ISO FoodSaver for a cramped kitchen....

[Kayelle]

I'm still not convinced I need one since I don't have a problem with freezer burn. I wrap all my raw meat tightly in plastic wrap first and then freeze it heavy duty ziplock freezer bags. I'm also not sure I'd want the hassle of having to use special bags. Are the bags expensive and easy to find?

 

[Dawgluver]

I'm still not convinced I need one since I don't have a problem with freezer burn. I wrap all my raw meat tightly in plastic wrap first and then freeze it heavy duty ziplock freezer bags. I'm also not sure I'd want the hassle of having to use special bags. Are the bags expensive and easy to find?

Kayelle, Walmart and Menards carry the bags. You can get them on a roll that fits in the machine, and cut them as needed, pint, quart, and gallon sized. You can reuse the bags if they contained veggies, pitch the ones that contained meat.

I have frozen stuff lasting for years.

 

[justplainbill]

thanks for your input, jpb. that's quite a list of complaints you have about your fs machine, but i get the impression that you are still overall okay with it. do i have that right? where do you go for your packing supplies usually? are they basically one size fits all? you and pac need to turn off your am radios, turn on your ipods, while you're doing your wrapping....

Satisfied to the extent that I do not know of any reasonable alternative.
FROM FOODSAVER.COM (Jarden Consumer Solutions)
Items To Be Sent
Quantity Total
8 $48.00
Items Unit Price
1 (FSFSBF0641-DTC) FoodSaver®11" Roll $6.00 FoodSavei58 11 Inch Rolls let you create custom-sized bags to package and protect food and non-food items using your FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System. Applied
Sub-Total: $48.00
Shipping & Handling (Standard S&H): $8.50
Estimated Tax (8.63%): $4.87
ORDER TOTAL: $61.37

US
Shipping: Standard
Description
FoodSaver® Vacuum Zipper Gallon Bags FoodSaver® Vacuum Zipper Quart Bags FoodSaver® Container Flap Valve FoodSaver® FreshSaver® Reservoir/Easy Clean
FoodSaver® Container Adapter FoodSaver® Accessory Hose
Price QTY Total
$4.79 3 $14.37 (36 gallon bags)
$4.79 2 $9.58 (36 quart bags)
$0.60 1 $0.60
$1.80 1 $1.80
$1.80 1 $1.80
$1.80 1 $1.80
Subtotal = $29.95
S&H= $8.50
Estimated Tax = $3.33
Order Total = $41.78

 

[pacanis]

Juana, don't the new models all have the seal only feature? I don't know, as I haven't looked at them. It seems they would have to in order to make a new bag from the roll.

I reuse just about all the bags until they are too short. I just toss them back into the freezer when they are empty and try to put like items back in them.

 

[JuanaCook]

Pacanis, when I called FS customer service and informed them I wanted to replace the Professional II model with a model offering the same features, particularly the seal-only mode, the rep recommended the Game Saver over the newer, more costly upright models. She said uprights are completely automatic without manual modes. I did a very brief web product comparison which seemed to confirm what she had told me.

 

[GB]

I just got an upright (my last was a pro II) and can confirm there is a manual mode.

 

[vitauta]

Satisfied to the extent that I do not know of any reasonable alternative.
FROM FOODSAVER.COM (Jarden Consumer Solutions)
Items To Be Sent
Quantity Total
8 $48.00
Items Unit Price
1 (FSFSBF0641-DTC) FoodSaver®11" Roll $6.00 FoodSavei58 11 Inch Rolls let you create custom-sized bags to package and protect food and non-food items using your FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System. Applied
Sub-Total: $48.00
Shipping & Handling (Standard S&H): $8.50
Estimated Tax (8.63%): $4.87
ORDER TOTAL: $61.37

US
Shipping: Standard
Description
FoodSaver® Vacuum Zipper Gallon Bags FoodSaver® Vacuum Zipper Quart Bags FoodSaver® Container Flap Valve FoodSaver® FreshSaver® Reservoir/Easy Clean
FoodSaver® Container Adapter FoodSaver® Accessory Hose
Price QTY Total
$4.79 3 $14.37 (36 gallon bags)
$4.79 2 $9.58 (36 quart bags)
$0.60 1 $0.60
$1.80 1 $1.80
$1.80 1 $1.80
$1.80 1 $1.80
Subtotal = $29.95
S&H= $8.50
Estimated Tax = $3.33
Order Total = $41.78

wow jpb, that's more than a hundred bucks in supplies. i trust that is at least a whole years' supply? here's hoping i don't require half that amount for my small family's needs....

 

[vitauta]

I'm still not convinced I need one since I don't have a problem with freezer burn. I wrap all my raw meat tightly in plastic wrap first and then freeze it heavy duty ziplock freezer bags. I'm also not sure I'd want the hassle of having to use special bags. Are the bags expensive and easy to find?

a lot of my food spoilage occurs in the refrigerator, not the freezer. i'm tired of having to throw out vegetables, fruit, cheeses, cold cuts--not right away, but because i didn't get back to them in time. the food saver promises to extend shelf life by 5x, so that i needn't be a slave to using up leftover goodies. i can't think of a bigger turnoff to food than "eat it now or else it will go bad". i think maybe this is what gave leftovers a bad name in the first place - having to eat them "right away". as we all know, leftovers are often even better the second or third time around....

 

[justplainbill]

I find that the salami I buy in large unsliced pieces keeps better if stored in an evacuated ziploc bag.
Buying in bulk can sometimes reduce the unit price.

 

[Kayelle]

Wow.......that looks like expensive supplies to me.

Vit, have you tried green bags for your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator? When they first came on the market I thought they were just another gag, but I'm really pleased with how much longer they extend the life of those foods. They were expensive at first, although reusable, but now I find them at the Dollar Store.
As far as cold cuts are concerned, I buy at least a pound of them at a time and wrap them in quarter lb packages for the freezer. The small packs defrost in no time.
I'm not trying to talk you out of the FS, just wanting to point out there are other ways of taking care of food.

 

[vitauta]

Wow.......that looks like expensive supplies to me.

Vit, have you tried green bags for your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator? When they first came on the market I thought they were just another gag, but I'm really pleased with how much longer they extend the life of those foods. They were expensive at first, although reusable, but now I find them at the Dollar Store.
As far as cold cuts are concerned, I buy at least a pound of them at a time and wrap them in quarter lb packages for the freezer. The small packs defrost in no time.
I'm not trying to talk you out of the FS, just wanting to point out there are other ways of taking care of food.

thanks, kayelle. yes, i have tried the bags. they were not really helpful. i did not try the (same principle) boxes, but for a little extra money, i decided i might as well buy the food saver. and without needing to deal with the unnecessary bulk of the green containers, either....

 

[SherryDAmore]

I live in the country, and have an upright freezer in the basement along with a bottom freezer fridge. I also have a large pantry.

I have two different FoodSavers; one is for freezing, because I stock up on protien.

The fall food sales will begin shortly, but my freezer is jampacked as it is, so probably not this year. I buy the large packages at BJ's, Wegmans, or Tops, and break the pkg. down into FS pkgs for two.

The other FS is a handheld, with bags similar to the Reynolds Vac system (now extinct) which I use for deli cuts and cheese. I makes them last for a month or more. I try to wrap everything both the freezer and handeld packs, in aluminum foil (Wrappits) so that I can reuse the bags. Both bag packs are available at Walmart.

There is expense involved, BUT with a 40 mile round trip to the grocery store, and the cost of gas, I find it much more cost effective to shop once, and have pretty much everything I need right here.

I also agree about the green bags. I'm always surpised when something actually works the way they say it does. But whatever you put into them must be dry.

I also keep an inventory on an app on my phone, but that's another thread.

I think it depends on your situation. If you sign up for the FoodSaver website, they will occasionally have specials.....I got my son and his fiance a small FS for $35, although the shipping wasn't free.

 

[justplainbill]

I think it depends on your situation. If you sign up for the FoodSaver website, they will occasionally have specials.....I got my son and his fiance a small FS for $35, although the shipping wasn't free.

I bought their ziploc bags during one of their specials this past May.

 

[pacanis]

I've got the FS handheld, too, after liking the Reyolds unit except when it started to go through batteries. I like that it is self charging.

 

[justplainbill]

FS is currently selling the zipper bag adapter for $7.99. Most of their bags and rolls are selling at prices considerably higher than I paid in Feb. and May.

 

[pacanis]

FS is currently selling the zipper bag adapter for $7.99. Most of their bags and rolls are selling at prices considerably higher than I paid in Feb. and May.

Everything here is selling higher than it did back then. I attributed it to the gasoline prices taking a jump again. They've come down since then, but of course nothing else has.

 

[vitauta]

FS is currently selling the zipper bag adapter for $7.99. Most of their bags and rolls are selling at prices considerably higher than I paid in Feb. and May.

what is a zipper bag adapter? already i need accessories for my not-yet-delivered fs!! what other accessories will i be needing? the $7.99 fs bags--i think they are refrigerator bags, not freezer bags. is this an important distinction in this case?

 

[Dawgluver]

what is a zipper bag adapter? already i need accessories for my not-yet-delivered fs!! what other accessories will i be needing? the $7.99 fs bags--i think they are refrigerator bags, not freezer bags. is this an important distinction in this case?

No worries, Vit! I don't have a zipper bag adapter. A straw inserted into a zipper bag works fine. You suck the air out yourself. Fridge bags were what you were after, though if you want to freeze stuff, I would rec the rolls made for freezing. I get the rolls, not individual bags. I buy whole beef and pork loins on sale, and cut my own chops and steaks, then portion them into fs bags and freeze.

You will love it!

 

[JMediger]

Here's another vote for the FS. We have the one that sits horizontally and I store it on a shelf in the garage when not using it because I have a small kitchen where cupboard and counter spaces are at a premium.

This is just my experience and personal opinion so take it for what it's worth but here's what I recommend to people ...

First, don't buy the precut bags, buy them in the 4 or 5 roll value packs and you'll save half your money. I get them the cheapest at Fleet Farm but have seen them at Menards, Home Depot, Shopko, Walmart and Target. You do have some waste at the end you vacuum and seal but I find that nice for labeling purposes (I have 2 chest freezers for my garden and beef we buy).

Second, we have the canisters and the leftover containers. Don't waste your money. I agree that you don't get a wonderful seal. Instead, buy a case of both quart and 1/2 quart Ball or Kerr jars along with the FS jar sealer. I've started storing salad and fruit in the larger jars and they are staying good for 2 weeks sealed in my fridge (giving credit where it's due, I got the idea from Pinterest). Get some wide mouth jars for leftovers, they work great. Because you aren't heat sealing the lids, I throw them in the dishwasher along with the jar and reuse them. Just don't bend them when you unseal your jar. That said, you are not heal sealing (canning) so things aren't shelf safe ... My plan for the school year is to use wide mouth jars sealed with the FS jar sealer for food storage and lunches. We can reheat food (after removing the lid and band) and can eat right out of the jar.

Good luck and happy sealing!

 

[vitauta]

No worries, Vit! I don't have a zipper bag adapter. A straw inserted into a zipper bag works fine. You suck the air out yourself. Fridge bags were what you were after, though if you want to freeze stuff, I would rec the rolls made for freezing. I get the rolls, not individual bags. I buy whole beef and pork loins on sale, and cut my own chops and steaks, then portion them into fs bags and freeze.

You will love it!

i'm sure i will! just hate very much this inbetween time--before i actually know what i'm dealing with. i wanna do it all - fridge and freezer. and i wanna play butcher too, and cut up my own stew meat, chops and steaks, pound my own cube steaks! can't wait....is there a hand-held sealer thingy i need to buy too, dawg?