Vacuum sealers

[gomer pyle]

My wife and I are wanting to get a vacuum sealer for meats and garden extras.  I was looking for recommendations on brands and models. I've looked at the Food Saver 5460 and it sounds good on their site but I wanted first hand experience.

[Omega]

If you are talking about this one: 5460, then skip it, it reads good but overrated. The part they say is to save bag material is useless, by the time you get to that step you already sealed the bottom so who cares if you can see where you seal the top.  You could use the top sealer to do the bottom, but then you may as well get one with just one seal strip and save on the purchase price.

I have this one: V4445, it works ok, but you have to get used to pulling the bag back a bit when you do the bottom, because if you don't you waste about an inch of material, not much but it adds up.  You also have to leave enough on the top because it needs it to start the vacuum process.  

[JPS]

I bought the FoodSaver V2244 from Amazon in Nov when it was about $20 less than it is now, and it works well for us.  I use it every couple weeks or so after a grocery run to bag/seal meat for the freezer and bulk cheese for the fridge.  I also picked up the jar sealer attachment, and really like that for keeping sauces, etc fresher longer in jars.

(If you get the jar sealer don't forget to 'shrink' a jar of marshmallows - the kids love it!)

[Sidecarist]

We use a weston sealer. Much better quality unit. Not cheap, but in the long run we would have been better off to start with it and not have 2 lower cost units fail and need replacement.

It doesn't offer some of the special features like vacuum sealing jars. But for us it's not a big loss.

We do use some food saver bags and like the pleated ones for large items.

[peejman]

We've had a Food Saver brand vacuum sealer for years.  Coming up on 16 years as I think it was a wedding gift. It's been great.  Best way to preserve stuff in the freezer. 

I have learned to double seal both ends of the bags.  Sometimes bags don't seal completely and will leak back up a bit.  Just use that stuff first. I've also learned to put a napkin or paper towel in with anything juicy.  

Yes, every bag will get at least an inch shorter every time you use it. I've never found that to be an issue. I've used both Food Saver brand bags and Ziplock brand with success. 

[Raoul]

I'm a fan also. Used one for 5 or 6 years. Use it for everything I'm gonna freeze as well as for items you want to protect long term, like documents and stuff in my bugout bag.

Foodsaver almost always has a deal on rolls of unsealed bag platic.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Raoul

[monkeylizard]

I'm picturing Raoul's bug out bag . . .

 

[gomer pyle]

5 hours ago, Sidecarist said:

We use a weston sealer. Much better quality unit. Not cheap, but in the long run we would have been better off to start with it and not have 2 lower cost units fail and need replacement.

It doesn't offer some of the special features like vacuum sealing jars. But for us it's not a big loss.

We do use some food saver bags and like the pleated ones for large items.

Which model?

[Mark A]

Cabelas commercial unit fanboy here. Went through 2 or 3 foodsavers. All broke and you can't fix them. Bit the bullet and bought a Cabelas commercial model. Built like a tank and you can order parts for it. It is the last generation version. Pretty sure Weston made it for Cabelas.

We usually buy a whole cow and a whole pig once a year. The processor puts the cuts in cheap bags. We reseal them in good bags.

 We also dehydrate a lot of veggies and meat. Vacuum packed and stuck in a chest freezer it has an expiration date of forever...

rumor has it you can make a bag long enough for an sks, then stick it in a pvc tube that is sealed and put away for that special day...

 

Sidecarist, they said mine wouldn't vacuum seal jars either but I do it every week. Let us know your model number and I will look it up and see if the same trick will work for you

 

mark

Edited February 24, 2017 by Mark A

[Sidecarist]

It's a weston 2300 comercial. I've thought of adding a vacuum port to the top cover and a small valve. Just haven't gotten around to it....

[peejman]

10 hours ago, Mark A said:

rumor has it you can make a bag long enough for an sks, then stick it in a pvc tube that is sealed and put away for that special day...

Which illustrates that all sorts of things can be vacuum sealed.  Handy for keeping thing clean in dirty environments ( bearings, o-rings, gaskets, ...) or storing things that may deteriorate over time. 

[Mark A]

10 hours ago, Sidecarist said:

It's a weston 2300 comercial. I've thought of adding a vacuum port to the top cover and a small valve. Just haven't gotten around to it....

Yours looks like the newer version of mine. All I did was buy the little jar attachment and hose kit. I open the lid and stick the hose  down into the suction port on the right and run it for about 30 seconds and turn it off. If I'm using the 1/2 gallon jars I run it a bit longer. I don't know the exact level of vacuum in there but the sticks well and I've had stuff stored for 5 or 6 years now and it is still in good shape.

 

I don't think I got the foodsaver brand but here is a link to that one on Amazon: Wide mouth and standard mouth combo kit. You can buy just one or the other if you want to try it for less.

 

 

And... yes Mr Peej. I have all sorts of fun and interesting things vacuum packed 

[Sidecarist]

Thanks! I'll have to give it a try.

[Jamie Jackson]

Good suggestion on the double seal from peejman. I do the same and have found it makes a significant difference.

When we find good "loss leader" buy on meats, life whole fryers or Boston Butt pork roasts, we'll pick up 40-50 pounds of them and vac seal them. We have 2 chest freezers and one is dedicated strictly to meats. I've found that vac sealing, with the double seal, has enabled us to keep these meats in good condition without freezer burn for 12-18 months. fwiw I always date the bags and usually include the sale price as a reference for myself.

 

We also use the vac sealing for tablet or pill form medications except aspirin containing products. If you folks have seen the S.L.E.P. or Shelf Life Extension Program you know the wisdom and value of this.

The pdf comes and goes off the interwebs, but the info is worth digging around for. I'll try and insert the pdf but I am a technotard...

 

Our unit is an old Black & Decker I purchased for use in making BOK's that I sold a dozen years back and it's still going strong.

SLEP.pdf

[gomer pyle]

For those who have the jar attachment,  how often do you use it ?  I'm really leaning towards the Weston 2300 but  I would not be able to use the jar attachment. 

[Sidecarist]

Per Mark A''s suggestion I ordered the food saver jar attachment. I'll have it the end of next week and let you know how it works with the Weston 2300. Maybe post a pic or two.

[gomer pyle]

I also read his comment but according to Weston's website doing that will void your warranty. So be careful 

[Raoul]

On 2/25/2017 at 6:33 AM, prag said:

Good suggestion on the double seal from peejman. I do the same and have found it makes a significant difference.

When we find good "loss leader" buy on meats, life whole fryers or Boston Butt pork roasts, we'll pick up 40-50 pounds of them and vac seal them. We have 2 chest freezers and one is dedicated strictly to meats. I've found that vac sealing, with the double seal, has enabled us to keep these meats in good condition without freezer burn for 12-18 months. fwiw I always date the bags and usually include the sale price as a reference for myself.

 

We also use the vac sealing for tablet or pill form medications except aspirin containing products. If you folks have seen the S.L.E.P. or Shelf Life Extension Program you know the wisdom and value of this.

The pdf comes and goes off the interwebs, but the info is worth digging around for. I'll try and insert the pdf but I am a technotard...

 

Our unit is an old Black & Decker I purchased for use in making BOK's that I sold a dozen years back and it's still going strong.

SLEP.pdf

Here's a link

https://www.fda.gov/EmergencyPreparedness/Counterterrorism/MedicalCountermeasures/MCMLegalRegulatoryandPolicyFramework/ucm411446.htm

 

 

[Omega]

14 minutes ago, gomer pyle said:

I also read his comment but according to Weston's website doing that will void your warranty. So be careful 

Don't tell them, there is no permanent modification.  

[Sidecarist]

39 minutes ago, gomer pyle said:

I also read his comment but according to Weston's website doing that will void your warranty. So be careful 

It's probably already void as I opened it up and increased the sealing time slightly. I can't help but tinker...

[Mark A]

1 hour ago, gomer pyle said:

For those who have the jar attachment,  how often do you use it ?  I'm really leaning towards the Weston 2300 but  I would not be able to use the jar attachment. 

We use ours a ton because we dehydrate a lot. As things ripen during the year we dehydrate and then pull a vacuum on the jars. This is for stuff like fruits and berries. My wife uses them in oatmeal and granola etc... We also dehydrate a lot of cherry tomatoes as she likes them on her salads.

For me, I like to dehydrate things like garlic, onions, and herbs. They all store well in jars. I also put together soup fixins in jars and dry can them. I put the beans and various dried veggies in the jar, add a seasoning pack in a zip lock baggie and fold a set of cooking instructions in there. I've given them as gifts, given them to neighbors during winter storm outages, and even to folks handling a loss of a family member. It is amazing how relaxing walking into a house with some home made soup cooking can be.

If you do a lot of dry canning you might consider a vacucanner. I've almost made one a couple of times. If we have a good harvest this year I might just knock one out.

Vacucanner

Mark

[Jamie Jackson]

7 hours ago, Raoul said:

Here's a link

https://www.fda.gov/EmergencyPreparedness/Counterterrorism/MedicalCountermeasures/MCMLegalRegulatoryandPolicyFramework/ucm411446.htm

 

 

Thank you Raoul. Much obliged.

[gomer pyle]

The Weston may be out of my price range right now. What about the FoodSaver 4840?

[Jamie Jackson]

Not to side track or anything, but what bags are you folks using?

I've only ever used Food Saver brand, and they work well. But I just received a 3 roll order off Amazon and they've gone up in price $6.00 since my last order in Aug. 2016.

[Sidecarist]

I've used weston bags, foodsaver, and generic commercial bags purchased at a restaurant supply house. Results seem to be about the same with all of them.