Food saver?

U_tarded · September 2012

Ok I am ready to purchase a food saver and I have the wife on board thought it would be easy go to amazon read some reviews and order one. Wrong. I couldn't find anything searching here but I know several of my fellow eggers use them so I figured I would see how many hundreds of mine you could spend. Any recommendations of models brands etc?

mountaindewbass · September 2012

Mine cost $150 at costco

Fred19Flintstone · September 2012

I've had mine for a few years, but I seem to remember it was over $100. Nothing better to break down large meat purchases into meal packages. We've all experienced freezer burn and it sucks. This eliminates that. I wouldn't go to Sam's without one at home.

U_tarded · September 2012

Thanks for the reponses. So i have looked some more seems like food saver is the main brand with a few other knock offs out there. Any model I should consider? It only looks like about a $60 swing from cheap to the higher end. But as always I want a good value.

bettysnephew · September 2012

I am about ready to make the jump also, so I called to find out if there is a difference between Foodsaver bags and Gamesaver bags. According to the phone rep, no difference, just quantity in the package. He also stated that the Gamesaver is a much more durable machine for little difference in price. Ours will not be left on the counter fo display, so we have decided to go with the upgrade.

mountaindewbass · September 2012

I really dont think price will matter. We use ours for more then just "vaccuum" sealing l.. Cheaper models should work jusy fine

Tjcoley · September 2012

I have the 'Seal a Meal' from Target. Works great. Got it initially for storing my twice a year Kielbasi runs to the old home town a couple hours away. Prevents freezer burn and is great for saving extra's from the large cooks on the Egg.

bettysnephew · September 2012

If you hunt or fish, the Gamesaver has the capability to be plugged into the 12 volt plug in your vehicle and seal the meat immediately after cleaning in the field. Likely better for fish than game, but I find this to be a desireable feature.

Tjcoley · September 2012

hapster said:

Where do you run for keilbasi? I stopped at the place in Port Richmond last year and the stuff was great! Scary neighborhood, but great... The Keilbasi Boys... Looks like a run down storage unit till you open the door. Still looks bad, but the product is top shelf...

One of the reasons I get the Egg was to be able to smoke my own Kielbasi http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1140342/kielbasi-on-the-bge#latest

For over 50 years my family has got their kielbasi from Leonard's Market, on Kado Street in the Parsons section of Wilkes Barre. PA. When I was in high school, I was best friends with the nephew of the store, and spent many a weekend turning the rings in the walk in smoker. It's a small, store front market where they live in the back. Open only 3 days a week, and before holidays (especially Easter and Christmas) you need to order in advance. 100% cherry wood smoked. I've tried many different kielbasi's and none can match this one. They also sell a number of different Polish sausages (who stole the Keeshka) and a fantastic Porketta roast.

bettysnephew · September 2012

Since there are some of you with experience with these machines, would a whole duck fit into the larger sized bag? My wife is Asian and we often bring back Tea Smoked Duck from the Chinatown markets in Chicago when we visit. This might keep me from buying a new cooler after the return trip. I like it also, but it's kind of like putting smoked cheese in your refrigerator, the aroma really lingers in the plastic cooler.

Tjcoley · September 2012

hapster said:

My wife has family not far from there, they are Brooklyn transplants who are now in the Hideout in Lake Ariel. Might have to make a road trip out that way and pick some up. Do they have a website with hours etc?

Small family run operation. No web site. Address is:

Leonard's Market

64 Kado Street

Wilkes Barre, PA

Hours are Wednesday - 12 to 5:00

Friday 9 - 5

Sat 8 - 4

Just before Easter and Christmas they are open Mon - Friday

waltinva · September 2012

We got our food saver years ago. (Early 90's?) Still works great.

midwestsmoker · September 2012

U_tarded said:

Ok I am ready to purchase a food saver and I have the wife on board thought it would be easy go to amazon read some reviews and order one. Wrong. I couldn't find anything searching here but I know several of my fellow eggers use them so I figured I would see how many hundreds of mine you could spend. Any recommendations of models brands etc?

I was just searching this yesterday. Waiting patiently for suggestions. Labor day sales weekend.

HavasuTom · September 2012

Check this out from an earlier post:

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1204628#Comment_1204628

Skiddymarker · September 2012

Depends on what you are sealing. We own a Foodsaver 3840, ($139 with 8 rolls of bags at Costco 2 years ago) good machine, auto seal, in unit bag storage (always seems to be the wrong size for what you want - but is nice feature), easy to clean tray for when you suck liquids into it, and has an accessory to power marinate.

The only lesson learned was it has a low duty cycle for the vac and seal mode. I cut and did the first seal on 5 bags, filled all 5 with frozen blueberries, then proceeded to try and vac seal them. The machine did three, but was too hot to do the fourth. It is simply not designed for this continuous use. Let it cool for a few minutes, good to go. If you do them one at time, cut, primary seal, fill the bag, vac seal, then repeat, it seems to stay cool and is able to do an unlimited amount.

We also own a Vacmaster, (>$200, bags were $50 three or four years ago) much more expensive, but much easier to use and seems to have an unlimited duty cycle. We use this for "production line" bagging.

Browninggold · September 2012

I have FoodSaver model #3840. Really like it. Has Seal only auto function we use for things like chips etc...just slide the potato chip bag in. Has marinate function as well as gentle and moist mode. Everything is automatic. Also purchased food containers when they were 50% off at FS website. Gave our older manual FS to our daughter she still uses it. Have owned FS for probably 10 yrs no problems.

U_tarded · September 2012

Thanks for the info guys, that link @havasutom is what I couldn't find. Also the info provided is great! Helps weed through bad reviews all over the net.

bettysnephew · September 2012

I finally made up my mind. We ordered the Gamesaver Outdoorsman Premium Kit. After talking to their customer service people, it is the unit that they have very few issues with. In fact two different reps stated they had never seen one come back for service to this date. This kit contains the Gamesaver Silver Machine and a fairly wide selection of bags and accessories and sells for a couple of cents less than the basic Gamesaver Silver. Don't know why they do it that way, but that is how it works out. I was initially going to purchase the 3880 kit, but the low duty cycle turned me off to that model and was confirmed by the customer reps also that the duty cycle was less than the Gamesaver. We also purchased extra bags to go with the kit. One of the reps said there are a new series of bags coming out which are large enough to contain a whole pork shoulder or a 12 pound turkey. Sounds like just the ticket for purchasing Sam's 2 pack of pork shoulders and smoking one and freezing the other. They are not on the website yet. I also found out the Labor Day discount is web order only when I called to ask questions. Sorry about writing a novel, but I thought some might want to know what I had learned.

Sookie · September 2012

We have a foodsaver and cannot be without it. It's just me and my husband, so we buy Sams Club meat packages and always have just the right amount for us and can add more for guests if needed.

We have the container for marinading, and do flank steak in it in spices overnight, grill on the BGE the next day and make great tasting Carne Asada.

Someone mentioned potato chip bags. Never a stale chip in the house. Same for bacon. No one makes a whole pound at once. Bacon stays good for a few weeks if sealed.

Camping: You can toss ANYTHING in the cooler and not have to worry about it getting waterlogged if some of the ice melts.

The product is just really worth the money you will spend. And save.

SmokeyPitt · September 2012

If you are not in a big hurry (and don't mind the extra email), then you can go to foodsaver.com and subscribe to their email list. They will have some pretty good sales. I want to say my unit was sonmething like $80 and it came with rolls and a few of the canisters (including the marinating canister). I enjoy it it and so far no problems.

There are some tricks you have to know...like you have to be careful with juice from the meat getting pulled through the sealer. This will prevent it from sealing properly. This can be remedied by either leaving plenty of extra bag, use a paper towel as a juice barrier, or partially freeze the meat first then seal it.

Skiddymarker · September 2012

SmokeyPitt said:

If you are not in a big hurry (and don't mind the extra email), then you can go to foodsaver.com and subscribe to their email list. They will have some pretty good sales. I want to say my unit was sonmething like $80 and it came with rolls and a few of the canisters (including the marinating canister). I enjoy it it and so far no problems.

There are some tricks you have to know...like you have to be careful with juice from the meat getting pulled through the sealer. This will prevent it from sealing properly. This can be remedied by either leaving plenty of extra bag, use a paper towel as a juice barrier, or partially freeze the meat first then seal it.

Very good advise, I think this applies to al vac machines....

JWBurns · September 2012

bettysnephew said:
I finally made up my mind. We ordered the Gamesaver Outdoorsman Premium Kit. After talking to their customer service people, it is the unit that they have very few issues with. In fact two different reps stated they had never seen one come back for service to this date. This kit contains the Gamesaver Silver Machine and a fairly wide selection of bags and accessories and sells for a couple of cents less than the basic Gamesaver Silver. Don't know why they do it that way, but that is how it works out. I was initially going to purchase the 3880 kit, but the low duty cycle turned me off to that model and was confirmed by the customer reps also that the duty cycle was less than the Gamesaver. We also purchased extra bags to go with the kit. One of the reps said there are a new series of bags coming out which are large enough to contain a whole pork shoulder or a 12 pound turkey. Sounds like just the ticket for purchasing Sam's 2 pack of pork shoulders and smoking one and freezing the other. They are not on the website yet. I also found out the Labor Day discount is web order only when I called to ask questions. Sorry about writing a novel, but I thought some might want to know what I had learned.

Thanks for the follow up! May I ask how much the package ran you and where you purchased it from?

JWBurns · September 2012

Boy the reviews on the Foodsaver site for the Gamesaver are not very favorable. I'll continue my search.

bettysnephew · September 2012

I purchased directly from Foodsaver on their website. With the Labor day discount the package was just short of $140 + tax. There are several models of Gamesaver available, and the one I purchased had far more good reviews than bad on the website. I know that there are better quality sealers available for a much higher price, but I am willing to give this one a try and see how it works for me. I wish you good luck in your search and keep us posted.

bettysnephew · September 2012

Oops; Looked again and the really good reviews were for the Gamesaver Deluxe. I am going to take a chance and go with what I ordered. If it doesn't work for me I will see if I can get an exchange later. i looked at so many pages in making my mind up, I got confused by the volume of it.

Tjcoley · September 2012

hapster said:

My wife has family not far from there, they are Brooklyn transplants who are now in the Hideout in Lake Ariel. Might have to make a road trip out that way and pick some up. Do they have a website with hours etc?

@ hapster If you do go for Kielbasi, a few blocks away is Ceccoli's pizza at 13 Woodward Street, Wilkes Barre. Like no other pizza you have ever had. Fried crust, simple tomato sauce, great cheese. Order by the 'cut' not the slice. Opens at 5 PM most days, and noon on Fridays. My family now does 2 hour road trips just for this pizza. I'm trying to replicate it but no success so far.

joe@bge · September 2012

I have a 3840...love the convienience of everything being automatic. Handy bag cutter and in-unit roll storage. Haven't used all the features yet, but I definitely like it better than the cheaper manual Foodsaver that I used to use - still have that one and it works great, the new one is just so much more easier for everyday use.

Aviator · September 2012

@ hapster If you do go for Kielbasi, a few blocks away is Ceccoli's pizza at 13 Woodward Street, Wilkes Barre. Like no other pizza you have ever had.
Fried crust,

Please elaborate. Fried Crust??? Like in oil and deep fried?

:-B

Tjcoley · September 2012

Aviator said:

@ hapster If you do go for Kielbasi, a few blocks away is Ceccoli's pizza at 13 Woodward Street, Wilkes Barre. Like no other pizza you have ever had.
Fried crust,

Please elaborate. Fried Crust??? Like in oil and deep fried?

Oil in the bottom of the pan creates a fried crispy crust. This is not a traditional pizza. Popular in Detroit and NE Pennsylvania. I have another thread titled 'Detroit Style Pizza' with details.
@U - sorry to have highjacked your thread.

Aviator · September 2012

Thanks. My wife is from Wilkes-Barre, PA and I have never heard of it. Will ask her.

Tjcoley · September 2012

Aviator said:

Thanks. My wife is from Wilkes-Barre, PA and I have never heard of it. Will ask her.

If she's from WB, ask if she's ever had Grotto or Norms. Both are similar, but I think Norms is better. Made with the cheese on top of the crust, then the sauce is swirled on top. Not NY style at all. It has a unique taste of it's own. Grotto is famous at the beaches in Delaware, but it actually started at Harvey's Lake, outside of WB back in 1953.

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