Question about the food saver system

[mrudman]

I just got back from purchasing the Food Saver at Kohl's.. I'd been looking at it for quite a while, wanting it.. and with their % off coupon and Kohl's Cash I had, it was too good to pass up.

My question though is, how do you afford to keep buying bags for it?
They had their bag rolls there which is a 3-pack of 10-foot by 11 inch rolls for $35.

Trying to think of something common I'd use this for... thinking maybe I'd keep my ground beef or pork chops in there, so let's say a 4-pack of pork chops or 1 lb of ground beef. To fit that in a bag, thinking you'd have to use approx 6-8 inches of bag.

Let's go on the small size, and figuring even if you're only using 6 inches each time to make a 11"x6" bag, you can only get 60 bags out of all 3 rolls, so that's 58 cents/bag. Just seems to me that's really expensive.

Or is an 11"x6" bag a lot bigger than what I would need for my example? Am i missing something?

Also, has anyone ever tried using the hose attachment and sticking it in a regular zip-lock bag then sealing the zip? Could that work (although I know not as well)?

If you do own one of these, in what way and what foods do you seal for the most part?

Thanks for any tips or hints!

 

[Mkaz]

We own a foodsaver. We use it for freezing meats, vegetables, and baked goods. If you buy in bulk, it's quite handy. We raise our own beef, have a garden, and bake in large batches. It keeps the food a lot fresher than regular freezer bags. There is a lot less wasted food so I think the cost of the bags evens out.

As far as using regular ziploc bags, it doesn't work. I just tried it recently. It will seal the bag, but it doesn't remove the air. The bag gets really puffy from all of the air in it.

 

[Kae]

I use the Walmart brand of food saver bags.

Kae

 

[mrudman]

Thanks for the quick replies!

One thing I'm also hoping to use this for is to store lettuce and cheese. Those are 2 things that always seems to go bad pretty quickly for us.

Any luck with either of those using this system? Thinking I'd put lettuce into a bag big enough (using roll), then as we use it, could just keep cutting an inch or 2 off and re-sealing afterward... that's do-able right?

What other refrigerator-type foods have you sealed?

Thanks again!

 

[dgthree]

One thing I'm also hoping to use this for is to store lettuce and cheese. Those are 2 things that always seems to go bad pretty quickly for us.

Any luck with either of those using this system? Thinking I'd put lettuce into a bag big enough (using roll), then as we use it, could just keep cutting an inch or 2 off and re-sealing afterward... that's do-able right?

I think lettuce might do better in one of the canisters. Sealing it in a bag might crush it. Then you can just keep reusing the canister, which might be a better value in the long run.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I recently purchased one. You can re-seal cereal and chips in the bags they came in, even the metallic looking ones. You can take the air out of canning jars with mine, it is not the same as canning, but it works to store dry goods. I also use the mason jars for some items that I put in the fridge. This allows me a little extra time to eat leftovers. I also store my dog food in the jars with the air removed, which makes it stay fresh longer. Just remember if you store dry goods like dog food, light is not good so store in a cabinet, not on the counter.

Also, if you are resealing a chip bag, be sure to use a light suction or no suction setting, or you will end up with chip dust. lol

 

[mistysue]

I also use the Walmart bags.

I have found that you can reseal a lot of bagged freezer items. I use it to suck the air and reseal things like tater tots and frozen peas in their own bags. Just cut the edge with scissors so that it can get into the suction groove nicely. Not only is there less freezer burn, but I can fit way more in my freezer now.

You have to be a bit careful with some bags, if the bag is too thin it will just melt it too much and the seal comes apart if you move it too soon.

 

[ShariVT]

I buy my bags a BJ's They are much cheaper then anywhere else I have found. I would also get a canister if you want to vaccum seal your lettuce, much easier and I think would work better in the long run.

 

[mrudman]

Thanks all!!

Hadn't even thought of re-sealing the original bags that things come in... so that really works? Thought maybe trying to do that would damage the sealing mechanism?

And thanks for the suggestion(s) to use the canisters for the lettuce! Guess If I buy a head of lettuce, could just chop it up a bit first, if it's too big for the canister.

 

[Friendly Frog]

My sealer suggested resealing the original bags that stuff comes in. Also, I have had two canisters crack on me, that is why I went to using the canning jars but I don't think you will find one large enough for lettuce.

 

[Straitlover]

Sam's sells a big box of bags (rolls and pre-cut ones) for a decent price. You might want to check Amazon and see what they have.

Also, you can reuse bags, too. I wouldn't reuse ones that had raw meat stored in them, though.

 

[Kae]

Thanks for the quick replies!

One thing I'm also hoping to use this for is to store lettuce and cheese. Those are 2 things that always seems to go bad pretty quickly for us.

Any luck with either of those using this system? Thinking I'd put lettuce into a bag big enough (using roll), then as we use it, could just keep cutting an inch or 2 off and re-sealing afterward... that's do-able right?

What other refrigerator-type foods have you sealed?

Thanks again!

I swear by the Fridge smart containers by tupperware for veggies & fruit.

Kae

 

[scrapquitler]

Look for the cannisters that have the holes in the top so you can use the hose to vacuum seal things in the cannisters.

 

[disneyfan007]

I just bought the same Food Saver at Kohls. My old one died and needed replaced. We od freeze produce from our garden, meat, you name it. Watching QVC one day they had a small hand held version one. It came with ziplock type bag you put item in the bag, close ziplock then there is a place to put the nozzle and suck the air out. This is very handy for items that you get in and out of off all the time, such as cheese. I think it was like $30.00. That is about the best $30.00 I ever spent.

 

[mrudman]

One last question (i think, lol)... I see where it advertises you can use the bags in the microwave or put into boiling water... is this true?

Was thinking that could come in real handy at times...

If I could make up soups ahead of time, freeze in the bags, then be able to just toss in water to thaw... that should work, right?

Or put some spaghetti sauce in a bag, freeze it, then microwave it when needed...

Or we do some camping.. was also thinking of the in-bag omelettes.. could have dd's make up their eggs/fixins in a small bag, then just toss them in hot water at the campsite to cook it up.

 

[mistysue]

Just thinking about this- have you tried those green bags or green vegetable storage containers at all? I've put wilted lettuce in one of those little bins and had it come back. We have a weekly produce delivery and when it comes in the first thing we do is put it in those green containers!


Oh-- and yes, I have put the bags into very hot water before- not boiling though. It was cooked chicken I had sealed in and I didn't notice anything getting through the seals, but I have not tried the soup idea.
We enjoy putting warm soup in the canisters and seeing if we can draw out so much air it boils.

 

[sherry7]

I buy bags/rolls at Sam's Club. They're a LOT cheaper there. Also, using rolls is cheaper than bags...just a little more aggravating until you get the hang of doing it.

Also, this isn't recommended by the manufacturer, but you can reuse bags multiple times. I turn them inside out, and put them in the dishwasher. Remember that you lose about 1 inch of bag each time you use it, so if you plan on doing this you want to make your original bag a few inches longer than normal.

Does your Food Saver have the Mason jar attachment? I have the wide-mouth one, and I use that with quart jars and half-gallon jars to store pasta, rice, flour, etc. I have the Food Saver canisters too, but I wish I hadn't wasted the money on those since the jars work so much better.

I sometimes wonder if the Food Saver investment was worth it. But it really does keep things (meat especially) good longer. Last week I found a frozen pork loin roast that was 18 months old. I thawed it out, and it was perfectly fresh.

BTW, I save those little scraps of roll that are too small for food. I usually buy spices in bulk, and I use them to seal the extra spices in.

 

[marlynnp]

I think lettuce might do better in one of the canisters. Sealing it in a bag might crush it. Then you can just keep reusing the canister, which might be a better value in the long run.

This!

Definitely buy a couple of the containers. They are awesome. Perfect for cheese, fruits and vegetables and I also use mine to marinade meats.

 

[mrudman]

Just checking to make sure my machine is working correctly...

I've tried a couple different foods now... first, I cut up an apple, put it immediately into a canister, and vacuumed it.. It still turned brown just as if I had left it out in the air.. is that normal?

Second, I put some pork chops into a bag, with some marinade.. vacuumed the bag.. it never squished the meat if you kwim.. there's still plenty of give to the whole bag... it is sealed, but not sure it really vacuum packed it.

Could I be doing something wrong? Or could the machine be not working correctly?

I used the extended vacuum setting since they say to do that with moist foods.. and it did suck for approx. 10 seconds, but the whole bag/meat does not seem vacuum packed to me.

 

[sherry7]

Just checking to make sure my machine is working correctly...

I've tried a couple different foods now... first, I cut up an apple, put it immediately into a canister, and vacuumed it.. It still turned brown just as if I had left it out in the air.. is that normal?

Second, I put some pork chops into a bag, with some marinade.. vacuumed the bag.. it never squished the meat if you kwim.. there's still plenty of give to the whole bag... it is sealed, but not sure it really vacuum packed it.

Could I be doing something wrong? Or could the machine be not working correctly?

I used the extended vacuum setting since they say to do that with moist foods.. and it did suck for approx. 10 seconds, but the whole bag/meat does not seem vacuum packed to me.

Yikes! Be careful with the marinade...if you suck it into the machine it can ruin it. (At least my machine is like that.)

I'm not sure about the apple...never tried doing that. Try doing something dry and hard (cheese?). It should be very tight, with no give.