Bought a new Vac Food Sealer

[Lakewood90712]

Overcame my cheapness, I bought a low end foodsaver for about $60.

I found out why none at the thrift store, they test every appliance before putting on the shelf, and 98% of the donated ones were donated because they are broken /worn out LOL.

Bought primarily for long term storing books and collectible metal and fabric items, but now using for bulk human and pet food. Also to seal quart and smaller partially used cans of paint.

Who knows what new uses I will find for this new toy.

 

[Texas Proud]

If you want, go get some of he solid canisters that you can reuse over and over again...

 

[easysurfer]

Overcame my cheapness, I bought a low end foodsaver for about $60.

I found out why none at the thrift store, they test every appliance before putting on the shelf, and 98% of the donated ones were donated because they are broken /worn out LOL.

Bought primarily for long term storing books and collectible metal and fabric items, but now using for bulk human and pet food. Also to seal quart and smaller partially used cans of paint.

Who knows what new uses I will find for this new toy.

Sounds like you are getting pretty good use out of the new toy.

 

[easysurfer]

I've gone Chamber sealer a few months back.

Just ordered 1000 8"x10" bags. Total cost about a nickel a bag. One of the benefits of going Chamber.

 

[davebarnes]

Now that you have one, your next toy should be: Brother P-Touch PT-M95 Handheld Label Maker

 

[easysurfer]

To add to my vacuum sealer hobby, I just ordered a snorkle type (Sinbo brand) food sealer. All those youtube videos got me convinced that I need/want one.

I say hobby, as already have a chamber type, but an old used original Foodsaver channel type.

May have to retire the old Foodsaver since the snorkle and chamber both use inexpensive non Foodsaver-type bags.

 

[Chuckanut]

Do these vacuum food saver gadgets really make a difference in storage time and the quality of what comes out of the bag?

 

[Jerry1]

Do these vacuum food saver gadgets really make a difference in storage time and the quality of what comes out of the bag?

YES! Especially when freezing raw meat. I’ve pulled meat out a couple years after packing and it was fine. No freezer burn or any texture or taste issues. Since meat is all I use mine for I can’t say about anything else, but it’s worth it just for meat IMO.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Do these vacuum food saver gadgets really make a difference in storage time and the quality of what comes out of the bag?

I'm on my second Food Saver. I've been using it for at least 20 years. Great for freezing. Great for sous vide. Also, if you have the jar attachment, it's amazing what you can do with mason jars. Example: Salad in a jar. Buy a bunch of lettuce, cut it all up for salad, then stuff it in Mason jars. Seal the jars and use the food saver to vacuum seal. No air = no oxidation, and the lettuce stays fresh for a couple of weeks. If you don't use up all the lettuce in a jar in a day, just reseal.

You can also freeze leftover sauce and soup and seal it in the bags. I freeze the leftover in small pots. Then when frozen, turn the pot upside down on my hand and run warm water over the bottom until it pops out. Put in a food saver bag and seal--then all I have to do is slowly thaw and heat in the same pot in which is was frozen.

Last tip--when putting food into the bag, fold the open end out to keep it clean. Put in food and straighten the open end and seal.

 

[easysurfer]

I've gone through several vacuum sealers. Most of the time, I wanted to get a different model or type so would get one to replace or complement one I had.

First Foodsaver I had was the model Vac 550. Saw on infomercial late at night and NEEDED to get one.

 

[RobbieB]

I don't use mine often, but I make good use of it and it works well.

I order a lot of expensive frozen fish (lobster, soft shell crabs, flounder and grouper from the east coast and it's never vacuum packed. So I'll divide into "portion packs" and vacuum seal and keep frozen. The shipping cost is high but gets more reasonable as the order gets larger, ie they charge you the same 50 bucks to ship 2 lobster tails as a half dozen.

The vacuum pack means I never lose (or degrade) any because of freezer burn.

 

[Jerry1]

I'd like to hear more about the Mason Jars. I've seen the attachment. How does it work? What type of lid - regular mason lid (the one that's flat with the rubber ring)? Do you stuff the lettuce in the jar or is it more of a loose pack?

 

[easysurfer]

Back in the day, when got my first Foodsaver, I bought their plastic storage containers but glass mason jars work a lot better. The plastic would lose a seal.

I don't use mason jars for salad but for other things like cookies, cereal, brown sugar so it won't get all lumpy. I think there are only two size width jar covers. Wide mouth or regular. I use wide mouth for main reason as better fit to reach in with hand, like when getting cookie.

As for how the attachment works, there's a hose that connects to the attachment and a port on the vacuum sealer. There's a setting on the sealer to say use the attachment instead of sealing. The attachment covers the jar and cover (without the ring). There should be an indicator on the sealer when the jar is sealed. Also, often can tell by the sound.

 

[easysurfer]

Mason jars also come in handy for popcorn. Both to store the kernels before popping and after popped. I've stored already popped popcorn in mason jars for weeks and when opening, not stale at all.

 

[Jerry1]

I've gone Chamber sealer a few months back.

Just ordered 1000 8"x10" bags. Total cost about a nickel a bag. One of the benefits of going Chamber.

What brand/model is your chamber sealer. They look great but also look very big. How do you handle it? Store it or leave it on the counter. I was looking at Ary Vacmaster but they're pretty large. I'd have to store it in a cabinet in my garage and pull it out to use. The lightest one was 60 pounds. Didn't seem like they did the mason jars either. Seems like they'd have a dual purpose machine with the hose attachment for the jar sealer. Wow, I was just about to go an buy a FoodSaver and now I got all kinds of things to think about.

 

[skipro33]

I use mine a lot for bulk meat purchases from Costco. I also have a smoker that works better the more mass you have in it so I'll do 2 or 3 pork butts at a time, then break them down into meal-sized servings. To reheat, place in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes until the meat gets to around 170 degrees or so. Much better than cooking a second time to warm up and more so over the microwave.

I also use the sealed containers they sell for left overs. Especially avocados. They won't brown or discolor because they are not oxidizing with no air in there. Cheese also lasts longer without going moldy with no air.

Vac sealing a stack of owner manuals of stuff around the house really reduces the size of that pile of documents I'll probably never need but nice to have just in case.

Since it will seal without vacuum, I'll pack all sorts of stuff, like cereal, bread, etc in their orginal bags. If it's a plastic bag, it will seal it. Just don't leave the heat on for very long.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I'd like to hear more about the Mason Jars. I've seen the attachment. How does it work? What type of lid - regular mason lid (the one that's flat with the rubber ring)? Do you stuff the lettuce in the jar or is it more of a loose pack?

Use the regular mason jar lids for canning. It creates vacuum and at the end, it gives a little poof if air and stops. I use a regular can/bottle opener to unseal, putting a piece of cloth in between the lid and the can opener.

Pack it not too tight but it’s a waste to pack to loose. I saw it on the internet.

Google “salad in a jar”. Since the jars and lids are reusable, it’s economical. You don’t reuse the lids when canning though. I like storing my lettuce this way, but I have made salads too.

 

[easysurfer]

What brand/model is your chamber sealer. They look great but also look very big. How do you handle it? Store it or leave it on the counter. I was looking at Ary Vacmaster but they're pretty large. I'd have to store it in a cabinet in my garage and pull it out to use. The lightest one was 60 pounds. Didn't seem like they did the mason jars either. Seems like they'd have a dual purpose machine with the hose attachment for the jar sealer. Wow, I was just about to go an buy a FoodSaver and now I got all kinds of things to think about.

I have a Vacmaster VP120. Yes, it is heavy (weighs close to 60 lbs). I leave it out all the time next to my stove. Actually, I can fit two 1 quart size mason jars at a time if placed sideways.

Though not perfect, I really like the VP120 chamber.

Not perfect because the seal timer is off (like some reviewers on Amazon say). Highest setting is 9 seconds seal time but that really is closer to about 5 seconds. Default setting is 5 seconds (which really is probably about 2). I have mine set to 8 seconds and set this each time I turn on the machine. Another is the machine (probably like all chamber machines) is loud. Chamber works great for liquids. Liquids still have to be at room temperature or colder, but no need to freeze and thus the bags can be sealed which horizontal instead of in frozen blocks. Also, worth noting, a plus I think is the VP120 is oil free. Some chamber machines you need to maintain with oil every so often.

I took a picture to illustrate how I can seal mason jars.

 

[Spock]

I must be the only one that hated my FoodSaver.
Bought it at Costco. This model required that you jam the bag plastic through a slot far enough to trigger the vacuum. That made for a LOT of wasted bag space and you can't watch the seam to see when to abort because of liquids getting sucked into the seal area.

Reminded me of an HP printer sucking unnecessary ink just to force you to buy more, only this thing wasted plastic bags.

 

[easysurfer]

What brand/model is your chamber sealer. They look great but also look very big. How do you handle it? Store it or leave it on the counter. I was looking at Ary Vacmaster but they're pretty large. I'd have to store it in a cabinet in my garage and pull it out to use. The lightest one was 60 pounds. Didn't seem like they did the mason jars either. Seems like they'd have a dual purpose machine with the hose attachment for the jar sealer. Wow, I was just about to go an buy a FoodSaver and now I got all kinds of things to think about.

Just read an updated user guide online regarding the Vacmaster VP120 model I have. The guide is changed. The sealing time increments said each increment is one second one old guide. The new guide says each increment is 1/2 second. That latter is more accurate. Maybe they had too many complaints and updated the documentation accordingly .

 

[easysurfer]

What brand/model is your chamber sealer. They look great but also look very big. How do you handle it? Store it or leave it on the counter. I was looking at Ary Vacmaster but they're pretty large. I'd have to store it in a cabinet in my garage and pull it out to use. The lightest one was 60 pounds. Didn't seem like they did the mason jars either. Seems like they'd have a dual purpose machine with the hose attachment for the jar sealer. Wow, I was just about to go an buy a FoodSaver and now I got all kinds of things to think about.

Been using my chamber sealer mainly for sealing pouches as I've been using my old Foodsaver with the mason jar attachment. Been playing around with the chamber for jars.

Guess what? A nice benefit, that I just tested, and the chamber sealer also works with jars like pasta sauce jars. I'm bet would work for others too like pickle jars as those also have a vacuum before first opening. If they fit, should work .

Just thought I'd mention for more information for your analysis as you consider a food vacuum system.

 

[easysurfer]

The Grass Is Not Always Greener On The Other Side

Bought an external (Sinbo snorkel type) vacuum sealer recently to compliment my chamber sealer. But after using a few times, the Sinbo quit working as it no longer turns on. So, I'm in the process of returning. The results when working wasn't really better than my chamber sealer anyhow.

I'm still in search of a perfect sealer and haven't found one yet. The chamber works well for most items, but some things which aren't flatter in shape (like a turkey leg) is a bit hit or miss as far as how well packed. Still working on my technique .

 

[easysurfer]

New Kid On The Block

About that time of year again. Freezing cold for a good part of the country. So, time to talk comfort food. Leftovers, and more specifically, vacuum sealers.

Just noticed that in early October, there's a new chamber vacuum sealer by Avid Amor out with home owners as the main audience.

https://avidarmor.com/avid-armor-ultra-series-usv32-chamber-vacuum-sealer-system/

So far, the machine looks pretty sweet. That's two chamber sealers I know of which are about at the relatively portable 25 lbs weight class. This one by Avid Amor and one by Waring.

Now if, only my current 60 lb machine would konk out on me so I'd have an excuse to buy this one. One can only hope .