ISO FoodSaver for a cramped kitchen....

[Dawgluver]

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?

Nope. You can get one if you want, but not necessary. I went whole hog and got canisters, wine bottle sealers, a marinator, and other containers, but found the roll of freezer bags to be what I use the most. I can't remember if the machine came with a plastic tube that pokes into the top for sucking air out of canisters or if it came with the canisters. I don't use the tube much either. Perhaps this is what some are referring to. I also got the jar sealers.

They include coupons for additional stuff when you get your FS.

Sit back, enjoy, and vac away!

 

[vitauta]

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!

i had to google pinterest to find out what it is, and now i am signed up for pinterest something or other. is this a good thing?

 

[Dawgluver]

i had to google pinterest to find out what it is, and now i am signed up for pinterest something or other. is this a good thing?

After googling it myself, I still have no clue what it is....

 

[vitauta]

After googling it myself, I still have no clue what it is....

wellll, it seems to mostly have to do with something they are calling digital scrapbooking, (scrapbooking, a real passion of mine - not) but i also was seeing some interesting examples of silhouette photography there. they seem to be design oriented, but i still don't know what they are trying to sell...i may have to unsubscribe soonly....

 

[vitauta]

After googling it myself, I still have no clue what it is....

lawd dawg, the earhshake must have addled my brain! i think i need to shut down the computer before i accept a "free" 30 day membership from directbuy....goodnight!

 

[pacanis]

wellll, it seems to mostly have to do with something they are calling digital scrapbooking, (scrapbooking, a real passion of mine - not) but i also was seeing some interesting examples of silhouette photography there. they seem to be design oriented, but i still don't know what they are trying to sell...i may have to unsubscribe soonly....

I didn't Google it. I read it and assumed it was a member's username that doesn't post here anymore

 

[justplainbill]

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?

I mentioned the zipper bag adapter as an alternative to SherryDAmore's reference to the handheld - "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."

Many FS machines come with an accessory vacuum port and 'hose' . This feature, combined with the appropriate accessory, permits evacuation of the ziplok-like reusable zipper bags and dome lided ball jars.

BTW raw meat seems to vacuum pack better if it is first wrapped in saran wrap and frozen before being vacuum packed; otherwise there is a tendency for the meats to release much of their juices if subjected to the vacuum before freezing.

I paid $14.37 for thirty six one gallon zipper bags and $9.58 for three dozen 1 quart zipper bags.

 

[justplainbill]

Likewise, when thawing vacuum packed frozen raw meats, I prefer to release the vacuum prior to thawing because it seems to minimize the creation of a bloody mess.

 

[JMediger]

Pinterest is a site where people share ideas ... Cooking, sewing, crafting, photography, you name it. It looks like a bulletin board, showing just a snapshot and brief description of the idea and you can "pin" the ideas you like for further use or reading. I have found a ton of great cooking and kitchen ideas including packing a weeks worth of lunch salads using my FS and quart jars. They don't sell anything (individual websites that are pinned might) and it should be free to sign up ...?

It wasn't my intention to pitch another site, just wanted to give credit where it was due with the jar idea.

As a side note, we bought the hand held sealer for the canisters, marinater and mason jar sealer simply because dragging out the FS system to use the tube every time didn't seem practical.

 

[vitauta]

Pinterest is a site where people share ideas ... Cooking, sewing, crafting, photography, you name it. It looks like a bulletin board, showing just a snapshot and brief description of the idea and you can "pin" the ideas you like for further use or reading. I have found a ton of great cooking and kitchen ideas including packing a weeks worth of lunch salads using my FS and quart jars. They don't sell anything (individual websites that are pinned might) and it should be free to sign up ...?

It wasn't my intention to pitch another site, just wanted to give credit where it was due with the jar idea.

As a side note, we bought the hand held sealer for the canisters, marinater and mason jar sealer simply because dragging out the FS system to use the tube every time didn't seem practical.

thank you, mediger, for all your helpful ideas, updates, and the clarification of pinterest. no worries, it was my own curiosity that led me to the pinterest site. so far, i was just looking around and don't know yet if it is for me. i probably will spend some more time at the site now that i know it isn't going to be a big ripoff. can't wait to get my fs and start vac 'n wrapping....

 

[Kayelle]

BTW raw meat seems to vacuum pack better if it is first wrapped in saran wrap and frozen before being vacuum packed; otherwise there is a tendency for the meats to release much of their juices if subjected to the vacuum before freezing.

Likewise, when thawing vacuum packed frozen raw meats, I prefer to release the vacuum prior to thawing because it seems to minimize the creation of a bloody mess.

Thanks for that info Bill........now I can put to rest any consideration of me getting a FS. Like I said before, I have good results by wrapping my meat in saran wrap and then placing it in a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag. Hmmmmmm, let's see now, since I just saved myself a ton of money, what other cooking gadget can I covet?

 

[justplainbill]

Thanks for that info Bill........now I can put to rest any consideration of me getting a FS. Like I said before, I have good results by wrapping my meat in saran wrap and then placing it in a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag. Hmmmmmm, let's see now, since I just saved myself a ton of money, what other cooking gadget can I covet?

Yes. but they still make sense for their superior food keeping capabilities if you buy high end meat once every month or so; or like to stock up on sale priced expensive cuts.

 

[Kayelle]

Yes. but they still make sense for their superior food keeping capabilities if you buy high end meat once every month or so; or like to stock up on sale priced expensive cuts.

I don't have a huge freezer so I'm limited to how much I can buy and freeze. Actually I like it that way, as I have to use up what I have on hand before I can buy more. I do like taking advantage of sales, but I suspect those with huge freezers have food get lost in there for years. My girlfriend told me the other day she had a "buy one, get one free" turkey in hers from the turn of the century.

 

[SherryDAmore]

I suspect those with huge freezers have food get lost in there for years

Which was, sadly in fact, true until I started an inventory because...."there's an app for that!" I'm trying to clean it out, but I think I hoard food.

I go downstairs, open the door, and whatever I pull out is what were having tomorrow (after it thaws.)

 

[justplainbill]

Uta, how's your foodsaver adventure going?

 

[pacanis]

Uta, how's your foodsaver adventure going?

Hopefully they will say it "sucks"

 

[vitauta]

Uta, how's your foodsaver adventure going?

well good morning, fin man!

the new fs machine just came in the mail the other day! my adventure is momentarily stalled, though, awaiting supplies. this machine came with no fs wrapping materials at all.i'm not complaining though, the price was very reasonable. with irene blowing through here, my freezer is emptier than usual, so it's an ideal time to restock, and initiate my new fs wrapper. stay tuned....

 

[GB]

I love my new fs. Mine has a marinate feature which my old one did not. This one will suck the air out and hold fir a few minutes then release the vacuum and then cycle over again a few times over ten minutes. I did a test with beef jerky. My recipe calls for marinating the beef for 6 hours. With half my jerky I did it for 6 hours and the other half I used the 10 minute marinate feature. I could not tell the difference in the end product.

 

[vitauta]

I love my new fs. Mine has a marinate feature which my old one did not. This one will suck the air out and hold fir a few minutes then release the vacuum and then cycle over again a few times over ten minutes. I did a test with beef jerky. My recipe calls for marinating the beef for 6 hours. With half my jerky I did it for 6 hours and the other half I used the 10 minute marinate feature. I could not tell the difference in the end product.

good to hear you're happy with your new fs machine. is yours the one they're calling the gamesaver? my new fs is plain black, but easier on the eyes than i had expected. we're still settling in. i need to buy wrapping supplies. and meats....

 

[GB]

I don't know if they call it the gamesaver. This is the one I have.