Thinking of getting a vacuum sealer - looking for advice

[aja8888]

Since a while ago, I have taken over the cooking duties at home. DW's health has been getting progressively worse (advanced COPD, other issues) and it's really too much for her to handle that chore.

I have limited skills when it comes to cooking so bear with me here. I can build a manufacturing plant from a Greenfield site, but have trouble with boiling eggs! But I am getting better. And we are also tired of take out and gong to restaurants as we are blowing too much dough for a family of two.

I have lots of cooking equipment available to me; BBQ grill, smoker, oven, stove top burners, microwave, etc. And we have two full size refrigerators with double doors. What I don't have is a vacuum sealer. Now that I am cooking, I'm finding out that leftovers are a real deal and I don't have an efficient way to handle them, other than dropping them in the trash can (which we all know that is a waste) or putting them in plastic containers and then in the fridge. We have plenty of freezer space.

I have searched around for a thread here on vacuum sealers and couldn't find one.

Any recommendations on which one to buy?
Features I should get?
What about bags?
Pluses or minuses?
What to watch out for?
Any good/bad experiences with use?
Etc?

Thanks!

 

[audreyh1]

We have our original FoodSaver and have used it for over 15 years. It’s extremely handy for packaging food for freezing.

If food has liquid it can interfere with a bag sealing, so it’s best on dry food, or chilled food if it has just a little gravy/juice.

 

[Mark1]

I say "Go for it", it's no harder then "boiling oil"

We have had one that most be 20+ years old by now and still working fine.

Right now we have lots of blanched sweet corn (cut off the cob), Swedish meatballs, prep'ed mushrooms that we buys 2 big boxes at Sam's (clean then and slice then freeze and seal for future cooking), Poblano peppers (cleaned and pre-diced), cut up pork loin into raw pork chops and stew meat for bean soups etc, sirloin steaks, cut up filets steaks, leftover Chicken Picante, Chicken Marsala, and Chicken Chipolte Parmesan for SW wraps, salads, etc. The list goes on.

We like having options when we want a good, real food, meal in quick order. Of course, that means that some days you have to cook to make the leftovers and/or preps.

My advice is buy the pre-made bags and don't buy a roll and make your own bags. I buy them 100 or 200 at a time from Walmart website.
P.S. It is simple to load a bag with leftover if you use a curled paper plate.

 

[RobbieB]

Vacuum sealers work good. But yeah, not so much for left over green beans eh?

Any liquid past the seal edge means no seal. I use mine on frozen, bulk buys at Costco on prime tenderloin, big whole Halibut sections, big Salmon fillets.

But yeah, you have to dry the stuff before you bag it.

 

[dmpi]

They have $80 sealers and $40 sealers. My experience is the cheap sealers are tricky to use and won't last as long. It's hard to get them to seal correctly. Eventually the foam seals wear out. We ended up buying the $80 one after struggling with the cheap one. Works like a champ. My advice is save your money and get the $80 one.

 

[Jerry1]

Vacuum sealers work good. But yeah, not so much for left over green beans eh?

Any liquid past the seal edge means no seal. I use mine on frozen, bulk buys at Costco on prime tenderloin, big whole Halibut sections, big Salmon fillets.

But yeah, you have to dry the stuff before you bag it.

When something is liquid, you just freeze it first. DW makes soup, freezes it in some Tupperware that will release it easily and then we bag it with the vacuum sealer.

The other thing I use the vacuum sealer for is pulled pork. When I BBQ, I’ll freeze some of the pulled pork. Then, when I want to eat it, I just throw the bag in boiling water. It comes out pretty much the way it was the day it went in. In the bag heating retains all the moisture that was there when you seal the meat.

We have an old FoodSaver brand. Not sure what’s available today, but I’d probably get a nicer one as dmpi indicated.

 

[easysurfer]

I've bought about 10-15 vacuum sealers in my lifetime.

My suggestion is to go Chamber. Today there there are chamber vacuum sealers made for the home audience. Used to be only for the commercial.

I like the avid armor brand chamber sealers.

 

[FlaGator]

AJ-We could have learned to cook in the same house I gave up on doing hard boiled eggs in the pan and bought an egg cooker. Results are 100% every time. Years back I bought rice cooker for the same reason. No regrets on either, and they are used every week.

On the food saver, I'll be a contrarian.

I was a single parent for years with hungry kids. Bought a Food Saver-seldom used it. What I discovered is that I was not cooking in quantities to justify using it. Maybe I'd cook 2x what we ate on a given night, but then it would come out of the freezer within 1-2 weeks for a quick meal. For that short a time, I found Zip-Loc bags with all the air removed worked well enough.

I know there are some things best cooked in sizeable quantity like chili and pasta sauce. If you're doing that, then a quality vacuum sealer is a good investment. In addition, if you are buying meat in quantity like a whole pork or beef loin, multi-packs of fresh chicken etc., it makes sense to cut them down to portions and vac seal. I live an hour from the nearest warehouse store, so didn't bother with that.

 

[Montecfo]

We like ours. We use it mainly for bulk purchased meat and then sometimes some pulled pork or some soup we made a huge batch of.

There are so many brands and similar products. Not sure how to advise you there but lots of reviews on Amazon.

 

[aja8888]

AJ-We could have learned to cook in the same house I gave up on doing hard boiled eggs in the pan and bought an egg cooker. Results are 100% every time. Years back I bought rice cooker for the same reason. No regrets on either, and they are used every week.

On the food saver, I'll be a contrarian.

I was a single parent for years with hungry kids. Bought a Food Saver-seldom used it. What I discovered is that I was not cooking in quantities to justify using it. Maybe I'd cook 2x what we ate on a given night, but then it would come out of the freezer within 1-2 weeks for a quick meal. For that short a time, I found Zip-Loc bags with all the air removed worked well enough.

I know there are some things best cooked in sizeable quantity like chili and pasta sauce. If you're doing that, then a quality vacuum sealer is a good investment. In addition, if you are buying meat in quantity like a whole pork or beef loin, multi-acks of fresh chicken etc., it makes sense to cut them down to portions and vac seal. I live an hour from the nearest warehouse store, so didn't bother with that.

Haha...I bought an egg cooker too! Great invention! If I vary the amount of water I put in I can make soft, medium, or hard boiled eggs!

My goal is to make enough at one time to split into a few meals. I already have chili down pat and it's good. But I freeze that in small containers. It's the meat and other stuff that I would be vac sealing.

 

[aja8888]

When something is liquid, you just freeze it first. DW makes soup, freezes it in some Tupperware that will release it easily and then we bag it with the vacuum sealer.

The other thing I use the vacuum sealer for is pulled pork. When I BBQ, I’ll freeze some of the pulled pork. Then, when I want to eat it, I just throw the bag in boiling water. It comes out pretty much the way it was the day it went in. In the bag heating retains all the moisture that was there when you seal the meat.

We have an old FoodSaver brand. Not sure what’s available today, but I’d probably get a nicer one as dmpi indicated.

Thanks for the tip about the pulled pork. I was wondering what to do with it after I smoked and pulled one.

 

[aja8888]

Several mentions about the FoodSaver brand. I'll start looking at them.

 

[SnowballCamper]

We got a good vacuum sealer from Cabela's (the hunting & fishing store) a few years ago but don't use it much, and it works fine. For liquids, you can use mason jars in the freezer, the ones with straight sides (no shoulder to the opening). Just fill, and screw on the ring with a lid.

 

[Bamaman]

We have a vacuum sealer, but seldom use it. If I was into cooking sous vide I would use it more.

I like the Zip Lock freezer bags with the sliding tab for both freezing 2 serving size meals and for freezing meats bought in bulk. Our deep freeze is completely full.

When the wife was in the hospital(s) and rehab(s) from 7/12 until last week, I found eating out to be required. Yuch! We southerners are more meat & 3 eaters--and fast food is downright gross when you have to eat it nightly.

I'm like the Waffle House cook when in my kitchen. And the daughter and granddaughter work me to death--cooking what they eat and keeping the kitchen clean. We also cook on a gas grill probably half the time--year round.

If you cannot cook well, learn how to cook a half dozen items and you're home free. And don't forget that the crock pot can be a great help to anyone in the kitchen.

 

[aja8888]

If you cannot cook well, learn how to cook a half dozen items and you're home free. And don't forget that the crock pot can be a great help to anyone in the kitchen.

I never LIKED cooking but now I better get good at it. LOL.

Yes, the crock pot is a wonderful invention. We have an 8 quart one and I have made a lot of Texas chili in it.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I use my Food Saver all the time. I’ve had one since they first came out. My old one died and I got a new one this year, this one is my third. The new one doesn’t seal jars as well, unfortunately. I use sealed Mason jars for lettuce as it lasts much longer. Otherwise I’m happy with it.

Buying the rolls and making my bags is much a much cheaper option.

I also cook sous vide at least weekly, so the sealer gets plenty of use.

 

[JoeWras]

Been using the FoodSaver brand for 25 years. We use it weekly. We're on our second in that time.

It is a decent consumer grade device. Agree on freezing or par-freezing first for liquid stuff. Our first one came with containers and hoses, but we don't use that stuff. Best for the bags.

 

[easysurfer]

Several mentions about the FoodSaver brand. I'll start looking at them.

FoodSaver is definitely the most popular brand as far as external vacuum sealers. External sealers pretty much all function the same way. The job is to use special (expensive) bags that have a texture that removes the air during the vacumn and sealing process. Some models have different features, like a bag cutter or more automated or port for jars like mason jars, but still the same goal.

I have an original FoodSaver (manual) that I use mostly for resealing bags (such as potato chip bags). For the vacuuming and have an Avid Armor chamber vacuum sealer.

External vs chamber is a whole different consideration. Main differences are external -- cheaper upfront cost, but cost of bags add up quickly Chamber -- more upfront cost, but bags are much cheaper (about $60 for 1000 bags if you shop around). Chamber also can do liquids without freezing as the air in the entire chamber gets removed not just in the bag like externals.

 

[JoeWras]

Depends how you want to Blow That Dough.

I have nothing against the chamber varieties. They just cost more and are not as compact, but do a great job. The FoodSaver fits in a shallow drawer, but you gotta deal with that liquid pull - which can really be a PITA.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Depends how you want to Blow That Dough.

I have nothing against the chamber varieties. They just cost more and are not as compact, but do a great job. The FoodSaver fits in a shallow drawer, but you gotta deal with that liquid pull - which can really be a PITA.

Just press the seal button before the liquid gets pulled up too far.

 

[easysurfer]

Depends how you want to Blow That Dough.

I have nothing against the chamber varieties. They just cost more and are not as compact, but do a great job. The FoodSaver fits in a shallow drawer, but you gotta deal with that liquid pull - which can really be a PITA.

Yes, most folks start out with external sealers and many never get a chamber.

I compare the chamber vs external similar to the laser vs inkjet printer comparison. Initially, an external cost less, but overtime with the cost of special bags, it's more cost effective to get a chamber.

For me, price wasn't the major deciding factor but how well a machine seals. Some seal better than others. I want a machine that works every time if possible. This goes for both external and chamber machines.

Another advantage of a chamber is there isn't the problem of making sure to not get liquid sucked into the pump and doing so can mess up the machine of an external. But since all the air gets sucked out of the bag and chamber, this is a non-issue.

As you can tell, I've thought about this .. probably too much !

 

[old medic]

I can relate to taking over the cooking.. The Wife is still working so I try to do most of the house duties... It can be a pain to just cook for 2 and limit leftovers.
We had to replace ours about 6 months ago... Piece of junk quit working after 25 years...Got another Foodsaver, model FM 2000 and love it. Has 2 different vacuum levels and works better for "wet" stuff. Removable tray for easy clean up. We don't do a lot of left overs... But when we do big cooking's, like smoking a couple Butts, a big pot of Chili and such, will make meal size packs to freeze. Mostly used to divide up bulk purchases. Have 3 lbs of Ham steaks and several of Hamburger we found yesterday to put up today. We also will season, rub or add marinade to stuff, and seal before tossing in the freezer.. Bags come in all sizes, pre-cut or rolls.. Rolls are cheaper and gives you some versatility. We also wash and reuse our bags a couple times...


To add... Anything soft or liquid, you can freeze 1st and then vacuum seal.. We have put broths and purees in the bags, stood up in the freezer for overnight... Meat balls are another good example.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We have a Foodsaver too. Bought from Costco. It broke after 5 years and Costco replaced it no questions asked. Been going strong since then.

 

[Time2]

Haha...I bought an egg cooker too! Great invention! If I vary the amount of water I put in I can make soft, medium, or hard boiled eggs!

My goal is to make enough at one time to split into a few meals. I already have chili down pat and it's good. But I freeze that in small containers. It's the meat and other stuff that I would be vac sealing.

My son taught me how to boil eggs, bring water to a boil, put eggs in for 6 to 6-1/2 minutes (if large) get them out. for soft boiled, let them boil for 8 minutes for a hard boiled. I like to soft boil and only cool enough so I can peal them, I put then in a bowl, add salt and pepper and smash them with a fork until larger pieces are gone and eat with a spoon. Now part of the rotation for my carnivore diet.

 

[DayDreaming]

I have a vacuum sealer but I really don't use it as much as I thought I would. I mainly use it for freezing surplus veggies from my garden.

I've never used my vacuum sealer for leftovers, and I plan most of my cooking to give me leftovers. I freeze my leftovers in individual portions either wrapped in cling wrap, zip-loc bags, or Pyrex containers that can go from freezer to microwave.