Good to know. Thanks!

Thanks, Rusty! I ordered some replacement rolls - I like the 8" ones and ordered two of the 3 roll packs. That should last me a while. I already have a lot of 11" rolls but do not use them often. If I have a lot of rolls, I think I will use them more often, as I tend to be a bit stingy with using the rolls, as they seem a bit expensive. Now I won't worry about that.

Thanks, Rusty. I have 18 meat chickens growing and they'll be ready for the freezer in about 3 weeks. That's when I use those 11 inch bags, I can put a chicken half in one and seal it up. Pieces can go in smaller ones, but if I want to put an entire half into one, it's got to be the bigger one.

Annie

Thanks, MomJ for posting the link! Don't know why I didn't think to do that.

I'm glad someone else got to take advantage of the sale! I hope y'all signed up to get their emails, they have pretty good sales fairly often. Doesn't help much if you don't read the emails when you get them, though! The bags are pretty pricey, I think, and there is not much of a variety in sizes available in the stores around here, so I've almost gone a bit overboard in ordering direct. I find the 11" roles best suited for my use. And I've always done my best to save and reuse the bags, trying to make them go as far as I can. I'm a little more apt to not reuse them quite as often when I get them cheaper.

A few months ago I ordered a number of their refrigerator containers (same sale as they had this time). I love them! Great for keeping lunch meats and cheeses fresher longer, and small amounts of fresh berries, etc.

No, I am definitely NOT connected to the company in any way shape or form, but I do love my Foodsaver!

Rusty

I don't think anyone thinks you are connected to the Foodsaver company - especially since you did not post the link! I'm glad Momj47 did, however.

I also reuse my bags as much as possible, and I find the 8" bags better suited for that. I make them extra long to start (especially for cheese), and I wrap whatever I am storing in plastic wrap first, to protect the bag. The machine wastes at least 3/4" length of bag every time it is sealed, and with a narrow bag, there is less waste. I do use the 11" bags for chicken, fish, and most things that I freeze, as I wrap them in freezer paper before putting them in the Foodsaver bags. Last week-end we smoked a 5 pound boneless turkey breast on the BGE, and it still weighed 4.7 pounds after cooking, and so I froze half of it. I could have had the butcher cut it in half at the store, but I've frozen them after smoking before, and they were fine.

Was it Grainlady who gave me the great tip to put food in a thin, cheap bag first to protect the foodsaver bag. it's great as it makes washing the bags easier.

Or you can use my method. Free bags.

dcarch

I think there has been discussion about the best way to freeze foods, (especially meats), a number of times.

I always freeze meats in individual portion size pieces in a cheap bag, such as the fold over sandwich bags or produce bags before I seal them. Then I package several servings in one larger bag, leaving a lot of extra bag at the top when I seal. That way the bag can be easily cut open, the number of servings you want removed, & then reseal the bag. As IC pointed out, the bag is washed a lot easier that way. Meat juices never touch the sealed bag at all. And it can be reused a number of times.

I've ordered some of the expandable bags for large items, and some of the freeze & steam bags. I want to make some of my own vegetable mixes to freeze that can be cooked in the microwave. I think there was a thread on a very similar subject fairly recently. There are a number of those mixes on the market, but most of them are pretty high in sodium, which is something I have to be very careful about. They are also pretty expensive. So I figured with the freeze & steam bags, I can use my own recipes and it would be healthier. And getting the bags on sale makes it cheaper, too.

Rusty