There have been a couple of recent questions about a vacuum sealer. I do use the Food Saver brand. I think for home use it’s about the best one out there that’s inexpensive. You can find them on sale (especially through the Food Saver website). I like the models like this one that stand on their end so they don’t take up much room in the cabinet. They almost always have them on sale. I think Bed, Bath & Beyond carries them. Kohl’s has them and they almost always have a sale.
The off brand bags can be purchased from Amazon. These are the ones we purchased the last time we ordered. Vince always checks for the best price for the same size/thickness bags. These sometimes come in big rolls that do not fit in the Food Saver bag roll holding area so I take the huge roll, roll off a size that will fit, cut that, then roll it back up (it will roll up on its own!) and work from the smaller size roll.
If ordering a Food Saver be sure that the one you get has a bag cutter. You’re putting a roll of plastic in there, and there’s a little blade that slides across to cut them. Otherwise, you’ll be using scissors or your rotary cutter and mat.
If being able to seal jars or the resealable bags is important to you, be sure to get one that has the port for connecting that little gizmo. You can get the attachment that will fit wide mouth and regular mouth lids.
A question was asked about re-using bags. I do not. You could if you wanted to mess with washing and drying them and storing them.
The do have re-sealable bags and I love these for things that I put into smaller bags. These do require the attachment and sometimes the machines come with them but other times, you have to order it (see link above). I use these a lot for things that I wrap individually and want to take one out and then re-seal the bag. When I make pesto, I freeze it in ice cube trays, stick a cube or two in a zipper sandwich type bag or wrap in plastic wrap and drop those down into these re-sealable bags. Then when I need one, I unzip it, take out what I need, zip it back up and re-seal it. I cut up a smoked brisket yesterday and the really fatty parts, I cut up and put into small zipper bags and stuck those in a re-sealable bag. When I need smoked fat (for beans), I’ll grab one out and re-seal the bag.
There are some tips to make vacuum sealing food easier. The main one is that you want no oil/grease or liquid to be in the area where you will be sealing. If you’re freezing meat that has juices, it’s better to freeze it on a cookie sheet first, then put it through the Food Saver. As soon as it starts vacuuming, it sucks the air out but it also sucks those juices up and causes it not to seal. Do not seal in big “globs”. Try to flatten things. It will store better in the freezer and it will defrost faster. Example: Ground beef – don’t make a huge ball of meat and seal it. Pat it out to the size that will fit in the bag if freezing on a cookie sheet first. Otherwise, put the meat into the bag, mash it out flat to conform to the size of the bag, then seal it. You will be able to stack them nicely in the freezer.
Also, if making casseroles for the freezer, you can freeze the food in the container you plan to heat it in, then set the container out to thaw just til you can remove the contents, and vacuum seal the contents. Then, when it’s time to defrost it, remove it from the bag, place it back in the container and it’s a perfect fit.
One last tip – if you count on the vacuum sealer a lot . . buy a second one and keep it til you need it. We always keep a second one that Vince buys when he finds it on sale. There’s nothing worse than processing a deer, or finding ground meat on sale and buying 20 pounds and having the vacuum sealer go out mid-way through the job.
I think even with the more expensive models, these sealers are meant for occasional home use. We put ours through quite a workout often so we always keep a backup. The models are always changing and you can almost always find last year’s model at a good discount.
Moneik Stephens says
We ended up going through several home Food Saver models, so the last time my hubby bought a commercial one. My brother and his wife have a commercial one as well. A little more expensive, but when we do 4 beef, 8 pigs, and 4 deer a year, we use them a lot!
Sibyl says
Judy I sure wish I could get a FoodSaver to work for me. I have had 3 of them hoping to get it to work. Each will do a few bags, then won’t work. By the time I decide they won’t work, it is too late to return them or such. I have even had them send me new gaskets and such but still doesn’t work. May I ask the secret? I have made sure that they are dry, no liquid and such. Even tried solid items without any kind liquid and still a no go. Would really love to get one to work for me, but it is an expensive venture when they fail.
Judy Laquidara says
I wish I knew the secret. We’ve had some that work longer than others but they never seem to last as long as I think they should.
Melissa says
What a great suggestion for casseroles! I hadn’t thought to do that. I do reuse bags that I’ve used to seal oatmeal, raw pepitas, and other “dry” items that I store in a cupboard.
Rhonda L Russell says
I was curious and did a Food Saver search. They have one now that that has a second heat bar that will automatically prep the next bag. If my current one ever goes out, I know which one I’m getting!
Dar in NC says
Thank you, Judy! Lots of great information here!
Tee says
I have a love-hate relationship with mine. Seems it works well for awhile, then stops. No amount of moving the bag around, drying things up, wiping things down, etc., work. I inevitably drag out the ziplocks! I don’t know if I will replace it if it goes for good.
poodlegirls says
When mine stops it is usually when I have sealed quite bit. I turn it off for a minute ir two then back in business. I love mine
Helen says
I absolutely LOVE my FoodSaver! I don’t cook a lot, and with just two of us, I seemed to be throwing away a lot of freezer-yucky foods. I hardly ever throw away anything from the freezer anymore. When I make soup, I freeze in single-serve containers, pop them into a FoodSaver bag and seal them. I cut open the bag when we want soup, take out as many servings as I need and reseal the bag. Back into the freezer it goes. I buy chicken breasts in huge quantities and put each breast into a fold-over-top sandwich bag. I (for my own information) weigh each breast (or portion of breast if I choose) and put a little sticker on the sandwich bag. These go into a FoodSaver bag and then to the freezer. When I need chicken, I cut open the bag, take out what I want and reseal the bag. It’s nice for us and allows me to buy in bulk for just the two of us without waste.
Rhonda L Russell says
Have you tried Ziplock Perfect Portion freezer bags? They were specifically designed for this so that you don’t even have to touch the meat. I can open every package of chicken or chops, wash my hands once, and then put all of the chicken/chops into the perfect portion bags and into the FoodSaver bags without having to touch the meat again. I make sure to do each meat in one batch and then wash everything before moving on to the next meat to eliminate cross-contamination. It is so much easier not that I use the Perfect Portion bags.
dezertsuz says
When we first bought ours, Paul had so much fun, he even vacuum sealed several pieces of my batik fabrics. =)