Vacuum Sealers?

[cameron]

Tell me about yours. What you like about it, don't like about it....anything.

I'm in the market for one but want input from people with experience with some.

Want one to put wild game and fish with, as well as some veggies.

Thanks!

Cam

 

[Urban Chaos]

we purchased this one

FoodSaver V3835 Vacuum Food Sealer with SmartSeal Technology

and really like it. We had the way cheap version where you have to press down for it to seal - no bueno. It was literally a pain to use. The above mentioned works automatically and is very fast.

I've never tried to do liquids, so cant tell you much there. I do know that it helps to pat dry meets to get a good seal. I also seal grains and such that are purchased in bulk. So far so good.

At Bed Bath and Beyond they have this model in black and stainless (more$) - I waited for a BB&B coupon and got mine for just under $100.

Victoria

 

[TheBrumstead]

I have a FoodSaver also and love it. If the meat is "juicy", you can put a folded paper towel on the top (below the seal) and it will stop the juices from breaking the seal. I use it for meat, veggies, frozen liquids, etc.

 

[pepperlady]

I have had 2 FoodSavers. The first one was quite small & died after several years of use. We got the one that we have now about 5 years ago. I absolutely LOVE it. We use it for fish, deer, pork, chicken, soups, and veggies from the garden. We have also used it to vaccuum seal extra clothes in the winter for when we go out on the river just in case we were to get wet. What is super cool for us is that we have an attachment that will seal dry goods in mason jars with regular mason lids. So when they finally run sugar on sale I can stock up and store it in manageable amounts in my quart jars.

One of our best purchases EVER!!!

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

We too have a FoodSaver.

Won't say I love it, but I do like it alot. It is great for buying in bulk and then storing portions. I also use it to seal flour and sugar bags against bugs and moisture.

It does not do as well with moist foods as I would like.... But that may be operator error.

It is also very noisy so I tend to use it for large quantities even though I'd love to use it for quick stuff like left overs you know? The bags get expensice if you're jut going to end up re-opening it soon.

But, long term storage - love it
Bulk storage - love it.
Camping - like it lots.

 

[TheBrumstead]

I have WHAT in my yard? :

It does not do as well with moist foods as I would like.... But that may be operator error.

It is also very noisy so I tend to use it for large quantities even though I'd love to use it for quick stuff like left overs you know? The bags get expensice if you're jut going to end up re-opening it soon.

Does yours have a "moist" option? Mine does, and it goes slower with that on.

Mine is noisy too. I can't use it when my 2 year old or husband are sleeping. Bags are frequently on sale at Kohls, and Sam's Club has big boxes for much cheaper than Walmart, etc. I don't use mine for leftovers unless I'm freezing them for later use.​

 

[gogoalie]

we packed away a lot of salmon so far this year with it...I'm sure it's better than ziplocks, however someone told me my fish will still "burn" in the feezer with this...we'll see...

 

[cameron]

Thanks for all yalls replys!

How about the bags? Are they pretty universal? Is one type any better than another as far as thickness or quality?

Sorry if these seem like dumb questions...wanna make sure I do my research...

Cameron

 

[Dunkopf]

We have one of the seal and saves too. After we had it for about 6 months the automatic seal feature stopped working. So you have to hit the seal button after all the air is sucked out. Works pretty well. Sometimes the air doesn't all get sucked out even though it looks like it did. You can tell because the bag is kind of loose and flaccid.

The seal and save bags are a little thicker than other brands. They are expensive even when you buy them in the large pack at Sams. Some people wash and reuse them. I'm not quite sure how you do that and make sure there are no germs left. Of course freezing probably kills most germs. Don't know for sure though.

They do keep the freezer burn away for at least a year if sealed properly.

 

[bakerjw]

I have a food saver. It is decent but the pump leaves a lot to be desired.

I picked up a vacuum pump from an oxygen generating machine (for refilling bottles) off of EBay for $40.00 or so. I then use it with the food saver mason jar attachments to vacuum seal mason jars. It pulls a 95% vacuum. Food stuffs in jars sealed this way will last for decades.