Vacuum sealers, seal-a-meal

[Sean]

I wound up with the foodsaver 2490 for about $100 from Amazon. I have only had it for about two hours, but am very happy with the solid feel and sound of the machine working. Plus it came with three containers; very nice, one is now full of coffee beans.

This thing is going to get a workout. My wife's garden is about to explode, and with only two of us, I will feel much more comfortable buying larger quantities of meat, fish and grains.

Thanks for the guidance.

 

[tndave]

I have a B&D one that I haven't used in a long time. The problem that I had with it was you couldn't seal anything with more than just a little moisture. It would pull a good vacuum and then try to burn the seal but there would almost always be a place where the moisture prevented the bag from sealing completely. We were using the rolls...Anyone else had this problem?

 

[dataz722]

I have a B&D one that I haven't used in a long time. The problem that I had with it was you couldn't seal anything with more than just a little moisture. It would pull a good vacuum and then try to burn the seal but there would almost always be a place where the moisture prevented the bag from sealing completely. We were using the rolls...Anyone else had this problem?

Dont have the same brand as you but ive never had it with the foodsaver. I have gone through numerous of both the 8 and 11" rolls and never had a problem.

 

[dataz722]

I wound up with the foodsaver 2490 for about $100 from Amazon. I have only had it for about two hours, but am very happy with the solid feel and sound of the machine working. Plus it came with three containers; very nice, one is now full of coffee beans.

This thing is going to get a workout. My wife's garden is about to explode, and with only two of us, I will feel much more comfortable buying larger quantities of meat, fish and grains.

Thanks for the guidance.

Now just buy the mason jar attachment for 10 bucks and a **** ton of mason jars and vacuum seal EVERYTHING!!! Thats what I did.

 

[khiddy]

I have the FoodSaver "Universal Jar Sealer", and it came unsealed in the last week. I had my Magnum hops in a quart jar, with the universal lid on top, and the seal was somehow compromised such that it caused the lid to come off. What a bummer!

So I resealed the hops in a FoodSaver jar, which has a lid that fits flush with the top of the jar and has an additional rubber seal. We'll see how long this one keeps its seal!

 

[The Pol]

#1. I have gone through about 6 rolls of bags with my FoodSaver and NEVER had a bad seal. Even with moist foods, there is actually a setting for mois foods, and even if the seal area is wet, it seals perfectly.

#2. I have placed ALL of my hops in about 22 mason jars with my wide mouth jar sealer, and all of them are still sealed down tight. I even had one slightly bent lid... no problem, it has sealed up and remained sealed.

 

[remilard]

If you were worried about 02, you could flush the container with an inert gas prior to filling and sealing.

Most homebrewers have a supply of an inert gas.

 

[SourHopHead]

I just bought a v2830w on ebay and should get it in about 4 days. Looks like they were discontinued, so get them while they last. They had them on the website early this morning and got removed later in the day.

 

[pen25]

I have the FoodSaver "Universal Jar Sealer", and it came unsealed in the last week. I had my Magnum hops in a quart jar, with the universal lid on top, and the seal was somehow compromised such that it caused the lid to come off. What a bummer!

So I resealed the hops in a FoodSaver jar, which has a lid that fits flush with the top of the jar and has an additional rubber seal. We'll see how long this one keeps its seal!

make sure you use the ring after pulling the vacuum in the mason jars

 

[dataz722]

make sure you use the ring after pulling the vacuum in the mason jars

Why? The only purpose the rings have is to hold the lids on while you as heating for real canning? They are not air tight so if the seal is going to go then its going to go.

 

[Sean]

I have a B&D one that I haven't used in a long time. The problem that I had with it was you couldn't seal anything with more than just a little moisture. It would pull a good vacuum and then try to burn the seal but there would almost always be a place where the moisture prevented the bag from sealing completely. We were using the rolls...Anyone else had this problem?

The foodsaver seems to have the same issue. you have to make sure the inside of the bag is dry or it will leak sometimes, not always.

Even with dry product like hops it does leave a leak if the bag is not perfectly straight, any fold or wrinkle will cause a leak.

I am being very picky here, but the objective is no air, so that only seems logical. I like the product, but I have to be very careful with it, otherwise I spend a buck or two on a bag, and freeze homemade sausages with a ton of work involved, and the bag leaks. So I get freezer burn.

At less than half the price, I might try the seal a meal next time.

 

[cuinrearview]

The foodsaver seems to have the same issue. you have to make sure the inside of the bag is dry or it will leak sometimes, not always.

Even with dry product like hops it does leave a leak if the bag is not perfectly straight, any fold or wrinkle will cause a leak.

I am being very picky here, but the objective is no air, so that only seems logical. I like the product, but I have to be very careful with it, otherwise I spend a buck or two on a bag, and freeze homemade sausages with a ton of work involved, and the bag leaks. So I get freezer burn.

At less than half the price, I might try the seal a meal next time.

Negative on the SaM, same issues with that. If the bag is not straight and wrinkle free you'll be cutting it open and trying again. Takes some getting used to but a vac sealer is still an essential long term purchase for the home brewer.

 

[pen25]

i have no issues with a wet seal and my foodsaver. but i try to freeze anything on a baking sheet set in the middle of the fridges freezer with space between. then after that i will vac it and then put in the deep freeze. and yes any of these that the bads are not flat and have a wrinkle it wont seal.

also seems like wallmart stopped selling there own bags =( so i bought some of the SaM bags for half the cost of the tila brand and works just as good.

 

[pen25]

Why? The only purpose the rings have is to hold the lids on while you as heating for real canning? They are not air tight so if the seal is going to go then its going to go.

the point to the ring is to not only hold the lid in place but also ensure the lid's side doesnt get rocked and you loose a seal. i mean if it wasnt meant to be used for storage and only for lid placement people would just reuse the same rings and store without. my grams always used the rings so i always use the rings and she never had a leaker one time that i know of.

 

[The Pol]

FWIW, I have never had my FoodSaver fail to seal a wet seal. Actually, after about 6 rolls of bags run through it, I have never had one not seal properly. I think they are about as reliable as you can get.

 

[jgln]

FWIW, I have never had my FoodSaver fail to seal a wet seal. Actually, after about 6 rolls of bags run through it, I have never had one not seal properly. I think they are about as reliable as you can get.

Mine for some reason cannot get the vacuum up to where it will activate the seal when it is wet and drawing juice out. I have to either hit the seal button and have air in the bag or start over. I store a lot of homegrown turnips and rutabagas which have enough juice that I have this problem with them and I solve this problem by bagging then in a regular cheap plastic bag unsealed, and then putting them in the sealing bag upside down so the other bags seal is at the bottom of the bag. This way the vacuum finishes before the juice has chance to be pulled all the way to the chamber.

 

[Evan!]

My wonderful wife got me the Foodsaver 3840 for my birthday a few weeks ago. The old one was working okay, but this new one is awesome. Just stick the bag into the slot and it automatically clamps down, vacuums and seals it for you. Oh, and having the retractable canister hose right there (I hated having to get the hose out of the cabinet every time!) is the bees knees.

 

[bendavanza]

hmmmm I have been interested in one of these things for a while. I bought a cheapo at a garage sale and i ended up tossing it. FoodSaver seems to have the good reputation. This goes on my birthday list.

 

[jgln]

My wonderful wife got me the Foodsaver 3840 for my birthday a few weeks ago. The old one was working okay, but this new one is awesome. Just stick the bag into the slot and it automatically clamps down, vacuums and seals it for you. Oh, and having the retractable canister hose right there (I hated having to get the hose out of the cabinet every time!) is the bees knees.

I watched the video but I still do not know exactly what SmartSeal technology is. I have one of the older Foodsaver models even though I got it last Christmas, I love it!

 

[bendavanza]

Also it would seem that as long as there's enough extra material, if you're removing hops from a bag, you should be able to reseal it, right?

 

[jgln]

Also it would seem that as long as there's enough extra material, if you're removing hops from a bag, you should be able to reseal it, right?

Yep!

 

[chefchris]

Pretty cool video on the FoodSaver. Show you how to seal up jars if you don't have the accesory but you do have other food saver containers.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSKglOqP5xA]YouTube - Foodsaver Jars[/ame]

 

[The Pol]

Also it would seem that as long as there's enough extra material, if you're removing hops from a bag, you should be able to reseal it, right?

Yes, you can, but you use a lot of bag material in the processs. Between sealing, cutting and resealing, it will cost you about 2" of bag per opening and resealing.

Bags are great, but the jars just eliminate waste and are completely re-useable.

 

[Evan!]

Yes, you can, but you use a lot of bag material in the processs. Between sealing, cutting and resealing, it will cost you about 2" of bag per opening and resealing.

Bags are great, but the jars just eliminate waste and are completely re-useable.

Yeah, but they also are MUCH more expensive (initially) and, more importantly, take up MUCH more room in the freezer/fridge. The bags collapse on themselves when the air is vacuumed out, effectively reducing the volume that the hops take up to their minimum. The jars, while convenient, require a lot of room and do not collapse the hops on themselves like the bags do (they also don't stack, which is a design flaw IMHO). If it weren't for this, and the high startup costs (especially when you buy hops in bulk like me), I'd use the jars like I do with my coffee beans. But, at least for me, it doesn't make much sense.

 

[dataz722]

Yeah, but they also are MUCH more expensive (initially) and, more importantly, take up MUCH more room in the freezer/fridge. The bags collapse on themselves when the air is vacuumed out, effectively reducing the volume that the hops take up to their minimum. The jars, while convenient, require a lot of room and do not collapse the hops on themselves like the bags do (they also don't stack, which is a design flaw IMHO). If it weren't for this, and the high startup costs (especially when you buy hops in bulk like me), I'd use the jars like I do with my coffee beans. But, at least for me, it doesn't make much sense.

I've said it many times before on here but get the mason jars and the attachment. It is by far the cheapest way to do it and they are stackable.

 

[Evan!]

I've said it many times before on here but get the mason jars and the attachment. It is by far the cheapest way to do it and they are stackable.

I've got the mason jar attachment. They still take up more room than the vacuumed bags!

 

[dataz722]

Not by much. The pint size jars hold about a half pound. I guess since I have a big ass chest freezer I am not too worried about the space though.

 

[The Pol]

FWIW I bought 24 jars for about $22... cheaper than 2 rolls of bags.

It isnt for everyone, but it is an attractive option for those with room.

 

[wildwest450]

Does anyone else have problems with sealing grains? I keep a pound or two of 6-8 different specialty grains, and about half lose their seal. 1 grain will puncture the bag letting the air out. I am using bags from e-bay, maybe that's the problem.

 

[dataz722]

I don't bother trying to seal grain.

 

[Evan!]

I don't seal grain either, unless I screw up and accidentally order crushed...

 

[bendavanza]

cheap bags tear easily.
The foodsaver bags are heavy duty and textured. My girlfriends' dad gives us stews, venison jerky, sausage, etc. in Foodsaver brand bags and those are sturdy.

 

[springer]

Does anyone else have problems with sealing grains? I keep a pound or two of 6-8 different specialty grains, and about half lose their seal. 1 grain will puncture the bag letting the air out. I am using bags from e-bay, maybe that's the problem.

I got some cheap bags once did the same. What I did was take some aluminum foil put the grains in and fold over . Slide it into the bag and vacuum seal . I did this before I got a barley crusher. You can do the same with ziplocks but there more expensive . Just don't zip them up

 

[pen25]

the seal a meal bags work great and they are half the price of the foodsaver bags. walmart stopped selling there own bags which worked great as well.

 

[EvilGnome6]

After seeing it recommended on this page on hops storage techniques, I picked up a Pump N Seal.

It's small, inexpensive and doesn't require power to use it. Just punch a hole in the top of the jar with a push pin, stick a tab over the hole, place the pump over the tab and pump the air out. I've been using it to suck the air out of baby food jars I store washed yeast in. I'll do the same when I'm ready to buy bulk hops.

 

[chefchris]

After seeing it recommended on this page on hops storage techniques, I picked up a Pump N Seal.

It's small, inexpensive and doesn't require power to use it. Just punch a hole in the top of the jar with a push pin, stick a tab over the hole, place the pump over the tab and pump the air out. I've been using it to suck the air out of baby food jars I store washed yeast in. I'll do the same when I'm ready to buy bulk hops.

Glad you posted this. I will definately look into it.

 

[pen25]

BTW i said a long time ago i would test the vacuum of the foodsaver. I have 3 different models. a wand i bought about 10 years ago. an 8in i was given about 16 years ago when i moved from california and the newer one which i have had for about 4 years. i think its the 800 model. anyway all 3 pull 25" using a vacuum gauge i borrowed from the snap on guy since i couldnt find mine and i seen him yesterday.

BTW was doing a little search and found this Vacuum Sealing Machines and bags at Heinsohn's Store

have read on a gardening site about these and they say these are great. 50'x11" rolls for 18 bucks