Experience with a Foodsaver?

[MrsMe]

I know these are expensive, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with these and if they're worth it.

 

We live far from a store. And I wonder if it does well with fresh foods, like vegetables. Because we live far, we don't get many fresh vegetables. If I buy enough to last before I go to the store, the vegetables go bad before I go back.

 

So does this only work for frozen items? Or could veggies be cut and "saved"?

[Renthead Mommy]

It works. For softer veggies, like tomatoes, or blueberries, the canisters work better. I bought one to send cookies to my husband on deployment. Th ecookies were good, adn still soft and fresh nearly 3 weeks later when he got them, but they were sort of, well compacted. They still held their shape, but they were sort of pushed into themselves. I bought a number of canisters and that worked great. But you then have to re-seal them every time you open the canister. But also you aren't waisting the plastic bags.

[shalom22]

I used to have a food saver and loved it. I sold it last year (long and drawn out circumstance there :D), but I am planning on getting a new one this summer. I didn't use it with veggies, so I don't have any advice there. One thing that I have used for veggies are the Debbie Meyer green bags. They do work. My veggies last much longer when I use them.

 

I used the food saver for my meats and cheeses. I would go to the store once a month and seal everything to protect from freezer burn. I really miss not having one right now. I think they are very useful.

[kewb]

I love my food saver. I have never used it for veggies though. I use it for bulk meat and cheese. The canisters I use for bulk popcorn and grains I don't use that often.

[brehon]

at least for certain vegetables. You'll need to blanch them first, pat them dry, then seal them (and make doubly sure you get a good seal). I've found it works well with green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and okra. I imagine it would work with carrots and some other vegetables as well. I've never tried tomatoes as I can those.

 

If you live that far out, you might also think about putting in your own veg patch. That way you'd have plenty of fresh vegetables and could freeze and/or put up what you need for the winter months.

[LaxMom]

We use ours for veggies, though mostly for veggies we buy extra of during the local growing season, so we can have them stored away for winter. There isn't any reason you can't, say, parcel out veggies in meal-sized portions, then seal them up. Or, seal up everything, cut just below the seal to take what you want out, reseal, etc.

 

We buy just about everything in bulk, so I put flour, dried fruit, rice, and other pantry good up in the amounts that fit in their respective containers (quart mason jars, mostly) and store them on a higher shelf, or in the cupboards in our laundry room. In fact, I have 25 lbs of coffee to put up right now... interestingly, the coffee will give off gases and expand the bag. (to a point. it doesn't explode or anything, just isn't a rock after a couple of days)

 

For more delicate things, I have found that sucking out the air until just before the goods start to crush, then hitting the manual seal button only lets a tiny bit of air back in, but keeps the pasta or whatever from being damaged.

 

I also reuse the bags so the bigger one that I used for flour will be used for something in a slightly smaller quantity next time, and so forth.

[MrsMe]

 

If you live that far out, you might also think about putting in your own veg patch. That way you'd have plenty of fresh vegetables and could freeze and/or put up what you need for the winter months.

 

On year 3. The birds are loving it! I'm not trying it again until I have a complete enclosure. I'm also in AZ....it also needs to be on auto drip. Ugh.

[brehon]

On year 3. The birds are loving it! I'm not trying it again until I have a complete enclosure. I'm also in AZ....it also needs to be on auto drip. Ugh.

 

 

I hear ya! We grow fruit (vines, bushes, & trees) and vegetables. I'd love to have a complete enclosure, but that ain't happen' any time real soon. My solution has been to have "Ag Class" in the mornings and pick what is ready. That usually allows me to beat the birds. We do have a game fence up and so don't generally have to worry about the ROUS' (aka deer), except, of course, when a certain dh doesn't remember to close the gate securely and the d*&^ things get in and decimate my okra, grapes, and blackberries.:glare: Ahem. I'm over it...really.

 

We use a drip irrigation system. PITA installing it, but oh, so worth it in the long run. Good Luck with your garden!

[BMC]

I especially love mine for cheese - wow does it keep longer! I don't use it for veggies (freezing) though. Blanching and then individually freezing then vacuuming - too much effort for someone within walking distance of a produce-rich grocery store.

 

My biggest problem with it is that it seems the only one in the house to use it - is me. DH has never touched it, and the kids can and do - but rarely, so I periodically go through the fridge and pack stuff. DH commented that his premium Swiss cheese sure kept a long time, to which I brightly replied, "It really makes a difference when you use the foodsaver!" when I really wanted to say - yeah - vacuum it next time you cut a chunk off instead of leaving it on the counter for me to put away!

 

BTW - it doesn't work on individual chocolates/truffles - they squash. And I find meat hard to do without freezing it first.

[Unicorn.]

Yes, but when you blanch your veggies, make sure they are really dry! We killed ours while it was still young, because our squash wasn't completely dry. We loved it while we had it though!

[TraceyS/FL]

I"ve had one for years.

 

Right now i'm mainly using it to seal mason jars (you use the wide mouth jars and the lids). I think i have bags around here somewhere - but the throwing them away part was driving me crazy (i have a budget currently of like $0 lol!!).

 

But overall, i'd recommend it!

[LaxMom]

Hey! Thanks for the reminder, Tracey! I keep forgetting that I can use the jar-sealer thing. I store a lot of stuff in jars. Duh.

[Janna]

I use my food saver for pretty much only fruit and vegetables, so yes, it can be done!

 

I freeze tomatoes, blueberries, squash, peaches, green beans, plums etc..as well as soup.

 

The only thing you have to do, is freeze the items first before vacuuming. You can either put them in the bag and then put the open bag in the freezer, vacuum when frozen, or, you can freeze the items on a cookie sheet or something else, and put them in the bag to vacuum once they are thoroughly frozen. Because there is a lot of moisture in fruits and veggies, if you don't freeze them first, the vacuuming process will suck the moisture out and prevent a good seal.

 

I don't have any containers to use, though my food saver has the attachment parts to do that, so everything I do is with bags. I can't find the containers to buy anymore.

 

HTH!

[Janna]

Blanching and then individually freezing then vacuuming - too much effort for someone within walking distance of a produce-rich grocery store.

 

 

 

Why do you have to blanch and individually freeze first? I wash my veggies when I get home from the store, then plop them in the food saver bag and put them in the freezer for a few hours until they are thoroughly frozen. Then I seal them. Takes no more time than putting food into a container and putting it in the refrigerator.

 

If I want to make it easier for cooking (meaning on the day I'm cooking I don't want to cut up the veggies in pieces, or snap the beans, then Sometimes I will do that before freezing. But it's not necessary and I don't always do it. Even cherries I will sometimes freeze with the pits and stems still on, LOL. I have never blanched my stuff first, though. Why does that have to be done?