thinking about getting a foodsaver and have some ?????

[the funny farm6]

i have been freezing foods using ziplock bags and plastic wrap/freezer paper. ihav been looking at foodsavers and i have a few questions...

do you think the investmant is worth it?
do they realy keep the food fresher longer? how much longer?
are they easy to use? my teen girls often help me put stuff up.

thanks.

 

[baymule]

I bought one this year and I LOVE IT!!!!!! You will too. It sucks all the air out, no more ice crystals in the package, it stays fresher longer. Plus, it reduces the size because you aren't freezing all that air, it gives you a little more room. I also dehydrated for the first time this year and used the food saver on my tomatoes, onions and okra. The only thing is the sharp edges of the tomatoes and okra poked holes and some came unsealed. :/ But I read a post where the poster said she put her veggies in a ziploc bag, poked holes in it, and then sealed it in a food saver bag. Haven't tried that yet to see if it works. I have a bucket full of dried veggies and they take up WAY less room then frozen or canned.

I have a question for others who might have more experience than me. Can you use Mylar bags with a food saver? The food saver bags start adding up. I found Mylar bags in bulk on ULINE.com.

Get one!!

 

[SSDreamin]

Funny Farm- I love my vacuum sealer, and use it at least 3X a week, year-round. There are some things I have been unhappy with when frozen(sliced cheese, and shredded cheese - the first becomes crumbly, the latter a solid block ) but for the most part, I'm pleased. As far as extending freezer time, nothing lasts very long in my freezer, but I have bagged ground venison in both ziplock bags and vacuum seal bags - the ziplock bagged meat had to be used much sooner, as it started to show signs of freezer burn. I have an attachment for mine that seals jars and I use that more than the sealer bags. I seal all my dehydrated foods in jars, along with other dry things (nuts, rice, etc I have pecans/walnuts that are OLD, that still taste fresh and crunchy). I've also tried that deal where you cut up lettuce, vacuum seal it in a jar and store it in the frig. Kept well for 2 weeks for me! I am planning to test sealing the jars, then freezing them, to see if I can find a better way to freeze cheese I think a vacuum sealer is worth it, and the $11 I spent on the jar sealer is more than worth it to me. I'd say get one!

Baymule - We tried sealing mylar bags with our sealer. It didn't work Maybe it was just our sealer (we have a foodsaver gamesaver deluxe) We ended up buying a cheapy hair straightener on sale ($8, I think). You can use it to seal about 98% of the bag, then use the vacuum hose to draw out most of the air, pinch it closed and finish sealing it with the straightener. It's kind of a pain and doesn't work 100%, but we were happy with the results. I also get family to save those Capri Sun drink things for me - cut them just below the straw hole, fill with dehydrated stuff, push as much air out as possible, then seal with the straightener. These make great little single serve packs. I do up a bunch for the guys to take hunting. Cut open, add boiling water, and let sit. (I didn't think that up on my own - I saw it on the net somewhere )

 

[Hinotori]

We have a gamesaver as well. Greatly reduces the freezerburn. Everything stays fresher longer. I had salmon in the freezer from last year that was fine with no taste change.

I haven't tried mylar bags.

I get the big rolls of sealer bag from Cabelas when they have sales. I don't care if it is their brand. It works fine in my sealer. I'm always watching for the rolls on sale.

 

[baymule]

OOOOHHHHH............Cabela's, huh? Thanks, would've never thought of that. (opens up new tab and starts search for Cabela's web site)

 

[Marianne]

OOOOHHHHH............Cabela's, huh? Thanks, would've never thought of that. (opens up new tab and starts search for Cabela's web site)

Ya, really! I'm a freezer paper kind of gal, but I'm sure going to tell my bud that. She likes her Foodsaver but complains about how expensive the rolls are.

I did get the vacuum sealer for the jars and the hand held pump. Love that thing.

 

[Hinotori]

I don't know if Bass Pro Shop carries their own brand of sealer, Cabelas has several different store brand sealers, some are quite big. We have a Cabelas over this way we go to at least once a month. Since we are part of the club, they send us $ off so much spent every now and then. They give a 5% military discount as well and since DH is retired we get that. Hit a sale right and we get a good deal.

 

[Emerald]

I've had my foodsaver for probably 10 years or more and have had to replace the black foam gaskets($3 each from foodsaver) and I have the wide mouth jar sealer.. I use it all the time.
last year during the winter, clean the freezer, time we found one pack of sweetcorn that must have just gotten lost in the shuffle the few years before.. it was from 06! we decided to open it and try it and if it tasted funny we would just give it to the chickens.. it was fine! sure it tasted a bit more of the husk or silks(no matter how well I clean the corn it seems that a bit of silk or husk gets in there) but no freezer burn or funny tastes from other things in the freezer.
and on sealing mylar.. we did get it to work but you have to "open" the machine after just a second of the sealing as mylar seals faster than the heavy duty plastic of the rolls.
I have also taken the bigger around straws (like for malteds and shakes) and sealed one end used my smallest funnel and poured salt and pepper and other types of seasoning mixes and just sealed the other end.(no vaccuuming) they work well for hiking and in the camper.. just use an address label folded in half to write what was in each sealed straw. They also took much less room in my back pack and in the camper and they stay nice and don't get moist or hard like the little jars of spices and stuff do.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - great idea for the straws.

 

[Emerald]

Wow - great idea for the straws.

I wish I could say it was my idea but I got it at another forum. Someone mentioned that they wanted to try it and I just did it. When my bag rolls get to the end I often make applesauce squeezeits like the gogurt sticks. great for in the car with the little ones.. they do have to go in the cooler tho. and I don't vaccuum them just seal.