Goat Day 25 - Vacuum sealer
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Meh. I don’t know if it’s because the one I got was less refurbished and more “looks like everything’s there; ship it,” or if I’m just not ready for this sharp advancement in kitchen appliance technology, but this FoodSaver thing is just not worth the effort. Obviously, this is a character flaw in me as vacuum sealing food at home is the future, like home canning of food items was the future back before canned food was common, but not using this device lowers the overall amount of electricity I draw during the course of my life, and this passively contributes to energy reserves for future generations.
I do still use it occasionally to make individual battery packs for future use. I’ll make little packets of AAAs for a clock and assorted remote controls, and I also make speciality packets of three D cells and two C cells for a modified boombox. This way, when something needs batteries, I just have to grab a packet from the freezer, and I’m good to go. 
/image vacuum Pomeranian
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I buy meat when it’s cheap and seal it. Then I stick it in the back of the freezer until it’s so freezer burned I throw it out. At least that’s how it seems to work.
@sammydog01 You interested in a turkey from 2016?
@mike808 @sammydog01 That was a good year for turkeys.
@elfle @mike808 @sammydog01 What was in mom’s freezer we called UFO’s. Unidentified frozen objects.
Whoa whoa whoa. You keep your batteries in the freezer??
@RiotDemon
Who doesn’t?
/giphy duh
@eonfifty me for one…
@chienfou
But you’re needlessly shortening the lifespan of your batteries storing them above freezing. Also, storing batteries in the freezer helps your freezer maintain it’s temperature, so you’ll less electricity because it won’t have to cool down as much when it warms from opening and closing the door. They also act as icepacks if your power goes out
@eonfifty according to what I have read it’s about a 5% difference for an alkaline battery lifespan. Since I started getting essentially free batteries from Office Depot I have not been using the rechargable NiMH batteries that this might benefit as much. LiON is a whole different can of worms…
As for using these as a thermal heat sink… I keep my freezer essentially full all the time so that is a wash (there will be energy used to cool them the first time and to keep them cool in the long run). Frozen blocks of water (that I could then drink) would be more practical in the apocalypse.
@chienfou
All good points, but what happens during the Apocalypse when the zombie horde has been herded in to your elaborate warehouse-rigged-with-explosives trap and your trigger fails because the batteries need just 5% more power to activate the detonators?
@chienfou @eonfifty Freezer burned meat would be pretty useful too. I’m good to go.
@eonfifty @sammydog01 guess I come looking for you to eat your brain…
Well I mainly use it for resealing chips and crackers and cheese ect. I rarely take out a fresh foodsaver bag but often reseal things in original packs
@CaptAmehrican
I didn’t know you could do that!
/giphy this changes everything
@eonfifty for crackers you might just use the heat seal button which is on the left as opposed to the vacuum and then seal button on the right. I bought the same one and it has so changed things for me. Chip clips are in the past
@CaptAmehrican @eonfifty I find that if you use the vacuum on chips it actually multiplies the number of chips in the bag.
@mehcuda67
There’s nothing more salty and greasy than potato chip dust.
/image potato chips crushed
@CaptAmehrican @eonfifty @mehcuda67
I remember when my son was young (about 4-5 years old maybe). We were having pizza and he got one slice as did his sister. I got two slices (naturally). He looked up at me with those big puppy eyes welling up and said “I want two pieces of pizza too…” so of course I did what any rational father would do. I cut his piece in half.
He was really put out since he got what he had asked for but not really what he wanted. Lesson learned. Be clear in what you ask for…
(yes… I was the “Calvin and Hobbes” dad to my kids)
I bought one of those sous vide things- you use vacuum sealed bags to cook with it. It makes the best steaks ever. The family dislikes everything else I have cooked using it. I will perfect sous vide pork chops even if they all move out of the house in protest. Trying again tonight. Wish me luck.
@sammydog01
How did they turn out?
/giphy boiled pork chops
@eonfifty Better than last time.
@sammydog01
Tell them it’s good for them to curb the amount they eat.
You’re only thinking of their health.
@sammydog01 I am the proud owner of both a vacuum sealer and a chefmate sous vide cooker (both from meh). I count those as some of my best (aka favorite) meh purchases.
I recently made sous vide lamb chops… OMG were they delicious.
And yes, the steaks have been great as well. Looking forward to doing a couple of Omaha Steaks that we got for Christmas in the next few weeks.
@sammydog01
Awesome!
MEALS! DEALS! EELS! AWESOME!
Use it for meat. When I smoke fish or brisket this is the best way to store things long term since I usually smoke a lot of meat at once.
@jmoor783 yeah, when I smoke an entire pork butt it’s way too much for just the wife and I, so, unless we are having company I shred it and pack it in several vacuum bags then freeze it. Plop it into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and voila… it’s good to go for sandwiches, BBQ baked potatoes, BBQ salads etc. Really nice to have in the dead of winter, even here in the south were it was over 80 a few days ago.
We used to make soup/stew in big batches. What we didn’t eat got vac-sealed and it keeps really well in the deep freeze. Put the bag into an empty can or plastic tub of appropriate size, pour in the soup or stew leaving enough of the bag to seal. Freeze it. Pull it out of the can/tub and seal it. Seriously works great.
We do sous vide with the vacuum sealed bags too.
@duodec
That’s a great pro tip! I wouldn’t have thought to freeze before sealing.
@eonfifty Actually it was in the booklet that came with ours. Use it for most liquid or juicy things.
@duodec
I should have read that.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
All I know is I got a Brand New Vacuum Food Sealer in the last round of Fuko’s and I have never used it. Came with all the pieces , no box though, everything was thrown in the brown shipping box.