@mehvid1 It seems like that one gets mistyped a lot. My other favorite is “defiantly” for “definitely.” That makes for some funny mental images sometimes!
@craigthom the one I use has integrated roll storage and a built in cutter which gives me a preference for rolls now. But if I didn’t have that setup, I do think ready made bags would be more convenient.
@djslack Mine has storage in the top for a roll and a sliding cutter, too, but I still prefer the ready made bags to cutting a length and sealing both ends.
One of my first meh purchases was a vacuum sealer years ago. I’ve used the hell out of it and love it for all the reasons mentioned. I do like the 12-in format though since occasionally I want bags that wide. I must say the vast majority are eight inches or less though.
Sous vide is a game changer…Foods last so much better in the freezer without getting freezer burned, smoked cream cheese keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator. Packing under a vacuum is definitely the way to go.
I also have a vacuum sealer for mason jars which is wonderful for dry storage (flour, nuts etc.) or soft things like fruit. Raspberries last way longer in the fridge under a vacuum in a mason jar.
…and yes, rolls are the way to go.
@chienfou I was just coming on to tell this same story, my vacuum sealer from back in the VMP days is still going and I use it allll the time. Though I never thought to vacuum seal in a mason jar, and I’ve been all about mason jars for storage (and raspberries, too) recently, I’ll have to give that a try.
I tried using some of those plastic sealable bins with the sealing interface, and they didn’t work at all.
I guess I need to try and figure out if it’s possible to save soup in a bag in these things. Would be so nice to have Frozen portions of soup stacked up
@catthegreat@whitelightertre freeze it first in whatever portion sizes you need, then bag it and seal. Or you can bag it and freeze the bag before sealing if you can put the bag into a bowl or something to keep the opening up top.
@catthegreat@whitelightertre I use multiple bags. The annoying part is waiting for the soup to cool in the fridge, spooning it into a Ziploc or such, then putting the Ziploc in the foodsaver, opening the pouch a bit, and press it shut as the vacuum is sucking the air out of both bags (then let it finish vacuuming the foodsaver bag, seal it, and bang).
A slightly more wasteful method is to use a basin of water to push the air out. A 75% filled Ziploc sinks all the way to the bottom of a pot of water, let the lip of the bag up over the rim of the bowl and crack it open. The water pressure will push the air (and liquid contents) toward the mouth of the bag; close it when the soup starts leaking out (wipe up spilled soup).
@Kyeh that’s true, but for particularly chunky soups, the ice cube method creates freezer burn because of the air crystalizing (versus freezing within a vacuum, or optimally, flash freezing)
The official solution to vacuum sealing liquids is the chamber vacuum sealer, but it involves way more $$$ and more counter space. So most settle for extra bags, ice cube trays, or other workarounds.
My 18+ year old Food Saver vacuum sealer has started acting a little wonky, so shopping for a newer one has been on the back burner for a while. I was pretty excited to make my second Meh purchase until I realized this is for the 8" rolls/bags only. Sigh…
I use one I got ages ago practically daily. It’s also great without the vacuumto reseal chips and bagged salad to keep things fresh, in addition to the items for the freezer. We have taken fresh cake and sealed it, froze it and when defrosted tastes as fresh as new
I’ve been rocking my food saver for so many years that I don’t remember if I got it from meh or not. I probably did. At first, we were vacuum sealing everything from the extra large grocery deli submarine sandwiches to dry beans. Then we realized how much plastic we were wasting. Now, the more mature me only food saver vacuum seals meat products that I buy in bulk/on sale. In order to reduce plastic waste, I bought reusable vacuum sealing bags of which I use my little handheld and rechargeable Anova sealer I did buy here on meh. It’s great for storing rice, dry beans etc. the reusable third party bags are pretty affordable, too.
Pro tip for dry food bucket vacuum seal storage: at first I’d vacuum seal my bags of rice etc flat on my kitchen table making a nice plump even distributed square. It may look neat, but it isn’t bucket space efficient. Instead, fill the bag and set it inside the bucket to mold to the bags below it and then vacuum seal it. That’s where the handheld Anova sealer becomes handy. I was able to increase bucket storage by 40%. I suppose this would also work for shelf storage if you can find an appropriate cubed mold that’ll stack better.
@goldnectar glad to know there’s a good reason to have that thing. I bought it because it looked cool but continue to pretty much exclusively use my foodsaver.
I came to say that vacuum seal sounded like a good idea, except for the plastic waste. Then I saw above that there are reusable bags. Now I have to look for the those.
If you sous vide one of these is very handy. Even if you don’t, it’s worth it for buying commonly used meats in the bigger packs and vacuum sealing in single use portions.
I have a bigger one that takes the 11" bags/rolls as well.
@djslack I have also employed vacuum sealing (though in one of the vacuum/marinating containers) to attempt a faster version of the old putting the wet cell phone in rice trick. Pulled a vacuum to speed the water’s evaporation, repeated vacuum a few times to get any vapor out of the container, and then the phone powered on when I took it out in about an hour. Science it ain’t, but anecdotally it worked.
You could do it similarly with a bag by keeping as much length as possible to cut and reseal the bag a few times to do repeated vacuuming, though I’m not sure how the phone would handle the pressure against the screen without the vessel protecting it. Maybe just fine, maybe not.
Bought one of these right here, 8½ years ago, for $22. Also a refurb, and still working great! I buy a 2 lb side of salmon at Costco, and vac-pak 8 X 4oz portions for freezing. Works great for sous vide or regular cooking. At $30, the machine is still a bargain, and bags/rolls are available at Costco, sometimes on sale.
One tip: don’t vacuum pack fresh bread- I learned that obvious lesson the soft way…
@MrNews I would say you can vacuum seal fresh bread, just slice them first (and maybe toast them a little to get rid of any potential mold-growing spores that feed on what little air and moisture that is in the sealed bag)
I’ve cut them open to re-toast or use as cooling croutons (but not really as fresh bread any more)
I would also like to add (as a possible hoarder and doomsayer) that buying a deal on meats (or nuts or fruits or chocolates) does add up; keep track of what’s in your fridge. Some weeks you want variety, and that may mean digging up summer cherries buried behind fall avocados and winter salmon. (This is in case you want to have room for a frozen ice cream dish in your freezer.)
@pakopako I tried vac’ing a fresh bread loaf once, and it squished the hell out if it. Oops! You can do it if you freeze the loaf first, but that kinda defeats the purpose. Same with burgers- if at least partially frozen first, they will not squish when vacuum packed. But for sure it’s easy for stuff to get “lost” in the bottom of the freezer. Our fridge failure after Hurricane Milton revealed long-forgotten roasts and things-- it was good to just start over.
@MrNews ah, you’ve got fluffy bread. I like my loaves with a crunchy crust and some sponginess (like rye); they hold quite well on through own, but freezing prevents mold.
Specs
Product: Foodsaver Space Saving Vacuum Sealer
Model: 2159390
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$52 at Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 27 - Tuesday, Jan 28
This deal sucks!!
@IndifferentDude it sure does, BIG Time!
Does this include a crevice tool for the couch?
Most of the recent Meh offerings do seem to be leftovers…
@phendrick I can agree 100%!
Five days ago on SideDeal, they claimed this goes for $120 elsewhere…
The last picture is not at all creepy.
@shahnm If you don’t zoom in, it looks a little like something else on a phone screen, esp in black & white mode.
Still kinda disturbing, though.
/image viola
@Kyeh came here to say (something like) this.
@mehvid1 It seems like that one gets mistyped a lot. My other favorite is “defiantly” for “definitely.” That makes for some funny mental images sometimes!
I’ve got a different model. I find buying third party bags is much less of a pain than making them from a roll.
@craigthom the one I use has integrated roll storage and a built in cutter which gives me a preference for rolls now. But if I didn’t have that setup, I do think ready made bags would be more convenient.
@djslack Mine has storage in the top for a roll and a sliding cutter, too, but I still prefer the ready made bags to cutting a length and sealing both ends.
You can freeze olive oil, which makes it a LOT easier to include in sous vide bags.
Rolls of vacuum bags are probably the cheapest option, I like mine with an integrated cutter.
@EvilSmoo I’ve seen olive oil solidify in the bottle in the fridge. Should be good enough.
“Can it make a margarita: Honestly, you probably could make some frozen marg pouches with this thing…”
can confirm
@alacrity
Brilliant!
One of my first meh purchases was a vacuum sealer years ago. I’ve used the hell out of it and love it for all the reasons mentioned. I do like the 12-in format though since occasionally I want bags that wide. I must say the vast majority are eight inches or less though.
Sous vide is a game changer…Foods last so much better in the freezer without getting freezer burned, smoked cream cheese keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator. Packing under a vacuum is definitely the way to go.
I also have a vacuum sealer for mason jars which is wonderful for dry storage (flour, nuts etc.) or soft things like fruit. Raspberries last way longer in the fridge under a vacuum in a mason jar.
…and yes, rolls are the way to go.
@chienfou I was just coming on to tell this same story, my vacuum sealer from back in the VMP days is still going and I use it allll the time. Though I never thought to vacuum seal in a mason jar, and I’ve been all about mason jars for storage (and raspberries, too) recently, I’ll have to give that a try.
I tried using some of those plastic sealable bins with the sealing interface, and they didn’t work at all.
@DLPanther
My luck with the attachment for jars was very sorry. I now have a separate gizmo that ONLY does jars. It works great.
I guess I need to try and figure out if it’s possible to save soup in a bag in these things. Would be so nice to have Frozen portions of soup stacked up
@whitelightertre it is. the hardest part is getting it into the bag and sealing without spilling everywhere
@catthegreat @whitelightertre freeze it first in whatever portion sizes you need, then bag it and seal. Or you can bag it and freeze the bag before sealing if you can put the bag into a bowl or something to keep the opening up top.
@whitelightertre I use one of these; I just put the frozen portions in a ziplock bag. You could always vacuum seal them too.
@catthegreat @whitelightertre I use multiple bags. The annoying part is waiting for the soup to cool in the fridge, spooning it into a Ziploc or such, then putting the Ziploc in the foodsaver, opening the pouch a bit, and press it shut as the vacuum is sucking the air out of both bags (then let it finish vacuuming the foodsaver bag, seal it, and bang).
A slightly more wasteful method is to use a basin of water to push the air out. A 75% filled Ziploc sinks all the way to the bottom of a pot of water, let the lip of the bag up over the rim of the bowl and crack it open. The water pressure will push the air (and liquid contents) toward the mouth of the bag; close it when the soup starts leaking out (wipe up spilled soup).
@catthegreat @pakopako @whitelightertre Sounds like a lot more work than using these ice cube tray thingies!
@Kyeh that’s true, but for particularly chunky soups, the ice cube method creates freezer burn because of the air crystalizing (versus freezing within a vacuum, or optimally, flash freezing)
The official solution to vacuum sealing liquids is the chamber vacuum sealer, but it involves way more $$$ and more counter space. So most settle for extra bags, ice cube trays, or other workarounds.
@pakopako Oh, okay.
My 18+ year old Food Saver vacuum sealer has started acting a little wonky, so shopping for a newer one has been on the back burner for a while. I was pretty excited to make my second Meh purchase until I realized this is for the 8" rolls/bags only. Sigh…
I was ready to replace our aging foodsaver until I saw the small size. Pass.
I use one I got ages ago practically daily. It’s also great without the vacuumto reseal chips and bagged salad to keep things fresh, in addition to the items for the freezer. We have taken fresh cake and sealed it, froze it and when defrosted tastes as fresh as new
I’ve been rocking my food saver for so many years that I don’t remember if I got it from meh or not. I probably did. At first, we were vacuum sealing everything from the extra large grocery deli submarine sandwiches to dry beans. Then we realized how much plastic we were wasting. Now, the more mature me only food saver vacuum seals meat products that I buy in bulk/on sale. In order to reduce plastic waste, I bought reusable vacuum sealing bags of which I use my little handheld and rechargeable Anova sealer I did buy here on meh. It’s great for storing rice, dry beans etc. the reusable third party bags are pretty affordable, too.
Pro tip for dry food bucket vacuum seal storage: at first I’d vacuum seal my bags of rice etc flat on my kitchen table making a nice plump even distributed square. It may look neat, but it isn’t bucket space efficient. Instead, fill the bag and set it inside the bucket to mold to the bags below it and then vacuum seal it. That’s where the handheld Anova sealer becomes handy. I was able to increase bucket storage by 40%. I suppose this would also work for shelf storage if you can find an appropriate cubed mold that’ll stack better.
@goldnectar glad to know there’s a good reason to have that thing. I bought it because it looked cool but continue to pretty much exclusively use my foodsaver.
@djslack I use it more than the food saver, but mostly because my family burns through rice and beans.
Pork carnitas is not a thing, carnitas are always pork . . But you got my mouth watering just the same, thank you.
@JoMamma No, carnitas are not always made with pork. Carnitas can also be made with chicken, though they are traditionally made with pork.
Vacuum seal?
I came to say that vacuum seal sounded like a good idea, except for the plastic waste. Then I saw above that there are reusable bags. Now I have to look for the those.
If you sous vide one of these is very handy. Even if you don’t, it’s worth it for buying commonly used meats in the bigger packs and vacuum sealing in single use portions.
I have a bigger one that takes the 11" bags/rolls as well.
@djslack I have also employed vacuum sealing (though in one of the vacuum/marinating containers) to attempt a faster version of the old putting the wet cell phone in rice trick. Pulled a vacuum to speed the water’s evaporation, repeated vacuum a few times to get any vapor out of the container, and then the phone powered on when I took it out in about an hour. Science it ain’t, but anecdotally it worked.
You could do it similarly with a bag by keeping as much length as possible to cut and reseal the bag a few times to do repeated vacuuming, though I’m not sure how the phone would handle the pressure against the screen without the vessel protecting it. Maybe just fine, maybe not.
/giphy the leftovers wave
IYKYK
Bought one of these right here, 8½ years ago, for $22. Also a refurb, and still working great! I buy a 2 lb side of salmon at Costco, and vac-pak 8 X 4oz portions for freezing. Works great for sous vide or regular cooking. At $30, the machine is still a bargain, and bags/rolls are available at Costco, sometimes on sale.
One tip: don’t vacuum pack fresh bread- I learned that obvious lesson the soft way…
@MrNews I would say you can vacuum seal fresh bread, just slice them first (and maybe toast them a little to get rid of any potential mold-growing spores that feed on what little air and moisture that is in the sealed bag)
I’ve cut them open to re-toast or use as cooling croutons (but not really as fresh bread any more)
I would also like to add (as a possible hoarder and doomsayer) that buying a deal on meats (or nuts or fruits or chocolates) does add up; keep track of what’s in your fridge. Some weeks you want variety, and that may mean digging up summer cherries buried behind fall avocados and winter salmon. (This is in case you want to have room for a frozen ice cream dish in your freezer.)
@pakopako I tried vac’ing a fresh bread loaf once, and it squished the hell out if it. Oops! You can do it if you freeze the loaf first, but that kinda defeats the purpose. Same with burgers- if at least partially frozen first, they will not squish when vacuum packed. But for sure it’s easy for stuff to get “lost” in the bottom of the freezer. Our fridge failure after Hurricane Milton revealed long-forgotten roasts and things-- it was good to just start over.
@MrNews ah, you’ve got fluffy bread. I like my loaves with a crunchy crust and some sponginess (like rye); they hold quite well on through own, but freezing prevents mold.