Food vacuum sealer?

[easysurfer]

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.

 

[Nodak]

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.

 

[swakyaby]

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.

 

[easysurfer]

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:

 

[Lakewood90712]

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).

 

[easysurfer]

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):

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/...ler-for-applications-other-than-food-storage/

I like the idea of adding silica gel. Will have to remember.

 

[wmc1000]

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.

 

[lwp2017]

.......

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.

 

[zinger1457]

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.

 

[Lakewood90712]

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.

 

[H2ODude]

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.

 

[H2ODude]

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.

 

[OldShooter]

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.

 

[easysurfer]

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.

 

[wmc1000]

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.

 

[Texas Proud]

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.

What was the site?

My main problem is that it cost around $1 or so to seal anything up... so not worth it for most things...

 

[wmc1000]

webstaurant.com or see ebay member swisspac03 - based in ohio

this is for 50' rolls 11 inches wide

 

[OldShooter]

... My main problem is that it cost around $1 or so to seal anything up... so not worth it for most things...

I don't think I could spend $1/bag if I tried. My 8" rolls, bought carefully, run about 20 cents per foot and most of my bags are around 8" deep. So, closer to 14 cents/bag.

 

[easysurfer]

Bag cost is one of the main reasons I went the chamber route (but the chamber machine was not cheap). That said, there still are pros and cons vs more common external sealers. I still use an external for jars and just sealing bags like potato chip bags.

 

[Texas Proud]

I don't think I could spend $1/bag if I tried. My 8" rolls, bought carefully, run about 20 cents per foot and most of my bags are around 8" deep. So, closer to 14 cents/bag.

I did not know about these on Ebay... bought from Walmart or other similar and it was like $15 for 16 ft x 11 in....used a bit more than a foot per bag...


I agree that with this it is like you say... so I am going to be getting some and freezing some more good meat when it goes on sale again...

However, I still have prime meat from Dec 14... bought so much of it at a really cheap price... almost all gone now so will be looking for another big sale... BTW, the meat is still great when I cook it... I read to only go a year but have not seen any problem except the color is not pink when thawed... the taste is the same and if you did not look at it before cooking you would not know...

 

[easysurfer]

The most effective vacuum sealer bags I think are the ones with a strip in the middle that allows air to get sucked out. Others are more hit or miss.

I bought a bunch (no sure of brand name) year back vacuum bags (no strip in middle) that are terrible. The don't seal well at all.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Well I am going to have to buy something new. In the past, the thrift stores always had several at any given time. Went to the huge salvation army thrift store nearby , and ZERO in stock .

 

[wmc1000]

Easysurfer: The ones we use have a mesh side on the inside of the bag that allows the air to be sucked out prior to the sealing.

 

[easysurfer]

Easysurfer: The ones we use have a mesh side on the inside of the bag that allows the air to be sucked out prior to the sealing.

A lot of variables, such as the machine itself.

Yes, the external sealers have special bags like a mesh side or middle strip to allow air to get sucked out. I've had the tightest seals with the ones with a middle strip (either as individual bags or self made to custom sizes). But one negative is sometimes the seal is too tight that when using, I've had to run some warm water briefly over the strip to defrost as just opening and separating the seal would leave some particles of the strip on the meat.

Attached is picture of what bag with strip looks like...

 

[Badger]

When I was single I had a "seal-a-meal" with the bags you could reheat in boiling water. I would spend a day making large amounts of chili, stew, etc. that I could package up, let cool, and freeze flat. Later I would arrange them upright like records. It worked well for me because I would have about a months worth of meals. Kind of like a convenient MRE.

Now that I'm married for 30 years, retired, and like to have fresh fruits, veggies, and fresh seafood I haven't done that for a loooooong time. Anything that is left over from dinner can be stored in a zip-loc or plastic container for lunch or snack the next day.

I saw vacuum sealers in Costco but they were much more expensive that the one I had years ago and didn't see needing to use one again or having to spend the money and then find a place to store it.

Cheers!