My wife just got me this. Any tips or advice?

epcotisbest

northGAcock

Use it and love it. 

theyolksonyou

Go buy a big a$$ roast and steak it out!

also, piggy back with a sous vide. 

DuckDogDr

Use the hell out of it!

i carry mine on my hunting trips. Use it to seal everything fresh. If you process a lot of meat (3 and 4 deer at a time ) sometimes it will overheat.. So take you're time if it overheats too much you'll mess the sealing mechanism up.

nolaegghead

I would hold off on the divorce if that were in the works.  She's practical.

JohnInCarolina

Don't look directly at the sun.  

DMW

Don't touch fire.

nolaegghead

Don't do "the things" if you think you might get caught.

SaintJohnsEgger

Wife got me one for Christmas too. Can't wait to use it but she is making me wait until Christmas. 

DaveRichardson

Got a Sams or Costco nearby?  Get the big box of bags on rolls..... you will need them.

When sealing up things like pulled pork, try to make the package as flat as possible; that will make re-heating much easier.

Fold over the tops of the bags BEFORE you start filling them; you will keep juices away from the seal area, making the seal much better.

Juice happens, deal with it.

Date the bags.  When you have a bunch of pulled pork blocks in the freezer, you will want to use the oldest stock first.

Buy cheese in blocks, grate up what you need for something, then seal the blocks; they will last longer.  Also, the processed stuff that's already shredded is very greasy compared to what you shred.

theyolksonyou

On that note. Smoke some cheese and seal it up for four weeks or so. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Don't use it with any appendages.

northGAcock

DaveRichardson said:

Got a Sams or Costco nearby?  Get the big box of bags on rolls..... you will need them.

When sealing up things like pulled pork, try to make the package as flat as possible; that will make re-heating much easier.

Fold over the tops of the bags BEFORE you start filling them; you will keep juices away from the seal area, making the seal much better.

Juice happens, deal with it.

Date the bags.  When you have a bunch of pulled pork blocks in the freezer, you will want to use the oldest stock first.

Buy cheese in blocks, grate up what you need for something, then seal the blocks; they will last longer.  Also, the processed stuff that's already shredded is very greasy compared to what you shred.

Dang Dave.....I have had one for 4 years.....and don't do any of those except the cheese. Appreciate the tips.

YEMTrey

Vacuum sealed pulled pork has a hundred leftover capabilities.

Gulfcoastguy

You can buy whole pork loins at a cheaper price and cut them into three or four pieces . Cook one and freeze the rest.

bcsnave

@epocisbest ..send me her sisters number

DesertSnow

Best purchase so far...besides my egg of course

DesertSnow

Got cut off for some reason but I can now buy in bulk with no worries of throwing food out and he saved me a lot of money...I just have the basic ziplock brand one from Walmart but I haven't had any problems with it 

Judy Mayberry

All good tips up there...but be sure to LABEL EVERY PACKAGE! Don't ask me how I know. Now I either slip a piece of paper with the contents written in black marker pen showing through, or use a stick-on label on the outside.

I prefer separate bags to the continuous roll because I'm lazy. But I wash lightly used large bags and reuse them (never from chicken!).

This storage method will really change your life. I even bought a small freezer for the garage and it's almost always full, and there are only two of us.

SaintJohnsEgger

DaveRichardson said:

Got a Sams or Costco nearby?  Get the big box of bags on rolls..... you will need them.

What is the footage on the big box? I got a 11 in. X 16 ft. roll. Are the ones you referred to longer than that?

Raymont

I buy bags at "TheVakShack.com". 50 quart bags for $13.50. Just as good as the foodsaver brand. I like the bags better than the rolls 95% of the time. The only time I use roll is when food is to big to fit in quart bag. 

HoustonEgger

I buy my bags from Amazon - these ones have a white strip for easy labeling. Ordered them 2x now and no issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I1OM7TO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Legume

Foodsaver has pleated rolls on their website that can be really helpful for larger cuts.  I've used them to freeze a rack of three plate ribs, I've used them to seal 14 lb turkeys in brine, etc.  They're a little awkward to use at first, but they work really well when you do need to seal something large.

SaintJohnsEgger

HoustonEgger said:

I buy my bags from Amazon - these ones have a white strip for easy labeling. Ordered them 2x now and no issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I1OM7TO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Does the permanent marker cause any issues with reheating in the bag?

fishlessman

your halfway there to a sous vide system, put it on her shopping list

Ladeback69

SaintJohnsEgger said:

DaveRichardson said:

Got a Sams or Costco nearby?  Get the big box of bags on rolls..... you will need them.

What is the footage on the big box? I got a 11 in. X 16 ft. roll. Are the ones you referred to longer than that?

This is what I get at Sam's for my Food Saver.  It seems to be a good buy  to me.  Comes with bags and rolls.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/foodsaver-roll-combo-pack/prod2860002.ip?xid=plp:product:1:1

The last meat sale at our store I used all my bags and filled my freezer mostly up.  Nice purchase.

blasting

I've had that model for a couple of years now.  I use it a lot.  It's one of the cheaper ones out there, but I couldn't see much benefit derived from buying the more expensive models.  Until I get a chamber sealer...

@Judy Mayberry speaks the truth about labeling.  Thinking "oh, I'll remember', has caused me to thaw out pork fat for dinner instead of chicken wings.  I keep a sharpie in the bag storage compartment.

HoustonEgger

SaintJohnsEgger said:

HoustonEgger said:

I buy my bags from Amazon - these ones have a white strip for easy labeling. Ordered them 2x now and no issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I1OM7TO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Does the permanent marker cause any issues with reheating in the bag?

I haven't noticed any issues at all with them. I've sous vide with these many times with marker on them

epcotisbest

Lots of good information here. Thank you everyone. I am going to like this Foodsaver. 

Yambor44

SaintJohnsEgger said:

HoustonEgger said:

I buy my bags from Amazon - these ones have a white strip for easy labeling. Ordered them 2x now and no issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I1OM7TO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Does the permanent marker cause any issues with reheating in the bag?

Another option is to use the label from the original store packaging and slip that in before you vacuum and seal. This provides not only exactly what you have in the bag but a date as well. 

nolaegghead

I love your baby fur seal avatar, btw.