Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

[1chaos52]

Well nh3b's, if you ever need any of that fish vacuum sealed, I am right up the road and it will only cost you a fresh fish or two.

I also have the Foodsaver V2480 and it has been great for storing and marinating. I can't see not having one since I also have a Sam's membership, and I can't quite eat that much in one sitting. I ahve had some liquid get into the vacuum channel, but never really causes an issue for me. Just clean the tray out and you are set to keep going.

 

[mrgrumpy]

I just got a V485. I love it. I found it on Craigslist still in the box, brand new, for $25....

I did, believe this or not, read the instruction manual and watched the video that came with it. It does tell you to either freeze first the liquid juices, soups, etc first then vacuum seal. Meats etc., freeze a couple of hours then vacuum seal. Also for just moist stuff, place a paper towel below the seal line then vacuum and seal.

Lots of great info in the manuals and video...

be sure and also check out their website. There is also info there.

Bill

 

[ba_loko]

Linda and I got the model V2840 for Christmas (for ourselves). It's worked very well. We seem to use it daily and don't know how we got by without it. We haven't invested in the vacuum canisters yet. We don't know how much we'd use them. Probably as much as we use the bags once we get used to it.

 

[erain]

i agree vac packing is the way to go. however foodsaver is not the machine for anyone serious about it. if you have time to pre freeze anything that has moisture in it you will be ok, but if you want a machine that you can use whenever you want, like as soon as you get done cleaning them fish or deboning that deer, then you want a vac-u-pack, i got tired of replacing food savers, granted they have good cust service and will generally replace a unit even if out of warranty for $30.00 (at least they have for me) but it is always an inoppurtune time when it quits. it is the moisture that kills them. with the vac-u-pack you actually run water thru the pump periodically to clean it. all mechanical not electronic. only thing it seems at first to be not as easy to use but it dont take long to get the hang of it. also you can get great deals on food saver bags and even greater deals on non-brand bags on ebay. the cost on a vac-u-pack would compare with a proIII.

 

[mossymo]

erain
I tried Googling the vac-u-pack that posted about and found either home units that were styled, what appeared to be the same as a Food Saver or commercial units that started around $1300. Can you post a link of the style you are talking about?
Thanks in advance !!!

 

[erain]

http://www.profmarket.com/VacuFresh.htm, also query on ebay for more description and off brand bags, also brand name bags but in larger rolls at cheaper price. they may appear to look simalar to foodsaver but there is where the simularity ends, they have a nozzle type port that you slip bag over to suck air out, sounds complicated but eliminates gaskets on both sides. also under the plastic is mechanical or analog parts which after warranty would end you could service yourself if needed. you can indeed get parts for these if you needed them. try getting an internal part from foodsaver, the only thing they will do for you is have you send unit in and pay postage both ways to refurb it. i reccomend going to ebay and searching for vacum packer and reading the add there. this same outfit sells them on ebay. they will not sell them thru retail chains only thru pmg or ebay. foodsaver and vacupack were at one time the same but company split and went sparate ways, needless to say one side went to asia and the other didnt. i did purchase mine on ebay but i had a ton of questions before i bought and great communication thru this pmg outfit convinced me and i have not been disappointed.

 

[1894]

Dang Erain , that sounds good but lots of $$$ too

Saw this on the food saver site ,http://www.jardenstore.com/product.a...pid=5196&cid=0
but wondering if the two stage is the same as the "manual seal " to stop any liquids before they reach the seal ?

Got to get something , just my wife and I , so we could use to vac and freeze a bunch .
Wally world had one (forget which # ) at 125$ but no canisters , and just a couple bags . But if it is a better machine , I've no probs with a few extra $$. Theses are what they have http://www.walmart.com/search/search...uery=foodsaver

 

[bustedluckbarbq]

I got the food saver V2240 for Fathers day... couple boxes of bags and roll of bag stuff..... I sealed a couple things to try it out.... seamed like it will work pretty good... the directions that i actually read said to partially freeze fish or stuff with moisture - like stated earlier.... glad to read some good on it i am tired of sucking on a straw in a "zip-lock" bag.....

 

[seboke]

I'm on my second FoodSaver. Nothing wrong with the first when I bought the second, just newer, cooler features on the secone (bag roll storage and cutter built in, instant seal). I don't stick anything in the freezer in a ziplock anymore! Love my FoodSaver! Not a big fan of the canisters. Never used one as far as I can remember.

 

[erain]

close to same as foodsaver proffessional models, just wont have to replace them. also non of that prefreezing. worried about moisture from fish in pump simply suck water thru an rinse it. sorry foodsaver folks but no comparison. they cost around 290 bucks. i have way more than that invested in the 5 or 6 foodsavers i have boughten in the past 10 years not to mention the inopportune times they have failed. here is a link on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VacUpack-Vac-U-P...QQcmdZViewItem

if you are going to buy or continue using a foodsaver i have a tip though. in the vacum channel roll up a very absorbant paper towel and lay it in the channel to catch any moisture. it is the moisture wich kills foodsavers. if everything were dry there would not be a prob. i cannot prefreeze a whole processed elk or a deer or a hog, not to mention the excess time this takes. when i doing this i need to get it done. so i am not twisting anyones arm but just passing on my expierience with vacum sealers.

 

[1894]

Guess I'll just keep savin my money and use the ziplock in a bowl of water and double bag it then freeze method.

The 100$ + price of the foodsaver would have put a big dent in our budget , thought it would be worth it though. Doesn't make sense to spend that much and have to replace it in a few years though.
Oh well , smaller smokes and short term left overs , We can deal with that

Thanks for the insight

 

[steve s]

Avoid the Food Saver Canisters, they crack after a couple months of use and are then no good as they leak and slowly loose the seal. Very price for two months use. I am on my second Foodsaver and I love it. I wore out the old one after 15 years of use. Now I am divorced and instead of cooking for 4 I cook for 1. Foodsaver to the rescue, I still cook for 4 and vac together meals for a few days and freeze. Bags are cheap when I figure out how much meat I have thrown away over the years for freezer burn. I just ate a venison steak that was three years old and tasted just as good as the day it was froze.

 

[woodentrout]

I have packaged a lot of fish too, and find that a paper towel placed in the bag after the fish works wonders. As the liquid moves toward the machine as the vacuum is being pulled, it hits the paper towel, and that gives the sealer long enough to complete the cycle and get a good seal on the bag. I've not found a downside to this technique. I usually just fold it up and place in the bag against the fish making sure it goes across the entire width of the bag I'm using.

This also works with products that I might be marinating for more than a few hours too.