without vacuuming out the air, and freeze the liquid solid (works great for soups or broths!!). Then once frozen, I sliver off the sealed end of the bag, and then use the vacuum/sealing mechanism. Soups are then frozen, and can be re-heated right in the sealed bag!!

2-Make sure you use big enough bags. The only time I have ever had real problems with getting the bag on the sealing mechanism correctly is when I tried to use a too small bag for the job.

3-Buy the big bags and disposable foil food pans. Make casseroles and lasagna ahead of time, freeze right in the pan, write the cooking/re-heating instructions right on the bag. It's great for when someone is home alone and needs to throw something in the oven or when you feel the need to drop off something at a friend or neighbor's house!

I highly recommend for the price. Of all my kitchen appliances that are not used daily, this one is certainly the most useful!!

Colors on both the placemats and runner are brighter than on the Napoli dinnerware. The dinner plates have no matching flowers on them so do not look very good on the placemats. You can use the reverse side of the place mats and runner which is blue, but that defeats the purpose of the Napoli design. However, the shipping was very quick. I would recommend this vendor.

These pans are awesome.The non-stick seems to be slipperier than any I've used in the past.Food slides out so easy.I made a frittata,and it came out of the pan just like on the food network.The only negative is with the 12"pan,is it's a little heavy for my wife.Maybe an assist handle would help.

These Calphalon pans are fantastic. I use them for everything, and nothing sticks. NOTHING!! The heat distribution is even, and althought the 12" skillet is a bit heavy, still an easy pan to cook with.

These are great pans. They look good, heat up evenly, cook great and clean up easily.