Kitchen

[mjmm]

I have the food saver. I like it very much. I got the one that also has the external tube to be used with to he one way valve press seal bags. The gadget which plugs into the top has broken. The plastic piece which plugs in cracked. I bought another external plug and that one cracked also after about 10 uses.

[We rescue cats]

I had a countertop foodsaver for a long time and loved it, when it bit the dust I bought a cuisinart portable, it was a pistol grip, and loved it even though I had to buy bags that had a suction area on each bag. Loved ir for year but it has bit the dust and since it appears to be discontinuued I need to get another brand so will probably go back to the foodsaver.

[Rockycoast]

FoodSaver brand is the best that there is. We had our first FoodSaver close to 30 years. Wonderful small appliance. We purchased another FoodSaver and it has been doing just as good as the first. We buy meats in bulk, cut and portion it into serving sizes and into the chest freezer they go. We like to go to pick-your- own fruit farms along with growing some fruits of our own. Those too get divided into 2 cup portions, vacuumed and into the freezer. It is a great money saver for the budget. FoodSaver is the only brand we would purchase. Well made, lasts decades. Great investment.

[Eileen in Virginia]

I bought a Food Saver when QVC originally offered it and loved it from day 1. It came with all the bells & whistles and lasted a long time (probably about 10 years). When it died, I replaced it with another, more modern version. The second one was too big for my counter, so I gave it to a friend and bought a NutriChef from Amazon. I've had it for 3 or 4 years now and love it, too. It's a basic model and doesn't take up much space on my counter. I have a small galley kitchen, so an appliance has to earn its space on the kitchen counter. My shrink wrapper's right up there with the microwave and toaster oven. 

I  never used the canisters or rolls that came with my original Food Saver, just the quart and gallon sized bags. I use them to break down & freeze meats that I buy at BJ's. I also freeze smaller portions of focaccia bread for reheating later. I order pound bags of spices from Amazon and shrink wrap them as well. They're great for storing bricks of cheese after you've used some - they never get moldy. They're perfect for storing hot dogs if you don't use the whole package in one sitting. I get bacon from a farmer that's delivered in loose bags. I repackage each pound in the quart bags, dividing the number of slices in half, folding each half-pound in half, then placing them on top of each other before sealing. We usually use a half-pound when we have bacon and just reseal the bag until we're ready to have it again. It's easy to find the quart-sized bags, but the gallon-sized ones are harder to find. I can usually find them at kitchen outlets in outlet malls, sometimes at Walmart or Amazon. I'm sure there are non-food uses for it, but I primarily use mine for food. 

[deeva]

I love my Foodsaver. I've also used it to seal large quantities of liquids and pack them in my suitcase when I check a bag during my flight. 

[Nightowlz]

We have used a Foodsaver for years. I buy the rolls on their site when they have BOGO sale. I make my own bags from the rolls. 

We seal all the meat we buy so it doesn't get freezer burn.

@Pezzie 

You can freeze meat on cookie sheets so it doesn't get squeezed to death or blood running into your sealer. I think they recommend that but not sure.

Anything with liquid you can freeze first before vacuum sealing. 

[wagirl]

I have the Food Saver brand.. It has done a great job with eveything I chose to  seal up and store. 

[branny]

how do you clean it. Does juices suck into the tube and machine

[Icegoddess]

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@branny wrote:

how do you clean it. Does juices suck into the tube and machine

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@branny the one I have has a lift-out plastic tray in case any juices get sucked into it, but I pre-freeze my meats or other items that might do that, like chili.  I put the chili in one of the freezer bags and fold the top under and lay it on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer.  

[Icegoddess]

I also like to pre-freeze breaded veggies.  That way they won't get smooshed.