I am wondering if anyone has used a food saver and if it is cheaper then using freezer bags to freeze your veggies and meat? Garden is ready for a lot of freezing and canning.
Food Saver
Jul
28
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Patrice says:
I have used one. I don’t think it’s cheaper than freezer bags, but it seems to make things last longer in the freezer. I’ve heard that the food saver bags can be cleaned well and reused. If so, that would probably make them cheaper, but that is loads of work. I buy cheese in bulk from an organic coop. That is the one thing that I consistently use the food saver for. My cheese thaws to be just like fresh. It works for freezing a thick piece of cheese. I decided to try to use the food saver for grated cheese, but the vacuum pull is so hard that it formed it back into a compact chunk. Oops! Not what I’d intended.
On July 29, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Vic (Victoria) says:
Freeze grated cheese by mixing a small amount of cornstarch with the cheese, then spread out on cookie sheets and freeze. It doesn’t take long to freeze and them you can bag it. You’re able to take out just the amount you need and put the rest back in the freezer.
On July 30, 2010 at 1:38 am
rileysmom says:
Linda, I use my FoodSaver for packaging meats for freezing. If it’s a liquid item, you can freeze in one container, then seal the frozen item with the FoodSaver. Also, in the frige, I seal all my cheeses; I haven’t had any mold. I have used it to seal Romaine lettuce (be sure to use the manual seal so you don’t crush the lettuce) and it’s lasted for 3 weeks.
I’m a big fan of my FoodSaver. It’s just an older basic model that I keep in a handy cabinet. You can buy a big box of bags at Costco at a reasonable price. I hope this answers some of your questions.
On July 29, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Carmi says:
I use a food saver. I love it. I think it is better than bags because it takes out all the air which leads to freezer burn. For some vegetables, like cauliflower and broccoli, I put them in a salad spinner to get a lot of the moisture out, then laid them on a towel to absorb more. Blueberries and fruit: if you want them to retain their shape, freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a food saver bag and seal. Hope this helps
On July 30, 2010 at 11:30 am
Pete says:
There always has to be one opposing voice, right? Perhaps it’s just because we didn’t have a lot of us in the household when I tried it, but it just seemed more trouble than it was worth to me. I quickly gave it away.
Now hubby has picked one up somewhere just because he thought it might come in handy. Keep intending to try it out again, but haven’t yet…
On July 30, 2010 at 9:55 pm
rileysmom says:
Pete, I think once you get used to your FoodSaver, you may like it. There’s just me and hubby, so if I buy in bulk (being so far from civilizaton)I like that sealing items into meal-size portions without fear of freezer burn.
On July 31, 2010 at 11:26 am
Dede ~ wvhomecanner says:
To make the FS more affordable, I flash freeze items, then pack them into cheap ziptop baggies, leaving an inch or so open in the bag. THEN I vac seal those in the FS bags. When I thaw something, I immediately trim the sealed edge off of the FS bag and remove the inner baggie and contents and let stuff thaw in the cheap baggie. Makes the FS bags last a LONG time this way. No tossing because they had meat or oily stuff inside.
Pete, I agree with rileysmom re: buying larger packages and repacking with the FS. I buy good stuff on sale and repackage as per our use pattern.
On July 31, 2010 at 12:53 pm
rileysmom says:
Dede, that’s a great idea to get more use out of the FoodSaver bags. I know they SAY you can wash the bags, but I’m just not comfortable with that idea….especially meats.
On July 31, 2010 at 2:33 pm
NorthCountryGirl says:
I have one. I use it sporadically. It really does keep food better in the freezer. It’s just getting it out. Setting it up. Making the bags if I don’t have ready-made available. Trying to create a seal which sometimes isn’t easy, depending on what your freezing. It really does the job…it’s just a pain to go through all that when I can grab a Hefty bag and zip it shut. Cheese is the only thing I really like using it for. The bags are pricey, even the rolls you make into bags. For as short a period of time the food is our the freezer, I find the zip lock bags work best for me.
On August 2, 2010 at 8:28 pm