It works, but I’d like it better with less marketing and more value, October 16, 2005

I have used my new Reveo MariVac multiple times on pork roasts, London broil beef (grilled), and whole roast chicken. Recipes are provided for fish and vegetables as well, but I have not tried these yet. The MariVac is easy and fun to use. Just put up to four pounds of meat in the clear acrylic tumbler with your marinade of choice, let the MariVac evacuate the air inside the tumbler (takes 90 seconds), and have the MariVac tumble the food for up to 20 minutes. Roast food is extremely juicy after just 15-20 minutes of MariVac tumbling. Combining MariVac’s system with a good meat thermometer will reliably produce a perfect roast. In addition to the obvious time savings over marinating overnight, the short time that the meat is in liquid in the MariVac system avoids the mushy texture and bland color that slowly-marinated foods sometimes develop. Basically, you get a whole lot of liquid inside your meat, real fast. Your meat can gain up to 20% in weight.

There are, however, several disappointments. MariVac’d meats gain so much liquid weight that cooking time is extended (I found use of a meat thermometer essential). The MariVac does not significantly tenderize tough meat, so you can end up with moist-but-tough results if you start with a cheap piece of meat. The amount of flavor added is often less than I expected, particularly when using MariVac’s overpriced and overhyped spice blends. I get much better flavor using citrus juice, olive oil, and fresh herbs from my garden. The cheaply printed cookbook/owner’s manual is poorly constructed with many errors. For example, it says to remove the rubber seal on the lid and the tumbler lid will then be dishwasher-safe. This is false; the current tumbler design has a permanently affixed rubber seal and must be hand-washed. Another example: the cookbook says that marinades should contain oil, an acid, and spice (basically, a vinaigrette), but many of the cookbook recipes contain no oils while the same recipes provided with the spice mixes specify oils. So which is correct? The cookbook recipes contradict the general cookbook instructions, and conflict with the spice mix recipes. Also, two-thirds of the recipes in the cookbook specify Eastman’s overpriced spice blends. This ingredient alone costs about -3 per use, so it’s hard not to feel ripped off, as if the purchase of a 0 kitchen appliance is merely a lead-in to a lifetime of paying overpriced rates and shipping to wait a week and get a small bag of lemon pepper. Lastly, Eastman claims they’ll send you samples of their spice mixes if you register your warranty on their website; I never got mine and had to order a set, which added annoying delay and another to the startup cost.

Although I plan to keep my machine, I’d remind Eastman that slick website Flash animations and calling all your customer “Flavoristas” do not add up to providing customer value. I’ve spent 0 on your machine, give me recipes I can make when I open the box, not ones for which I must pay you more money to order ingredients (or at least put your spice blend samples in the box, c’mon guys!)…Eastman comes across as a bunch of “Greederistas.”

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Reveo….the first word in flavor!!!, April 14, 2005

By 

Daniel F. Moore (Yarmouth, Maine USA) – See all my reviews

  

  

I watched this product demonstrated on TV several times. The price was daunting but I decided to give it a try. Before I tried it, I decided to test it against the FoodSaver with its marinade canister. I bought two pieces of sirloin steak and used a marinade recipe that I really like. I vacuum sealed the steak in the FoodSaver canister and likewise used the Reveo MariVac to seal the meat in the Reveo. I placed the FoodSaver canister in the fridge and set the Reveo canister on the unit and set the control for 20 minutes.

Results: After 20 minutes, there was no marinade visible in the Reveo canister. The steak had ‘plumped-up’ considerably. After 4 hours, there was still a lot of marinade visible in the FoodSaver canister. I cooked both on the Cuisinart Griddler and the Reveo produced a clearly superior steak. It was so tender that you might have mistaken it for rib eye steak. The FoodSaver steak, albeit tender, was still a cut below the Reveo.

The Reveo is pricey to be sure but it will pay for itself as you produce the most tender and tasty foods that you can imagine. It’s a hit here….you’ll love it too!

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Over priced for the performance, September 2, 2005

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J. Cain “fuzzlekins” (East Coast, USA) – See all my reviews

  

This product was showcased on TV and I was intrigued. I’m not a gourmet chef, but I do enjoy cooking. And if there’s one thing I’m not good at in the kitchen, it’s planning ahead when it comes to dinner. So the Reveo sounded like the ultimate kitchen gadget to me. I was put off by the price but after reading all the 5-star reviews, I decided to take the plunge. I ordered my very own Reveo. I could hardly wait to get it out of the box. My first try was a simple oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper marinade that I whipped up myself. I put fresh green beans and chopped potatoes into the Reveo with some marinade and let ‘er rip. Once that batch was done, I threw in some raw peeled shrimp with more of the marinade. I followed the instructions (which are pretty simple) and marinated both batches for the appropriate time. The veggies didn’t seem to absorb any of the flavor but the shrimp did. This is not surprising because I could’ve marinated the shrimp for a little longer on the counter and achieved the same effect. The next night I tried a London broil with my favorite homemade steak marinade, which I would ordinarily marinate the steak in overnight. I marinated the steak in the Reveo for the specified time and put it on the grill. While some of the flavor did make it into the steak, it was not bursting with flavor as it is after an overnight marinate. It’s not that this product doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work to the tune of 0. If it were a gadget, I probably would’ve kept it. But for 0, I wanted to be blown away. Since I was not, I’ve decided to return it. Also, it’s worth noting that this product is pretty large. I was expecting a relatively small box, but what I got was larger than a breadmaker. This isn’t a good or a bad thing – I’m just saying clear some room on the counter for this if you decide to purchase.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for quick flavor in your meats, go with a marinade injector. I’ve got a Cajun injector and it definitely works. I don’t know why I don’t use it more often, but it definitely works better than the Reveo and is much, much cheaper.

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