FoodSaver - model recommendations anymore?

18 years ago

Hello everyone. DH suggested a vacuum sealer might be a great thing for his Christmas gift this year but said he would like a good one (guess that means anything $19.99 is out...heehee). I checked out the FoodSaver website & found a couple of models which sound good - V2440 & V2840.

FoodSaver Users - I would be most interested in hearing some of your comments about the model you use; do you like it or would you have preferred another model w/ more or less bells & whistles? Do some models vacuum seal regular canning type jars or must we always use the FoodSaver containers? Where can I go to get the best price?

I imagine he'll be using it primarily for meat products. But after reading some of the comments on the forum over the years, sounds like w/ some trial & error, we may be vacuum sealing more things than we ever imagined.

DH doesn't usually ask for much any time of the year & I'd really like to get him something he thinks he'd enjoy/use. Thanks ever so much.

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Comments (16)

teresa_nc7
18 years ago
I have the V840 model and it works fine for me. I'm sure they must make new models every year or so. Mine is pretty basic, about a year or two old.

Re: using canning jars - I have the set of VS cannisters and use them to seal dried foods in regular canning jars, like beans, nuts, seeds, bulk yeast, grains, etc. These sealed jars can be frozen or put into the pantry for future use. You CAN NOT "can" foods in this manner. To can vegetables, soups, sauces, etc. you must use a pressure cooker canner to cook and seal foods in glass canning jars. I'm sure you may know this, but I felt I needed to say it anyway.

There are methods I use to insure I can re-use the FS bags:
for meats, I stick the portion of meat in a cheap plastic sandwich bag, press out all the air, then put portion of meat into a FS bag, vacuum seal, label and freeze. When ready to cook, I take the FS bag out of the freezer, cut it open, remove the frozen meat in its cheap baggie, put it on a tray and thaw in the refrigerator. The FS bag is clean, dry, and not contaminated so I can re-use the bag.

I bake my own bread and slice 3-4 slices to put in one FS bag and freeze, making several packages of fresh homemade bread to pull out of the freezer when needed.

Berries can be flash frozen on a cookie sheet until frozen hard, then packed in the FS bags. vacuum sealed and frozen. Cookies, rolls, bagels, brownies, and many other items that might crush can also be done in this method.

I keep coffee beans in the small cannister that I can re-seal after opening each morning. Tea bags that are used frequently can also be kept in a FS cannister. I keep corn meal mix sealed in the large cannister in the refrigerator.

Keep checking the web site as they have good sales on the cannisters and bags.

Hope this helps!
Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Saver web site
traceys
18 years ago
I have the v2860 and love it. I like that it flips up so it doesn't take up a lot of counter space. I use it every day.

I did purchase the adapters so I could use them with canning jars but don't really use them. I don't have any canisters so I can't comment on those.

I don't remember where I purchased it either or how much I paid but is a great investment.

When I seal raw meat I don't pre-freeze. I wrap it in Glad press and seal and vacuum. I don't have any problems with it leaking. It's just easier than pre-freezing everything.

I buy in bulk because we live in the sticks. It really is a great thing to have.

Tracey
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I put my food on trays, so I can pre-freeze (about 30 minutes) and then seal. Having it dry out for a modest amount of time in the freezer is ideal for some things. I find meat doesn't oxidize and turn brown inside the bag if I freeze it first, whereas it does if I don't. I don't want a lot of freezing and thawing, and if you can pack the contents loosely without additional moisture, pouring out what you need is ideal, especially if it's things like sliced fruit or bacon slices. stir fryi, I freeze muffins, cookies, sweet breads (sliced, not whole), etc. all the time. But you have to pre-freeze them. If that's a problem, I can see why this wouldn't suit you. I don't mind though, especially when I can pull something out months (and even years like that skirt steak) later and there's no issues with the food. bamahostaman, that's a good tip about elevating your VS. I just figure if I went to the trouble of making real food, and making it well, I want to save it so it will be eaten in its entirety. It's another process. Does it save time? No, not while I'm doing it. But it sure saves time when I don't have to cook again so soon, and the food tastes as fresh as when I made it. I suspect those of you who don't love it, simply have a different method or means of food preservation. Certainly a different style of cooking. It's great for my particular lifestyle, because I don't always have the energy to cook when people are hungry; but I can always pull something out of the freezer that people are happy to eat!
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Barb -- Even as an instructor, I've always found home canning to be an expensive method for food preservation if you have to purchase the food, and especially if you have to purchase canning equipment. In the home canning class I teach, we do cost analysis charts so people get a better idea of the true cost. Not to mention the hours of food preparation it takes from garden to the table. I used to break down the cost of utilities, but it changes periodically, and now there isn't just one cost, it varies throughout the day, so I don't bother with that anymore. It's not worth my time and trouble to plant, care for, harvest, and process 8-10 pints of pickled beets (about the average we would use in a year) when I can purchase them for 67-cents per can. That's one of the few commercially canned foods I buy. It's expensive for the cost of the utilities to process home canning, and for the extra energy to cool your home with an air conditioner while you process it. Do you have the kind of stove you can do home canning ON? Are your burners large enough (size and B.T.U. out-put) for the size of canner you are using? For a LOT of reasons, freezing or dehydration is a less-expensive choice for home food preservation. I also believe unless you have access to fresh-picked produce in the amounts it takes to fill a canner, you are probably wasting your time AND money because it means your home canned food won't have much in the way of nutrients after the delay from picking until it's canned if you have to wait several days to get the large amounts you need. It definitely doesn't pay to only fill a canner with a few pints/quarts when it takes nearly the same amount of energy to process a canner that is full. I also think most home canned foods are inferior when it comes to nutrition due to the lag time from harvest to processing, as well as from the heat processing, and how long and under what conditions they are stored in. And not everyone likes to eat home canned food.... Most of my friends and most of my students now can a favorite family recipe or two and jam/jelly/apple butter for gift-giving. Dehydrating takes very little energy, other than what it takes for blanching (but not everything requires blanching). I place my dehydrator in the basement where the heat it produces dissipates quickly. The exception is onions, which I do in the garage because of the smell. Kale can get a bit smelly, too. Dehydrated foods takes up less space than canning. It's amazing how many dried apple slices or dried tomato slices you can stuff into a canning jar!!! The FoodSaver product you are considering is fine for what it's designed for, but I think you would be happier with one of the full-size units which are more expensive. I have one of those small units and rarely use it (purchased it at Tuesday Morning for $19 several years ago), while I use the regular one many times each day (and have been using them since 1986). I'm into home food storage and have a whole room in the basement filled with vacuum-sealed dry goods. The FoodSaver is the center of my long-term storage, so it's a must-have for me. I have a new one, still in the box, I purchased on sale, ready to go if the current one quits. My entire freezer is organized with vacuum-sealed items, because they last longer in the freezer. No more freezer-burned food! I can pull out a plastic storage basket and flip through it for vacuum-sealed fruits or vegetables, all in a single layer in the bags. Cut the bag open, remove the amount needed, and reseal the bag and put it back in the basket in the freezer. I freeze soup/stew/chili in serving sizes. Pop it out of the freezer container, stack the "cubes" and vacuum-seal them a FoodSaver bag. Take out what I need and reseal the bag. I have all our breakfast meat in serving amounts and vacuum-sealed. I divide bulk amounts of chicken, and other meat products, into several bags and vacuum-seal it - both raw and pre-cooked. My pantry shelf is lined with foods in canning jars of various sizes. Instead of standing them up-right on the shelves two and three deep, and having to move them to see what's in the back, I lay the jars down on their side with the lid to the front. I have my shelves adjusted so they are the distance apart of one 1/2-gallon jar space (which is the largest jar I use). I spray painted the lids with chalk board paint, and I use a chalk board pencil or liquid chalk board markers (in fun electric colors) to mark the chalkboard lids. Some jars are covered with plastic Ball jar lids and you can write on them with liquid chalk markers. Not all of these are vacuum-sealed, but many are (especially those that contain freeze-dried foods). So my pantry is lined with canning jars filled with dry gluten-free pasta, dried and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, baking aids like cacao nibs, chocolate chips (several kinds and sizes), chia seeds, palm sugar, arrowroot, whole grains and homemade cereal products, crispy nuts (soaked and dehydrated), pinto bean flakes, dried parsley..... And even more in the food storage room. You will have to determine whether a FoodSaver will meet your food storage needs and goals. -Grainlady
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mustangs81
18 years ago
I had a basic model for about 7 years, it broke several months ago and I just got a replacement for a good price on Amazon thanks to a heads up from Karen/Cloudy Christine. I got the V2840 because it flips up like Tracey said.

What I am loving are the new leftovers containers. They are available at Walmart. They stack nicely which none of the other canisters do. I use the hand held FS ($20) to seal all the canisters.

Here is a link that might be useful: Leftover Containers
sharon_s
18 years ago
I believe I have the V2840 (bought it at Costco). It replaced my old sealer, I have no idea what the model was.

I really like the new moist setting and manual settings. It's so much easier to seal delicate items, now. I think they are definitely worthwhile features.
kim0201
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you all so much for the responses. I'm glad you read past the subject line (I meant to type anyone rather than anymore - what was I thinking!?!).

I ended up going w/ the V2840 model. I think DH will be pleased. And I appreciate the suggestions given for reusing the FS bags, etc. Since part of the reason for using the FS is the savings on groceries, these tips are helpful so that all of the savings isn't eaten up with the cost of the bags.

Teresa_nc7: Your reminder about NOT canning using the FS is a good reminder. I do know it takes a pressure canner or water bath for safe food procesisng, but you know, someone reading this thread might not have realized that so it's always good info to share.

Thanks again everyone. I think this is one gift DH will appreciate rec'g AND also be sharing w/ his DW. :-)

Happy & safe holidays to all....
beanthere_dunthat
18 years ago
Hope he enjoys it!

I don't even know what model ours is. It's at least 16 years old and still going strong. I'm glad you asked about them, though, because I'm out of bags and wouldn't have thought to look on the website for prcing on bags!
mustangs81
18 years ago
Kim, Good choice. My grocery store carries a cheap brand of vacuum bags. They are good thickness and different sizes than FS offers.
kim0201
Original Author
18 years ago
Mustangs - thanks for the info on the store brand of bags. I'll definitely look for them. BTW, DH really likes his gift. It was a good choice I think.
grainlady_ks
18 years ago
I've had 3 different models over the past 20(some) years and no two have been the same. I have #4 in storage in the basement (purchased dirt cheap at Tuesday Morning) since #3 is getting old. I wouldn't be without one.

They have all worked essentially the same. Some held the bag, some didn't.... A MUST HAVE for me is the hose and jar attachment. I keep "tons" of grains/seeds/beans and home-dehydrated foods in all sizes of wide-mouth canning jars.

I also have a large number and assortment of the canisters - another must-have in my opinion.

I get a lower-price bag at Wal-Mart - Great Value brand - but be sure to price it by total feet, not just amount.

-Grainlady
attymusic
18 years ago
Help! I just purchased a Foodsaver V2840 and I love it. Marinator, canisters, and bags work great. But I also purchased the Leftover Containers and I CAN'T seem to set it up.
Instructions (in pertinent part) say to insert the Accessory Hose into the Adaptor. Ok, I did it. Then I must place the Adaptor over the Vacuum Valve on the Container Lid. But it doesn't snap in or affix itself. There's no way to connect it! Then I thought that I should remove the grey flap but decided against doing that. Can anyone please help me! Thanks!
fotomat1
18 years ago
This site is really helpful

http://www.foodsaver.com/
mustangs81
18 years ago
Atty, I'm not at home to walk through the process so I will do from memory until I get home. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly. Do you try another container in your package of two (I think they come in twos). Seems like I had one that wouldn't seal.
The gray oval shaped adapter doesn't click into place over the valve.
Plug one end into your FoodSaver.
Place and hold the adapter end over the oval area on the lid.
Don't move the gray flap, that's to release the pressure when you are ready to open the container to use the contents.

I use the handheld wine saver device on my containers, it's quicker.
mustangs81
18 years ago
Atty, I think you are missing a piece. It's not attached to the clear plastic hose, it is gray oval shaped that goes over the oval area on the lid, then the male end of the hose goes into this oval adapter.

I'll take a picture if you continue to have a problem.
attymusic
18 years ago
fotomat1: Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, their website didn't help except that it gave me their customer service number (which was helpful)
mustangs: Thanks very much for your input. I do have the gray oval shape "thing" that fits over the container lid. It just doesn't work very well. One of the reasons (or the main reason) it doesn't work is that I notice that the lid doesn't snap on securely. So I must hold down the lid while I am holding down the gray oval-shaped thing. After many failed attempts, I FINALLY got one of the lids to work. The rep at customer service was very nice and admitted it wasn't well constructed and he isn't too pleased with this particular accessory. Thanks again for the input. attymusic
jwm211
17 years ago
Anyone have the V375 and have any comments on it? I believe it's the least expensive model. Thank you.
KatieC
17 years ago
We bought the model that Costco sells now, thinking it was the heavy duty model that they used to sell. It just didn't have enough oomph...wouldn't seal anything the least bit moist. We returned it and ordered a GameSaver Turbo Plus. It has a pulse feature and a setting for moist foods. It wouldn't seal automatically so we sent it to FoodSaver and the replacement came the other day.

It was a more expensive model, but it does a good job so far. It took me awhile to get the leftover containers to seal, but I finally figured out I hadn't snapped the lids on hard enough. And I couldn't get canning jar lids to seal until I used two, but they were used lids, so who cares if it takes two? And I saved a couple of wine bottles so I can buy bigger (cheaper) containers of olive oil. Nothing worse than rancid oil...it'll be the true test of the bottle stoppers, lol.

FoodSaver - model recommendations anymore?

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