Who has a vacuum sealer?

[Waterford]

We have a Foodsaver that I use a lot for provisioning but we don't carry it on the boat. In addition to freezing our own recipes in dinner portions, I also divide Costco entrees in half and freeze. Since most of them are already cooked, it is easy to reheat them in hot water or the microwave.

I've had mixed results using off-brand rolls and bags from Amazon, but find that putting them into the sealer with the shiny side down makes a big difference.

[Olly75]

I have a food saver and use it like everyone else, spares, frozen veggies, even the dive media I use for my compressor filters, but the biggest bonus I discovered was after we got a weevil infestation. The little buggers will go through everything and packaging doesnt seem to slow them down, but the vac bags are too tough, so now any dried goods that come on the boat get bagged up, if the weevils are in there already they stay contained, if there's any wandering about already they cant get in to the new food and eventually die of- although I found some in my salt shaker the other day, proving that they really don't care what they eat and can survive a long time!

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I too have the dual AC/DC (12v) Foodsaver. Love it. Best vaccum bagger I've owned, and I went through quite a number. I can't say I use it a lot while on board, but it comes in handy enough to easily justify it's presence.



I don't like the fact that it uses proprietary bags, but I've learned how to use any freezer-type bag with it. You just have to insert a small piece of the foodsaver bag into the opening. I always keep my cuttings, so there's always scrap around.

Originally Posted by RobinScurr

We have a FoodSaver GameSaver vacuum sealer on board. That is the portable, dual-voltage product line. it's made to be "small" and packable ... Field dress your game and vacuum seal on your pickups tailgate, for instance ...

Mike, Robin

There is the Foodsaver brand and then there is the food saver function.
Are you referring to the brand? The only dual voltage I found is the Sunbean 240 & 12v in Australia. Which brand do you have?

https://www.foodsaver.ca/en_CA/vacuum-sealers/outdoor/

https://www.sunbeam.com.au/FoodSaver-GameSaver.aspx

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Mike, Robin

There is the Foodsaver brand and then there is the food saver function.
Are you referring to the brand? The only dual voltage I found is the Sunbean 240 & 12v in Australia. Which brand do you have?

https://www.foodsaver.ca/en_CA/vacuum-sealers/outdoor/

https://www.sunbeam.com.au/FoodSaver-GameSaver.aspx

This is the version I have. It's :

https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-GAM.../dp/B008CXSKJA

I can't find it on the FS website anymore. The current one that carries the same name as mine ("Gamesaver") does not appear to have the dual AC/DC functionality. That's too bad, b/c it's one of the main advantages to this unit. On board I use it in DC (12 volt) mode.

[bcboomer]

We use the Foodsaver for all the above things except clothing. I didn't know about the pleated bags so that's something I'll look at.

We've cut way down on short term Foodsaver use with Stasher silicone bags.
If you squeeze out most of the air fresh chicken will keep for a week in the cold part of the fridge. They have eliminated our zip lock bag use.

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Not exactly sure what you mean by a "snorkel", but my foodsaver has a small hose attachment that can be used to seal vacuum odd shaped containers.

And as I mentioned earlier, I've figured out a way to use any standard freezer bag with my foodsaver. You just need to insert a small amount of the micro-channel bag in the seal. Works pretty well.

That said, the cost of the proper bags is quite minimal if they're bought by the roll. It's really not a significant cost.

The Sinbo has a nozzle that fits into the bag, as you remove the air, and retracts when you start the heat sealing.

This means it will work with standard commercial heat-shrink bags.

I used 8x10 3mil food-grade vacuum chamber pouches, which cost me $27/500 the last time I bought a box back in November.

[Alawaiorion]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

i routinely cut multiple meals from a large steak or fish. For years

I use a vac sealer but found replacement rolls hard to find. I replaced by using plastic wrap and inserting into freezer bags and am very happy with the result- more convenient, faster and still no freezer burn.

I do this as well. I started out with a food saver but ended up figuring out that wrapping things in saran and slipping into ziplocks was easier, kept everything fresher, and saved on room - and like many others - generally I go through what's in my freezer in about four weeks. We also used our microwave less and less - finally just to reheat coffee so it "walked the plank" as well...ditto with the pressure cooker- I now use a porcelain dutch oven that lives inside my force 10 and is my go-to pot - while I hear good things about the "Instapot" I am still not convinced...simpler for me is better...

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Alawaiorion

while I hear good things about the "Instapot" I am still not convinced...simpler for me is better...

I can help here. The Instant Pot is a cult akin to that of Jim Jones. Don't drink the Kool-Aid.

It's called a multi-cooker. It is supposed to do a lot of things. It's an electric pressure cooker and like all electric pressure cookers does not perform as well as a stovetop unit. It's a slower cooker but doesn't do that well either - unnecessary complexity. The same with the yogurt maker; a pot is a yogurt maker. Same with the rice maker; use a pot. It's hard to clean compared to more straightforward devices. It's fragile. The circuit board behind the control panel is subject to splashes and spills from contents. The circuit board underneath is subject to flooding if you spill something on the counter. The lid is fussy to get on.

You've already decided a pressure cooker is not for you. There is good value in slow cookers if you have the electrical power which isn't much a manual slow cooker can be a real treat. You might also consider a Hot Logic Mini which can be had to run off 12VDC. Be careful about current draw - long term draw over 6A from a cigarette plug is dangerous. I'm not sure what the Hot Logic Mini draws; lots of over-the-road truckers use them.

If you decide to try the Instant Pot check eBay and Craigslist. Lots of people have the same opinion as I and they are readily available slightly used.

[Waterdog247]

Originally Posted by Waterford

it is easy to reheat them in hot water...

That is another reason we love this thing. I sous vide a lot of our meals, and the chamber vac makes it so easy.

[ranger42c]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

It's called a multi-cooker. It is supposed to do a lot of things. It's an electric pressure cooker and like all electric pressure cookers does not perform as well as a stovetop unit. It's a slower cooker but doesn't do that well either - unnecessary complexity.

A little contrarian here... given 55 (or so) years experience with stovetop pressure cookers, and a couple years with a Instapots...

I haven't noticed any huge downside to the IP, compared to a stovetop pressure cooker. On the stovetop, I can increase pressure to get things done slightly faster. One of our older ones also had three pressure settings (marked rings on the insert), so it could be more easily used for canning.,,, but we don't do any canning these days, certainly not onboard.

OTOH, I can put the Instapot in our galley sink and let it cook while were underway, something I couldn't really do with a stovetop unit. The "takes longer" part is a) not all that much of a difference, and b) sort of a non-issue, for us, anyway.

Haven't tried it in slow cooker mode. We already had a slow cooker on board, so haven't bothered to make a switch. OTOH, if the Instapot works OK, I guess I could save a wee bit o' space by offloading the slow cooker.

Haven't tried yogurt; not high on our list of edibles.

Tried rice once, I think in the IP we have at home, not on the boat. Can't remember much about that. Think it must have worked OK...

I wouldn't say the IP is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but OTOH we've found it to be useful... mostly set and forget... and more useful onboard than a stovetop cooker would be.

-Chris

[bb295axy]

I use a Food Saver and will routinely take a weekend to shop, cook, seal, and then stack in the freezer two weeks or more worth of meals. I portion each package and stack them in reverse order. When underway, I'll thermalize these meals using saltwater and a pressure cooker. When the meal of over, I'll use the heated saltwater to wash the dishes, and then rinse with fresh water.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Waterdog247

As the Admiral and I get closer to making the big shift off the hard, we are identifying items and devices that we will not need. One of the items still in the “undecided” pile is our vacuum sealer. We have a Vacmaster 210 that gets used a lot. Fishing here in the PNW has been amazing the last few years. Halibut, Ling Cod, Salmon, and several kinds of tuna, plus a couple deer, have kept our freezer full. The 210 has been invaluable.
There are several pros and cons, of course. I am not a big fan of the plastic bags, but the amount of space saved counters that. The size of the 210 is chunky; it takes up a little real estate. And I imagine the power draw for the pump is substantial. I’ve never had much luck with the food-saver type sealers, and their bags are expensive. Though they do take up much less space.
How do you all feel about yours, and would you change anything given the opportunity?

I have one but never used it aboard yet. I dry mushrooms and onions for passages, but I jar those instead of vacuum sealing.

[carlwk3c]

Originally Posted by Waterdog247

As the Admiral and I get closer to making the big shift off the hard, we are identifying items and devices that we will not need. One of the items still in the “undecided” pile is our vacuum sealer. We have a Vacmaster 210 that gets used a lot. Fishing here in the PNW has been amazing the last few years. Halibut, Ling Cod, Salmon, and several kinds of tuna, plus a couple deer, have kept our freezer full. The 210 has been invaluable.
There are several pros and cons, of course. I am not a big fan of the plastic bags, but the amount of space saved counters that. The size of the 210 is chunky; it takes up a little real estate. And I imagine the power draw for the pump is substantial. I’ve never had much luck with the food-saver type sealers, and their bags are expensive. Though they do take up much less space.
How do you all feel about yours, and would you change anything given the opportunity?

I’d love to have one (had one on land), but on a 34’ boat, storage space is an issue, so ...

[Adiona]

Another great use of the va yum sealer is to seal tools, extra pumps and parts after a light spray with WD40. Don’t get the WD on the sealing strip or it will never seal. I seal Rx pills, just the bunch of pills then squeeze them back in the prescription bottle. Jiggle the shape so it fits. Keeps air out. Also medical supplies, gauze, extra makeup, cheese, anything I want to keep from the air.

[sailcub]

Been cruising Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico as far south as Ziahua since 2009....

2 things I highly recommend (my opinion) for food storage are a vacuum sealer and an Engle cooler/freezer.

We would seal meats, fish, sausage (hard to find in Mex), cheese, etc and then pop into freezer unit. Engle freezes extremely well and sips amps...

Again, one cruiser's opinion of whats worked for 10 years ..

Orlando
s/v cuba libre