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To buy a foodsaver or not to buy

tarheelforever
tarheelforever Posts: 139
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
That is the question?

Are they worth the money plus the added expense of what looks to be expensive refills.

My guess is the overwhelming response will be YES and if that's so what is the best one to buy?

As always thanks for the help.
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Comments

  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    You could always lease with the option to buy.
  • Kokeman
    Kokeman Posts: 822
    If you buy in bulk or cook large amounts of food at one time then it is worth it.
    I buy meat at Sams and vac seal and freeze. I cook 25 pounds or so of pork butt freeze in meal size portions. I use it for marinating. When the grocery store runs pork butts on sale for $.99 I stock up.
    It does take a while to pay for its self. But the meat does stay fresher.
  • I have a Foodsaver and love it. A great way to preserve leftovers or food from large cooks. I think it is cost effective and keeps me from wasting food.
  • Yes, they are worth it! I use mine for Fresh fish filets, smaller portions when I buy from Sams and BJ's, and Leftovers for quick warming up.
    Also, you need to keep things waterproof? Can't beat it for your Hurricane supplies, stuff on the boat, keeping small items together, etc, etc. My 2 cents,
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Food Saver is just like my eggs -I'll never be without them in my life again and I can't believe it took me 55 years before I heard of either! Buy yourself a FS - you won't regret it!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • I have (and recommend) a Sinbo. http://www.wcpsealers.com/HTML/tew_sinbo.html

    You can use any type of heat sealable bags, not just the foodsaver type, so the bags are much less expensive.
  • I own one. I use it to preserve my sausages that I make fresh daily. Also nice to use on Costco products. Most of their steaks are sold in multi-packs. You can break them out into groups of two.
  • Worth every penny. I haven't read all the replies here, so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I would by the Kenmore and not the Foodsaver brand. I have owned them both, and the Kenmore is far better imho. You can get the Kenmore at Kmart or Sears, whichever is closest to you.

    Don't skimp on the model either, get the one that has the locking lid and holds the roll of bag plastic inside it, mine even has a canning attachment.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    I just took a look at the Kenmore and I'd bet dollars to donuts that it is made by Food Saver - even looks like it. As for the canister set and mason jar sealer I have both of those with my Food Saver as well.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • They range in price from $69 to $329 and personally I don't see much difference. I got a middle of the road model on sale. I think the best buys are at either Sam's or Bed Bath and beyond which you can use a 20% off coupon. As for the performance they work great and I am glad I got one. I use it all the time and it was well worth the money.
  • For $10 you can get a Ziploc and try out the process. That's how I do all my butts.
  • Any kind of device like a FoodSaver is definitely worth it. I use it to stock up on meats that are on sale or when I buy meat from Costco. It's just me and the husband, so while one package of meat from Costco is cheap, but waaaay too much for us to eat at one time. I stick whatever we don't cook in the FoodSaver.

    I also love to smoke turkey breasts, and they only go on sale once every few months AND they're not always available at the store. Because of the FoodSaver, I can stock up and buy 4-5 breasts at one time so that I can have them whenever I want for not a lot of money.

    I use the cold water defrost method: take a large dutch oven, fill it with cold water and put in the frozen meat. Change the cold water every 30 minutes until the meat is defrosted. A 4 pound rump roast only takes about 2 hours to defrost this way.

    Another obvious advantage is that you can freeze leftovers to have a quick meal ready at any time. I can't tell you how many homemade lunches I've been able to have that way when we had no other meals at the ready.

    I've had mine for about 5 years now, and it has paid for itself over and over again. I got it for a crazy low price at Tuesday Morning.
  • I like my foodsaver that we have had for about 6 years. I use it for freezing and fridging meats, fruits, and veggies. Two things you may want to know:

    1. Bags are an expense. However, you can buy rolls of bags at Costco for significantly less than the grocery or other stores. I am sure that Sam's has bulk bags as well.

    2. Be very careful when sealing anything that is wet. I have make the mistake several times of trying to seal something that has too much moisture. It comes out during the vacuum process and gunks up the machine. You also will not get a good seal if liquid is coming out when the sealer gets hot.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Had some trouble with this post. So I deleted. Sorry.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Here's another reason for buying a Food Saver - We love soups so I regularly make big pots of chili, ham and bean, cheese/veggie, and for special meals such as birthdays and tonight a "clear soup" made of turkey stock and V-8. A cup of this is pure elegance! And yes you are reading the date correctly I made this 3 years ago! It is just as good as the day I made it thanks to my Food Saver!
    IMG_0930.jpg

    PS Kara did you get my email(s) I sent today?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Clam
    Clam Posts: 117
    With salmon, we first put the fillets in non ziplock plastic bags available at Safeway, then vacuum seal in foodsaver bags. It works great in avoiding the moisture/sealing problem. We do 100's of lbs. every year.

    I also buy whole primal prime rib eyes at Costco (7.99/lb.) and either slice and vac-pac or dry-age slice and vac-pac.

    Also, I find it indispensable for camping. All kinds of food including chili can be frozen then put into the cooler with almost no chance of spills or mess.
  • Great tip on placing food in a non-zip plastic bag first! I will try that next time.

    Wow! 100lbs of salmon. Sweet.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    whatever works for you is best, but if the meat, fish, soup, whatever is moist I freeze it overnight and then vacuum it the next day - that way the bag seals tightly and there is no trapped air inside. Sometimes like for preformed hamburger patties a 3 hour period is plenty of time to avoid the moisture problem.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I have a several year old Seal-a-Meal that I received as a gift. It was inexpensive I'm sure and now works inconsistently so I'm considering a new one. The Foodsavers sure are popular around here and seem to be reasonably priced at under $200. Does anyone own the Cabela's CG-15 vac sealer? At $400, I sure hope it's a good one! I have heard that it's no longer manufactured and has been replaced by an updated model, the Pro2300, but that one is not sold at Cabela's. Similar pricing.

    Is there any reason one should consider a $400 unit when the Foodsaver seems so popular?

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Foodsaver all the way. I don't see a need to spend that $$ if it's not a commercial grade unit. My 2 cents.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • I have had a couple of Food Saver units, they were worth the money but only lasted a couple of years each. Parts were not worth buying and they always said the seal was the problem. I did an indepth search and finally poped for the Pro-2300. It isn't cheap, but does it ever work, alot better than any Food Saver. I checked the vacuum, with a vacuum guage, and it is as they advertise. I also sucked the pop can flat, like in the video. In my opinion, well worth the money. The only better unit is a chamber vacuum unit, but be prepaired to spend at least a grand. I ordered my bags from Roger, getting them by the thousand, which lowers the per bag price. My unit came from the Strongsville, Ohio plant, being I live in Michigan. Their other plant is in California. You can go online and see the unit, go to ask.com and type in Pro-2300.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Thanks. That's what I figured, but it sure is a ton of cash!

    Who's Roger? Got a link?

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Ditto (except the count is 65 years)!
  • i have a cabela's cg 15.... it works great!..... i got mine for 150 dollars in the "bargain basement"....i've had it for four years with no problems...and i use it alot! rr
  • had a couple of food savers.... they never seem to last very long.... the cg 15 is built like tank....( i wasn't aware of the cabela's product switch) i enjoy showing off by crushing cans for my naysayer pals.... there is a manual heat sealer setting.... i turn up the heat and reseal the foil bags that my coffee comes in... if there is a cabela's store near you... check the bargain cave often.... you can get some fantastic deals there (you can check the"bargain cave" online too) i bought all of my meat processing equipment there at prices that you would not believe if i told you...
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I don't think there was a "product switch" per se. As I understand it (been wrong before though), Weston makes the CG-15 for Cabela's. But they are the only store that sells that model. The Weston PRO-2300 is a similar, supposedly updated in some way, model that is sold elsewhere.

    I have seen several references to Foodsavers breaking after a year or two. Perhaps it would be a good idea to spend $350 on one PRO-2300 rather than $300 on two Foodsavers. Hmm? Sure is a BIG sucker though!

    Plus, I could crush cans. :)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • mkc
    mkc Posts: 544
    Something that might be of interest is that you can sign up on the foodsaver.com website for special deal e-mails. Those come from jardenstore.com and you'll get some pretty good offers on the foodsaver machines. I think I got mine for something like 40-50% off and it's been a good little machine.

    Michelle
    Egging in Crossville, TN
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Also, if you google "discount coupon codes" for a given company, you can sometimes find some good deals. List price for the Foodsaver V3840 is $173 on their website. Free shipping. With code B8FC30A, you get 30% off. No idea when it expires.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    A must have in my book...Just remember one thing...They don't last forever. I'm on my third in about 7 years. My next might just be a commercial grade unit.