Food Saver Performance

I've had two models over the past 3 years and feel there is no comperable method. I had fresh ground beef that I only used half, vack'd it and "lost" it in the freezer. About 6 months later, I found the pack and the meat was still very good.

I vac every time I Q and the food stays very good until I need it. I vac uncooked too and sometimes go a month or so before cooking it. It's a win win for me any way I want to do it.

Marinating in a caserole dish works very well too. Takes only a fraction of the time to get the same results.

Cajun

P.S. Even Gumbo does well for over a month

I've had mine for a couple of years now and love it. In fact, I've had to buy a freezer because of it. I buy the boneless skinless chicken breasts at Sam's for $1.99 lb bulk and then freeze them 2 to a pack for later use. I also do pork chops the same way. You can buy big blocks of cheese and by making the bag a little bigger than needed in the future, reseal after each use and it lasts much longer. I freeze soups, chilis and gumbos by spraying a little pam or olive oil in a tupperware and freezing, then pop out, bag and seal. I've eaten meatloaf over a year after I made it with no freezer burn... The list goes on and on..

Not to mention the non-food uses - when I had a boat I would vaccum seal tools, batteries, toliet paper, spare electronics, etc. anything that I wanted to keep dry.

About the marinating, I have the marinade canister and have used it a few times and have not really seen any difference. Mostly it just makes a handy way to carry foods to the grill. Now I don't marinate all that much anymore, so I may not be using the right method or the right marinade.

Some tips:
Buy the roll bag material and make your own bags - much cheaper

Watch the cheap off-brand bags, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't

The bags are very strong, but for very long term storage, put them where you won't be constantly moving them around in your freezer and they aren't in direct contact with the metal shelving. I have worn holes in a couple this way.

As above, don't forget about all the other non-food items you can seal and protect: Guns, ammo, spare magazines, batteries, maps, cameras, cats, anything you want to keep dry and safe.

Using the "seal only" feature, you can reclose potato chip bags, Bisquick bags, etc.

Last but probably most important - leave it on your counter all the time. You won't use it if you can't see it/have to dig it out everytime.

It's been covered pretty well, and I've had my Foodsaver for a couple years also. I use mine for all the above, plus I use it for pizza dough. Before the dough goes into it's first rise, I spray a little Pam on each doughball and vacuum pack. I can tell no discernable difference.

One other thing that you have to keep in mind, the vacuum tray and gasket need cleaned. If you get flour or oil, etc on the gasket, the unit will not seal appropriately. A quick cleaning and it's like new.

Could not have half the fun without one. There is just the wife and I so it is great for the whole bird that only 1/4 is eaten and we don't want the rest for days and days.
It seals the chip bags and the plastic wood chip bags when i get a handful out.
But the best " Food Saver" brand model you can afford. We started out with the entry level machine and it was good but not the bang for the buck once we bought a better model.
WalMart has the best price for local.
I agree use the roll bags, Got a great deal on roll bags on Amazon.com.
I grind and make my own pork products from fresh sausage to smoked, Canadian bacon and smoked bacon. All go in bags for later use. I easily get 21 days not freezing and in the fridge. I make the bags larger and take out servings and reseal. Great for boil in bag I will take the pulled pork bag it up and then when I want it drop into boiling water to heat. Sure better then a microwave.
Any way Have a great day and God Bless.
E

I have read & read on the forum the advantages of these. From past experience I have a hard time thinking I want to try these again.

The 'idea and uses' are great in concept.

I have had 3 Seal-a-Meal's over the years, nothing new in the last 5 years.

The sealers were expensive. The bags were expensive, to the point of wondering if what I was accomplishing was worth the cost.

For me there was a huge failure rate with the sealed items. I used bags and rolls and got to a point where I would double seal the open end. If roll I would double seal both ends about 1/4 inch appart. Still many of the bags would develop a leak and I would end up with freezer burn or a lost item.

I have not been happy with the results over the years

GG

We have one from somewhere in the middle of the line and I keep looking at the newer and more feature-laden models at Costco and Sams. I really want one but the old one just keeps working like the day we got it ( four years ago). Just can't justify buying a new one. Like everyone we use it frequently and find it to be something we would not like to be without.

I have had a few seal failures with mine, but none that resulted in freezer burn. I would pull them out to thaw and they looked like they wer still vacuumed. But after thawed there was air in the bag. And I had a couple that got air in them shortly after I vacuum sealed them. In this case I think it was meat juice or moisture where the seal would be, and by wiping a little before sealing the problem was solved. I suspect all were user errors. I have to say I do like the thing. I've had it for 5 years, and if it goes I will buy another one. Mine came with a bunch of canisters that I have never used, but after reading these posts I think I'll try.

My wife an I have 5 kids so when costco & sams came to town we would buy in bulk and try and save the extra for future use. Food Saver & Seal-a-Meal seemed like a logical thing to do.

I think I saw my old one in the garage so maybe I will get some new bags and give it another try before sending it off to the good will.

I did use the canisters at the time. That worked pretty slick.

GG

I went in the kitchen and closely examined my Food Saver Machine, thanks to this thread. Just as recommended, the rubber seal and the tray needed cleaning. Just wiped it down with a damp cloth. Then I sucked some chicken meat. Works great! All sealed up tight.