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Old 05-24-2017, 10:40 AM   #21
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That's exactly what we do, including both the Weston and the Anova. I am into smoking meats and bbq, so our freezer has lots of portions of ribs, brisket and home-made bacon. Our only problem is losing track of what we have in there. Often, opening the freezer becomes a voyage of discovery.
Adding dates to the bags has helped me out...
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Old 05-24-2017, 10:58 AM   #22
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Adding dates to the bags has helped me out...
Yeah, we do that. It's trying to remember what is in inventory and then trying to find it that is the issue. In some cases we put "collections" of the same thing (like 1/2# bagged home-made bacon) into gallon ziplocs to keep the little packages from crawling into the nether reaches of the freezer racks. & it's just a freezer section of a fridge. If we had a real freezer we would eventually become archeologists!
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Old 05-24-2017, 01:34 PM   #23
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What dates? We are lucky to put them away in proper container. I have a laissez fairer approach dealing with my freezer food, I'm always guessing what food my husband will have. If I'm wrong, he is ok with it.
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Old 05-24-2017, 02:07 PM   #24
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A 50' roll of material can be had for 8 dollars on Amazon. So about $0.16 per foot, which is roughly one bag for me.
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Old 05-24-2017, 02:53 PM   #25
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Costco also carries bags for Foodsaver.
Last time I checked, Costco Foodsaver rolls of bags were much less expensive than those at Target. But you do have to buy a box and store them somewhere. I've never used the Foodsaver for leftovers, only to repackage meats bought in bulk but mostly the roasted green chile that I buy in the late summer.
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Old 05-24-2017, 03:01 PM   #26
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Don't know what I'd do without my food sealer(s).

I use for both leftovers and repackaging meats bought in bulk. Made a meatloaf about a month ago but didn't want to eat all so ate half and sealed the other half and placed in the freezer. A while back, got a buy one get one deal on packs of pork chops. Not to mention the many times of resealing bags for potato chips and frozen vegetables bags. Plus, frozen catfish nuggets too. Bought a 4 lb bag, only used a portion and resealed the bag to save the rest.

Oh, then there are the canister jar sealing for stuff like sugar to avoid lumping.
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Old 05-24-2017, 03:56 PM   #27
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I use a Foodsaver quite often, but not for leftovers. My nearest Walmart is a 150 mile round trip so when I go I stock up and the Foodsaver handles to excess.
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Old 05-24-2017, 04:20 PM   #28
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Recently bought a Sous vide machine and used a freezer zip-lock bag for 2 thick rib-eye steaks. The results were impressive so I thought I'd try bone-in beef ribs. But those require a 48 hour sous-vide, and I wasn't confident a zip-lock bag would hold up for that long. So I purchased the latest version of Food Saver vacuum sealer at Costco last month.

I'm happy with the product. It's reasonably compact and sits against the wall of my counter. Does a very good job of vacuum sealing both wet and dry products. The rolls were purchased at the Foodsaver website when they had a 2 for 1 sale with free shipping.

I also like the idea of buying the packages of meats at Costco and vacuum sealing smaller portions for cooking for 2. I don't use it for freezing leftovers; instead I use the reusable freezer containers or freezer zip-lock bags for that purpose.
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Old 05-25-2017, 12:14 PM   #29
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Cooking for 2 usually yields some leftovers. Considering a sealer so we aren't limited to what can be kept in the fridge for a few days. I'm guessing that the real expense is the cost of the bags over time...am I correct?

If you have a sealer you like, what brand do you recommend?
There are plenty and plenty of food sealers to choose from. Here is a top 10 list that covers a wide range of sealing needs:

The Best Vacuum Food Sealers of 2017 | Top Ten Reviews

Though I'm all set as for which sealers I own, If you get one, I'm curious to see which you decide on.

Pictures of the two (one old fashioned Foodsaver and a chamber sealer) I have:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg foodsaver.JPG (440.3 KB, 14 views)
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Vac sealer for book storage ?
Old 01-01-2018, 03:13 PM   #30
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Vac sealer for book storage ?

A Little off topic, Could I use these for book storage ? ( mom has an overflowing book collection and storage in the garage or shed will expose to humidity , near the ocean).
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Old 01-01-2018, 03:17 PM   #31
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A Little off topic, Could I use these for book storage ? ( mom has an overflowing book collection and storage in the garage or shed will expose to humidity , near the ocean).
I don't see why not. I've read mentions of them used for things like card collections, batteries while camping to keep from getting wet, and clothes.

Here you go (tips for items besides food):

Quote:
Paper products like old books and magazine issues also face the problem when they are kept in the open for too long. Even if you store them in sealed cardboard boxes, they are still going to come in contact with moisture and air, which in turn will produce effects of yellowing, mold growths and so on.

On the other hand, vacuum sealing these items will automatically remove the effects of air and dust from the equation. Throw in a few packets of rock salt or silica gel into the mix and the aspect of moisture is also compensated for.
https://www.vacuumsealerdigest.com/h...-food-storage/

I like the idea of adding silica gel. Will have to remember.
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Old 01-01-2018, 03:30 PM   #32
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We have a basic foodsaver model we got 2 years ago for about $50 that has worked great! Bought bulk rolls on Ebay which makes the consumables cost a whole lot cheaper. Use it mainly after we return from the grocery to break down the meats we buy because we aren't huge eaters and most packages of meat are at least 2 if not more meals.

Also, I have even used it to sealed bags of ice to use in our coolers. Should work for anything you want to keep from getting wet that will fit in a bag less than 12" wide.
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Food vacuum sealer?
Old 01-01-2018, 05:11 PM   #33
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Food vacuum sealer?

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Originally Posted by easysurfer View Post
.......

I've owned 4 Foodsaver brand sealers in the past. They are older. Two of them had trouble keeping a seal. One I gave a way because it didn't have a roll holder which I liked..

Try Silicone spray on the sealing strip surfaces I've rejuvenated my FoodSaver vacuum sealer by restoring the flexibility of the seal.
Buy silicone spray in automotive stores, I'm sure Walmart has it.
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Old 01-02-2018, 05:08 AM   #34
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The foodsaver.com web site regularly has sales on their storage bags, currently they have a buy 4 or more and get 50% off on some items. I use a lot of the smaller pint size bags to freeze individual portions and with the current sale it works out to $5.50 for a box of 28 bags (~20 cents a bag), pretty good deal.
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Old 01-03-2018, 10:29 AM   #35
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I see retail prices from $35 to $400 on a wide variety of brands and models. Are any of the mid to high end machines made in the USA ? Not seen in any of the online spec sheets. Made in USA is important to me.
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Old 01-03-2018, 10:58 AM   #36
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I was quite disappointed that my Weston quit working; would reach vacuum but not seal, just let air in and flash. Had more than a year but not really had THAT much use for such an expensive unit to just quit.

I called them with my best sincere request that I wasn't happy hoping to get some relief. Lady was nice, and explained that the small finger that goes from the hinged lid into the unit (where apparently a microswitch is) sometimes doesn't "reach" far enough. Solution is to always close THAT (left) side first. Or they can provide a small extender.

Thought it was an interesting defect and response. Haven't had any more problems but if I do I'll likely just put a dab of epoxy on the "finger." So if you have a Weston that goes whacko, don't give up.
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Old 01-03-2018, 11:01 AM   #37
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I see retail prices from $35 to $400 on a wide variety of brands and models. Are any of the mid to high end machines made in the USA ? Not seen in any of the online spec sheets. Made in USA is important to me.
It used to be important to me as well. However, it strikes me as so infrequent that there is a choice any more I've given up the quest.
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Old 01-03-2018, 11:42 AM   #38
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I was quite disappointed that my Weston quit working; would reach vacuum but not seal, just let air in and flash. Had more than a year but not really had THAT much use for such an expensive unit to just quit.

I called them with my best sincere request that I wasn't happy hoping to get some relief. Lady was nice, and explained that the small finger that goes from the hinged lid into the unit (where apparently a microswitch is) sometimes doesn't "reach" far enough. Solution is to always close THAT (left) side first. Or they can provide a small extender.

Thought it was an interesting defect and response. Haven't had any more problems but if I do I'll likely just put a dab of epoxy on the "finger." So if you have a Weston that goes whacko, don't give up.
You almost certainly have a Weston Pro 1100 like I have. It's a quality unit and trades less counter space for not being able to seal the widest bags. The seals are wider and more reliable than FoodSaver machines can accomplish.

Those "fingers" are a real design screwup. The way they work is this: When pushed into the latches in the base, the fingers catch and lock. When pushed again, they release. The first "push" is provided by the user when he closes the cover. The second "push" is provided by the vacuum as it sucks the lid down tight. The vacuum holds the lid until released. If for some reason the lid doesn't release, getting it open is a simple matter of the user providing that second push. Trying to force it open will break the little plastic finger. (You can guess how I know this.)

In theory that latching system is a good, reliable one, but the error was in using the small plastic fingers. Too easy to break and they require fairly tight mechanical tolerances to work well.

But ... overall the Weston is so far above the FoodSaver junk that I will forgive the engineers this error and just work around it as necessary.
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Old 01-03-2018, 11:49 AM   #39
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I see retail prices from $35 to $400 on a wide variety of brands and models. Are any of the mid to high end machines made in the USA ? Not seen in any of the online spec sheets. Made in USA is important to me.
Used to be there was on main manufacturer of vacuum sealers for the home audience. Namely, Foodsaver. Now, there are many others and as you've mentioned, prices vary a lot. As for made in the USA, I don't have a brand to comes to mind immediately.

Deciding on what to get can be tricky as I think as for vacuum sealer, higher price doesn't necessarily mean best working machine. Plus, Foodsaver has so many models out there, that doesn't make the process of choosing any easier.

I would consider what you are thinking of spending, plus what features you want along with vacuum sealing. Is a jar sealer important? How about a built in bag cutter?

Another thing to think about is the type of sealer. The majority are channel type. The original Foodsaver built around the mind 1980's, I believe is nozzle type. Plus, if you are looking to make this a big investment and have the cabinet space, a chamber sealer might be an option. Pros and cons to each type.
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Old 01-03-2018, 12:09 PM   #40
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We use the webstaurant website to buy 11 1/2 x 50' rolls for less than $10 bucks a roll. Have to buy in quantity to get reasonable shipping costs. Otherwise can buy on Ebay for about $16 each including shipping.
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