|
Post by papersilly on Sept 17, 2021 21:01:09 GMT
I got the one they sell/sold at Costco. Best thing ever. I was worried it might become another dust collector but I use it all the time. I freeze meats and don't get freezer burn on them anymore. I freeze cooked meals, veggies, and broth too. I also use the sealer to seal potato chip and other snack bags. Keeps them from getting stale. I get my bag rolls on Amazon. Off brand is just as good as brand.
|
|
basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,622
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
|
Post by basketdiva on Sept 17, 2021 21:03:08 GMT
We use ours all the time. I did buy the ziplock bags that FoodSaver sells for things like chocolate chips but they tend to lose the seal fairly quickly.
|
|
|
Post by ghislaine on Sept 17, 2021 21:10:26 GMT
I use mine (decade-ish old) for much of the above and I have the accessories that work to vacuum seal mason jars. I dehydrate produce and I love that I can reseal the jar each time I use some. I keep it on top of the spice shelf in my kitchen where it's easy to get down and put away, but is out of the way.
|
|
|
Post by Lexica on Sept 17, 2021 21:35:10 GMT
I wouldn't want to ever be without my Foodsaver. I am on my 3rd or 4th one by now. I've owned one forever. I think I bought my first one in the late 80s. I depended on it heavily when my son was growing up. I would intentionally double the amounts needed every time I cooked so that I could put the leftovers into individual meal bags and freeze them. It was just as easy to double any recipe and the cleanup was the same. I used these meals when I was sick or too busy to cook. As a single mom, I needed to make sure there were plenty of homemade meals available in case I was out of action for a while. My son had cancer as a child so I felt I had to provide a homemade meal instead of buying takeout quick foods. His dad would take him to those places when he had him so I wanted to make sure I was feeding him healthy foods when I had him.
I also shopped the freezer for these ready-made meals when we went camping. I kept a list of what was in the freezer and my son and I would shop from that list for what we wanted to take camping. It was a simple matter to just pop the flat, frozen packets into the ice chest. I would add another sealed bag of omelet ingredients for each morning that we would be camping. When we would set up camp, I would put a large pot of water on the stove and come meal time, we would each pull out whatever meal we wanted and drop it into the boiling water to heat it. Just use scissors to nip off a corner of the bag and pour the contents into a paper plate or bowl. That way, there were no pots to clean with the exception of the frying pan for the eggs. It also allowed me to stay with my son while he was fishing instead of being back at the campsite preparing meals. I never felt safe leaving him at a stream by himself, no matter how old he got, especially when there were bears about.
I shop at Costco and do a lot of prep work so that cooking isn't a big ordeal. I buy the large multi packages of ground turkey and cook it all up the next day. I divide it into 2-cup portions to use throughout the following month. Same thing with the large bags of onions. I chop and cook them up and divide them into smaller bags. It is so nice to just grab things from the freezer to assemble a soup or something. I just made a batch of soup this morning and used some cooked ground turkey and a package of onions in making it. I do find that I use the machine more for components of meals rather than fully-prepared meals now that my son is grown and gone. I do portion out the soups that I make for easy dinners throughout the month.
I have also used the machine to seal up important documents that I don't want getting messed up or feel that my laminator isn't appropriate for the item. I sealed up my vaccination record and trimmed it close. My machine has the ability to override the vacuuming feature to just seal plastic. It looks as if it is laminated and will remain in perfect condition but I can remove it from the plastic if I ever need to.
When my parents were alive, I would take my machine to their home after the holidays to package up any leftovers and to seal up their good silverware after we cleaned it. In sealed packages, it would remain tarnish-free until the following Thanksgiving or Christmas, which is about the only time Mom would get it out.
Oh, and I also use my dehydrator often and then seal them up in the food bags. When I have a garden again, I will be dehydrating everything possible and sealing them up in the bags. Especially things that have a short shelf life that I couldn't consume in time like tomatoes. I plan to dehydrate them and use the Vitamix dry container to make tomato powder to add to soups and sauces. I have only purchased tomato powder to date and find it amazing to give that extra boost of flavor to dishes.
So you can see how I will never be without my Foodsaver because of all the use it gets. I do put it away between uses. It isn't heavy and I only use it while doing a major preparation of something. I did buy some of the newer zipper bags and would probably need to leave the machine out to reseal those since I would be getting into those bags daily, but I have packed them away for the move already. I hope to get a large pantry in the next house and will run electricity to it if it isn't there already. I would then leave the machine set up in the pantry to do those quick seals on a more frequent basis.
|
|
twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,992
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
|
Post by twinsmomfla99 on Sept 17, 2021 21:38:02 GMT
I don’t know what model I have, but it is similar to the one for sale at Costco right now. I occasionally use the hose attachment to seal liquids like soup in the Foodsaver containers (I probably wouldn’t have them but for a great clearance deal LOL).
Mine sits on the counter because I use it all the time. Since DH and I are the only ones who regularly eat at home, I divide packages for two servings when I have time to do it. For example, I have a couple of boxes of taquitos in the freezer that I need to split. Getting rid of the boxes gives me more space in the freezer.
I have a 25-pound bag of rice that I bought this week. I am going to measure 2-cup portions and seal them for my pantry. I am getting some large bags of fries beans and will do the same. This year, when I finish my holiday baking, I’m going to portion out my leftover flour and sugar that way, too.
I bought a bunch of Pyrex 7x11 baking dishes several years ago. They fit perfectly inside bags I can make from the 11-inch-wide roll. I make casseroles or baked pasta in the baking dishes and flash freeze, the seal the whole thing with the Foodsaver. They are perfect for one meal for 4 of us.
Other things I seal for the pantry in 1- to 2-cup portions: chocolate chips, corn meal, bisquick, leftover powdered sugar when I don’t use the whole bag, oats, cornflake crumbs (leftover from Cherry Wink cookies or cornflake chicken), coconut, etc. All of these things stay so fresh for so much longer! I waste far less food than I would without the Foodsaver.
|
|
styxgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,878
Jun 27, 2014 4:51:44 GMT
|
Post by styxgirl on Sept 18, 2021 1:29:57 GMT
Get one! I have a pretty black one that sits on the counter all the time. I order bags in rolls from Amazon.
I use it for everything! We use it also to reseal chip bags, pasta bags, etc.
I have some canisters too that reseal. For coffee, tea, etc.
I also have the Game saver version I keep in the motor home.
I also have used it to seal up spices and toiletries while traveling. :-)
|
|
|
Post by cadoodlebug on Sept 18, 2021 1:49:45 GMT
I have one that elaine gifted me years ago when she was upgrading. I love it and use it every time I go to Costco. I buy the Foodsaver bags from Costco.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 18, 2021 5:02:21 GMT
Oh I don't preslice the cheese. I take that block of Tillamook cheese and slice it into thirds and the vaccum seal the pieces. I leave one in a regluar ziplock back to eat now and the other two are sealed for later use. The cheeses that are vs last forever. Oh my gosh I feel like an idiot now. LOL I have been overthinking this. If you have pre-sliced or even shredded cheese, the way to do it is to freeze it first so it’s solid and THEN vacuum seal it. That way the slices or shreds won’t get mushed together. It’s the same way you would freeze other delicate foods like berries or certain baked goods. Freeze first, then bag and seal.
|
|