Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara logo

FoodSaver

If you’ve read my blog much at all, you know I love my FoodSaver.  I use it way more than I ever thought I would.  Earlier this month when making Vince’s cake, I had leftover pecans and coconut and I sealed the bags – the same bags they came in.  How often do you open one of these plastic bags and only use a portion of it.  I am sometimes lazy and twist the top shut and leave it at that or I’ll use a twist tie but even then, it surely isn’t air tight.

Because I love my FoodSaver, and thanks to Foodsaver, I’m going to give away one just like it . . a model 2440.

To be eligible to win, all you have to do is leave me a comment between now and midnight Friday, March 20, and tell me how you think a FoodSaver would be most useful to you. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and will be announced on Saturday, March 21.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I’ve always coveted Mom’s foodsaver – but never knew you could use it to seal up those bits and pieces leftover in their own packaging. How cool is that???? I’d LOVE to win your giveaway and neaten all the wrinkled-y partial packages I have stuffed in the freezer!

  2. I’ve tried the “five minute artisan bread” (love it!!!!!) and I want to try this too! I’m amazed at how many plastic bags my family uses!!!!! It would be great to be able to seal original bags like you did. It would definitely help green the earth! I enjoy cooking, baking, freezing and often cook for my elderly father-in-law. This would get lots of use! Thanks Judy and thanks Foodsaver for the give away! I hope I win!

  3. Sealing the bags things come in! What a great idea. I never thought of that. I’d say that is a good reason right there to use one.

  4. I didn’t know you could seal things in the bags they came in! Now, that is cool. I think it would save me $ which would be great. No more freezer burn. I do a lot of freezing of vegetables in the summer to save money and a Food Saver would come in handy.

  5. My boss has a food saver and when he picks the veggies from his garden he uses the food saver to seal them and has them all year long! It is a wonderful machine. I do not take much of his vegetables that he offers me as they would go bad, but with that product I could freeze them also. Wish me luck..and since I am in Canada I would pay the shipping!!
    Jocey

  6. As a single person, I never use a whole bag of anything when I open it. Then, when I go to use it a second time, the contents are usually stale. What a money-saver this would be for me! And in these difficult economic times, we all need to save all the money we can.

  7. In our house we have three people. We each follow a different diet. That makes alot of leftovers, and alot of zip-top bags and waste. With a Foodsaver, we would save money on zip bags, plastic wrap, and wasted food! Thanks for the chance to win one!

  8. WOW! I think a Foodsaver would change my life by allowing me to keep leftover food/ingredients fresher longer. I usually wind up tossing 1/2 used containers of cheese, etc. because they go bad in the fridge, This would in turn save me alot of money. Plus before my Daddy passed away in 1997 he wanted to get a “Pump N Seal” which was a similar device….hehehe

  9. We seal up our leftovers in mealsize portions then take them camping. All we need is a pot of boiling water and they cook as a boil-n-bag. The water then serves as our dishwater. No muss, no fuss and some VERY happy campers.

    I’d love to win a back-up, I’d be lost without it!

  10. I love that Foodsaver has canisters that you can buy to put things in that you don’t want to be “crushed”, like salad greens, melon chunks, etc. Here in Ohio it is humid enough that brown sugar likes to harden. By putting it in a foodsaver bag, it keeps it soft and useable! The marinating dish that they sell is also great- you put a piece of meat in it add some marinade and then seal the plastic dish. The marinade gets absorbed into the meat in minutes instead of having to do it overnight!

  11. I have always wanted a Foodsaver, but never could justify the initial expense, eventhough I know it would save me money in the long run. Winning one would be great! Thanks for the chance, eventhough I never win 🙂

  12. I would love a foodsaver, I have been wanting one for a while. They have this attachments where you can air tight seal canning jars, which would be so useful to put just about anything in!! It would really help cut down on waste in our fridge!

    Thanks!
    Rachel

  13. I didn’t know you could reseal original bags of things…so that would be a HUGE help here. Also….we go to pick-your-own fruit places in the summer (my favorite is the blueberries) and I’d love to be able to save them in a better manner than I do now. Nothing like using those nice fruits in the middle of winter…..and with the Food Saver, I’m sure it would be even better!!! Nice of you to do this giveaway, Judy!

  14. Summer farmers markets are starting to gear up. Having a food saver would be great to prepare extra for the freezer. Thanks for the contest!

  15. Pretty soon it’ll be time to start picking berries again — a Food Saver would sure be a wonderful thing to have!

  16. I think that being able to seal family packs of meats and anything leftover is a great way to save money in the long run. I think that being able to seal jars is also a good way to preserve partial portions without throwing them out. Great giveaway!

  17. I have always wanted a Food Saver, just never purchased one. Now that we are empty nesters I can see where it would be very beneficial for freezing individual portions. Thanks for this chance!

  18. Being just the two of us now a Food Saver would sure be a great way to only use what I need for 2 of us and reseal the rest instead of it going to waste. Thanks for sharing and as always I really enjoy visiting you every day.

  19. The foodsaver sounds great. I love to to to my local farmers market in the summer and it would be great to be able to have that “summer taste” all next winter..

  20. I think I would use a Foodsaver most often for freezing. Freezer burn makes me crazy. I spend way too much time and effort wrapping each chicken breast in plastic wrap, then into a “zip-lock” bag and then physically sucking the air out of the bag by inserting a straw into the corner as I am sealing it.

  21. Clearly no one’s thought about it’s most important use in addition to the oh so practical uses in the kitchen — you can make your own little quilt kits and seal them all up in their baggie ready to go. A great way to tidy the stash! 🙂

  22. I couldn’t live without my foodsaver………what we use ours most for is anything that goes in the freezer…….in the summer the excess vegetables from the garden get bagged and sealed for later use…….we buy Rib eye steak by the whole rack and slice the steaks ourselves and seal with the foodsaver and no freezer burn…….in fact I could use another one cause the one I have is just about worn out, so please have the number generator pick me!!! Thank you Judy for all you do!!!!

    Karen L

  25. Wow what a wonderful idea and just think how ‘green’ this must be and not having touse extra plastic bags as I currently do to keep things fresh. Would be wonderful to win !!! Sally

  26. A foodsaver would be most useful to me because I am about to start my vegetable garden for the 2nd year and I could surely use it for the extra beans, peas and tomatos which we won’t use right away.

  27. Wow! What a great idea to use the bag the stuff came in!! Didn’t know you could do that. AND I think it’s a great idea to really make things airtight. I think everyone could use one in these tough times. I know we’re tightening our belt since my husband has gone to three days a week. OUCH !! And my job isn’t as busy either. Oh, well…..this too shall pass. But not throwing out leftovers that got shoved to the back of the refrigerator would be nice! Kills me every time I have to throw things out.

    Love the blog. Have a great week! Mary Ellen

  28. My daughter has a food saver and we’ve been contemplating buying one, but just haven’t yet. It would be so cool to win one! And if I don’t win, will probably but one the next time we go to town and go to Costco.

  29. I don’t have to tell you how I would use it. I have one and I use it for all food leftovers and I use the cannisters for nuts that will be eaten within a 2-3 month period. I portion meat/chicken into useable sizes before freezing. I make taco meat and spaghetti sauce with meatballs and divide into dinner portions. Last time I did the meatballs, I think I started with 7.5 pounds of meat. That was a lotta little meatballs! The food lasts for a much longer time in the freezer. There are no ice crystals because there is no air!

    I saw the new upright version demonstrated at Costco. Next time they have a sale on it, I think it will come home with me.

    I sometimes pulse the air out of a bag with the cut up Romaine lettuce. I’ve learned all the buttons on mine.

    By the way, don’t enter me in the giveaway. I don’t need another one like I already have. I’ll shut up now.

    Thanks, Judy.

  30. I am the world’s worst for wasting food. On a loave of bread alone I throw more away than we eat. I have gotten better about freezing left overs but when I go to eat them again lots of times they are freezer burned. A food saver is just the appliance to help in these times of being more accountable for our way of living.

  31. Oh, a Food Saver would be great. Then I wouldn’t have to fill the garbage can every week with stuff that went bad because it wasn’t stored properly. With all the savings, I could buy more fabric! LOL

  32. I’ve started making candies – the food saver would be great to save the extra “melties” and nuts both to avoid going bad and spillage but to especially avoid letting the kids just sneak in and eat them before i can put them into the candies!

  33. We buy meat and other items when they are the cheapest and wrap in individual bags in freezer. Anything that makes that easier is helpful. I would love to win a food saver! I never would have known you could seal just any bag. You are so smart!

  34. Judy — you are so generous to offer such a giveaway. After 23 years I still haven’t mastered cooking for 2. So there are cooked leftovers which go bad, or fresh food which goes bad before I get it cooked. I think a food saver could help me with this and as a result we wouldn’t eat out as much and our food bill would go down.

  35. I used to have a food saver and absolutely loved it. I felt like I saved so much food and therefore, money. It broke five years ago and I have not had the money to replace it. I still have lots of bags left but nothing to use them on. I would love to get one!!! Here’s hoping you pick me.

  36. Oh, I would love to have the Foodsaver. Being retired and just the two of us I always have leftovers and use only part of the bags of frozen veggies. It would be wonderful to win this prize! I looked at them at Walmart but just a little too pricey for my budget.
    Dot in beautiful Northeast GA

  37. I cook for 2, I would use it to divide up meat into 2 servings… Jar up soup mixes with the lid sealer. Come summer with the garden, how simple would it be to do a quick blanch and vacumn seal up portions of veggies… I’ve heard you can do ‘boil in the bag’ also !

    I have a place for this gadget !
    ~~~~K

  38. With the economy like it is we all need to to be reusing and recycling as much as possible. I bet the food saver is a real help with that. I put things in a plastic bag and then wrap in foil to freeze them – seems like a waste to do both but in the long run they last longer that way. A food saver would help with that for sure! blessings, marlene

  39. What a coincidence! I was talking to my daughter on the phone yesterday and someone had given her their Foodsaver but it didn’t have the jar sealer lids with it so she was asking me to keep my eyes out for replacement lids. As I have been surfing around reading about the Foodsaver I was thinking all day about what a good idea this was. I would definitely use it to store grains in sealed jars and stop using twist ties to freeze leftovers from bags of partially used goods that end up in the freezer. I think it would be much better for the elk meat we put in ziplock freezer bags after a sucessful hunt, too.

  40. My freezer is overflowing with stuff. I store many open bags of nuts and other items to keep them fresh. A Foodsaver would be great to help me clean out my freezer and use it for the things I really need to keep frozen and prevent freezer burn when I buy meat in quantity.

    Thanks for offering this up.

  41. Oh Judy… I NEED this FoodSaver!! The garden is going in the ground as we speak (or rather, BLOG) and I KNOW this would be a great addition to my kitchen to help keep my yummy veggies yummy even longer. – Kat

  42. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the FoodSaver. I am afraid mine is dying a slow death but it still works when I hold my mouth just right!! I’d love to win a new one. And how great of FoodSaver to donate one for that.
    I use mine for my cook ahead meals, cheese, fresh veggies, meat, anything I want to keep fresh or freeze.

  43. My husband does alot of canning so I could see where he could use a FoodSaver alot more than I would. But since he doesn’t read your blog (except through hearing about you from me) it will have to be my comment that needs to go in the drawing.

    I had never realized that the FoodSaver could be so versatile, so it was great to read through the previous comments.

  44. After thinking that I was now to be an empty nester, one of my step daughters have moved in with us full time in order to finish highschool and go to the local college. My expenses have gone up and I am the breadwinner currently in our family. I think being able to buy foods in bulk and freezing them would be such a cost savings along with being able to seal preopened packages as well. What a wonderful idea! Thanks for considering me!

  45. Years ago I had a contraption that sealed the bags for freezing but you had to manually squueze as much air as possible out of the bags. What a pain especially if you were freezing sauces, soups or anything that had a liquid content. Last summer we worked at a resort in Alaska and I used a Food Saver for packaging salmon and halibut. Oh my gosh. What a great improvement. It automatically sucked out the air and then sealed it. Months later you cook fish that tastes as fresh as the day you caught it. Makes my mouth water to think about it. So a Food Saver is on my list of “gotta haves”!

  46. Wow – I didn’t know you could reseal in the same bag. My DH likes to keep around various packages of breads, pie crust, french fries, etc in the freezer and they never stay fresh the way he leaves the bags open. This would be a real treat. I used to have one of the first “seal a meal” when my DD was small. She was allergic to so much I had to make up packets to take with us wherever we went that eating was involved. I think we could put this to good use.

  48. As I’m now learning (adjusting) to “emptynesters”, this sounds like a very practical and wonderful way to save leftover portions, etc. I’d love to give it a whirl!!! Thanks!!

  49. OMG U ARE?????

    YOU KNOW how perfect this would be for the B & B yes? I think so too! SO many things I need…. my new industrial kitchen is NOT a well stocked one:( I will hope for the best!
    And,bring it to me with VInce… We can cook a bit! ok…play on the beach a bit too.

  50. Judy

    I have wanted a FoodSaver since I learned that you and CJ Tinkle use them. Just like Deb above I’m single and struggle with portion size. I’d like to be able to buy in bulk and portion out into smaller packages but I hate the freezer burn that almost always occurs when I use freezer bags.

    I’m amazed that the FoodSaver allows you to seal other types of bags as well – that is great to know.

    Thanks for this opportunity.

  51. As empty nesters we seldom use all of anything in one, or even two meals. A food saver would be a great asset for freezing, leftovers, just about anything in the kitchen.
    Karen

  52. I can’t imagine life without my Foodsaver. I try to make at least double batches of most things and freeze one for a day I don’t feel up to cooking. Like you, I use it to seal food in the bags they came in if it’s only going to be a short time before I use the left over. I like to keep onions, green pepper, celery, carrots, etc, chopped and frozen for use in soups and other dishes. I can take out what I need, reseal and never worry about not having those things on hand. I could go on and on………….

  53. Oh this would be perfect for us – we process a lot of our own foods (veggies and meats) and ziploc baggies never seem to do the trick and keep foods fresh. Although I never knew you could reseal the same bags that food came in!
    Kris

  54. Love hearing that original bags can be used. We are empty nesters, so much of which we buy has to be repackaged. A Foodsaver might work for us!

  55. As a single person, it is hard to cook for one and not be eating the same thing for several meals. I’d love to get a food saver. Thanks Judy for running this giveaway..

  56. My sister just bought a food saver and she loves it. I hate when meat gets freezer burn. I not only would like a food saver I need one with being on a limited budget I could buy more meat on sale and fit it into the only freezer I have which is the small on that is the top of my refrig.

    Another use I’m thinking of is sealing up fat quarters bundles that go together to save space on my shelving units so I can organize my stash better.

    Thank you Judy, for thinking of us.

    Quilterbee

  57. I have never used a foodsaver, but have thought about buying one on occasion. I didn’t know you could re-seal the bags food is already in! We just last year bought a freezer, and now I am itching to fill that freezer full!

    Judy, you are such an inspiration (even to this not-so-into-cooking quilter!!)

  58. Judy,
    A ffod saver would be great for me. There’s only my DH and myself in our house, so we don’t usually use a whole bag of anything the first time it is opened. This would keep everything fresher and it would last until we wanted it again.

    It’s great of you to give one away, whether or not it is to me!

  59. Hi Judy

    I never tried sealing things in the bags they came in. I always thought
    the food saver would melt the bags, so I never tried.
    I loved using the food saver when my husband and I went camping years ago.
    I would precook our bacon, peppers & onions and things like that. Then
    when camping I would just boil a pot of water and drop the bag in to heat up the food.
    Clean up was a breeze, I would just bring the bags home to be cleaned.

    Carla in Ma

  60. This has been on my to buy list for a while. It would be very nice to win one!

  61. Wow! I have wanted a foodsaver forever but just couldn’t afford one! With 3 little kids in the house, we have way too many half eaten packages!

  62. WOW!!!!!!!!! I have always wanted one ….we raise a huge garden and raise all our own meat . I also cook in large quantities and like to put things in the freezer to have on hand in case any of our 5 grown children stop by at mealtime…which happens quite often. I was just thinking of you as I was making a gift bag with some chicken fabric and was remembering your blog entries about your dream to have chickens…..we had our own chickens for over 30 years and yes it is hard to get used to the taste of “store-bought” eggs. Thank you for always being so generous on your give-aways.
    I have my fingers crossed.

  63. You have lured me out of lurkdom!! A food saver would be great since there are just 2 of us in the house and I never remember when I bought something and it usually goes bad. Maybe I can be more organized! Or at least toss it in the freezer and not have to worry as much about freezer burn! Thank you for the opportunity to win one!

  64. I shop for our family every month or month and a half. When the groceries get home there are multiple items, especially meat, that needs to be subdivided into smaller portions. Currently we use Ziplog freezer bags, which are fine, but sometimes there is freezer burn. A foodsaver would prevent much of that from happening.

    Thanks for the opportunity to enter for your drawing.

  65. I could use the heck out of one of these. I can’t even begin to tell you all the uses. I used to have one but we wore it out!! LOL.
    Thanks for entering me in your drawing.

  66. Like the other singles commenting, the Foodsaver would help me portion out food without waste. Just today I used half a bag of walnuts in a recipe and now the other half will probably eventually get tossed as it will get stale quickly. Thanks Judy for your generosity.

  67. We buy our meat in bulk and I repackage it and freeze it. Also, I buy veggies in bulk and repackage and freeze them. This food saver would be a wonderful aid in my kitchen, helping me to get things taken care of faster and giving me more quilting time!

  68. I have an older Foodsaver that I have had for about 6 years and I love it. I use it a couple times a week. I was just thinking the other day that I might need to get another one soon as this one is just starting to be a little unreliable. The Foodsaver is great for sealing up smaller portions of meat (we have a family of 3) when you buy a large family pack.

  69. Wow, I never knew you could seal the packages they came in. Now I really want a Foodsaver! I would use it to keep our foods fresher. I hate stale anything!

  70. Our household has gotten smaller, but the best bargins in food are the larger sized containers. Since it needs to be saved and not thrown out, the F.S. would really be a help. But on a fixed income at today’s living costs one is not in the works for me. Winning one would be a blessing. PS.: What a wonderful way to find out just how many people read your blog

  71. I would probably use it for the same reason that you have. Seems like I have a lot of odds and ends that end up with ties on them. Not sure how airtight and fresh they are.

  72. What an unbelieveably generous give a way. I would love to win for all the obvious reasons, but if I don’t thank you in advance for your wonderful blog and generous spirt!

    Pat

    Who is baking bread again because of you……

  73. I could have used the Food Saver this morning! We are going camping this weekend and I have been preparing food all morning. I don’t like cooking in the the 5th wheel, however I do on occasion. I cooked a pork roast and a ham along with corn bread and pinto beans. I called my daughter and son, who are both single, to come by and pick up a portion. I put the extra in freezer bags and “smushed” the air out! The remainder is packed and ready to go. My Daughter and her son will be camping with us on Spring Break. I can hardly wait. This is our first time out this year. Never thought about preparing portions in individual bags for boil in the bag meals. Sorry I am so long winded. I am excited about the trip! Sue

  74. I’ve been looking at a food saver to help with freezing cherries, blueberries and other fruits and vegggies this summer. I didn’t know you could seal regular bags too.

  75. I recently bought a FoodSaver on your recommendation. It has already paid off big time! It is wonderful. I cook alot and like to cook in large batches. Using the FS and sealing/freezing the leftovers for another meal is just wonderful when I don’t feel like cooking. This would sure be handy for my DIL. She would love it!

    Marilyn

  76. Just today I was in the kitchen fighting the cupboard full of plastic leftover containers. Trying in vain to keep it all contained in the cupboard- and the containers were NOT cooperating at all.
    What a great help it would be to have the food saver. No more bulky containers!!!

  77. Great giveaway! Never went the foodsaver way because I thought the bags would eventually be hard to find, but after so many years it seems it still around, so I’ll take the plunge to try one. We use to be a super busy household of 8! ANd food rarely lasted long enough to store, but now we are down to 3 and by the fall just the two of us will be left….and food kind of sits around until it spoils. I’d love to have an airtight system to ffreeze my leftovers for another day without freeze taste added to the mix. I garden some and would like to preserve some of that, and I may venture into a few herbs I’d like to dry and save. I’ll have to read all the things you can do with a food saver…I sure would like to save money this year and throw out less spoiled food.

  78. The foodsaver would be far easier than my current ‘suck out the air’ method. And since we’re having a garden this summer for the first time in many years, I hope to have some excess produce to put up. I’m sure I would put a foodsaver to GOOD use!

  79. I had an older model (read that as an original) that died. The heating element was repaired once by DH. Couldn’t be repaired when it died the second time. I love the Foodsaver equipment and lust after a new model. It is wonderful to go straight from the grocery packaging to individual servings and know it will still be fresh when you take it out of the freezer to use…and salad! Wow. I’ve separated those 3lb sacks of pre-cut mix into 3 smaller bags, sucked most of the air out and then done a quick slide to the sealer only and sealed them. No more brown slime. All that said, I would love another Foodsaver!

  80. I think a food saver would be valuable to me, because I have a new “empty nest” and am finding I have quantities of food items left over that I never used to have!
    This would be a great way for me to preserve the freshness of all those items that don’t get eaten as quickly as they used to!

  81. Oh, Oh, Oh….hand waving wildly! I’ve been wanting a Food Saver for some time now. Just this week I had to throw away steaks we had marinated and frozen. Icky, nasty freezer taste. Do you know how sad I was? I hope my number gets chosen.

  82. Judy, I have always wanted a foodsaver, much to my family’s amusement. I’ve resisted but I think they are more popular than ever now so I definitely still want one. I hope I win yours, but if not, maybe I’ll take the plunge. Tell us more about how you use yours from time to time to help us achieve food storage perfection! LOL Thanks for entering me into the drawing.

    Barb C

  83. Hi Judy! I have been reading your blog as a lurker for about a year now. I have enjoyed your quilting and cooking posts very much. I am sorry that it took a giveaway to get me to leave a comment! I do a once a month shopping trip to Sam’s Club and buy all of my meat for the whole month. When I get home I spend a good hour repackaging everything into meal portions for the whole month. The Foodsaver would be a great way to get that all done. I used to have one but it broke about 3 years ago. It was a great tool.

  84. How generous! I think a food saver would be very helpful in household by helping to seal up those packages that never seem to get sealed up. With 3 teenagers in the house, crackers, cereal, chips, etc. seem to go stale very quickly because of non-sealed bags. We live near the ocean, so things go stale (or should I say soggy) very quickly here.

  85. I would LOVE to win the Foodsaver. I have been saving everything possible for future use since the economic downturn and think it would be a great help. Thanks for the chance to win one.

  86. My daughter owns a Food Saver and they have been using it for years. I’d love to own one too. She buys food in quantity such as meats and divides it up in meal size portions and seals with the Food Saver. Does her big shopping only twice a month–said they save valuable grocery money that way and repackages the food for the freezer. Keeps the meats better as they don’t end up with freezer burned foods. Casseroles are frozen for later quick meals. Son-in-law is a hunter and the venison all gets packaged with the Food Saver. The clear bags quickly identify the contents in the freezer.

  87. We live in a very dusty area & everything, including fabric & thread is pretty much sealed tight. I really could use that food saver!!

  88. Mine is on it’s last legs and I’d love to win a new one. I like your idea of using the same bag.
    Still waiting for your bread recipe…..

  89. It is funny you are posting about this since my Quilty Friend on Saturday told me I need one of these. I have an old old Seal-A-Meal that I abandoned because it was too hard to use. When it worked right I loved sealing up things to take on camping trips. The vacuum sealing of jars on this food saver is amazing and I can see myself using that in just soooo many ways. Thanks for doing this!

  90. Hi Judy! Please count me in! It would be so nice to have one for meat! If I fix an entire package of meat it goes to waste as I’m tired of it after a few meals. I usually freeze half of it, but its never as good as when I first bought it.

  91. Wow, now this has attracted a lot of replies and no wonder. I had never seen a ‘food saver’ until I read your blog, never even heard about one before. I think it is a brilliant way to keep food as fresh as you possibly can and save so much with out all the waste we usually have. I think that everything possible has been said about it in all the other comments so I will just say thanks for sharing all your brilliant ideas. Thanks Judy.

  92. I am thinking about doing Once a Month Cooking and I think a foodsaver system would make it easier to package my foods.

    My husband works in car manufacturing so needless to say times are tough. We are addicted to eating out and have to cut that out. I hope having ready to eat meals in the freezer will make that easier.

    I love your blog and read it daily!

    Tricia

  93. Oh my gosh!! I have toyed with the idea of getting one of these. I know that I would plug the freezer back in and store more in it….. I hate what happens to meat and other things when they’ve been in the freezer too long…… even though I do put them in freezer bags. And think of how you could buy in bulk!!!! Hmmmmm and maybe get hubby to put in a small garden and freeze veggies???? And there is leftovers!!!!!!!! The possiblities are endless!!!!

    Thank you for doing this……. what a great giveaway!

    Hugs,
    Nancy

  94. We buy many things in bulk, like oatmeal. It would be nice to divide it into useable amounts and seal the rest. We also freeze lots or fruit and vegetables in the summer time. Thanks for the chance.

  95. Hi Judy,
    Wow, a foodsaver giveaway. I’m in. I’d use my brand spanking new food saver to close up all the packages that I’ve only used some of. Like the package of figs in my cupboard right now. I used the figs to make cranberry fig muffins but I only needed a few figs, hence the package of opened figs that need to be sealed up. My husband Dan would probably use the foodsaver to seal up my wallet. Silly guy doesn’t realize I’ve memorized my credit card number. ; )

  96. The foodsaver would be a blessing. I live in the woods and have a horrid ant problem. Those little suckers are impossible to eradicate and I just had to throw out several things because they got in the open bag that was closed with my favorite trick… a clothespin. I have such an assortment of jars/bags now. But keeping things in their store bag with the information on it would be priceless.

    Thanks for the chance to win a foodsaver.

    Mary

  97. Judy,
    i love to cook in bulk and freeze for the convenience of a home cooked meal anytime. When i had a foodsaver before, I loved it. Used it for everything, even packing quilt projects to keep everything together Lost it in a kitchen remodel accident and really miss it!

  98. My mom is elderly and unable to cook for herself. We bring her meals to her but she washes the containers we bring them in. Meals packaged and sealed would mean no clean up for her! And that would be a great thing!

  99. Well, I think a FoodSaver would be perfect for me and my DH…there’s only 2 of us. And we only do our marketing once every 8 weeks! Yes, 8 weeks. It’s a lifelong practice for us – one that has saved us tons of money over the last 36 years since we don’t go to the market each week and take a chance on spending extra money on all those impulse items. And since there are only 2 of us, most items come packaged for larger families….it sure would save a lot of waste to be able to reseal those packages. PICK ME, please!!!!!

  100. Wow. I would find it helpful the same way you do. Resealing prepackaged, seldom used items to keep them fresh. I look at the foodsaver but haven’t taken the leap yet.

  101. Wow—there are sure a lot of us who would like a foodsaver!!!! I would like one and would use it to make food ahead, freeze and then heat up to allow me more time to quilt. In addition to that, as one blogger has already commented—-I (like you) could reseal bags and not waste–ever open and then try to reseal brown sugar?

    Hope I win (for once)!

    Patricia (patricia-myquiltingadventure.blogspot.com)

  102. gosh what a nice giveaway. I think a foodsaver would help me to keep cheeses from going bad so quickly. It’s just me and hubby and we can’t eat it that fast. Also if there’s a way to seal up crackers, that is another thing that gets stale way too fast.

  103. I never win anything, but this is worth a try anyways… I’d love to win a foodsaver! I’ve read about you using it and thought it would be great to have one (there’s just two of us and always leftovers that the hubby grumbles over eating so soon a second time), but then I saw how pricey they were and decided the hubby would just have to get over the leftovers. How fantastic of you to give one away! As if all the free patterns and inspiration weren’t enough. Thank you!

  104. Oh my gosh, it would make my DH, Dan so very happy to have a new one. He has gone through at least 2 or maybe 3, and he was just saying the other day that he thinks we need a new one because the one we have isn’t sealing all the time. He probably uses it at least every other day….can you tell that: I quilt, He cooks?

  105. OH, I need one of those!!! I hate the freezer ice on my precious strawberries from my flowerbed garden… This post got a few extra comments, huh??? OK, I’m back to quilting…

  106. Goodness, we would be able to buy meat in bulk when it is on sale and divide up smaller packages without fear of freezer burn. I didn’t realize you could re-seal bags with this… Put my name in the hat! Thanks Judy, for this giveaway opportunity!

  107. I so much would love to have one. Living here in Hawaii, things are expensive of course. But when you have to buy smaller packaging so things won’t go bad fast (due to the humidity and sea air). With a food saver I can go to places like costco or sams and buy in bulk and not fear that the food will be wasted.

  108. I love the idea of using a Food Saver. It could be used to put up the vegetables from our new vegetable garden that we started. The vegetables would last longer in the freezer without freezer burn. Thanks for the drawing. Terry

  109. I think I would use it to package bulk meats into meal sized portions–or the leftovers that I want to freeze into single portions. Or…since we don’t use much cereal, I guess resealing the package would be an excellent use in this house. Thanks for the chance to win!

  110. I just got through opening up my lIMBURGER Cheese, I wish I had one of those Food Savers to contain the smell!! Put my name in the hat please, Judy.

  111. I am forever buying in bulk at Sam’s Club, plus I grow a HUGE garden..this would definitely get used in my kitchen!

  112. Hmmm, I’ve never though about having one of those before, but I think it would come in really handy as I almost always make enough at a meal for leftovers so I can take them to work. And I didn’t know you could reseal original packages.

    Nice giveaway, Judy!

  113. How would it be useful to me? We wouldn’t have needed to toss out dinner last night! For some reason I have a maggot problem in this apartment. I’m pretty good about staying on top of it, checking the cupboards, spraying bleach, etc. But somehow I missed one protein-fortified box of pasta that got contaminated… and we didn’t find out until after we poured it into the pot of boiling water. Then all the pasta got tossed, even though I didn’t see any in the non-protein boxes and we ended up eating out.

    Not to mention it’d be great for preventing freezer burn or portion control.

  114. I would love a food saver!
    I live on a boat and things are always getting stale. This would help a lot!!

    Pick my number!

    Bonita

  115. Having a foodsaver would do just that — save food! I would help with chips, nuts, brown sugar, fruit — anything! Love your web site!

  116. I would love to win the Foodsaver. I would use it to utilize buying things in bigger quantities. Currently thing go bad before I can use them up. BTW, I love your blog and read it daily. I love your stories about your family and your reflections on life in general. Of course I love the quilty stuff also. I am trying to talk my husband into purchasing a long arm now rather than later. Why does he think we need a living room? LOL…

  117. I sure could use it. Alot of our food has freezer burn or caked with ice …. bummer. Please throw me into the pot. I cook for 7 most days.

  119. Wow, what a great giveaway. We grow lots of vegies in the summer and freeze them. I use good quality freezer bags and yet still get some freezer burn. I also buy a lot of foods in bulk and freeze or store them. A food saver would really help to keep these items fresher longer. I have a friend who has a similar item and she loves it.

  120. Hi Judy,
    I have toyed with getting a food saver for a long time, but never have done it. Due to health problems, I make everything from scratch all the time and think a food saver might come in handy. Wish me good luck!
    Sheila

  121. What a wonderful giveaway! I bought the book “Artisan bread in 5 min” that you recommended… and I love it! I have drooled over the Food Saver over at Costco many times but I haven’t bought one yet… so maybe I’ll be lucky and win one first her ;-)) Good luck to everybody! And thank you for being so generous.

  122. Actually, because there are now two of us, empty nesters, it is still hard to cook for just us. We freeze a lot and try to save it to take to our children who are out of state, when we visit, but the limited space with the containers sometimes forces us not to save it. So we have it a second or maybe third night in a row. I do think this is a gracious offer even if I don’t win. Thanks

  123. I might as well throw my name in the hat also. Have always wanted to try one but was too cheap. You know when the kids were at home- you could’t find famil sized portions and now when there are just two of us, you can’t find stuff for just two people! Didn’t know you could reseal the original bags also- that can cut down on expenses of using all of the foodsaver bags. I always have leftover pizza in the freezer and have an accumulation of empty ziploc bags hanging out in my freezer also because I don’t want to keep throwing them away when they’re empty. Thanks for giving us all a chance to win! Robin

  124. Well, my DH and I were just talking about getting a Food Saver. He is the cook in the family, and wants to try sous vide style cooking. Also, we’re trying to get better about packaging food for using in our fifthwheel. We often buy meats in bulk and use ziplocks to seal them; I have to think that the Food Saver would be better for that and for freezing prepared foods to heat up later.

  125. Hi Judy, WhAT A WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY! WITH JUST THE TWO OF US AT HOME, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT TIME AND MONEY SAVER. THANK YOU
    FOR YOUR GENEROSITY. PAULA CARROLL PS I LOVE DOXIES TOO

  126. I actually had a FoodSaver in my cart at Costco once, but talked myself out of it! I’ve always wondered if I really should have gotten it. With your recommendation and all these wonderful comments – looks like I should have. Maybe I’ll be lucky!

  127. I’ve always wanted a FoodSaver, but didn’t know how much I would use one … however, now that I see I would be able to re-package food in their original bags, I’m even more convinced that I need one!

  128. WOW!!! I could really use a foodsaver for freezing my corn out of the garden. Not to mention some other things as well!
    Hope I am the lucky one!

  129. Now that is a handy little appliance that will be most useful. I never can get bags closed tight enough to give a freshness seal. I certainly could use it.

    Wishing myself good luck.

    Love your blog look forward to reading first thing every morning.

    : )

  130. Judy

    Wow that is a neat thing. I always have bags twisted up and as soon as I pick it up–it slings all over the kitchen. That would be neat to be able to reseal the bags. Thanks for offering this.

    Sibyl

  131. I never thought to re-use the plastic bags that food items come in already. And here I was buying the FoodSaver bags on a roll to make my own bags!!

  132. We’ve just moved to a cholesterol lowering diet – steel cut oats are a morning staple. The foodsaver would be terrific for saving portions – the oats take 30 minutes to prep!

  133. Oooooooooooooooh a foodsaver! I’ve seen them in the stores and always thought if I ever got one I’d go back to doing the once a payday cooking I used to do. It would also be great to make my cupboards a little neater and keep stuff fresher longer.
    Great giveaway!!
    dawn

  134. What a great give away! I was just at Costco and thought about getting a food saver. I have to think of a place to put it though. I don’t bake a lot but I like fresh ingredients and I always have to buy new stuff because the old stuff is stale or dried out.

  135. Judy I can’t even begin to tell you how great it would be to have one. I’m forever having to get rid of things that get stale or are effected by the humidity. It would be awesome.

  136. This giveaway is really very nice of you Judy! I’ve always wanted a Foodsaver. I have one of those inexpensive models that Glad put out last year. A little battery powered gadget that sucks the air out of some special bags you buy. But, it’s just not the same. I got my airtight bag of walnuts out of the freezer only to find the Glad bag had lost it’s airtight seal. So it doesn’t work very well really. If I don’t win the one your giving away I think this Summer I”m going to have to spurge and buy one. With the garden and all the fresh food we freeze and store this would be great. Thank you for giving some lucky person a Foodsaver!

  137. Ah, Judy, need I say more than ducks? LOL. When you freeze I don’t even KNOW how many ducks each year, I think the Foodsaver would be a lifesaver! Thank you for offering this!

  138. I like to buy foods in bulk. I would love to be able to divide up and seal. Perfect for snacks for my teens.

  139. I use an incredible amount of ziplock bags, I’m embarrassed by the number I go through in a day sometimes–I would love to have a FoodSaver. I intend to have a garden this year, first time in over 10 years and would love to be able to seal bags of produce, etc. for the freezer.

  140. What’s not to love about the foodsaver! I know I’d love it. Because I’m single I make a lot and freeze it. This would make the food stay fresh. Thanks for doing this, it’s exciting.

  141. What a great give away. I am into canning and preserving foods but during my down times, I prepare foods for my family that sometimes go sour before I’m ready. I have a very small hand-held sealer that I bought years ago and love it but it’s wearing out. I’d love to win this one. Just think of all the foods I could save!

  142. You’d help me go greener if I won — think of all the zip lock bags I’d save if I could just reseal the original bags!

  143. I would really save on ziplocks – and I have been trying to cut back, but with just the two of us, we always seem to have leftovers! I know people who swear by these machines!

  144. I would love to have a foodsaver.. We grow our own veggies and they would be better packaged in the saver.. We have always had just a back yard garden, but this year we plan on at least twice the space….
    Love your Blog, Judy…

  145. Didn’t know I needed one until you pointed out that you could seal a partly used bag from the store. How cool is that?

  146. I never knew you could seal a bag from the store. WOW I sure could use one of these.

  147. Judy, thanks for the Food Saver contest. I have always wanted one but hesitated
    to spend the money. Especially since finances have been a little tight lately and
    I wasn’t sure it really worked all that well. I keep thinking of all those iffy infomercials.
    If I had one, though, it would sure make my life easier. I could make multiple meals
    on the weekends when I don’t have to work and put them in the freezer for the days
    that I work. That way I could feed my family quick, healthy meals when I don’t feel
    like cooking after being on my feet all day. Also, my son wouldn’t waste food by
    letting it get stale from not being sealed well. Thanks again for the contest and good
    luck to all!
    Sherry

  148. I would love to be able to reseal potato chip packages. More than that, I was pretty heavy into OAMC for a while and have fallen off the wagon. A food saver might help me get back with it. That would free up some quilting time. Yea! Pick me, ooh, pick me.

    Thanks

  149. With the expense of ziploc bags and the price of food these days, it’s not hard to imagine why we would all love to have a foodsaver. I’m tired of throwing away food because it got stale or freezer burnt. My garbage can eats more food than I do!

  150. Oh Oh OH! I’ve wanted one of these for the longest time and then just never buy it. I can a lot of food every year and buy in bulk often. No more old tasting coconut! No more stale chips! This would be such a great storage item for me! What a generous thing to do, Judy! I’d love to be included in the chance to win it!

  152. Oh my. 133 comments. I’ll make it 134.
    I have been thinking of getting a FoodSaver for a while. I have been trying to make meals ahead on the weekends so I spend less time cooking during the week. It would be great to make pizzas and other meals to freeze and take out later in the week.

  153. Now that my family has gone from five to 2.5 (last child is only home part time) I am still having a hard time cutting my recipes. I would use it to freeze all of my leftovers. Then I would use it seal my large packages of foods I buy at Costco or Sams. I hate to buy the small packages at the grocery store, it is just too expensive.

  154. I would love to win a foodsaver! There are many foods I could preserve. I’m thinking of all the produce from this year’s garden, plus the walnuts and berries and fruits that need saving! Two of our newest crops are marionberries and rhubarb. Oh how I’d love to save every morsel! Thanks, Judy, for offering such a great prize!
    Betty

  155. I’m a neat-nic so I can imagine a million uses. Left overs, quilt blocks, sorted scraps etc. You get the picture.
    Marge

  156. ow that sure is a must have item,to be able to seal the product in it’s original bags is great-I use clothes pegs to seal my bags and dang they get knocked off when pulling other items out of the freezer and then tend to get freezer bite and have to be discarded .would enable me to securely seal my packages knowing they will remain usable till I need them…

  157. I would love to have this because there are just the two of us to cook for. With this I could make full recipes and stash the extras in the freezer. They food would be much fresh from having been sealed!

  159. I would love to win this food saver. I buy a lot in bulk and this would help tremendously in keeping stuff fresher, longer. Spices and such. I’ve wanted
    one for years, just never have gotten around to buying one. And to be able
    to seal up the original pkg. is better yet! With just the two of us, this would
    be great. What a neat idea.

  160. Two days ago my sister and I were talking about how wonderful this would be to use. She is an avid gardener and I love to make bread and was complaining about how hard it is to store whole wheat flours. Also, it would be fun to buy more bulk and secure it well. I’d love this food saver.!!!

  161. I keep looking at the food savers but haven’t jumped yet. However, I am the queen of the zip loc bags. I just packed Liams socks in ziplocs for his camping trip.

  162. I would like to have a FoodSaver to freeze meals in advance. There are days when I come home from work that preparing a meal is the last thing I want to do! Sounds like a great time saver!

  163. My food saver is one of the original ones. Saves money by buying in quanity on sale items. The holidays make it work overtime and sometimes the seal strip decides to take a rest. Thanks Judy. Rosetta

  164. I had a foodsaver a zillion years ago… in another life. In this life I’m making things simpler, and saving leftovers and home made/grown food is a priority. Thanks for the chance.

  165. A FoodSaver would allow me to freeze left-overs and take them to my Dad (90 years old and still independent) who lives about an hour away from me.

  166. This would be wonderful for my grandchildren visits (like this weekend!) when I always have leftover bags of their snacks and are not used again until they come back. I am sure they would appreciate me having one! I have seen so many uses for them I had not thought of, namely resealing bags as many have mentioned on the comments. And cooking for two now means usually having to buy a larger quantity than needed, so the Food Saver would fit right into this kitchen! And I am gonna get that Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day….gotta try that. Sounds too good to be true!

  167. Most helpful would be never having green cheese in my fridge again 🙂

  168. The kids have flown the coop but I still haven’t learned to cook for just two people. This would be so great for parceling up leftovers and bulk items for the freezer. In these economic times, having the food properly stored for later use is a wonderful idea.

  169. I think a food saver would be a great addition to my kitchen. Since there are only 2 of us home (my daughter & I), it would save me a ton of money. I could package opened products into smaller portions as well as leftovers. I wouldn’t have to search anymore for all the small packages of meat – I could make my own. Thanks for this oportunity to be a part of your giveaway

  170. My hubby is a dear and takes leftovers for lunch every day, but some meals I cook in such large quantities that he literally eats them every meal except breakfast for a week because I hate plastic containers and can only freeze a couple of portions. This would be great for him!

  171. Oh I’d love to have a food saver! What a great idea for a giveaway Judy! Besides the many uses in the kitchen~ I make freezer meals often~ imagine how fresh they could stay!? I think it would be great in my sewing room too! 😉 I send a lot of overseas packages and wouldn’t it be cool to seal everything up and save a little packaging space? Make kits of my stash and projects… and boy! I’d be sealing everything in sight when it was time to move again! Movers can really mess up a stash. 😉

  172. We buy alot of things in bulk when they are on sale. Our main freezer is a regular one, but the fridge one is a auto-de frost. I believe that the defrost causes alot more freezer burn then the reg. one. I think that the Food Saver would help this problem. We bought one, and it died, and hadn’t used it that much to get a good feel for it. A food dehydrator is on the list too. Although, our “burned” food gets cooked up for the dogs (3), so it doenst go to waste, and saves on some dog food, but you hate to see it go to that too. Please add me to the list. Thanks. This is REALLY generous.

  173. Gee, you mean I could seal up my opened brown sugar and it would still be fresh when I went to use it again. What a great idea. I will have to look into getting a food saver. Thanks!

  174. Judy, I am learning so many money-saving ideas from you. The Food Saver is another one of them. I am always opening 1 lb. bags of pecans and using just part of them for my chess squares recipe. I usually just pop the leftovers (bag and all) into a freezer bag and put it in the freezer, but this would be a terrific spacesaver for my freezer. I love reading about your daily life. You are so warm and friendly.
    Norma

  175. I would LOVE to get a foodsaver as my husband is always deployed. It would be awesome to send him cookies and sweets without them going stale. thanks again for a great idea!

  176. Loved my food saver too, but it died. We used it for everything. Since extended family live with us, two adult children and two grandchildren, and all the other people coming through, a food saver would be great. Love your blog. Just sent my picture in for the quilt along.

    Jill

  177. I would love a better food saver then the one we have. It is one of the early models and it’s just about dead! I’ve been having lots of problems with it. I would love to win a newer one. We use ours for wild game and really anything! Thanks for the chance!!

  178. I have TONS of odds and ends in little bags that the ends are just turned over, not big enough to bother getting a tupperware type container out but too big to just throw out. I suspect that the more it was used, the more I would find to use it!

  179. After years of cooking for family, six kids, we are down to the two of us. It was really hard to make the cooking transition but more so, it was the waste when I could not use the whole amount. I think it is brilliant to use the bags they came in and I would use it just about everyday!!!

  180. I’ve been coveting your Foodsaver since I started reading your blog. I am building new vegetable garden beds this spring and would use it to store my garden’s bounty once it starts producing!!

  181. I would use a Foodsaver to portion out purchases from Costco. With two teenage boys in the house I need to buy in bulk! It would be great to freeze things without the freezer burn. Thanks for the chance to win one Judy.

  182. A Foodsaver would be great to put up produce from the farmers’ marker this spring & summer. We have too many deer in our yard to try to grow anything ourselves-except for my husband’s hot pepper plants. The deer don’t seem to like hot peppers much!

  183. Wow, oh, Wow!!! Since we live 1 hr 45 min away from a decent store I would love, love, love, love, this fantastic baby! I can see how I could save money by taking care of my food in such a wonderful air tight procedure. I get so tired of retrieving a bag of pecans and realizing they are past their prime. Coconut gets very dry quickly and I never thought of what you did. You are extremely creative, practical, thrifty, and talented. Not to mention tons of other foods like my crackers –I can only eat Akman and Nutthins. They go stale so quickly.

  184. I would LOVE to have a FoodSaver! Didn’t know they could be used to re-seal the original bags products come in, and think that’s great! There’s only two of us living in my house, so sealing leftovers to freeze for later would be nice, and I love the idea of being able to keep things fresh and add shelf life to half used packages… I will find lots of uses for it!

  185. This would be awesome as a single person I could put both my and my son’s make ahead meals in the freezer. Would be great for planning the diet meals as well.

  186. I love to put up corn on the cob for the grandkids but freezer burn rears its ugly
    head in just a couple of months. I would think it would keep much longer with this.

  187. We have an older model foodsaver and have used it a lot! We noticed that it doesn’t always seal anymore and have been thinking about getting a new one. The one we have doesn’t seal any bags except the foodsaver bags. We use ours mostly for packaging venison. My husband and son both hunt during bow, gun, and muzzleloader seasons. You are so generous to be giving one away! It sure would be nice to win it!. I look forward to reading your blog every day! Thanks. Linda

  189. I think the foodsaver is a great idea, especially in these economic times that we are in. I can imagine buying in bulk and freezing up enough for a month or more. That sounds great to me. Love your blog Judy.

  190. I love to buy my meat by the case at Sam’s Club. A Foodsaver would make it so much easier to put up 80 pounds of ground beef at a time. We also hunt, so come fall we put venison in the freezer. I really enjoy reading your blog, thanks!

    Terri S.

  191. Judy, thanks for offering such a useful item for giveaway! We have an older foodsaver that we use all the time to store the meat from my husband’s hunting trips as well as meat and other items bought in bulk. Like you, we like to keep our freezers full and really stock up when there is a good sale. Our current Foodsaver does not seal anything but the foodsaver bags, so I would love to have the newer version that seals all types of bags.

    Laura in AZ

  192. I’d use it to reseal my bags too. I have twist ties on everything and if it’s to big for a twist tie I use rubberbands.

  193. Judy, I never thought that I would use a foodsaver, but now that it’s just the two of us, I need a foodsaver, especially since you said you sealed products in their own sack.

    I like to freeze a lot of vegetables during the summer for use in the winter, and just using ziplock bags, I have a lot of freezer burn.

    I’m glad you ‘got away’ for a few. I enjoy reading your blog! Thanks for all your input and reminders, also your recipes are great!

    Joyce in AR

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