I’m trying to figure out how much I’d use it. I’m thinking we could cook up large quantities of ground beef and chicken breasts, seal them in meal sized packs and freeze, then just heat up the frozen meat for a quick, cheaper, and healthier meal over eating out.

For those that have one how much do you use it and what do you use it for?

I use mine mainly for fresh meat. We will by filet when they are sale and I’ll vacuum pack two steaks together. I will also buy a 5lb package of sliced pepperoni from sams club and repack into smaller bags.

I quit buying the food saver brand bags and opted for a generic from Amazon for a fraction of the price.

Do a search this was covered a month or so ago. I have a Foodsaver brand, many others here have the same and are pleased with it.

Foodsaver brand here, use it a lot. Mostly for bulk purchases of fresh meat to freeze, it really does prevent freezer burn. Have cooked roasts over a year frozen and they were perfect.
Also use it to keep things waterproof, the bags are nice and strong for pretty much anything you want to seal in.
Have had this last one for bout 6 years, and still going strong.
If this one ever gives up the ghost, will definitely replace it.

Example, our local butcher store had a sale on rib tips, $50 for a huge box. This was last winter. We got at least 10 packages of ribs out of that, and used that Foodsaver. We still have ribs in the freezer, and couldn’t have done this without the Foodsaver. just took one package out for this weeks menu.

Might want to check my thread here
https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...340005784#9340005784

Ended up with a Nesco VS-12 and am very very happy with it.

OutOfAir bags are highly recommended too FWIW.

quote:

Originally posted by p08:
Do a search this was covered a month or so ago. I have a Foodsaver brand, many others here have the same and are pleased with it.

Me too. I've had a FoodSaver for around 25 years or so and use it mainly for fresh foods.

I use mine all the time. Mostly for buying whole rib roasts or tenderloins and cutting/freezing steaks cut and trimmed exactly how I want them. Pays for itself every year just from savings from bulk buying steak. I buy large bags of rice and vacuum seal those in smaller bags to keep it fresh longer. I use it for freezing leftovers. I use it for sous vide cooking a few times a month.

Totally worth owning one. I have a food saver brand one, they are on the lower end of price spectrum. I'd suggest starting with one of those first before diving into a high-end model. I did have to replace my first one after seven years. At that time I still couldn't justify to myself a higher price unit.

On our fishing trips to northern Canada we used one for packaging the fish fillets to bring back to the states. Once at the Border the agent checking our fish was amazed and thanked us for making it easy and told to enjoy the catch.

Over the holidays I do a lot of smoking (baby back ribs, chuck roasts, Boston Butt roasts, and Cornish Game hens). I then process them into serving sizes, and into Food Saver vacuum sealed bags and into the freezer. I then have enough smoked meat and poultry to last me for the next year. Just thaw, heat and eat. I have had my Food Saver for many years now, and it has done just what I need it to do.

Thanks for the info folks. I'm not really looking for what type to buy (will most likely be a Food Saver) but more of how people use them. For freezing leftovers, is the food still good after heated up and how long can I expect raw meats like chicken or cooked meals to last in sealed frozen bags?

quote:

Originally posted by cooger:
Thanks for the info folks. I'm not really looking for what type to buy (will most likely be a Food Saver) but more of how people use them. For freezing leftovers, is the food still good after heated up and how long can I expect raw meats like chicken or cooked meals to last in sealed frozen bags?

I've messed up a number of times and found I've left a steak or chicken in the freezer in a FoodSaver bag around 4 years. I defrosted it, cooked it and ate it and it tasted fine to me.

Here's what foodsaver themselves say:

https://www.foodsaver.com/on/d...long-can-you-save-it

How long does food last in a FoodSaver bag?
Meats, like beef, poultry and fish, generally only stay fresh for about six months when stored in the freezer using conventional methods. With the FoodSaver Food Preservation System, you can extend that shelf life to about two to three years.

I used Foodsaver brand for years, but the quality started to decline. I realized they were failing at more rapid rate and switched to the Weston Pro, pricey, but it will be the last one you have to buy.

Like what was reiterated in the many previous threads:
Foodsaver works and is only around $100 (+/-) but supplies are not cheap.
However, it isn't the greatest but it does work.
The really nice ones are at least $400 or more.

I bought the least expensive Cabela's branded one and use the Cabela's branded bags,

messed up a few bags learning how to seal wet vs dry stuff etc etc but that was a short learning curve and we use it often