# Are there any decent resealable bags (e.g., Ziploc)? (Solved!)



## johnmeyer (Dec 23, 2016)

[edit] I eventually found a solution to the problem I describe below. Click ->here<- to go my post, later in this thread, where I describe the solution.

I could make this a long post, by telling you about all the tests I've done, and my correspondence with Ziploc, but here's the bottom line: I have found that *ALL *of my Ziploc and Hefty resealable bags leak -- _badly_. This is true of brand new bags, taken out of a box that was just opened.

I kept wondering why I was getting freezer burn on everything put into Ziploc bags, and why I would go to my fridge to take some food out of a Ziploc or Hefty bag from which I had removed all the air (using my Foodsaver canning attachment attached to a straw inserted into an almost-closed bag), only to find that they were filled with air even though the seal had no breaks or bubbles in it.

To find out what was going on, I filled new Ziploc and Hefty bags with air. They were straight out of a freshly-opened box. I then sealed them (making _very _sure I had sealed them correctly), and then put them underwater in a sink, just like you do when looking for a leak in a bicycle tire.

Every single one of them streamed bubbles from each end of their interlocking seals.

OK, so these companies have developed quality problems. No big deal, I'll find a better product. However, after trying to research on the Internet, and after looking at Uline and other places that sell commercial-grade bags, I'm no closer to finding a solution to this problem. I can, of course, use my Foodsaver and get a perfect seal, and also get the advantages of the marvelous plastic they use which doesn't let any odor out, or oxygen back in. However, for constantly opening and closing a juicy eight pound ham (which is what got me started on this), a well-sealed Ziploc is a lot easier.

*So, does anyone have any recommendations to replace Ziploc and Hefty bags *which are no longer manufactured to the standards they used to be?

[edit] Here's a link to an Amazon review I wrote earlier today. I'm providing the link because at the top of the review is a video which visually shows the problem I've described here. I did the test with a brand-new Ziploc bag:

Ziploc Bag Review


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## uncle eddie (Dec 24, 2016)

I switched to turkey oven bags with twist ties.  They leak too...but I expect it.  Because of this I always make sure the leaky part is in a position where it does not have the opportunity to leak.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 24, 2016)

I can certainly get a bag that doesn't leak liquid simply by doing what you're suggesting: tie a not in the open end of the bag. However, I was looking for something that is truly air-tight, that won't let air leak back into the bag, something which accelerates the aging of the food in the fridge, and contributes to freezer burn when the food is frozen.


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## smokesontuesday (Dec 24, 2016)

Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.


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## chopsaw (Dec 24, 2016)

I buy the cheap zip lock type of bag , in the gallon size for short term freezer storage . I think a box of 12 is $1.50 . However I wrap the contents in plastic wrap then into the bag . Stuff I use weekly / common use . Long term is vac'ed . 

I read a post on here about folding the sealed edge down before adding to the bag , so as not to "mess up " the zipper . Common practice for me now . So simple , but great idea .


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## noboundaries (Dec 25, 2016)

I use the hand held FoodSaver vacuum sealer.  It uses bags that are similar to Ziplock, but they have a special valve and seal great.  We use them for just about everything.  Best place to buy the bags is Bed Bath and Beyond.  They are pricey compared to a Costco sized box of Ziplock bags, but we wash them and reuse them.  We can get anywhere from 2 to 10 washes out of each bag.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 25, 2016)

SmokesOnTuesday said:


> Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.


As I said in my original post, I own a Foodsaver (vacuum packager). It is definitely a lot better than any Ziploc or Hefty bag, not only because the vacuum and seal, but because of the infinitely better plastic they use. However, for something like my holiday ham, it is a real pain to try to re-seal because of all of the juice that comes out of a ham. Also, it takes a long time to do the sealing, something I don't mind for long-term storage, but not for something that I will open and close a dozen or more times over the course of the next two weeks.


chopsaw said:


> I buy the cheap zip lock type of bag , in the gallon size for short term freezer storage . I think a box of 12 is $1.50 . However I wrap the contents in plastic wrap then into the bag . Stuff I use weekly / common use . Long term is vac'ed .
> 
> I read a post on here about folding the sealed edge down before adding to the bag , so as not to "mess up " the zipper . Common practice for me now . So simple , but great idea .


Yes, I too sometimes do the "double-wrap" method of first wrapping in aluminum foil, and then putting that into the bag. That's what I'm doing now in order to get some utility out of these lousy bags.

I'm not sure what you mean about folding the sealed edge down, but if I can get better results by improving my technique, I'll do it.


Noboundaries said:


> I use the hand held FoodSaver vacuum sealer.  It uses bags that are similar to Ziplock, but they have a special valve and seal great.  We use them for just about everything.  Best place to buy the bags is Bed Bath and Beyond.  They are pricey compared to a Costco sized box of Ziplock bags, but we wash them and reuse them.  We can get anywhere from 2 to 10 washes out of each bag.


Now that's an interesting idea. I wonder if my Foodsaver can use those bags (I bought my Foodsaver at least fifteen years ago). I'll look into that as soon as I post this.

Thanks to everyone for your help and your excellent answers


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## chopsaw (Dec 25, 2016)

picture the bag as you are going to fill it . Take the open end and fold it outward and down so that when you fill nothing comes in contact with the sealing surface . I got the idea from someone on here .


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 25, 2016)

Yup in Bear's Canadian bacon he does this when using cure when putting in refrigerator to cure. Look at this post and it will show you that move. It does keep the seal area clean to prevent leaking.

Warren


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## johnmeyer (Dec 25, 2016)

Quote:


chopsaw said:


> picture the bag as you are going to fill it . Take the open end and fold it outward and down so that when you fill nothing comes in contact with the sealing surface . I got the idea from someone on here .


Oh, I see what you mean. Wow, why didn't I think of that before?

Thanks!

BTW, I've looked into the Foodsaver resealable bags, and that looks very interesting. I'm exploring where I can get them, along with the adapter I need so I can use my Foodsaver to do the sealing.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 26, 2016)

Another good trick when dealing food in the vac packer is to freeze them first, then vac pack them. They don't have to be fully frozen. Just enough to form them up. Place ion wax paper on a sheet pan place in freezer. 4-8 hours is usually enough. 

We do this for soft foods too like burgers (we grind and form our own), fish, etc. formsoups, chili, stew place in vac bag place in freezer. Once hard take out and vac pack.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 26, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Another good trick when dealing food in the vac packer is to freeze them first, then vac pack them. They don't have to be fully frozen. Just enough to form them up. Place ion wax paper on a sheet pan place in freezer. 4-8 hours is usually enough.
> 
> We do this for soft foods too like burgers (we grind and form our own), fish, etc. formsoups, chili, stew place in vac bag place in freezer. Once hard take out and vac pack.


Yes, I always do that with juicy food. However, it is useless for food that I want to access multiple times, like a ham, and also for items that I don't want to freeze, which includes pretty much anything that will not be used in its entirety after thawing. As you know, you never want to re-freeze most items because of the big quality loss. Cook's Illustrated just did a test on this, just to make sure it wasn't an old wive's tale, and found that every person on the tasting panel could tell the difference between meat frozen once and meat frozen twice.

Back to the main issue: re-sealable bags. The need for them just isn't just for items that are juicy, but which you don't want to freeze, but also dry items that you want to access multiple times, like nuts.

Of course cannisters can help for some of these tasks. I do have a huge collection of cannisters and canning jars (I have the canning attachment for my Foodsaver) and I use those for small juicy items. This works really well for soups where I want to save several quarts of soup, but only heat up one serving at a time.

When the stores open up tomorrow I'll try to find some of the resealable vacuum bags that were suggested a few days ago. I've read the reviews of those bags and they sound quite promising.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 26, 2016)

I guess I miss read your post.  in your original
Post you were complaint about freezer burn and using Ziplocks.  

For reusable bags I have been using the zipper vac bags that Lisa has at Vac dealer unlimited. They come in pint and quart size bags. Add whatever you want vac pack, seal. Freeze if you want. Remove from freezer, open the zipper end. Use what you want zip back up and place back into fridge.


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## stainless (Dec 26, 2016)

I bought a vacmaster vp215 earlier in the year.  I've bagged fresh catfish fillets, five deer, bbq sauce and multiple other items.  Wet or dry, it doesn't matter  They have several bag options.  I bought the resealable bags and the heavier 5 mil for pokey type foods.  The bags are cheaper in the long run and the ease of using it goes a long way.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 26, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> I guess I miss read your post. in your original
> Post you were complaint about freezer burn and using Ziplocks.
> 
> For reusable bags I have been using the zipper vac bags that Lisa has at Vac dealer unlimited. They come in pint and quart size bags. Add whatever you want vac pack, seal. Freeze if you want. Remove from freezer, open the zipper end. Use what you want zip back up and place back into fridge.


Oh gosh, I forgot about Lisa's business. I'll search the forum to find the link to her site. That's a great idea.


Stainless said:


> I bought a vacmaster vp215 earlier in the year.  I've bagged fresh catfish fillets, five deer, bbq sauce and multiple other items.  Wet or dry, it doesn't matter  They have several bag options.  I bought the resealable bags and the heavier 5 mil for pokey type foods.  The bags are cheaper in the long run and the ease of using it goes a long way.


I just looked that up on Amazon. Wow, that is a major-league vacuum machine! It reminds me a little bit of plastic vacu-forming machines. That is most definitely beyond what I can do at this point. Looks like it would be amazing.


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## dward51 (Dec 26, 2016)

x4 or is it x5 on vacuum packing anything that goes in the freezer.  If you don't have a vacuum sealer, I seem to recall Sam's Club will have a Foodsaver model on sale this week through new years. 

I've also started buying the pre-cut bags from Webstaurant Store that are made by Ary for their Vacmaster line.  3 ply, 3mil thick, boilable polyethylene and nylon and the heaviest bags I've found so far.  The pre-cut come in 50 bag batches and the price is very reasonable.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 29, 2016)

Update ...

I ordered some bags from Lisa. Her resealable bags are open on one end so you can seal them at that end, just like you would a regular Foodaver roll bag. However, I did that, blew up the bag, and then sealed it at the "ziploc" side. Unfortunately, it too failed the leakage test. Like the Hefty and Ziploc bags, it let air escape from the edges of the seal.

I keep thinking that perhaps this could be cockpit error, but how hard can it be to get the channel in an interlocking plastic bag to seal? This is especially true of the Hefty bag which uses a "zipper-style" slider to seal the bag.

So, I have no confirmed that three different brands of bags all leak at the edge of the seal, making them unsuitable for anything that requires that the air be kept out (i.e., pretty much ANY food storage!!!).

My next step is going to be to use a little Super Glue in the corners of the bag. My idea is to do this a day before I need to use the bag and then, when I actually fill the bag and then seal it, I'll try not to tear open the glue joint. Super Glue is supposed to be pretty safe stuff (it is used in surgery to close wounds), so I am not worried about contaminating my food.

I'm still amazed that there is so little discussion on the Internet about this total lack of quality. One reason may be that most tests I've read concentrate on whether the bag leaks any liquid contained inside the bag. That test is 100x easier because of the viscosity of water compared to air.

Back to Lisa B's bags: while they failed the leakage test, they are still going to be far more useful than the Hefty or Ziploc bags because once the bag has been resealed, using the zipper lock, you can then use the Foodsaver heat seal on the plastic outside the lock. You have to see the bags to fully understand, but this works because there is almost 1.5 inches of plastic beyond the zipper, and it is made of the same material as the bag, and therefore can be heat sealed. So, I can get the advantage of using the zipper, the biggest of which is the ability to seal a bag full of something really juicy that would foul the vacuum sealer by getting sucked in, and yet get the ability to lock out air by sealing the plastic outside the seal _*after *_the seal has been closed.


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## smokesontuesday (Dec 30, 2016)

I've never had this issue with zippered bags, no matter the brand. I'm not sure what you're doing differently than I am but pictures would be helpful probably.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 30, 2016)

Quote:


SmokesOnTuesday said:


> I've never had this issue with zippered bags, no matter the brand. I'm not sure what you're doing differently than I am but pictures would be helpful probably.


As for pictures, I did post a link to my Amazon review which includes a 10-second video that shows precisely what I am talking about

My Amazon Ziploc Bag Review

BTW, I just tried putting some Superglue (a special version for plastic) in the corner of the bag. I then sealed the bag, let it stand for an hour, and then blew it up with air, re-sealed it, and did my underwater dunk test.

It worked!

So, I do have a workaround, although it will be a pain to do each time.

BTW, I think the reason more people don't have this problem is that they've never tried this test.


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## stainless (Dec 30, 2016)

I have the same bags that you're talking about. I put a paper towel in it to create space and sealed it. I cut the top off and the only way I could get any air bubbles was by squeezing the bag pretty good. It didn't leak any when just holding it under water.








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## uncle eddie (Jan 8, 2017)

I have been buying Great Value gallon resealable bags to make my jerky in when using a marinade.  I just made a batch tonight and turned it upside down for a minute and a small drop of marinade (soy sauce based) did appear...but it sure looked to be an acceptable test to me for a resealable bag with a slider opener/closer.


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## johnmeyer (Jan 9, 2017)

Uncle Eddie said:


> I have been buying Great Value gallon resealable bags to make my jerky in when using a marinade.  I just made a batch tonight and turned it upside down for a minute and a small drop of marinade (soy sauce based) did appear...but it sure looked to be an acceptable test to me for a resealable bag with a slider opener/closer.


I guess the definition of "acceptable" depends on what you are doing. For a marinade, all you need is to have the bag contain the liquid, more or less. If a little drips out, it won't affect anything.

By contrast, for food storage, where you don't want freezer burn or, for the fridge, you want to keep the food fresh for as long as possible, keeping every last bit of air out is *mandatory*. If the bag lets air seep in, as these Ziploc and Hefty bags do, then you are going to have both of these problems and your food will spoil quickly.

I just received the resealable locking bags from Foodsaver. Their vacuum bags on a roll are several steps beyond anything you can get from Ziploc and Hefty and I hope these will be of similar quality. The Foodsaver bags have a vacuum valve on the face of the bag in addition to the normal Ziploc-style locking mechanism. I also purchased the little battery operated vacuum sealer that goes with these bags, even though I have a full-sized Foodsaver sealer (I couldn't find an adapter for my old unit that would work with these bags).

The bags arrive on Friday, and the little vacuum unit is supposed to arrive today. After I've tried them out for a few days, I'll report back.

Ziploc's parent company has sent me several coupons so that I can purchase replacements for my "defective" bags. (I put that word in quotes because I suspect the problem is a design flaw rather than a manufacturing defect). I'll also report back as to whether the brand new bags work any better than the ones now in my pantry that have caused all these problems.


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## gr0uch0 (Jan 9, 2017)

I've never had good luck with any of the name brands:  leak, tear on the seams, etc.  Best results I've had are with Wally's Great Value bags that have the double seal, not the zippers.  They seem thicker than the others, and haven't had a problem with the seals leaking.  Only thing that I have had issues with are when I've brought bagged frozen liquids out of the freezer to thaw:  sometimes they do leak a little, but a well-placed bowl/lipped plate underneath solves that issue.  They're cheap enough that I don't want to run the risk of trying to clean them well enough and compromise their integrity.  My $0.02.


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## Bearcarver (Jan 9, 2017)

SmokesOnTuesday said:


> Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.


Exactly---- I freeze everything in Vacuum Packed bags.

Then when I thaw a pack out, I usually put it in a container with a lid until it's gone.

Or if it's something like Ring Bologna or Dried Beef, I just fold the open end down to the meat & put a Rubber band around it. Then into the fridge.

Any more, I only use ZipLocks for curing things (Bacon, Dried Beef, BBB, CB, etc)

Bear


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## johnmeyer (Jan 9, 2017)

I found a solution!

After trying Ziploc, Hefty, and Lisa's bags (which, BTW, provide a partial solution and are very good), I found a complete solution: Foodsaver resealable bags. Even if you don't use the vacuum feature, they can be used just like ordinary resealable Ziploc or Hefty bags with the difference being that these actually seal and completely hold out air. I did buy the little battery-operated vacuum device, and it is a joy to use.

So, I have completely solved my problem and thought I'd post this in case anyone else has the same problem.


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## johnmeyer (Feb 13, 2017)

Quick update on the Foodsaver bags. The quart size work great, but I got a set of gallon bags that all appear to be defective. None of them will hold a vacuum. I contacted Foodsaver several days ago and no one is returning my inquiry. So I have to back off on my recommendation to go with Foodsaver until I figure out why every gallon bag fails and every quart bag works perfectly.


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## johnmeyer (Feb 22, 2017)

Actually, even the quart Foodsaver zipper bags fail. It is a known problem. Read the first of 1,000+ Amazon reviews and you will see that even the positive ones talk about the high failure rate:

Foodsaver Zipper Bags Reviews


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## stainless (Feb 22, 2017)

Sorry.. I've been meaning to ask this but have held back..  Are you hiding weed in these bags or something? lol j/k


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## johnmeyer (Feb 22, 2017)

Stainless said:


> Sorry.. I've been meaning to ask this but have held back..  Are you hiding weed in these bags or something? lol j/k


1. If I were to do that, I'd use a Baggie not a Ziploc, since Baggies are the "official" weed bag.

2. I live in California, so if I were to be putting weed in these, I no longer have to hide it because, in their infinite wisdom, the voters in our state legalized it four months ago.

3. And no, just so I don't create any confusion, I don't use them for weed.

Mushrooms, yes; weed, no.

OK, that's a joke.

Better stop now ...


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## geezer (Feb 25, 2017)

SmokesOnTuesday said:


> Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.


This! ^^^^^^^


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## johnmeyer (Feb 25, 2017)

> SmokesOnTuesday said:
> 
> 
> > Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.
> ...


Well, as I said in my original post, and as I also said when I replied to SmokesOnTuesday, _I already own a Foodsaver vacuum system. _The point of wanting to use resealable bags is for things like whole wheat flour, which doesn't keep that well, and which I don't use that often. I want to extend its life, and then re-vacuum the flour without constantly making the plastic vacuum bag shorter, which is what happens if you cut it open and then re-seal it.

Foodsaver is sending me a new set of quart and gallon bags. This whole exercise has been a very useful way to find out the difference in quality between different plastic bag storage systems.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 25, 2017)

johnmeyer said:


> Well, as I said in my original post, and as I also said when I replied to SmokesOnTuesday, _I already own a Foodsaver vacuum system._ The point of wanting to use resealable bags is for things like whole wheat flour, which doesn't keep that well, and which I don't use that often. I want to extend its life, and then re-vacuum the flour without constantly making the plastic vacuum bag shorter, which is what happens if you cut it open and then re-seal it.
> 
> Foodsaver is sending me a new set of quart and gallon bags. This whole exercise has been a very useful way to find out the difference in quality between different plastic bag storage systems.



Why not use the vacuum canisters for your whole wheat flour. That is what we use and it works great. Dry goods in vacuum canisters is the best way to store them.


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## johnmeyer (Feb 25, 2017)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Why not use the vacuum canisters for your whole wheat flour. That is what we use and it works great. Dry goods in vacuum canisters is the best way to store them.


I have a lot of canisters, as well as various-sized canning jars. We save a lot of stuff in them. However, I only have a few canisters that would be big enough to hold a 5-pound bag of flour. The big ones are expensive, and they take up a lot more space than just the bag. I need to store some of these things in a drawer that is really crowded.

Also, I need to have a LOT of storage bags or canisters because I try to keep a bag of both all-purpose and bread flour in the pantry; masa harina for the Mexican dishes; whole wheat flour; bread flour that is opened; and more. I need to store at least ten different things, which would be a lot of canisters. Also, as good as canisters are, the vacuum bags do a better job of preserving things, or at least that is what I have found. I don't know how many molecules of oxygen are left in a canister, but my sense of things is that there are far fewer molecules left in a properly evacuated and sealed bag.

BTW, if you use canisters, and if you have a Sodastream carbonation device, one trick I came up with, which works _amazingly well, _is to fill the canister with your food, and then squirt a little carbon dioxide from the Sodastream into the canister. If you do a little research, you'll find that a lot of produce companies use CO2 (as well as nitrogen) to extend the life of their product. I have used this for strawberries, and the results are absolutely amazing. I can keep them for several days with only a minimal loss of product quality. Strawberries are among the most perishable of foods. For strawberries, I simply add the CO2, and then evacuate the canister for less than one second, just enough to keep the lid on, but not enough to disrupt the strawberry's cell structure (i.e., not a full-blown vacuum). I've done this with lots of other things, and it often works better than creating a vacuum.

I haven't come up with anything for storing bananas for any length of time.

I also have purchased the oxygen depletion packets, but don't yet have mylar bags. I know a few survivalists, and they use the combination of dehydration, vacuum, gas, mylar, and oxygen depletion packets to store their stuff for years at a time.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 25, 2017)

johnmeyer said:


> I have a lot of canisters, as well as various-sized canning jars. We save a lot of stuff in them. However, I only have a few canisters that would be big enough to hold a 5-pound bag of flour. The big ones are expensive, and they take up a lot more space than just the bag. I need to store some of these things in a drawer that is really crowded.
> 
> Also, I need to have a LOT of storage bags or canisters because I try to keep a bag of both all-purpose and bread flour in the pantry; masa harina for the Mexican dishes; whole wheat flour; bread flour that is opened; and more. I need to store at least ten different things, which would be a lot of canisters. Also, as good as canisters are, the vacuum bags do a better job of preserving things, or at least that is what I have found. I don't know how many molecules of oxygen are left in a canister, but my sense of things is that there are far fewer molecules left in a properly evacuated and sealed bag.
> 
> ...



So if the concern is spoilage and you don't have room to store even vac packed dry goods, is a 5 pound cheaper purchase better than buying smaller quantities and using them before they go bad? 

In the end if you buy larger quantities and don't use them, you end up paying more.


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## dward51 (Feb 25, 2017)

So what about the wide mouth jars?  A set of 6 of the 64 ounce (half gallon size) is only $20 on amazon.   If you don't have a foodsaver wide mouth jar adapter, its only another $10 on Amazon (and they also make a standard jar size).  Ace Hardware has them for $12.99 for 6 and free shipping to a local store (if you have one).  Amazon will ship for free from the vendor linked below. Those would be the ultimate in reusable containers for dry goods.  I use the smaller jars for spices and have both the wide mouth and regular jar adapters for my foodsaver.


Not my jars, but you get the idea.













img_1594.JPG



__ dward51
__ Feb 25, 2017


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## johnmeyer (Feb 26, 2017)

I do purchase really small amounts of whole wheat flour and masa harina, but I still sometimes don't get through it very fast. Whole wheat flour is really delicate and goes "off" pretty quickly.

I have a huge range of wide-mouth canning jars, including some 4-oz jars. I didn't know about half-gallon jars. I definitely need to look into getting some.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 26, 2017)

johnmeyer said:


> I do purchase really small amounts of whole wheat flour and masa harina, but I still sometimes don't get through it very fast. Whole wheat flour is really delicate and goes "off" pretty quickly.
> 
> I have a huge range of wide-mouth canning jars, including some 4-oz jars. I didn't know about half-gallon jars. I definitely need to look into getting some.



Okay I'm confused above you say you buy in 5 pound quantities and canisters won't work. Now you say you buy in small quantities and jars would be fine. 

If that's the case you can buy vacuum lids for wide mouth jars.


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## johnmeyer (Feb 26, 2017)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Okay I'm confused above you say you buy in 5 pound quantities and canisters won't work. Now you say you buy in small quantities and jars would be fine.
> 
> If that's the case you can buy vacuum lids for wide mouth jars.


Nothing to be confused about: I keep a lot of stuff on hand, and I buy in different sizes depending on the cost and on my likely usage. The whole wheat flour is a two pound bag; the all-purpose is five pounds, as is the bread flour. I also have cornmeal as well as masa harina.

I won't keep going, but the point is that I store a LOT of food. We've been down to just the two of us for many years now, and I still try to cook the same meals, as if the kids were still home. This creates a lot of leftovers. With vacuum packaging we have "second helpings instead of leftovers" (that is Foodsaver's tagline), but I still have to store things on shelves, in the fridge, and in the freezer, and space is not infinite.

As I've already stated three times, I have owned a Foodsaver vacuum system since the late 1990s, including the canning jar attachment, and have a range of canning jars from little 4 oz. jars that I didn't even know existed until two months ago, on up to the one quart jars. I have a lifetime supply of lids (I reuse them dozens of times and seldom have to replace them.) I also now own the hand-held Foodsaver vacuum device which is remarkably strong and very useful.

To repeat something I said above, but which may have gotten lost, the vacuum bags do a better job preserving things because they get more air out. With a canister, the food just sits there, with the depleted air all around it (there is still lots of air), whereas a bag shrinks and conforms to the food, so there is literally no air in contact with most of the food. The only way a canister can perform as well is if you first fill it with inert gas and then evacuate it. That is what I've been doing with my Sodastream by introducing CO2 into the canister. It works really well, and I have used this trick with my flour and Ziploc bags until I found out that Ziploc bags are complete garbage because none of them hold their seal.

It was that discovery that sent me on this quest and prompted me to start this thread. Thus, this thread is not just about vacuum packaging and vacuum bags and canisters, but about finding a resealable bag that actually is capable of no leaking air. What I have found is that Ziploc bags all fail; my one set of Hefty bags fail; and the vacuum port on the Foodsaver bags fail on about half of them (something that Amazon reviewers have noted, so it is more than a few defective lots).

Also, just to repeat one other thing from my initial post: the other reason I got started on this search for better resealable bags (not vacuum bags; just regular zipper bags) was my desire to come up with a solution for the eight pound spiral-cut ham that someone gave me. If you've ever had one of these things, it is way too large for any cannister, and you don't want to chop it up in little pieces because part of the allure of the product is the spiral cutting, and the ability to just tear off a piece and use it. The way I've always dealt with spiral hams is to wrap them in aluminum foil and then un-wrap and re-wrap every time I want to use it. Unfortunately the darn things gets really messy, and the aluminum foil -- even the heavy-duty stuff -- gets brittle and quickly develops holes. I've been using a 2.5 gallon Hefty bag, and it at least keeps the juices from running all over the place, but it doesn't preserve anything.


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## johnmeyer (Mar 5, 2017)

Two updates.

1. Foodsaver sent replacement bags for what clearly was a defective set. The first bag from the new set works exactly like it should. This is encouraging. I am really hopeful that these will work because they appear to be _much _better made than the lousy Ziploc and Hefty bags, *all *of which fail.

2. America's Test Kitchen tested vacuum sealing systems, and I was intrigued by one of their winners, a valve-bag by Waring -- similar to the Ziploc and Foodsaver valve bags -- but even higher quality than the Foodsaver, and way beyond the Ziploc. I found out that, unlike Foodsaver, which will still be my "go-to" bag if they prove to be relieable, these are available not only in quart and gallon size, but also 2-gallon size. I just ordered some 2-gallong bags and will post my impressions after I've played with them for awhile. Here's a link to the bags:

Waring Commercial 25 Count Vacuum seal bag with Valve, 2-Gallon, Clear

They are incredibly expensive, but since they are resealable, I plan to use these mostly for items where I will be opening and closing the bag many times, like all my seldom-used pantry items, like whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, etc.

Every time I think I've found the most upscale re-sealable bag, I end up finding something even better.

The quest isn't over yet.


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## dward51 (Mar 5, 2017)

2 gallon Waring bags are $10 cheaper at the Webstrauantstore.com.  They also have the gallon and quart sizes available

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/14281/vacuum-packaging-machine-bags.html?vendor=Waring


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## johnmeyer (Mar 5, 2017)

dward51 said:


> 2 gallon Waring bags are $10 cheaper at the Webstrauantstore.com.  They also have the gallon and quart sizes available
> 
> http://www.webstaurantstore.com/14281/vacuum-packaging-machine-bags.html?vendor=Waring


Yes, they are $29 instead of $39 ... BUT ... their cheapest shipping is $18.14, making them almost $10 _more expensive_ (I have Prime at Amazon, so there are no shipping charges). However, thanks for the link. I plan to spend a little time looking through the store.


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## johnmeyer (Mar 17, 2017)

I finally got the Waring vacuum pump and the conclusion is clear: the Waring bags and vacuum pump are vastly superior to any other resealable bag system out there. The bags are very thick; the pump creates a great vacuum; but most important of all, _*they don't leak.*_

I have reached my destination and the hunt for the holy grail of bags is over.


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