We have two FoodSaver vacuum sealers. The first we got about 10 years ago and the second we bought to replace the first about two years ago. The old one still works fine but the newer one has some nice automated features. I'd recommend them since they've lasted us quite a while. We use ours a couple of times a month when we make costco runs. We use it on meats, cheese, frozen pasta, etc. The newer unit has a button for "moist" items which makes the sealing cycle run longer to ensure a good seal.

Both units are easy to use but the new one has some extra features that make it easy to use. Load up the bag, slip it in, and push a button and let it go. The old unit needed to have the button held down.

Good luck.

I ditched my food saver several years ago because I never used it. We don't have much storage space at all and it was too much gear. I then bought a Reynolds hand held battery operated food saver which worked just as well, cost under 10 dollars, and fit in my drawer with all the ziplocs and foil.

Unfortunately, it was discontinued!!! I then bought the similar Ziploc version which is hand pumped. It is also super cheap. You do have to buy the Ziploc bags too. It works well, but you do have to hand pump it. I don't use the vacuum sealer that much (might buy a couple extra pounds of ground beef and make extra burgers, or 4 or 5 packages of chicken breasts when it is on sale). It works as well as the food saver in the vacuum sealing department, and is easy to store. It also keeps your freezer orderly as everything is flat and labeled. . .

My mom has the Ziploc one and she loves it but she never tried the Reynolds one ;)

Now I see you can order the handivac on the home shopping network and get the bags there too. I think I am going to order some because it worked so well and I can't get them locally!

Here is a link that might be useful: Handi Vac

I'm wondering if you're planning to use this just for freezing / storing food, or for sous vide cooking as well?

An advantage of a more powerful unit (stronger vacuum) may matter more for cooking than storage, because it intensifies marination. I'd lean toward a cheaper one unless I was pretty sure I would use it regularly over the long run.

Thanks for the info. I hope others will add their experiences.

Amcook, do you know the name of the new model with the features? Do you think it's as well made as your 10 year one?

Athensmomof3, I actually have the Ziplock one, but I think I'd like an electric one better. Given your recommendation, I'll give it another chance in the meantime. Maybe it'll grow on me.

Chac mool, Yes, I'm mostly thinking of freezing and other cold storage. Sous vide bothers me. The bags are polyethylene. And I don't need to rush on the marinade. :) I agree that a cheaper one than the "best" I saw should do me fine.

Every time I look at FoodSaver I get confused by the different models and competing reviews.

I think Food Savor brand is kind of the gold standard in this area -- sort of like Kitchenaid is to stand mixers.

That said, I bought my FS at Costco at least four years ago. It still works perfectly fine but... in all honestly, I only ever use the canisters. The bags are very expensive and I use my meat within a month or two -- a ziploc bag works just as well for me.

We took our 10 year old Food Saver to our vacation home but due to frequent power outages we don't store things in the freezer when we leave. We primarily use the canisters to keep crackers, cookies, cereal, nuts, sugar etc. fresh.

My canisters are domed - but I wish they were flat so that you can stack them.

We used a Tilia that was purchased at a boat show for the purpose of storing portions of fish on sailing trips. After a very short time, the sealing arm failed. So, I'd avoid that brand.

athensmomof3 -- thanks for the Reynolds Handi Vac update. I bought this when it first came out, thinking I'd try it out before investing in a Foodsaver. I enjoyed using it for the most part, but didn't like changing batteries and found that the bags didn't always work. That said, I never bought the Foodsaver and have been disappointed in not being able to find replacement bags for the Handi Vac. Now I know where to get them.

A few years ago, I considered buying a commercial unit for business purposes (I owned a country store)and found the following web site that offered vacuum bags and rolls at a much cheaper price than FS. Maybe this will be helpful for those of you who own FS units.

Here is a link that might be useful: Foodsaver bag alternative

We bought our latest FoodSaver from Costco and it is very solidly built. I think it's the 2830 model. I'm very confident it will last just as long or longer.

We use the bags for freezing and the canister for dry goods. For instance, I buy semolina flour bulk for making pasta but it takes me months to use it up. Stored in a canister, the flour stays very fresh. The bags can be pricey when compared to standard bags but not so much when compared to the heavy duty freezer ziplock bags.

Even for a month or two of storage, I use the sealer. If I knew for sure I'll use it in a couple of weeks, then I'll skip. I hate freezer burn on meat and vacuum sealing completely eliminates it unless it's frozen for a very extended amount of time (like close to a year) and even then it's usually due to a sloppy seal or a small pinhole form a bone or something.

If the cost of the bags are a concern, we have seen generic brand bags at Walmart and other discount stores that are cheaper. I'm sure they work just as well but our Costco carries the box of foodsaver rolls for a reasonable price.

Vacuum sealers are not for everyone. I can only say that for us, it has earned it's value by allowing us to buy bulk and prevent spoilage. My favorite thing to do is to buy a whole beef tenderloin and slice it into 1.5" thick fillets. I vacuum seal them individually or in pairs. That saves me anywhere between $6-10 (in some cases up to $15) per pound compared to buying fillet mignon at the butcher. I know.. I know.. true fillet mignon is just the tenderloin tip but most American fillet is cut from anywhere along the narrower half of the tenderloin. Either way, it typically sells for well over $15/lb while tenderloin can be found for about half that price or even less on sale. That means I can save about $50 (and that's conservative) per tenderloin this way and that means I make back the price of my FoodSaver in about a year with just that.

Thanks for the further info. I think what I need to do is just get to Costco and see if they have any. :) (None on the web.) FoodSaver does look like the KA equivalent, Stir_Fryi. Thanks for the comparison. There are also bad reviews of the KA, but it works very well for most people, including me.

Beaniebakes, thanks for the link!

Does anyone know what kind of plastic the bags are made out of?

We own the costco foodsaver. It works great. The purchase coincided with our buying a freezer. We freeze summer veggies from our garden among other things. We also make extra sauces and meals like lasagna and freeze those. For things like veggies, we will leave extra plastic container, then when we open them and don't need everything we can reseal in the same container just by cutting the end.

I have to add that if I had known about the "pre-freeze anything that is remotely juicy -- like ground beef" rule -- I would never have bought it!

I use it for ground beef all the time and never pre-freeze. If your unit has a "moist" or "wet" food option, it should have a longer seal cycle which makes sure it's sealed properly even when the liquid goes past the sealing strip. If it doesn't then just do an extra manual seal before releasing the vacuum lever. Other tricks like leaving more space between the meat and the seal or putting a paper towel along the length of the bag can help also. The only items that I pre-freeze are things that will either stick together if frozen under vacuum (dumplings for instance) or anything that needs to maintain a shape.

When I got my Food Saver as a gift, I never thought I'd use it as much as I do. I buy lots of things in bulk, like cheese and freeze them in most commonly used portions, fruits and vegetables freeze nicely in the bags, and it's a no brainer for meats. I also freeze left overs that I don't use right away. Yes, the bags are expensive, but I reuse mine. I use the roll, and cut the bags a little longer than needed. That way I can wash them out and reuse them. Works just fine. I also use the FS to reseal cereal bags (especially if we aren't going to use it up right away), snacks such as potato chips, crackers, etc.

My dh was the one who initially wanted a FoodSaver. I really didn't think it was a necessary purchase--but I have since become a true convert! We got ours at least 6 years ago and it's still going strong (got the FoodSaver Gamesaver model from Bass Pro/Cabela's b/c we had a gift card).

Not only is it great for buying meat in bulk and then using the bags to divide/store in smaller portions, but the canisters are great for things like refrigerating lettuce and even strawberries--both last waaay longer before wilting/softening.

You can freeze liquid leftovers (like soup)--just freeze overnight first w/ a clip on top, then you can seal it and freeze longterm. I also like it for things like cooked ground meat--I usually date it and label it and throw it in the freezer (i.e., "1.5 lbs cooked ground chuck, 12/13/10"). It lasts a long time this way, and when I need a quick supper plan, I can just grab it, defrost and add taco seasoning or spaghetti sauce or...you get the idea.

I do occasionally use it for marinating; it does speed up the time needed for this.

There is a Quick Seal option (or something like that) that works well to reseal things like bags of fish sticks (blech--but my kids think they're great as an occasional special treat!) or pizza rolls, for example. Also, like joyce 6333, I use it for cereal bags and crackers. Much better than folding up and clipping w/ a clothes pin!

So all in all, I definitely would recommend the higher end models.

Also, I found that Sam's carries a bulk package of assorted size bags for a better deal.

Good luck!

Hi,

I also love my FoodSaver. I have the newer upright model for about 9 months now. I do a lot of bread baking but homemade bread doesn't stay fresh for long and we can never use up the amount of bread my recipe produces quickly enough. Since it is a white bread recipe, I make garlic cheese bread out of it and vacuum seal it with the pulse feature. Then I freeze it and we use it with our next Italian meal! It would probably work to freeze it first just in the bag with a clip attached and then vacuum seal it. It is so much better than the frozen garlic bread from the grocery freezer case!

I also grow tomatoes in the summer which I freeze in disposable 18 ounce plastic cups and then vacuum seal and freeze again.

Good luck in finding the perfect vacuum sealer for you! Genie

FWIW, Foodsaver has one of their units on a promotion and you can apply a coupon to get 70% off
Go to http://www.foodsaver.com/Product....0&pid=8413
Use code L0FV70A at checkout.

Model number FSFSSL2222-015 should come with the following:

* 1 11" x 10� FoodSaver� Roll
* 3 Quart Size FoodSaver� Bags
* 2 Gallon Size FoodSaver� Bags
accessory hose

I do not know if its any good but it came to $26.00 shipped to California with tax for me. Maybe the coupon can be used on some of the other models?

We really like the

jar sealer attachment - it lets you use regular canning jars for vacuum packing things like flour.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jar Sealer at Amazon

Many thanks for all the further info and reviews!

Salmon Slayer, thanks for the code. It motivated me to check the website. I went through a lot of the models and figured out the one I thought I'd like best (since I haven't gotten to Costco). Turns out it's the same one I had earmarked before, so I guess it's the one! The code didn't work on it, but that's okay. It's inexpensive enough for my purposes--a quarter of the price of the gonzo overkill brand.

Thanks for the push forward!

Now can I ask about the meats? It sounds like people are freezing raw meats. Is that right? The only frozen meats I've been pleased with has been flash frozen, which preserves the texture/doesn't break down the tissue. Are you 100% happy with the results of the vacuum seal plus home freezing? Or is it just better than without?

Thanks!