ISO FoodSaver for a cramped kitchen....

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vitauta

Executive Chef
Joined
May 19, 2011
Messages
4,428
Location
va by way of upstate ny
i am so ready to buy a food saver! i was almost sold on those green containers i've been seeing on hsn, but what i really need is a vacuum wrapper that will also save my freezer meats and things. since joining dc i've been losing more good food through spoilage than ever before. can anyone recommend a food saver that is both easy to use and takes up little space? as i am increasing the variety of food items i keep on hand, i need to be able to preserve them more efficiently than before. do i still need those green containers too?
 
vitauta said:
i am so ready to buy a food saver! i was almost sold on those green containers i've been seeing on hsn, but what i really need is a vacuum wrapper that will also save my freezer meats and things. since joining dc i've been losing more good food through spoilage than ever before. can anyone recommend a food saver that is both easy to use and takes up little space? as i am increasing the variety of food items i keep on hand, i need to be able to preserve them more efficiently than before. do i still need those green containers too?

Vit, once you go Food Saver, you'll never go back. The newer ones stand up vertically, unlike my older model, which rests on the counter horizontally. Check out their website. Get the best you can afford. They also have some nice canisters, just don't put hot water in them directly from the fridge. I crackled mine doing that.

You will never regret it! You can nuke, boil, preserve, freeze, you name it.
 
Yeah, I saw a nifty vertical one just today. It looked like it just had one large on button.
Currently my FS rests on my toaster oven. It's handy, but also out of the way. I have just enough room in that area to set it on the counter, plug it in and have enough "bag room". That's where you really need the room, in front of the FS for the bags. I like packaging steaks and such in about 18" long bags, then I just reseal them as I go.
My current one is actually broken. It won't run automatically. I need to hit the seal button after it has drawn its vacuum, but it still work and I still use it. And when it is dead and buried I'll be buying another.
 
Yeah, I saw a nifty vertical one just today. It looked like it just had one large on button.
Currently my FS rests on my toaster oven. It's handy, but also out of the way. I have just enough room in that area to set it on the counter, plug it in and have enough "bag room". That's where you really need the room, in front of the FS for the bags. I like packaging steaks and such in about 18" long bags, then I just reseal them as I go.
My current one is actually broken. It won't run automatically. I need to hit the seal button after it has drawn its vacuum, but it still work and I still use it. And when it is dead and buried I'll be buying another.

you're going to bury your food saver machine? i don't think bt will be wanting you for a neighbor.:)
 
:LOL: I knew I should have put a disclaimer in there.
I'm not "green", but no, I'm not going to actually bury my FS machine. I'm going to give it to Waste Management and let them bury it :angel:

:ROFLMAO:
 
seriously though, thanks dawg and pac, for your help and encouragement so far. i can see i'll be researching this for weeks--all the while in my freezer, my chicken, chops and steaks will be growing white hoary beards! there are literally dozens of different models of these vacuum sealing things to suss out there--i could easier purchase a car. the anal part of me insists on checking everything through twenty different ways, but another part of my personality actually enjoys this aspect of shopping. well okay, maybe it's all from being so anal after all. at least i'm getting away from my obsession with the ss cookware for a bit of a while.... :)
 
The FoodSaver brand has been the one I've used. It was the first one on the market that I'm aware of. I would go with that. I have one of the first ones that came out and use it a lot. I almost wish it would die so I could justify buying the newer vertical style. I've also noticed that the "off brand" bags don't seem to do as well protecting the food as the FoodSaver brand bags.
 
Another "thumbs up" for FoodSaver brand. I've had mine for maybe 10 years and would be lost without it. For example, I got a real buy on mixed nuts in the shell just after Christmas last season. I vac sealed them and put them in the freezer. I took a bag out to eat yesterday and they're as fresh as the day I bought them. Perfect.

I use my FoodSaver for more than food, but the food preservation capabilities are wonderful. You won't be sorry.

I, too, have the horizontal model and, as someone already said, when it goes belly up, I'll definitely get a vertical model.
 
Here's another vote for the FS brand. I have had mine for 8 years now and it is still going strong. I have the horizontal type too. I keep it on the shelf in the pantry and just pull it out when I need it. You will love having one. You can seal and freeze or freeze and seal almost anything.
 
I shop the exact same way as you, vit.
Prepare to read a thousand reviews at Amazon, lol.
I always give more weight to those comments on the boards I frequent though, for anything. Lots to be said good and bad about vacuum devices, but when they work and the bag stands the test of freezer time, they are absolutely a tool and not a gadget.
 
when i see that six fs machines in the 100-180 dollar range score only 2 to 3 stars out of five, and this is in the 3000 series only, it leads me to conclude that price and quality don't necessarily go together in a predictable or reliable way. i also see two machines, models #3020 and #3250 that score 4 1/2 and 5 stars respectively, and are in the 100 dollar range. as to horizontal vs. vertical models, pac pointed out the simple fact that the crucial area to consider is that in front of the sealer, where the food is actually handled and wrapped. well, enough of this for today. thanks for sharing and listening.... :)
 
FS has my vote too. Unfortunately for me, just last night my FS professional began unprompted sealing sequences just sitting on the counter!!! I will definitely get another one. It is one appliance that is well worth its cost and effort.
 
FS has my vote too. Unfortunately for me, just last night my FS professional began unprompted sealing sequences just sitting on the counter!!! I will definitely get another one. It is one appliance that is well worth its cost and effort.

sure is reassuring to hear such strong recommendations from happy fs users. have you tried unplugging your fs unit for awhile, juana? we all get stressed from time to time, you know....i'm cross-eyed from reading reviews for various fs models this afernoon. i did put in an order for the foodsaver v3020. please, if anyone knows this unit, send out a quick post with any info you might have about it. the seller is temporarily out of stock of this fs, so i still have time for last minute changes....juana, if you seriously need to buy a new fs, i have the skinny on many of the both highly rated and low rated machines....:)
 
Should have mentioned I'm on my third FS. I keep it in the cabinet, and pull it down for sealing food, and then put it back up. I love it. As far as the vertical: I don't know, and I guess you don't really know anymore about where or not the complaints/reveiws are accurate. Good for everyone who has the vertical and hasn't had any problems......
 
I have a vertical model (V3460). The only 'problems' I've experienced so far are-
-- relatively high cost of packaging materials and accessories
-- relatively limited availability of some of their accessories
-- the 3/4"+ of bagging material that is wasted for each seal
-- the poor vacuum holding capability of their round canisters
-- the unsuitability of their ziplock bags for freezing
-- my fs machine causes AM radio interference
 
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+1 on the AM interference. I can't listen to the Jim Rome Show when I am packaging.
 
I have a vertical model (V3460). The only 'problems' I've experienced so far are-
-- relatively high cost of packaging materials and accessories
-- relatively limited availability of some of their accessories
-- the 3/4"+ of bagging material that is wasted for each seal
-- the poor vacuum holding capability of their round canisters
-- the unsuitability of their ziplock bags for freezing
-- my fs machine causes AM radio interference

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....:)
 
I ordered the FS Game Saver model this morning. Even though we will probably never use the 12V option, I still chose that model because it was the closest to feature matching the older Professional II being replaced. We frequently use the manual ‘seal only’ feature for re-closing various products in heat sealable bags like chips, beans, pastas and more. I also like that newer models bag cutters now have replaceable blades.
 

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