525045 Mon Jun 02 16:21:10 -0700 2008 8 41 Cookware 0 3742966 Anyone have a recommendation for a good vacuum sealer? Thanks. Mon Jun 02 16:21:10 -0700 2008 192260 amchef 1 3743618 I had one of the "wide-mouth" vacuum sealers a while ago. The bags came on a roll, and you could cut them to size. My problem was the vacuum never seemed to be strong enough, and the seal wasn't strong enough, so I still ended up with freezer burn. This weekend, I saw a product advertised on TV where the bags had a "zip-lock" type seal, but also had a built-in valve that you attached a small vacuum device to take out the air. Looked interesting, and would love to hear from anyone's experience with it. Mon Jun 02 20:15:30 -0700 2008 3742966 48210 KevinB 1 3743700 I bought a www.pump-n-seal.com recently. It is used with ordinary freezer bags and with mason jars. My experience so far is that it works well with the jars but you have to careful to not pump any of your contents of your jar into the pump. I am not sure if mine is messed up as my husband didn't wipe the lid when he did some pumping. When sealing the freezer bags, I found I had to stick the tube around to get all the air pockets out. I can't tell you if I did get any freezer burn as I haven't kept the food in the freezer for more than 2 weeks so far. However, I like how easy is it to use. I also bought the marinating lid and tried that once but didn't have any luck using it. Mon Jun 02 20:54:22 -0700 2008 3742966 15158 Janine 1 3743942 I have a Foodsaver I bought at Costco for about $135. I like it. Replacement bags are expensive - $39. but it's a big box and will last a while. (This one plugs in.) (It's great to buy at Costco because it's easy to return something if you don't like it.) I also bought an inexpensive Reynolds Handivac -- less than $10 at Safeway. I've reused (after washing, of course) a bag about 12 times. To encourage it to suck all the air out, I help it out by lifting bag up with my free hand. It's great for saving onion slices, etc. So far, I have not had to replace the batteries (already comes with batteries installed.) Mon Jun 02 23:13:17 -0700 2008 3742966 12520 walker 1 3743965 I received a Rival Seal-a-Meal for Christmas as a gift and I don't know if I would recommend it. I don't think that the pump is strong enough to take all the air out of the bag around bigger items such as multiple fillets or extra short ribs. With wet items, it also seems troublesome to get the bag in the sealer properly. It has an attachment hose for containers, but I do not have any. BTW, I would check Craigslist if I were you - I've seen amlot of brand new ones on there (and probably significantly under retail). Mon Jun 02 23:42:55 -0700 2008 3742966 67548 azhotdish 2 3754036 I got a Seal-a-Meal for my birthday last year and I've had good success with it. I've found that you need to wipe down the seals with a damp paper towel before each use. I've used the Foodsaver bags from Costco, and I still have a roll left. I've also used the quart bags I got from Target. My main use is to store bult meat and other stuff I get from Costco. I've had steaks come out of the freeser 4 months later looking and tasting like I just bought them. Doug Thu Jun 05 16:10:55 -0700 2008 3743965 106552 maddoxdy 1 3744174 I think you need to tell us a little more about your intended use. It makes a bit of a difference if your using it every day, processing game every season or just using it every now and then. For casual use the standard Food Saver is available just about every place. After a tuna charter on the Outter Banks a year ago we had a banner day, Just under 500# in an hour and a half. After giving away all I could to the mate for personal use I still had 200# of tuna loin. If you are going to tackle a job like this even occasionally in the home you want to get a model that has a double pump. Here's one I have seen that works rather well. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0030017516707a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_RESULTS_NYR&returnPage=search-results2.jsp&Ne=46&noImage=0&Ntt=vacum+sealer&Ntk=Products&QueryText=vacum+sealer&Ntx=matchall&N=54&nyr=1 Tue Jun 03 05:11:34 -0700 2008 3742966 155549 Docsknotinn 1 3749876 Depends on your usage. For small, everyday things, I think the Reynolds machine (small handheld) is great. If you search the Cookware board, you'll find a few threads about it. Some people have had major issues while others, like me, think it's great. It's definitely not something where you'll be able to vacuum up a whole salmon or anything, but it's good for small things like the random bag of choco chips in the cupboard or resealing cheese. For more long term solutions or for someone who does a lot of vacuum sealing, the FoodSaver is great - my parents had one in the beginning, got a different one, and went back to the FoodSaver for their 3rd machine. I've only ever used the smaller models and only bags, but I'm a believer in this one. For more commercial solutions, I've got nothing. :) Wed Jun 04 13:58:04 -0700 2008 3742966 17410 Ali 2 3750457 My brother-in-law bougt us a Black & Decker for Christmas a few years go. love it, works great, no complaints. I have a pig slaughtered every year, so I'm able to vc-seal pork chops, sausages, ribs, etc. Wed Jun 04 17:05:25 -0700 2008 3749876 15347 MagnumWino