As I mentioned in my Original Crock-Pot review, the company sent me a FoodSaver vacuum sealer to apologize for my crock-pot being slightly damaged. What sweethearts!
The vacuum sealer comes in a HUGE box and even though the box says 3800 Series, the manual is for the FoodSaver V3820 Vacuum Food Sealer Packaging System.
The Product
Inside were instruction, a marinating container, the vacuum sealer and some of the sealable plastic. This is my first experience with a vacuum sealer and I have to admit, I found this all a bit intimidating.
It actually reminded me a lot of a fax machine when I opened it up. There were parts that had to be removed, blue tape that the instructions didn’t say anything about but I removed anyway.
The most embarrassing thing is I could not find the power cord. I actually thought it might be battery-operated at first. I found the marinating hose and thought, that’s not right. Then I had a hard time getting it back into the machine. It still sticks out a little.
Then I turned the vacuum sealer over. Voila!
Product Testing
Inside is this roll of plastic that you pull out to measure against what you are sealing.
You run a blade across where you want to make the cut.
You put the plastic into the sealer (curl-side-down) and press the button to close one end of the bag. Oh wait! You don’t need to press the button!
It started to work on its own.
This is the seal it made.
I put the shortbread into the now-sealed bag, put it into the machine and I am pretty sure this time I pushed the button. Although I am not entirely sure, as I said, this was freaking me out a bit.
All I know is it worked! And that I used way too much plastic. It took out all the extra air and was perfectly sealed.
Help Request
Turns out the special plastic you need to use for this vacuum sealer is flippin’ expensive! As a result, I need your help. I have no experience using this type of product and want to use the plastic I have to its upmost. Let me know what you would like to see me test. Do you have one of these? Does it really save you money when the refills are so much money? I would love your ideas and advice!
One thing I know I am going to try is cooking sous-vide, even though the idea of cooking in plastic goes against all my instincts. But I do have to try.
So please, I need your help. How do I make the most out of the plastic rolls I have now?! What would you like to see me vacuum seal?!
I don’t even know anyone who has one of these, let alone have one myself! This is space-age technology, LOL! I would think that it would be great if you were going to keep stuff in the deep freeze for a long, long time because it would prevent freezer burn. But if you’re going to freeze and use something within a short space of time (so freezer burn would not be an issue), I would be inclined not to waste the expensive plastic on sealing it but just stick it in a Ziploc baggie i.e. the old fashioned way, LOL!
It is space-age, isn’t it Debra?! Yes, good point, I hate freezer burn so that’s a great idea. And for the other stuff? I can get boxes of baggies at the dollar for a buck!
Hey Suzie, I use my vacuum sealer a lot. It is up there with my chef’s knife for most used tool in my kitchen.
Some pro-tips, in no particular order, for those new to vacuum sealers:
1. In Halifax, Costco sells rolls cheaper than anywhere else. Comparable to online bulk prices on eBay.
2. Remember that as long as food stays frozen and doesn’t thaw it does not go “bad”. It will still get freezer burn but is safe to eat. The freezer burn happens when water leaves the protein and migrates to the air so the less air in your package, the slower the freezer burn occurs (there is always some air in there).
3. It is way, way easier to thaw frozen foods in water if it has been vacuum sealed. If I want something in a hurry, I’ll take it out of it’s package, vacuum seal it and thaw it that way.
4. When freezing pre-made meals for later eating, try to make them as flat as possible. It stores more efficiently in the freezer and thaws far quicker.
5. Label your packages with a Sharpie. On all my frozen proteins or meals I put the name, date and farm it came from.
6. If you have teenagers or just overly hungry children, try freezing individual-sized meals or snacks for after school, etc. It’s cheaper and healthier than things like Pizza Pockets.
7. Careful thawing in the microwave. There is no where for any steam in the package to escape safely. I prefer to thaw in warm water right before I use it.
Vacuum sealers can save you a lot of money if you buy food in bulk on sale. My wife bought our Seal-a-Meal vacuum sealer for around $35 from Walmart a couple years ago, you don’t have to pay $150 for one.
I love my Foodsaver! And while the rolls are expensive one thing I do is that I re-use any bags I haven’t sealed raw meat in. Just wash and dry & re-use.
Also it can re-seal things like chip bags. If sealing baked goods freeze them first before vaccum sealing.
Hello! I have a 10 year old version of this machine and was just thinking I should start using it again. TImely post Suzie 🙂
You can reuse your bags – they just get a little shorter each time when you cut the seal open. I also saved a lot because meat didn’t turn into a dried out lump in the freezer when packaged like this.
You can make boil’n bag meals – great to take camping. You can freeze Chili and Stews in them. Just remember to freeze the contents before sealing. I learned that the hard way when I sucked all the gravy out of a bag of stew trying to vacuum seal it. LoL
I think it is worth it because it can save you food wastage and makes it easier to see what’s in the freezer.
You have all given me so many ideas and I never thought about re-using the bags, duh Suzie! That definitely would help big time. OK, lots of projects now, thanks to all of you!