Thank you Vacu Vin
for providing me with products to review, free of charge,
and for sponsoring a giveaway.
These are my own honest opinions.

 Vacu Vin is best known for its famous Vacuum Wine Savor. It was the company’s first product and was developed in 1986. Since the introduction of this initial product, Vacu Vin has developed many more innovative and practical kitchen products.

To show you the range of products they offer, Vacu Vin sent me 6 great products to try and share with all of you: the Slice & Catch, the PopSome Flavour, the Instant Marinater, the Roast Clips & Skewers, The Snap Thermometer and the Active Wine Cooler Elegant.

The Slice & Catch is a neat little gadget. It is designed to, you’ve guessed it, slice and catch vegetables and fruits. Stainless steel blades are attached to the base of a cup. All you do is press the cup on the vegetable or fruit and the blades will smoothly slice it. The slices should end up in the cup although I find sticky items like kiwis stick between the blades. I let them loose with a fork. There is a lid you can put a lid under the blades to protect them (and your fingers) when you move the cup around and when you store it. The Slice & Catch is dishwasher safe. I love how it slices mushrooms, kiwis, strawberries, even hard boiled eggs easily and evenly. It’s also safe to use because fingers are never near the blades.

I also received the PopSome Flavour. This is a wonderful tool to prepare and serve vinaigrette as well as marinades. The PopSome Flavour has an interesting feature that gives it its name: the Oxiloc silicone lid can be pushed down and  seals hermetically or popped open to pour the vinaigrette or the marinade. I’d never seen a lid work this way and I love how easy to use it is. There area measurements on the cup in table spoons, mililiters, and cups which means you can mix your dressing or your marinade directly in the PopSome Flavour. I used it to make marinade and it was very easy to use. It’s a great addition to any kitchen!

The next item I received is the Instant Marinater. This product is very unique: it marinates and tenderizes meat, fish, and vegetables by creating a vacuum which opens up the pores and fibers allowing the mariade to penetrate faster and deeper in the food. All you do is pump the air out with the removable pump. To open the lid, push the valve in the center of the lid to let some air in. It has a 2.5L capacity so there’s plenty of room for meat and vegetables. Because it works faster than the regular marinating process, you don’t have to plan ahead as much. On the Vacu Vin website, they say it’ll marinate in minutes. I still prefer to let my meat marinate for at least a couple hours for maximum flavor but it’s nice to know that it could be ready sooner if necessary. This would be an ideal present for anyone who like to BBQ.

I also received Roast Clips and Skewers. In this set, there are 2 long silicone twine with stainless steel hooks as well as 2 shorter ones. There are also 4 skewers. I love the roast clips for stuffed chicken breast! It’s much faster to use than twine. They can also be used for tying vegetables. The skewers are also great for spiking small pieces of meat, fruit or veggies. They are easy to insert but I find them a little short for some jobs. They can withstand temperatures up to 445°F and can be used in the oven, in a pan, and can go in the freezer. They are also dishwasher safe.

I love garlic but it can be a bit of a pain to cut so I was thrilled to receive Vacu Vin’s Garlic Press. It’s a lot faster to use a garlic press and it’s also better flavor-wise because while they are getting pressed through the raster, the garlic cells open up releasing their flavor. This garlic press is the only one I’ve ever seen with a lever (the black part) that scrapes the garlic off the raster. It’s also sturdy and well built so I know it’ll last.

The last 2 products are perfect for the wine aficionado on your list. The Snap Thermometer and the Active Wine Cooler Elegant work very well together. The thermometer works like a snap bracelet that you simply place on the bottle. It’ll tell you the temperature of the wine so you can enjoy your favorite wine at the perfect temperature. There is even an index at the back that indicates the best temperature for different types of wine. The wine cooler is designed to chill wine by inserting the bottle in a reusable cooling element (that you freeze before hand) and then placing it in the sleek stainless steel outer part. You could also use the cooling element alone if you wanted to. According to the Vacu Vin website, it can chill a bottle in 5 minutes and keep it cool for hours. I tried to chill a bottle that was at room temperature and it didn’t work so well. According to the thermometer, the wine went from 21°C to 18°C (70°F to 64°F) but the ideal temperature for a bottle of red wine is between 54 and 64°F (it’s even cooler for a white or sparkling wine). However, if you start out with a chilled bottle of wine, the cooler will keep it chilled for a long time. This will come in very handy during the summer!

Buy It: Head over to Vacu Vin to see for yourself the amazing selection of innovative food and wine related products they offer.

Connect: Don’t forget to like Vacu Vin on Facebook, follow them on Pinterest, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for all the latest news and promotions.

Win It:  Vacu Vin is generously offering one of our lucky readers the same 6 items that I received. That’s right, one winner will receive their own PopSome Flavour, Slice & Catch, Instant Marinator, Roast Clips and Skewers, Garlic Press, as well as an Active Wine Cooler Elegant and a Snap Thermometer. The giveaway is open to US and Canada and will end November 29th. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck!

Rachel