In November of 2013 a design firm in New York called Pollen Designs launched a project on Kickstarter.com for a new type of storage container they called EVAK, which was designed to remove air from the container while the lid was put in place, creating a vacuum seal and helping to keep dry goods fresh longer.
From the original Kickstarter description: "Air takes out the freshness…so EVAK takes out the air. The longer your food is exposed to air, the faster it loses flavor (it's science). Glass containers with air-tight lids are readily available, but they trap stale air in with your precious food. Evacuate the air and keep your food fresher, longer. Our twin valve system forces the air out as you push down the lid, and lets you easily pull up and remove the lid. It's so simple- just push down, then pull up; no buttons or levers. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to design.
There are other food storage containers that remove the air but are made from plastic that comes in contact with your food. Plastics have been proven to leach chemicals into food. Even "BPA- free" plastics that don't contain bisphenol A are now being reported to contain other chemicals that mimic estrogen, leading to birth defects, cancer and other health issues. Why would you want to store food in plastic?Additionally, certain plastics are banned from Japan/ Europe but allowed here in the USA. With EVAK, only glass and stainless contact your food. No harsh plastics.
EVAK is made from the highest quality odor/ stain-free Borosilicate glass and stainless steel- the parts that come in contact with your food. The handle is made from super- strong ABS with LFGB European grade silicone gaskets on the inside.
We’ve spent the last 2 years engineering EVAK. We've made over a dozen prototypes tweaking and fine tuning, ensuring that the seal will keep sealing over and over again. It's all about the details."
Here is our VIDEO review of the product which finally started arriving to backers of the project this week:
You can sign up to be notified when the product is available for retail sale at their website