paulito
Senior Member
I used my Cabelas sealer this past weekend to put up some venison breakfast sausage. Noticed for the first time its actually a food saver. Just stuck their logo on it.
yepAnd, you can wash and re-use those bags over and over several times.
Always do this, mine I seal once and then just hit the seal button again.For bag sealing issues, I usually double seal both ends of the stuff I am putting up for a longer time.
yep.One tip for re-using bags. On your first vacuum, cut your bags an inch or two longer than you need. At first glance it may seem wasteful but it allows you enough length to re-use the bag a second time.
Glad to see I am not the only one fighting this battle.The best thing you can do is keep it on the counter so you can use it when you want without having to drag it out of the pantry/wherever. I haven't been successfully able to negotiate counter space with the kitchen manager, lol.
I use a cheap $40 Amazon sealer. It’s been amazing and i bought my friends wife one too. She says it’s the best present she ever received!I've also got the $99 from Walmart foodsaver brand unit. Had it for awhile, used it a bunch, but when I replace it, I'm not getting the same one.
I too have started having the problem of the seals letting go, more frequently as the unit gets older. I also think off brand bags are more likely to let go, but I've had it happen with foodsaver bags, too. I've also got the more recent issue of the unit not being able to seal well enough to pull a vacuum. I'm often having to press down on the lid to get it to start pulling tight. In other words, my machine is wearing out.
Ultimately, I think this is a place where spending a bit more is worth it. I often see recommendations for some of the Weston Pro series units. That's probably the route I'll go.
Chamber style units are supposed to be the cat's meow. There are benefits (can seal liquids like broth and soup), and supposedly the bags are significantly cheaper (5 cents as opposed to 50 cents). Probably boils down to how much you plan on using it - do you use enough bags to pay for the machine with bag savings cost?
But, brand/style aside, I will always have a vacuum sealer of some type. There's a noticeable difference in quality when freezing meat, and I think it's an absolute necessity when freezing fish.
How cheap??I don't use mine much, but do get rolls of bag material from Amazon, really cheap per bag.
But I found out something. You shouldn't leave the lid clamped down tight when not using it. It actually said that in the instructions, but I didn't pay any attention. I did, and after just a short while, couldn't get a good seal. It had compressed the foam rubber around the sealer too much. I was able to fix it, by leaving it open a few days. Now I'm real careful to make sure it is not closed tightly when I put it back in the box. I have too much other junk on the kitchen counters to leave it out.
I really don’t remember. I got 6 good sized rolls, I think for about $25.How cheap??
I was in the same spot , went and bought a chamber unit for about $600.00I'll bet I've had over half a dozen Foodsaver sealers over the years and I have used them a lot and burned everyone of them up. Even now, the one I have the sealing strip will only seal about 3 bags before it overheats and I have to wait for it to cool down to continue. I'm done with them and am going to a chamber unit next. Most likely the Vevor because I can get it for somewhere between $200 to $300 on Amazon. I enjoy sous vide cooking so I use the sealer quite a bit and the chamber seems like an easier and quicker way to do it. I will keep a Foodsaver around for the big items I seal up, like a whole boston butt or whole rack of ribs but for everyday use I am going to a chamber here soon.
What unit did you get?I was in the same spot , went and bought a chamber unit for about $600.00
but it works very good and it don't matter if water is inside bag it will not suck it out but seals perfectly . I keep it on the counter and use often also it's very heavy.
Definitely freeze fruits. Nothing better than opening fresh strawberries in January.My first food saver lasted 12yrs until the divorce, may still be working. Second one is still going strong after 8 yrs. One tip freeze the contents before you vacuum seal. Cuts down on squishing things and juices running out.
Do you have to do anything special to freeze strawberries?Definitely freeze fruits. Nothing better than opening fresh strawberries in January.