The Food Saver - A Great Product for Every Kitchen

I have an OLD one and stopped using it because the seals kept breaking open.

Might have to consider another investment.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I have never had that problem. Also, I wash and reuse the bags. As you can see in the photos, I label the bags above the seal. Then, when I cut open the bag, the label and seal are removed and tossed out leaving me a slightly smaller bag to reuse, reseal and relabel.

-- Pam grows 'em - I cook 'em...... Melbourne, Fl

Yah, there is a difference between a cheap machine and a quality one – the seal

I wondered why you had left so much material at the one end. Now I know. Brilliant. Thanks for the tip.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Gotta agree here. I love mine!

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

The Foodsaver looks like a great way to help preserve things, both frozen and dehydrated. I went to the website and saw lots of mixed reviews. Which model do you have, Harold?

-- "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." M. Gandhi

this looks like a wonderful idea for sensible people.
Would not work for me since I am a packrat. I would hoard food and pry never use it

-- Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Gone Tropical Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Gone Tropical… there are 12 step programs for people like you :~) My wife is very much a packrat. I’m constantly telling her – “honey, lets use what we already have!” It has honestly saved us far more money then it cost.

-- Pam grows 'em - I cook 'em...... Melbourne, Fl

Miss Robin. I have the V3420 which is now known to be model V3440. I saw mixed reviews too. I think that the secret for my very favorable review is that I keep it on the counter, plugged in and ready to use. Ask Pam, I’m VERY MUCH ABOUT CONVENIENCE. If I have to take 9 steps for something that should be done in 3 steps, I’m frustrated and will either not use said item or will determine how to reduce the steps. When we took the Food Saver out of the kitchen, the unit became inconvenient to use, thus I did not use it. I knew things were becoming wasted or not sealed the best they could be… freezer burn, stall coffee beans… So I brought the unit back into the kitchen where it belongs and poof, coffee’s good again, and no more freezer burned bread, etc.

Don’t concern yourself with the other reviews, just go with mine! :~) Honestly, Robin with all the wonderful things you do in your kitchen, you will find this to be a great addition to meal time planning for your wonderful family.

-- Pam grows 'em - I cook 'em...... Melbourne, Fl

Good sales pitch! I think you have me sold on the benefits. Now I just want an in kitchen demonstration. When are you and Pam heading north again? : )

Actually I wanted to know what model you used because the on-line reviews were mixed and I wasn’t sure which model you liked; so thanks for the info and I will look into it more closely. I have a few things on my “desire” list: grain mill, dehydrator, now possibly a food saver….

-- "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." M. Gandhi

Glad to hear “you are sold.” As for a trip up north… I start a new job this week and have not yet confronted my boss with my desired 4 – 6 week vacation plans. :~) Should he have a sense of humor, I’ll contact you prior to my visit. If Pam’s a good girl, I’ll bring her too. Just remember, Sam Adams, and plenty of coffee!

-- Pam grows 'em - I cook 'em...... Melbourne, Fl

Sounds like you’ve found 101 uses for it.

You ask what I am waiting for if I don’t already have one? With all due respect to your fine review and the way in which you’ve made it a useful addition to your food storage solution, here is another perspective. Here are the 5 reasons why I will never own of these.

Keep in mind that my choices are based on a) expensive electricity costs and rising 10%/year ( without exception)* b) likelihood of being 100% off-grid in near future – about 50% of my current consumption currently is PV solar c) no garbage collection but a transfer station which is now 1 mile away but which will be 6 in the future d) nearest stores are 70 miles away.

1. It is another appliance which needs to be plugged in. Which means it uses energy which means more cost and more burden on my off-grid system
2. It uses plastic. Plastic comes from oil. Oil is being depleted and I would prefer to have oil to run a tractor or a sawmill than plastic. I can’t eat plastic.
3. Replacement plastic rolls comes from the store. See above. When I run out, it’s a 3 hour round trip to get more, never mind the cost.
4. Plastic doesn’t compost. When I am done, there is plastic packaging ( note that probably already 90% of the small amount of trash that I generate is from plastic packaging which is not recyclable) which I must then cart 12 miles to the transfer station. Driving to the transfer station uses fuel and so on. So, the less the better for me.
5. I would need to buy a larger freezer to store everything ( see #1 )

Just a different perspective on how an innocent small appliance can increase my consumption of oil and generate waste and how it would not be a practical solution in making my life simpler or cheaper.

• I once read a letter to the editor where someone wrote. “I always know it is spring when I receive the annual electricity rates increase in the mail”

-- Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. - Thoreau

Daltxguy – being off the grid will be a wonderful and satisfying accomplishment indeed. I’ve seen your solar posting in the past and am in yaw over what you have done.

Harold

-- Pam grows 'em - I cook 'em...... Melbourne, Fl