Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer

[Nate W]

I've seen them in the Cabela's catalog and caught clips of the infomercial, does anyone have one of these? I can see some huge advantages for freezing fish and planing camping trips, etc. That is of course if they work. I'd like to hear from some folks who have bought them and if they're worth the money or not. Thanks in advance!

[Justin]

I have one and it works great. Its pretty easy to use, the only draw back that is the bags can be kinda spendy. Although they do say that you can just wash and reuse the bags. you can also find them at fleet farm,

[RANGER]

Nate W,

I'll give you my take. I have had two, one years ago, in the 70's that didn't work as advertised. And one 2 years ago, thinking that they improved in general - NOT!

I think they are very difficult and expensive to use. One of the things I really disliked was having to make sure that there is absolutely no product on the inside of the bag where the seal is made. Otherwise, it doesn't seal at that point and sometimes you don't realize it. The plastic is expensive.

What I do instead is to place my food into a Zip Lock freezer bag and dip the bag in water to compress the bag by evacuating all of the air and seal the top while in the water. Really works great and is inexpensive!


RANGER


"KEEP YOUR LINES WET, YOUR POWDER DRY and THE BEER COLD"

[Hans]

My wife has one, and swears by it. Just had some walleye fillets (from last summer) last Friday for dinner, and they were absolutely like fresh. The vaccuum function takes out all the air out of the package (unlike "zip-lock"), eliminating freezer burn and "dried out" taste.

She also uses it for vegtables, meat, sauces, and other frozen goods, and it is WELL worth the cost in the quality of the food.

Hans

[Grey Wolf]

I think my Foodsaver is wonderful. I have use another brand and it did not work at all. I buy bulk foods and seal it in the bags, I use it for venison, fish, and pretty much everything. Yes the bags are expensive, but so is fishing. One thing about sealing fish, if it is wet as in freshly washed, the vacum packer will suck the water and make it difficult to get a good seal. I will dry the fish on a towel before sealing them, and that give a good seal.

[bruce]

I've had one for about 3 years. I wouldn't be without it. Worth every penny. I probably would buy the least expensive model. I believe that they all have the same vaccumn pump and that is the heart of the machine. The more expensive models have features that allow you to control some of the functions; like sealing time and vaccumn override. (not necessary) There is no better way to freeze fish. They don't get leeched out like they do in water. When you thaw them out they are like the day you caught them. GREAT INVESTMENT!

[MIke]

Is this the same one they have at Sams club for 129.99? The brand name is Foodsaver.

[Nate W.]

The Wal Mart where I live in Iowa has them for $99.99. It's the Foodsaver brand, so it's probably the same one as what you found at Sam's. Funny, I figured Sam's would have it cheaper considering Sam's is an "exclusive' (wink-wink) club!

[Mike]

The one at Sams has lots of attacments and extra bags. Maybe the package is different than the one at Wal-Mart.

[redog692]

i have one also and it works great if you know how to do some stuff like some one said if there is food or water on sealing surfs it dont work so i try to make things real dry or freeze for a couple of hours then seal it up strawberry have to be frozen or they crush fish stay fresh all year sealed

[Boatnut]

I love mine. took it too Huron last fall and vac'd and sealed all of our fillets prior to freezing. Also use it for just about anything else that goes in the freezer for any length of time.
Mike(boatnut)

[Fishnwiz]

Hey guys,Thanks for the info on these sealers!! I just got one for xmass and have NOT had a chance to use it YET!! Will any brand plastic work in these units and if so where can I find the best price on it?? Thanks again!! Wiz

[drb]

After watching the infomertial for months, I finally caved in and bought one. I love it. To my great luck, Walmart began to carry the same one for considerably less money two weeks later. Now I buy my bags at Walmart and complain every time I see the price of the vacuum sealer. You won't be sorry if you buy one.

[bulldog]

I see you can reuse the bags... how do you open them?? I assumed you'd have to cut them open ... hence making the bags smaller each time you use them .. is this true???
Thanks

[Boatnut]

Wiz,
not sure what all brands you can use but ya cant use just plain ol' ziploc bags. I'd stick with the manufacturer's brand to avoid problems. Sam's club had pretty good prices on extra bags and i've seen them on ebay too.
Mike(boatnut)

[curt quesnell]

yes......so cut real close to the seal

curt quesnell

[curt quesnell]

you can save on bags by shopping around.

our local pamida store has 50 8x11 bags for 10 bucks.(20 cents
a bag) not to bad. i would think that sams club and walmart
would also have a deal. the uncut roll of bag material can be
an even better deal because you can make the bags smaller if
you dont need the standard size bag.

the cost is more than zip locks but not hugely more.

curt quesnell

[curt quesnell]

we used to have touble sealing wet fish too. my wife wraps
the fillets in cellophane then seals them. a pennys worth
of saran wrap solved the problem. i would think that drying
the fillets real good would also do the trick.

curt quesnell

[Gunga Din]

I need one! I had two bags of frozen walleye fillets in the freezer that I went to cook last month and both bags were ruined. When I thawed them out they smelled bad. Nothing like a little guilt from wasting some walleye. Last time I'll trust my fillets to the ziplock under water method!

[water_wolf]

I bought a continuous roll of bag material at BJ's Wholesale Club here. They work great you can make them as long as you want to. Cant remember how much I paid for them though. BTW Ive had my Foodsaver for about 5 years and it still works great.

Rich Ferguson

[Bluewater]

Do all the above to insure a good seal. Should you get any moisture or oils on the top part of the bag, it will not hold. Take either the presized bags or your own cut to size bags and fold the open part back over itself so you handle only the contact point of the bag. When your hands are dry and clean fold the bags back and seal. Works everytime.

[Fishnwiz]

Thanks to all for the great info!!! Wiz

[redog 692]

i just make the bag big to begin with cut close to seal then reseal

[Butch]

I have one. Bought my Father one.
Fish tips. (First watch the video!) (My Father didn't and burnt up the sealer)
Make sure the filets are dry.
Better yet. If you have access to a frezer?
Put the filets in on wax paper for 5-10 min. This will
firm them slightly and freeze the outside water.

I Love it and use all the functions!

B2