Good deal on new Foodsaver v2830

[Yambor44]

I have been wanting one of these things since they first hit the market. couldn't find the coupon or model list by the OP but found one i can use for everyday use for home, hops and grain. Thought it might be nice to seal some smaller increments of specialty grains too like chocolate, roasted barley, etc.

FoodSaver®

 

[truckmann]

Yea, I have read numerous descriptions and whatnot and still can't figure out how the thing works. If you dont need one for each jar I would wonder how well it would work to just put hops in the jars and reseal everytime you need some. That would save alot of bags.

There is a company selling bags on ebay and they claim to be much better than the actualy foodsaver bags and that they are used commercially. They are relativly cheap. I might give them a try.

After looking at it I am pretty sure you you are correct that it uses the regular mason jar lids to seal. You just put them in the vacuum sealer that comes with it and after it pulls the vacuum on the jar the lid seals to the jar and you can remove the foodsaver part. The only problem with the one that comes with this package deal is it is the "large" one and most of the jars are the regular size. So plan on spending another $7-$10 for the one you can use on most of the jars.

 

[dataz722]

After looking at it I am pretty sure you you are correct that it uses the regular mason jar lids to seal. You just put them in the vacuum sealer that comes with it and after it pulls the vacuum on the jar the lid seals to the jar and you can remove the foodsaver part. The only problem with the one that comes with this package deal is it is the "large" one and most of the jars are the regular size. So plan on spending another $7-$10 for the one you can use on most of the jars.

Mine didn't come with the attachment so I will just make sure I buy the one for the smaller jars. I think I will get that this weekend actually. Thanks.

 

[The Pol]

AND THIS DEAL IS OVER... it is completely removed from thier website. Got mine just in time!

 

[Nikobrew]

Got mine about an hour ago... already sealed up about 2 pounds of hops that needed re-sealing (it sealed the seal-a-meal bag fine, the Kenmore bag from Niko lost its vaccuum almost immediately) I also sealed up some block cheese that was in the fridge with the FoodSaver Bags, which I have to say seem to work much better in the machine than the other couple brands that I resealed.

I got my (2) canisters, I have three rolls of bags, and my mason jar sealer... time to find some kittens!

On my next batch of bags Im going to buy the foodsaver brand and see how that compares. Sorry about that, kenmore claimed to be just as good and Ive always liked and have been satisfied with sears products.

 

[The Pol]

OH NO NO, your bag ARRIVED FINE... it was after I tried to RE-SEAL it! I tried to reseal it a few times and each time after about 10 minutes the vaccuum was lost.

 

[truckmann]

I used it to reseal a bunch of the zip-lock bags for the little hand pump things. I just cut off the zip lock part. They looked to be holding fine. I did double seal them for piece of mind, but I figured since I already had them I would try it out instead of using up FS bags. I need to check and make sure they haven't leaked out.

 

[The Pol]

I used mine last night to re-seal some grain! One of the sack opened in transit, and the FoosSaver sealed it right back up! Triple sealed it for sure

 

[Yambor44]

What bags are you using for 1-2 ounces of hops?

 

[The Pol]

I have a 8" roll that I am using for 1-2 oz.

I used the 11" roll for 6 oz and up.

Here is my complete 2009 Brew Haul. I wont have to order again til 2010!

The grain sacks from Brewmasters are easy to reseal with the FoodSaver once opened!

 

[Yambor44]

I have been wanting one of these things since they first hit the market. couldn't find the coupon or model list by the OP but found one i can use for everyday use for home, hops and grain. Thought it might be nice to seal some smaller increments of specialty grains too like chocolate, roasted barley, etc.

FoodSaver®

Got mine today. What a poor buy! For the money I spent I am disappointed. Started out working fine then wouldn't seal right. You can tell right away when it grabs the bag and starts to suck whether its going to suck it down all the way or not and 3 out of 4 times it would not. After wasting a lot of bags i figured out you need to hot cancel right away so it doesn't seal it when it hasn't vacuumed it yet. It took me a good hour to seal 13 small bags. The instructions say to wait 20 seconds between seals to let it cool. I did that and nothing. Then wait 20 minutes. Sealed the first one then after a 20 second wait for the second one, didn't seal right, and the error light doesn't flash as if it recognizes it isn't sealed.

I'll call it a night right now and try again tomorrow.

 

[The Pol]

Got mine today. What a poor buy! For the money I spent I am disappointed. Started out working fine then wouldn't seal right. You can tell right away when it grabs the bag and starts to suck whether its going to suck it down all the way or not and 3 out of 4 times it would not. After wasting a lot of bags i figured out you need to hot cancel right away so it doesn't seal it when it hasn't vacuumed it yet. It took me a good hour to seal 13 small bags. The instructions say to wait 20 seconds between seals to let it cool. I did that and nothing. Then wait 20 minutes. Sealed the first one then after a 20 second wait for the second one, didn't seal right, and the error light doesn't flash as if it recognizes it isn't sealed.

I'll call it a night right now and try again tomorrow.

That is odd, I have sealed probably 30 bags of various things... grains, and even broken down hops.... I have had PERFECT vaccum and seals on all of them... actually never had one that didnt work perfectly the first time.

Everyone else I have talked to that has owned ANY FoodSaver is happy with thiers too... Odd.

 

[truckmann]

Maybe you should to watch the directions DVD that came with it. Mine works fine.

If you don't get the bag all the way into the vacuum port properly it won't create suction in the bag, but the machine is still creating a vacuum around the bag so it doesn't know that you don't have the bag in all the way. I don't have to wait in between operation either cause it take me more than 20 seconds to cut, seal and fill a bag. If you are having that much trouble I can only assume that you are either not operating it correctly or you got a defective unit.

Make sure you are getting the bag into the removable tray with the rubber seals on it and it should work fine 9 out of 10 times!

 

[The Pol]

Yeah, something isnt right... please tell me you didnt spenf 174 bucks on one....

 

[Yambor44]

Yeah, something isnt right... please tell me you didnt spenf 174 bucks on one....

No, No not at all..... $173.97 plus a box of 32 smaller bags.

 

[The Pol]

No, No not at all..... $173.97 plus a box of 32 smaller bags.

Dayyummmmmm

 

[alohanole]

I got a 2-roll pack of bags from wal-mart and they suck. The OEM foodsaver bags are far superior. I was vacuum sealing a family pack of steaks last night and had 3 failures with the cheap bags. I won't make that mistake again!

 

[The Pol]

FoodSaver bags are much higher quality than most I have seen yes.

 

[Yambor44]

I am using the FS bags. One side is textured and one not. Once I started having the challenge I would switch it up now and then and it didn't seem to matter. Is the bottom that way just to give it some grip in the fridge/freezer you think?


I am going for round 2 tonight will let you know how it goes. Did not get a DVD with mine but have read the quickstart and regular instructions several times.

 

[The Pol]

I am using the FS bags. One side is textured and one not. Once I started having the challenge I would switch it up now and then and it didn't seem to matter. Is the bottom that way just to give it some grip in the fridge/freezer you think?


I am going for round 2 tonight will let you know how it goes. Did not get a DVD with mine but have read the quickstart and regular instructions several times.

I just vaccuum sealed a bag of grain... sweetness.

The bag is designed with one textured, or CHANNELED side so that when you clamp it in the FoodSaver it can still suck the air out. If you had a bag with 2 channeled sides, they would interlock, not allowing a vaccuum. If you had a bag with 2 smooth sides, again, they wold press together, leaving no channels for the air to be sucked out. The bag is textured so that there are channels for the air to be removed.

 

[Yambor44]

I just vaccuum sealed a bag of grain... sweetness.

The bag is designed with one textured, or CHANNELED side so that when you clamp it in the FoodSaver it can still suck the air out. If you had a bag with 2 channeled sides, they would interlock, not allowing a vaccuum. If you had a bag with 2 smooth sides, again, they wold press together, leaving no channels for the air to be sucked out. The bag is textured so that there are channels for the air to be removed.

Cool. So in other words you can put it either way and it should work?

 

[The Pol]

Cool. So in other words you can put it either way and it should work?

Yes, it doesnt matter... it is just that way so the air has a way to get out.

 

[Yambor44]

Okay. Went smoother that time. Only 1 out of 6 didn't go right the first time. I trimmed it and tried again and it went fine. I think I was putting them too far (if thats possible) into the machine. I thought t was maybe due to me splitting the bags into 2 bags (6"x9.5" bags into 2) to put smaller amounts of hops in but I guess that isn't the case as I have read where people cut them open, use some then reseal. Not sure what it is/was exactly but it worked better. I only had 6 left to do.

How many pounds of grains are you all sealing up in what size bag? I assume it is just specialty grains as per a recipe?

Heres some pics of the unit (you know I got to have some pics!):

You can click on them to twice and then click full screen for larger images.


And the end result of the hops sealed



And the rest already sealed from where I bought them. Once I bust some of the larger bags up I can reseal them in FS bag.



Does anyone use a smaller bag for 1-2 ounces of hops? If so where do you purchase them and what size?

 

[The Pol]

I sealed up 2 pounds of 60L... See, I dont buy bags persay... I buy the rolls. The machine stores the rolls, I simply pull out what I need, use the internal knife to cut the bag cleanly, then seal one end, put my hops in it, then vaccuum and seal the other end.

I used a 11" x 11" self made bag for the 2lbs of 60L

My hops that are 2-3oz bags are in 8" x 4" bags or so... whatever it takes. Pellet obviously fits in more compactly than the leaf does. I can fit an entire pound of pellet in 8" x 8" bag or so, NEVER could do that with leaf.

 

[Yambor44]

Thats what I was doing with the 6x9 bags. I would cut it in half with the slicer, seal one end of the top part, then put 1-2 ounces in them. In the hop pic above the long narrow bag is cut from a roll for a 2 ouncer.

 

[The Pol]

It may be cheaper to buy the rolls and make your own bags... seems so anyhow. I got an 8" x 22 FOOT roll for $9...

At Amazon you can get THREE 8" x 22' rolls for under $25 SHIPPED FREE. Really 8" wide bags do all that I need in most cases.

So that is like (24) 8" x 11" BAGS for $8.33, that is a pretty good deal for FoodSaver bags.

 

[The Pol]

Sealed up a couple pounds of black angus steaks in mine this morning with some marinade for this evening. I am thinking that vaccuuming the marinade in there with the meat will speed the process somewhat.... ?

In any case, it was just cool.

 

[yermej]

With some careful temperature control, you could try some sous vide cooking. Pick the temp you want the steak to be and cook it in water at that temp. It takes longer, but it'll be completely evenly cooked all the way through. Then you'd sear it on a ridiculously hot grill or with a torch before serving.

 

[The Pol]

With some careful temperature control, you could try some sous vide cooking. Pick the temp you want the steak to be and cook it in water at that temp. It takes longer, but it'll be completely evenly cooked all the way through. Then you'd sear it on a ridiculously hot grill or with a torch before serving.

Oh damn... I am not doing that tonight, but I WILL do that in the future. Great idea!

 

[The Pol]

5 minutes on each side... OMG... nice and pink in the middle (just how I like my meat)... that was one great bovine!

 

[ajwillys]

With some careful temperature control, you could try some sous vide cooking. Pick the temp you want the steak to be and cook it in water at that temp. It takes longer, but it'll be completely evenly cooked all the way through. Then you'd sear it on a ridiculously hot grill or with a torch before serving.

The Pol is the king of temperature control. Fill that MLT will water, set the controller for 126 (medium rare) and turn on the HERMS. Drop in the steaks (you could fit at least ten in there ) and wait.

I actually thought about doing something similar using a crock pot full of water and my ranco (to cycle the crock on and off). From what I hear, the secret to sous vide is pretty precise temp control. Us brewers have no problem with that.

 

[truckmann]

Sealed up a couple pounds of black angus steaks in mine this morning with some marinade for this evening. I am thinking that vaccuuming the marinade in there with the meat will speed the process somewhat.... ?

In any case, it was just cool.

I got one of these quick marinators with my Foodsaver.

I figure I will get some good use out of it.

 

[dstar26t]

The mason jar attachment is easy. Put only the jar lid on (not the screw on piece) and attach the foodsaver attachment. Pulls a vacuum on it and remove the foodsaver attachment. Done.

Here's my haul: