Food saver canisters?
05-02-2013, 01:49 PM
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Dallas area, Texas, USA
Posts: 3,042
We have had a Food Saver for several years and never found the canisters cumbersome to use and not very useful. We also don't use very many of their expensive rolls of bags, except for frozen meat. However, I keep the Food Saver out on the counter and use it several times a week to reseal everything from potato chip bags, most of the bags that frozen vegetables come in, the bags that chocolate chips come in, and several other similar things. It's not suitable for the softer poly bags, such as bread wrappers, but anything that is made of the mylar type plastics works great, as well as the type that line cereal and cracker boxes. I didn't think I needed this machine until a friend gave us his extra because he was upgrading to a newer one. I would really miss it if we didn't have it now! It makes a much better seal than twisties and clips.
By the way, I'm not using the vacuum function with those types of bags and wouldn't expect it to work except with their specially designed products. Certainly there is a use for those things, too. I've heard that you can even use them to vacuum seal fabric for long term storage, but I haven't tried that. I'd have to leave a lot of headroom for resealing because just as soon as I got something packed away I'd find a use for it!
One other use is repairing the holes that often occur in grocery bags. I know we're supposed to not get those bags, but what else would I be using for cat litter gleanings and doggy pick-ups and to line bathroom wastebaskets? I like re-purposing the bags, but obviously holes would not be good, and more than half of them seem to come with holes. I see people buying plastic bags for this kind of thing and carrying them home in lovely fabric totes, and I wonder how that could be any more environmentally friendly than what I do.
By the way, I'm not using the vacuum function with those types of bags and wouldn't expect it to work except with their specially designed products. Certainly there is a use for those things, too. I've heard that you can even use them to vacuum seal fabric for long term storage, but I haven't tried that. I'd have to leave a lot of headroom for resealing because just as soon as I got something packed away I'd find a use for it!
One other use is repairing the holes that often occur in grocery bags. I know we're supposed to not get those bags, but what else would I be using for cat litter gleanings and doggy pick-ups and to line bathroom wastebaskets? I like re-purposing the bags, but obviously holes would not be good, and more than half of them seem to come with holes. I see people buying plastic bags for this kind of thing and carrying them home in lovely fabric totes, and I wonder how that could be any more environmentally friendly than what I do.
05-02-2013, 02:22 PM
#23
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Connecticut shoreline
Posts: 2,024
Originally Posted by Rose_P
We have had a Food Saver for several years and never found the canisters cumbersome to use and not very useful. We also don't use very many of their expensive rolls of bags, except for frozen meat. However, I keep the Food Saver out on the counter and use it several times a week to reseal everything from potato chip bags, most of the bags that frozen vegetables come in, the bags that chocolate chips come in, and several other similar things. It's not suitable for the softer poly bags, such as bread wrappers, but anything that is made of the mylar type plastics works great, as well as the type that line cereal and cracker boxes. I didn't think I needed this machine until a friend gave us his extra because he was upgrading to a newer one. I would really miss it if we didn't have it now! It makes a much better seal than twisties and clips.
By the way, I'm not using the vacuum function with those types of bags and wouldn't expect it to work except with their specially designed products. Certainly there is a use for those things, too. I've heard that you can even use them to vacuum seal fabric for long term storage, but I haven't tried that. I'd have to leave a lot of headroom for resealing because just as soon as I got something packed away I'd find a use for it!
One other use is repairing the holes that often occur in grocery bags. I know we're supposed to not get those bags, but what else would I be using for cat litter gleanings and doggy pick-ups and to line bathroom wastebaskets? I like re-purposing the bags, but obviously holes would not be good, and more than half of them seem to come with holes. I see people buying plastic bags for this kind of thing and carrying them home in lovely fabric totes, and I wonder how that could be any more environmentally friendly than what I do.
By the way, I'm not using the vacuum function with those types of bags and wouldn't expect it to work except with their specially designed products. Certainly there is a use for those things, too. I've heard that you can even use them to vacuum seal fabric for long term storage, but I haven't tried that. I'd have to leave a lot of headroom for resealing because just as soon as I got something packed away I'd find a use for it!
One other use is repairing the holes that often occur in grocery bags. I know we're supposed to not get those bags, but what else would I be using for cat litter gleanings and doggy pick-ups and to line bathroom wastebaskets? I like re-purposing the bags, but obviously holes would not be good, and more than half of them seem to come with holes. I see people buying plastic bags for this kind of thing and carrying them home in lovely fabric totes, and I wonder how that could be any more environmentally friendly than what I do.
05-03-2013, 01:52 AM
#25
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Connecticut shoreline
Posts: 2,024
Originally Posted by twinkie
Wal Mart does carry them in the Housewares department.
05-03-2013, 04:49 AM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 464
Gosh, I use our food saver constantly. I have put fabric in them. When my MIL founder wedding gown from 1923, the fabric was still intact, but the lace was destroyed. Her granddaughter wanted to wear the dress for her own wedding, but time took that away. I took the dress apart and made a pattern from it. We found lace almost exactly like the original. When the new dress was done, I took the original ( though in pieces) and sealed it. I also did the silk veil. I gave those to my SIL. Even if the dress is not really there, the fabric and history is.
I also packed a change of clothing when camping, for the time when everything gets wet.
I pack dry pantry items such as nuts, brown sugar, beans, etc. I have put "powder items" (sugar, etc) in a ziplock bag then into the food saver bag. Keeps the contents from "blowing" around the bag.
We also use the wide mouth jar attachment to pack jars with other pantry items. We even packed lettuce for salad in a large jar. Took it camping and it lasted a week in the fridge ( we camp in a motor home-that is rough enough for me!). We are going out next week and I think I am going to try to pack the ingredients for the complete salad, just to see how it works.
I am thinking about getting another one just for our motor home, since we travel quite a bit and finding fresh items on the road, I can "save" that freshness for a little longer.
I also packed a change of clothing when camping, for the time when everything gets wet.
I pack dry pantry items such as nuts, brown sugar, beans, etc. I have put "powder items" (sugar, etc) in a ziplock bag then into the food saver bag. Keeps the contents from "blowing" around the bag.
We also use the wide mouth jar attachment to pack jars with other pantry items. We even packed lettuce for salad in a large jar. Took it camping and it lasted a week in the fridge ( we camp in a motor home-that is rough enough for me!). We are going out next week and I think I am going to try to pack the ingredients for the complete salad, just to see how it works.
I am thinking about getting another one just for our motor home, since we travel quite a bit and finding fresh items on the road, I can "save" that freshness for a little longer.
05-03-2013, 04:52 AM
#27
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Connecticut shoreline
Posts: 2,024
Originally Posted by Bneighbor
Gosh, I use our food saver constantly. I have put fabric in them. When my MIL founder wedding gown from 1923, the fabric was still intact, but the lace was destroyed. Her granddaughter wanted to wear the dress for her own wedding, but time took that away. I took the dress apart and made a pattern from it. We found lace almost exactly like the original. When the new dress was done, I took the original ( though in pieces) and sealed it. I also did the silk veil. I gave those to my SIL. Even if the dress is not really there, the fabric and history is.
I also packed a change of clothing when camping, for the time when everything gets wet.
I pack dry pantry items such as nuts, brown sugar, beans, etc. I have put "powder items" (sugar, etc) in a ziplock bag then into the food saver bag. Keeps the contents from "blowing" around the bag.
We also use the wide mouth jar attachment to pack jars with other pantry items. We even packed lettuce for salad in a large jar. Took it camping and it lasted a week in the fridge ( we camp in a motor home-that is rough enough for me!). We are going out next week and I think I am going to try to pack the ingredients for the complete salad, just to see how it works.
I am thinking about getting another one just for our motor home, since we travel quite a bit and finding fresh items on the road, I can "save" that freshness for a little longer.
I also packed a change of clothing when camping, for the time when everything gets wet.
I pack dry pantry items such as nuts, brown sugar, beans, etc. I have put "powder items" (sugar, etc) in a ziplock bag then into the food saver bag. Keeps the contents from "blowing" around the bag.
We also use the wide mouth jar attachment to pack jars with other pantry items. We even packed lettuce for salad in a large jar. Took it camping and it lasted a week in the fridge ( we camp in a motor home-that is rough enough for me!). We are going out next week and I think I am going to try to pack the ingredients for the complete salad, just to see how it works.
I am thinking about getting another one just for our motor home, since we travel quite a bit and finding fresh items on the road, I can "save" that freshness for a little longer.
05-03-2013, 05:17 AM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 464
Originally Posted by Sue Fish
I just tried sealing a cereal bag and it worked great!! This really is a great gadget!!
Our fridge and freezer in the motor home is usually pretty full for our trips, but sometimes we are out 2 or 3 weeks, and being able to buy fresh items is so nice. Roadside farmers markets in the summer is exciting.
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