What Kind of Food Sealer Do You Recommend?

[so lucky]

I'm getting ready to buy a food saver type appliance and was wondering what kind you have, if you like it, does it meet your expectations? Do you use the rolls or bags?
I'm tired of finding UFOs in my freezer.

 

[Smart Red]

I have a FOOD SAVER. I have used rolls, bags, ball jars, and canisters. I have also used the food saver to package and seal seeds for shipping. My problem is being overly careful. I should wash out and re-use some of the bags, but I just can't bring myself to do so. It can get expensive, but not as expensive as wasted food.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have the FoodSaver V2220. I've never owned another one so I can't legitimately compare it to any others. I'm happy with it. Within its limitations it has been very dependable and the frozen product is great. Food really does last a lot longer when vacuum sealed and ice crystals are a thing of the past. I think getting one is a good decision.

I used to use bags but switched over to the 8" rolls exclusively. I have not done a cost comparison but I think the bags are less expensive. I can cut them to the length I need so that just feels more economical whether it is or not. The rolls have markings on them. Most of the ones I cut are 2-1/2 marks but occasionally I'll go longer. It just depends on what I'm freezing. There are only two of us so a lot of times I am not freezing that much in an individual bag.

The bags I use are readily available at Walmart.

What limitations am I talking about? When you put a vacuum on a lot of different things you can suck moisture out of them and into the sealing area. If the sealing area is wet you will not get a good seal. The way I get around that is to put the product into the bag and freeze it overnight. The next day I seal them up, usually three at a time so they don't thaw enough to cause a problem. If you are sealing dry stuff that is not a problem but most of what I freeze is wet. I think that is going to be a problem with all of them.

How to explain this one. The way mine is configured the sealing bar is up a bit from the front of the appliance, then you have a fair distance to the area that applies the suction. When you apply suction the bag crinkles up and shrinks. That means you have to leave extra room for this shrinkage or you will pull it out of the suction area. I also think they could have designed it so the vacuum area was closer to the sealing area. I just feel like I'm wasting some bag length. But I've learned to not cut them too close.

Red that's why I don't worry about reusing bags. Once I cut them open below the sealing area I don't have enough length to reuse. No decisions and no guilt. I just toss the empty bags.

I'm not the gentlest person when it comes to looking for things buried in my freezer. I find I am a lot less likely to puncture a vacuum sealed bag than a regular zip-loc, probably because it is shrunk around the product and forms a more solid surface which makes it puncture resistant.

 

[Smart Red]

I have used zip-loc type bags for sealing, but the food saver bags do work best. Mine is over 20 years old, and I suspect the sealing edge IS closer to the vacuum. My sealed top isn't very long.

 

[so lucky]

Some of the newer models have a vacuum setting for wet or dry food, so that might help with the issue @Ridgerunner refers to.

 

[baymule]

What @Ridgerunner said. I use the rolls too. I also use them for dehydrated tomatoes. I dehydrated okra one year, but the dry, sharp points poked holes in the bag. I wrapped the okra in Saran wrap, then bagged and vacuum sealed.

 

[Carol Dee]

Yep, a Food Saver.(Too lazy to get up and look for model #) But it was the least expensive model. Works for us if we are patient! If you are doing large quantities the seal gets compressed and you have to wait for it to plump up again before moving on. I like the wet/dry setting feature. Would have been a great thing when doing the diced tomatoes. If and when we replace this one I will go with the more expensive model.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have a Foodsaver also. V4800 model. I just bought it last winter so haven't used it a lot, but have gone through a whole roll of bagging material already. So far so good.

Mine has a moist/dry setting which didn't seal on the blanched peas, even though I blotted them with a towel first. I did as Ridge suggested and froze them first.

 

[lesa]

I have a foodsaver, as well. This is a gadget I can do without. I find using regular baggie type bags, to be just as useful. I l love canning and freezing, just not a fan of the sealer.

 

[baymule]

Thanks to my food saver I can enjoy frozen squash. Frozen squash is disgusting mushy stuff. Blech.

I use a mandolin slicer, thin setting, and don't blanch the squash. I vacuum seal them and chunk in freezer. I thaw completely, cut corner off bag to drain water. Then I twist and wring out all the water that I can. I roll the slices in cornmeal and fry. So good!