I bought InstaSeal Vacuum Sealer: here’s my honest review

If there’s one thing I don’t have time for, it’s kitchen gadgets that don’t pull their weight.So when I spotted the InstaSeal Food Vacuum Sealer on Amazon, promising to be a food-preserving hero, I clicked “Add to Cart”.

Spoiler alert: it tested my patience more than a toddler meltdown.

About InstaSeal Vacuum Sealer

The InstaSeal is an upright food vacuum sealer meant to help you store meats, veggies, snacks, and even marinades, keeping food fresh longer and saving space in your fridge and freezer. It claims a one-touch operation and automatic sealing, with a starter pack of vacuum bags tossed in the box.

On paper? Sounds dreamy. In practice? Well… keep reading.

The Amazon listing currently shows the product with a 4.1 out of 5 star rating from more than 1,700 ratings, although availability and pricing can change.

I grabbed mine ( silver color) on Amazon for $79.99, thinking I was getting a steal.

My Experience using InstaSeal Upright Food Vacuum Sealer

I actually like the idea of this machine. It is small, doesn’t take up much counter space and is much less bulky than the traditional vacuum sealers I have seen.

But I will be honest about the learning curve because this is where InstaSeal frustrated me.

The instructions simply aren’t detailed enough.

For example, they don’t clearly tell you how long the machine should preheat. You are basically told to wait until the preheat light stays on. Sometimes I did exactly that and the machine worked. Other times, it simply didn’t.

I ended up unplugging it, waiting much longer and trying again. Sometimes that worked. Sometimes it didn’t. I wasted several bags while trying to figure out what I was doing wrong.

For a kitchen appliance that is supposed to make life easier, I shouldn’t have to experiment with multiple bags just to figure out how long the machine needs to heat up.

There is another thing I quickly learned. The overflow tray has to be kept completely clean.

The sensor will not allow the unit to work if there is anything in the overflow tray. That means you really need to clean it after every use. And trust me, you don’t want to forget. Food residue sitting there can start to smell pretty quickly.

Once I figured out these little quirks, however, I found that the InstaSeal actually does a good job vacuum sealing.

Pros

Okay, in the spirit of fairness:

• Compact and lightweight
• Simple, one-button operation (when it works)

But trust me, those three little perks don’t make up for the frustration this thing causes.

Cons

• The manual isn’t detailed
• Not User friendly
• Quite expensive
• Not worth the price for what you get

How to Use InstaSeal

1. Put your food in the bag
   Don’t overfill it. Leave enough empty space at the top for sealing.
2. Keep the bag opening clean and dry
   Make sure there is no food, grease or liquid where the seal needs to be made.
3. Plug in the InstaSeal
   Give it time to preheat before using it.
4. Wait up to 1 minute for preheating
   The preheat light should flash while the machine is warming up and then stay solid when it is ready. This is one part I wish the instructions explained more clearly.
5. Place the bag correctly
   Put the open end of the bag into the sealing area as shown in the instructions.
6. Let the sensor do its job
   Once the bag is positioned correctly, the automatic sensor should detect it and start the vacuum sealing process.
7. Check the seal
   Before storing your food, make sure the bag has sealed properly and there are no gaps.
8. Clean the overflow tray
   Clean it after every use. If there is anything left in the tray, the sensor may stop the machine from working. Food residue can also start to smell if you leave it there.

Alternative:

After breaking up with the InstaSeal, I went on a desperate hunt for a better option and landed on the FEPPO Vacuum Sealer on Amazon and let me tell you, THIS is what a mom’s kitchen deserves.

Why I love it:

It came with 2 different sizes of reusable vacuum bags, 3 sizes of Tupperware, the vacuum sealing device, a charging cord, and instruction manual. I

t has a lock feature where you press and hold the bottom button for 3 seconds to lock or unlock it. The auto feature has worked amazing so far. I used it on a bag and container and it vacuum sealed both to just the right level. To open the containers, you just pull up at the plug in the middle of the lid to release the seal. The video is of some frozen strawberries I needed to transfer and it sealed great on the first try! There’s lots of warnings about not letting the water collection tank fill up too much, but so far I haven’t gotten any moisture in there at all.

It is the best compact sealer purchased. It holds a charge so that multiple bags can be sealed between charging. Especially helpful is seeing the remaining charge left in the unit so I know when to plug it back in to recharge. And it works with ALL my other containers and bags (Foodsaver, Cnaoa).

Final Thoughts

If you were eyeing the InstaSeal Food Vacuum Sealer because do yourself a favor and read this review. It’s one of those “looked good online” purchases that come with a couple of hidden flaws.

And if you need more brutally honest mom-reviews on kitchen gadgets, drop me a message — I’ve got stories for days. Meawhile, do read my last kitchen buys ‘Rice Robot’