If you plan to store only in wide-mouth jars, you need one wide-mouth sealer, which will also work with canisters.

If you plan to store in narrow-mouth jars also, then you need a narrow-mouth sealer.

Either way, two sealers is the maximum number you will need. They're like attachments. You use them any time you plan to vacuum seal a jar or canister. It's a one-time purchase.

Carol

Yup thats one of them. They sell two sizes. The regular size for regular jars and the wide mouth one for the wide mouth jars. These connect to a utility hose port on the FS machine, if you have no port on yours, you can't use these attachments. Like I mentioned, I use a stronger, more powerful vacuum pump and get a vacuum that is so strong that it has cracked every one of my rectangular shaped containers. They crack under the extreme vacuum. Round ones hold up better, so I avoid using my pump on the square sided ones. I also posted a FS link on the other thread where there is a sale going on right now. When I seal a jar of herbs, I pull the vacuum, and have a Ball lid in place, then screw on a pastic cap to prevent the metal lid from getting knocked off.

Today, I sliced up some of my Christmas roast beef and added potatoes, carrots, corn, string beans, and some very tasty gravy to make some beef pies. I used Au Grautin foil dishes and lined them with pie crust, smeared on some margerine to help prevent a soggy bottom crust, filled each, covered with crust, and paritally froze them. Once they were very cold, I put them in the 8 inch wide FS bags I made, and used the FS pump and sealer to seal them. Now they can be added to my collection of turkey and chicken pies in the freezer as well. When you get a FS machine, be sure to also get a roll dispenser too. These hold a roll and make nice straight cuts wherever you want them. I much prefer the rolls over the premade bags, as you have more control over the lengths you need.

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Saver sale

Thanks, Carol & Ken!

If I had known how those jar sealers actually worked I would have bought years ago. And no thanks to the mfgrs website at all. Certainly doesn't explain things well enough for a dunderhead like me.

Going to order that $99 unit and 1 ea caps just as soon as post this.

jt

I think unless I'm missing something that this just might be the better deal. And I go to the store once a week anyways.

Here is a link that might be useful: A better buy?

Bought the above one at Sam's this morning. For $5 more could have gotten the same one at Wal*Mart. I'll have to ebay or amazon a regular lid jar sealer and maybe a larger cannister or two and will be all set.

Love the roll storage and cutter assembly. Going to save a lot of time there. Even better is that it makes a wider seal. I've been double sealing for a couple years now & will not have to do that any longer.

Question... when you use the jar sealer do you heat the lids first like would for canning?

jt

Actually, my FS unit was from either Costco or BJ's and it did come with several bags, rolls, and the roll dsipenser. Its not a model number offered directly through FS, but one made for the warehouse companies. I have been posting about these jar seal attachments for about 2 years now. Keep in mind that they are NOT intended for home canning, but because I am selective and use a more powerful pump, and full strength vinegar when pickling a very delicate pepperoncini, these atachments have been very useful for me. We used to have a Sams neaby, but it closed after only 6 months. Kind of like what happened to Krispy Kreme.. I would love to see a local super Walmart here, most are very small and the biggest is 60 miles away, so I don't go there much.

Lots of Krispy Kreme around here.

I'm wondering how accurate the marinating and tenderizing claims are and how to test at home. Red wine vinegar brine solution and a potato?

And thinking about your pepperocinis. Does the full strength vinegar soften them up faster than if diluted? I really would like to be able to store crisp peppers.

Has anyone tried the pump below? Those Tab-Cheks are very interesting. (click Information & Pricing)

Here is a link that might be useful: pump

I had something similar to that device for marinading meat. It came with a shorter version of a hand pump and a squareish container with flat cover and a rubber seal in the center that would allow the hand pump to pull the vacuum. If the vacuum were done in the down stroke it would be much easier to pull a decent vacuum, but it will not pull a vacuum until you pull UP on the plunger, using pull force. For most people thats a bit more exercise than I would like. The electric pumps on the FS go down to about 25in mercury where 30 is usually the maxiumum for larger, more powerful vacuum pumps. My special external vacuum is a dual chamber diaphram type pump and all this is done by a double shaft motor and two pistons.
The full strength 5% vinegar will eventually soften the tender peppers, but if stored, they usually last up to about a year before getting soft. I also add the Pickle Crisp to act as a buffer for all that acid when doing the peppers. The method I use has no heat of any kind applied to the jars or contents. Because of that, I don't think that diluting the 5% vinegar is a very good idea unless a heat processing were done after filling the jars, and that heat process is what will soften them. If I were to attempt to can them using a conventional pickling recipe, the end result would be all green mush. Sweet cherry peppers are also a favorite of mine, and are very hard to find pickled in jars. I grow them here as well, but have not tried the vacuum method on them yet.
Marinades work very fast to tenderize things if they have acid in them. Even soy sauce marinades can make mush out of beef if left soaking in it for too long. Simple brining marinades like salt, sugar, a little flaver and a good soak in a vacuum for about 2-4 hours will work nicely. The thicker the meat, the longer it should soak. One of my favorites on the grill in summertime is a marinade made of lime juice and a few other herbs. Chicken breasts are marinaded in it for about 30-60 minutes and they come out really tender. Red wine vinegar is OK as a marinade, but again, because of the high acid, a very short soaking is needed. I don't know what a potato would do in a red wine vinegar, but must assume it would turn dark and be like a potato salad without the added dressings.

That tab concept has been around quite a while. I used to see TV commerials about 20+ years ago, but didn't hear much more about it. They allow you to pull a vacuum on virutally any jar with a tight fitting cover. The tabs are small adhesive ended rubber flaps that are placed over a hole that you punch into the metal lid. The only issue there is bare metal is now exposed around that punched hole and its subjected to rusting. The vacuum at best, depends on a small surface of that tap pull up against the hole that you punch. Even a single metal burr, and that hole will leak like a sieve if its covered over with the rubber sealing tab.

jt, I think you'll love the jar sealers! I bought the attachments on Amazon -- one of each size -- and have used them several times. I don't heat the lids before vacuuming, and I usually re-use them, as long as they're in good shape.

I wouldn't bother with buying canisters, either. Ours don't tend to stay sealed. I'm guessing you have a supply of mason jars and lids, so that's all you need. I've even marinated tough meat in a mason jar with a vacuum, and it came out surprisingly tender.

> I don't heat the lids before vacuuming, and I usually re-use them, as long as they're in good shape.

Thanks, Julsie. I haven't had time to try them out yet, but have been using the vac sealer almost daily and am so loving it.

What I'm looking for now are large size jars that would seal using the lids. I have some 1/2 gal condiment jars with opening just slightly larger than wide mouth and am hoping will work.

Yesterday I ladled 3 gal beef stew into 3 cup molds and froze solid. Removed from the plastic molds earlier today and am about to vac seal them. I used the containers that blank cds come in. Worked perfect.

jt

Ball makes half gallon jars with wide mouths. I also have a single very old regular mouth half gallon. These come 6 to a case. I have not had any problems with vacuum loss on caniters, but the rectangular one will not work well with my pump as they all crack. The smoke colored round ones and the ones with domed covers I use for marinades, and even store grated cheese in one. Two years ago, I harvested a huge batch of dill weed. I dried it and it was stored in two quart jars under vacuum using the attachment. They are still bright green and have a great taste and smell, even after 2 years. Every time I use some, I simply reseal the jar again with the same lid and attachment. I do use my higher vacuum pump though.