Vacuum sealer

I've been threatening to do the same. Still wrap everything in freezer paper here.

 

Good freezer plastic wrap and freezer paper will keep your meat better than any vacuum sealer and wrapping is still faster. I’ve had friends bring them when wrapping pork, beef and venison and they always fall way behind. An added bonus to freezer paper is the packages don’t slide around nearly as much once in the freezer

 

I still do fresh meat in plastic and freezer paper. Where the vacuum sealer shines is for fish, veggies and for things like left over pulled pork, ribs or brisket. Lay a vacuum pack of thawed pulled pork in simmering hot water, open and serve. Also good for sealing and freezing things like whole roast coffee beans, pork spice rub and such. I also use it to make waterproof packages for camping supplies like first aid bandages and emergency fire starter etc. I also VS brined whole herring and freeze for Salmon, Halibut or Lingcod bait. If you think out of the box, vacuum sealers are extremely handy for many other things than food!

 

We have a Foodsaver and after 10+ years of occasionally trying It i can honestly say save your money. I'll even send it to you if you want as long as you don't hold it against me.

 

I never had luck with any bag that had liquid in it. We do however use the attachment that let's you vacuum Ball/Mason jars and that works great.

 

I know what you mean about the liquid. Load the bag, freeze it then seal it (I always double seal). I have never used the Mason jar sealer but know that some swear by it. We don't use the VS constantly but when I need it, it is exactly what I want! Also don't buy cheap bags.

 

Hey Backwoods Savage , If you cut your bags slightly long, you are supposed to be able to wash and reuse them. In actual practice, I just toss them and use new. Bought in bulk at say, Costco, they are fairly cheap. What is the specific use for the sealer that you had in mind?

 

I like ours. You can get rolls of of of the bags. Only the sides are sealed. You make your own size bags.

 

You got me intrigued with leather project's. What's the scoop ?

 

We've had a Foodssaver for a number of years. We also use rolls, and cut bags to our size.

Anything juicy, should be frozen, then sealed. Another trick is to put a folded paper towel in the bag, just in front of where the bag gets sealed. The paper towel catches any juices before they get sucked into the vacuum tray.

 

Another foodsaver user here.
been using one for a long time now. Yes you can re use bags as stated above. I buy the rolls and cut to size as well.

 

We have one also veggies come in now and we freeze them in soups.

 

One year we had to process a bunch of Halibut and didn't have a vacuum sealer. We were able to get a bunch of heavy, double seal, zip lock bags. My friend introduced me to "the poor man's vacuum sealer". He filled a 5 gal. bucket with clean water. Then filled a ziplock bag with a couple of Halibut steaks and zipped the seal a bit more than 3/4 closed. Push the bag almost all the way into the water with only the inch of unsealed bag left above water. The water presses all the air out and you zip the last inch closed. Works pretty well if the food is not left for many months in the freezer.
Hey Backwoods Savage , that is an impressive bunch of leatherwork. Love the purse and the clocks and the billfolds.........well, I just like it all! How would you use a vacuum sealer for leatherwork?

 

We have had 2 or 3 vacuum sealers, ours did not seem to last very long. Also as someone else mentioned, they are not fast. Maybe there is a way to do cookies and crackers, but in my experience it would turn them into crumbs. Not a huge fan here!

 

Have used a foodsaver for years to store some things from the garden.
I only buy the quart bags. With a coupon from Bed,Bath and Beyond so they end up about 35¢ each. Making bags from the rolls is a PITA.
I'll either freeze things on trays the night before filling the bags and sucking and sealing the air out or for example: 2 cups of blueberries and toss in the freezer and the next day while still frozen put a phone book in front of the foodsaver, put the bag on it, flatten the contents and then suck and seal.
Last year we had 40 bags of blueberries and 40 bags of shredded bell pepper.
I'lll can things that make more sense to can, but some lend to freezing better. Eg: I prefer string beans frozen vs canned.

Some people use it for leftovers and think its worth it just for that but I tend to use glass bowls for leftovers. I'm cheap, those 35¢ add up.

The first foodsaver I had didn't like a big production run. The overheat sensor on the sealer would shut it down after about ten bags. The new one must cool off faster or something. Doesn't slow me down.