Kitchen

[house_cat]

I have found that for most things, it's best to par-freeze them separately on a cookie sheet before vacuum sealing.  It's not necessary but it creates a better seal without squishing the food.

I made a large amount of very decadent mashed potatoes a couple of months ago. I can't eat them often, but my skinny-bolink husband can, so I froze portions in muffin tins, then vacuumed sealed the portions.  I can pop a bag into a pan of boiling water and he has beaufiful mashed potatoes with almost no effort.

I did the same thing with leftover buttermilk, as well as Greek yogurt that I use for cooking.  My only limitation is the size of my freezer, but it sure beats throwing these things away as the "sell by" date approaches.

When I pack a cooler bag for a car trip, I seal the ice with my food saver and no more leaking!

I bought too much zucchini and yellow squash for soup I was making last week. I cleaned and cut up the extra and sealed it in a bag (no vacuum).  I took it out yesterday to cook for dinner and it was perfectly fresh and ready to saute.

I could go on and on... I love my Food Saver!  I have the model that folds upwards to save counter space.  It's always there and available. If you hide it away, you won't use it.

[Zhills]

I found out that some things that don't really seem like liquid have a lot of liquid in them.  Poached chicken and Chili.  The chili was solid enough to eat with a fork but I had liquid in the bag, you know!  I do wipe the sealing end of the bag to be sure it does not have any food particles on it.

Keep suggestions coming...I'm just learning.  Thanks to all of you for your comments.

[Mom2Dogs]

@Zhills, yes it will help preserve the cheese.  I also purchase block cheese, cut it up in larger chunks and use my foodsaver to keep it fresh.