Do you need a vacuum sealer with this? Or is food OK if you just put it in a ziplock and squeeze as much air out as you can?
263599
You can definitely use this without a vacuum sealer. What you do is what is called the 'displacement' method. Put the food in a quart or gallon zip lock - then seal up most of the zip, leaving just a bit at the end. Then, submerge the bag slowly in a pot of water - which will push all the air out. Just as the zip lock is getting to the water line, seal it and you should be good to go.
263600
You can definitely use the ziplock-and-squeeze approach. And you'll need to do that if there's a lot of liquid in the bag. I just think that vacuum sealers are cool.
263601
I was told to just immerse the bag into the water bath (before heating it up) and bring the zip to just above the water line and close it, being careful not allow any water in. I tried sucking the air out as I do with stuff I'm putting in the freezer- bad idea, coughed on garlic powder and pepper!
263602
Before using zip lock, try asking your butcher if they offer vacuum sealing. I just found out that mine does, so I guess you just have to ask.
841397
I use my vacuum sealer to seal chopped chicken meat I purchase large amounts and it is great to put them in portion sizes and freeze... been doing this since I purchased the unit and have had no problem whatsoever! Great machine.
451594
I've had no problem with Zip Lock bags. I've found it useful to seal either brand while on a semi cushioned surface and rub your finger over the seal twice, once in one direction then from the other. The ONLY advantage or feature I see in the Food Saver brand I like is the square bottom of the gallon size. That to me is not worth double the price of Zip Lock.
725490
Save your money! I put the food in this container still in the bag and it went stale very quickly as this item is NOT airtight. The Vittles Vault is the only pet food container that I have found that is truly air-tight. Hope that helps.
1798166
Do not use a vacuum sealer (foodsaver) unless it is a chamber sealer or has a seal-only option. Use a regular heat sealer. The vacuum sealer will suck the liquid into the machine. Or you can freeze them first before sealing.
295731
A foodsaver vacuum sealer works, you can also use an impulse sealer. I have heard of people using an iron as well but I haven't tried that.
1139715
I don't recall that the seal was "airtight" once opened, and the inside did not have an extra lining. It seemed to "keep" very well, but I supposed you could break it up and vacuum seal what isn't used in the near term.
128110
I don't know the answer to that one. I only bought the item. I wouldn't use anything besides the Food Saver bags and the bags are available in a lot of places. I bought the roll at Sears where you can cut the bags to the right size according to the food you are putting in. You seal one side, put the food in and then vacuum and seal the other side. I saw the bags also at Walmart. The Food Saver bags have a different texture than Ziploc bags and I think the Ziploc bags probably wouldn't vacuum seal. I would call Food Saver direct or email them to answer your question 1 (877)777-8042 or www.foodsaver.com. I don't know the answer to that one. I only bought the item. I wouldn't use anything besides the Food Saver bags and the bags are available in a lot of places. I bought the roll at Sears where you can cut the bags to the right size according to the food you are putting in. You seal one side, put the food in and then vacuum and seal the other side. I saw the bags also at Walmart. The Food Saver bags have a different texture than Ziploc bags and I think the Ziploc bags probably wouldn't vacuum seal. I would call Food Saver direct or email them to answer your question 1 (877)777-8042 or... » Read More I don't know the answer to that one. I only bought the item. I wouldn't use anything besides the Food Saver bags and the bags are available in a lot of places. I bought the roll at Sears where you can cut the bags to the right size according to the food you are putting in. You seal one side, put the food in and then vacuum and seal the other side. I saw the bags also at Walmart. The Food Saver bags have a different texture than Ziploc bags and I think the Ziploc bags probably wouldn't vacuum seal. I would call Food Saver direct or email them to answer your question 1 (877)777-8042 or www.foodsaver.com. « Show Less
1710817
No, you would lock the FoodSaver bar and press the vacuum seal. The FoodSaver will stop vacuuming automatically when done.
566077
you'll need a food Saver sealing machine, that seals and sucks the air out of the bags before freezing. I guess if you are windy enough you might be able to suck the air out.
2116586
I simply re-seal the original bag with my foodsaver. You can't vac-pack it since the material has no texture but you just need to remove as much air as possible and seal the bag. Works great!
164401
I did not have this experience. I use the FoodSaver hand electric pump. Things to consider: before sealing, make sure the zip is sealed securely (no food particles or debris in the zip lock portion), and press the zip lock firmly against a flat surface to ensure a solid seal.
772740
So far i've just used the Food Saver brand of bags. But you should be able to use any bags. I'm not happy with the performance of my Rival vacuum sealer though. It worked great the first few times using it. We haven't used it very often and we are already having problems with it. It's suctioning fine but the sealer does not kick in to seal. We've only had it for around 6 months. We keep the rubber part that does the seal protected so it doesn't dry out or flatten by wrapping it in the original packaging and still it's not working propertly. So, I don't recommend this product.
1885954
Your Foodsaver appliance removes the air and heat seals your package. There is no "zip seal" involved in preparation of your product for storage. Hope this answers your question.
2267281
Its hard to say without know what your trying to seal, but it won't pull a complete vacuum if there are gaps where air can get trapped, its not powerful enough for that. It helps to arrange the food so that it is at the bottom of the bag and compacted as much as possible before hand.
736589
It isn't a stupid question. You don't use a vacuum sealer for eggs, or quite a few things actually. You use a Ziploc or similar bag and follow these steps below to push enough of the air out of the bag for it to submerge. You will need to do this with anything that has a high liquid content. Fill a container with water deep enough to easily submerge your food and bag. Always add some sort of liquid to the bag -fat, stock, sauce, etc. The liquid is necessary to fill the gaps around your food and expel the air from the bag. Add your food item. A significant advantage of Ziplocs over vacuum bags is that the food can be added to the bag hot. All vacuum bagging procedures require your food to be cold (more on that in the upcoming vacuum section of the primer). If you are searing meat and adding it directly to the Ziploc bag make sure the surface of the meat is below 100&#730;C (212&#730;F) or the bag will melt. Be especially careful to not touch the bag with a hot set of tongs or spatula. Close the seal of the bag almost to the edge, leaving the last portion of the seal open -make sure you have correctly sealed the bag. Put your finger in the corner to make sure that part of the seal is open. Carefully immerse the bag in the water starting with the closed corner, not the open one. Make sure you do this step carefully, allowing air to escape up and out of the open corner. Just as the open part of the seal is about to go under the water, close it up.
2103802
People braver than me have experimented with & succeeded in using ziplock (thin plastic) type bags on the vacuum sealers, but one such person said he wouldn't do it on a new machine, suggested getting one cheap from a garage sale, Goodwill, etc. Do a YouTube search on the topic to get more specific details. The quality of any sandwich is going to suffer after being frozen. Good quality bread freezes well. Any ingredients with a high water content that's in the sandwiches may ooze water when defrosted & cause the bread to be mushy.