I am thinking about getting a vacuum sealer. I would like one to freeze things like jerky, fresh caught fish, steaks, etc. My grandpa will sometimes get a rib roll, age it, then vacuum seal it for everyone. I am not sure if he is doing it wrong or if the machine he uses isn't very good. By the time I am ready to eat it, the bag is all loose and has ice inside. I would like to buy one that isn't too big or too expensive but also not some cheaply made, couple of use, type machine. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Weston. And use their Weston bags.

I have one of the pro models from cabelas. It works great. I'm sure I spent too much.

No idea on quality but good timing.

https://www.camofire.com/index.php/Deals/40

Happens to my vacuum packs sometimes, but it helps if you dry the meat first (moisture will comprise the sealing process) and if you partially freeze the meat before you seal it.

I've still got dove breast filets from 13 months ago that are in perfect condition, so a sealer is def worth the money spent.

I've had a Food Saver for 12 years. Works like a charm every time.

This is the OB though, so hope you are prepared for answers to build a 20x40 shop dedicated to an industrial sized instand sealer, otherwise you are just piddling around and aren't really serious about doing things right. Because only an industrial machine is good enough for the once a blue moon use.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

---

No idea on quality but good timing.

https://www.camofire.com/index.php/Deals/40

---

I have one of these I bought new for ~$70 at Wal-Mart a couple years ago. Works great. I have better luck holding a vacuum when I double seal both ends of the bag. Seals go next to each other, not on top of each other.

Food Saver here too. Used it for about 5-6 years. Always works. Doesn't say "pro" or "industrial" on it though.

Don't cheap out on the bags. My mom had a food saver when I was younger and we always had problems with bags staying sealed. They would come out fine and then get freezer burned over time. My mom is notorious for trying to get good deals and she would buy off brand bags. I now think this was the problem.

I just purchased the FoodSaver FM2175 model at CostCo. $59.00. Works great, is fairly basic but seems to do the job just fine.

RCR06 said:

---

Don't cheap out on the bags. My mom had a food saver when I was younger and we always had problems with bags staying sealed. They would come out fine and then get freezer burned over time. My mom is notorious for trying to get good deals and she would buy off brand bags. I now think this was the problem.

---

This.

The bags are the key, and I've found over time that when sealing something with a high moisture content (steak, roast, etc.) that it makes a huge difference to start with good bags, but also watch the sealing process and as the vacuum pulls on the bag and you see the juices start to get close to where it seals, go ahead and stop the vacuum process and seal it before it gets moisture at the seal joint. If you are worried, do a double seal.

The only time I really have any issues anymore is when there are bones involved as they can poke a hole over time in the bag.

So what are the best bags? Cheap or expensive doesn't always correlate to better or worse.

Tex_Ag_2017 said:

---

So what are the best bags? Cheap or expensive doesn't always correlate to better or worse.

---

The Foodsaver brand bags are the best. There is a brand you can get off of Amazon that are pretty dang good too:

Commercial Bargains Bags

I burned out a Food Savor.

I haven't burned out my current Weston.

You mileage may vary.

Edit....there is an unquestionable difference is quality of the products. Up to you to decide if the price delta is worth it.

I've been using the Vacuum Sealers Unlimited brand from Amazon. I don't know if they're "the best" but they're working nicely.

we have food saver and works well

a trick I've learned is to try to have the product as dry as possible. If i've just cleaned fish I can only dry so much. What I do when I know there will be moisture is to lay in a portion of paper towel near the top just before the seal. This allows all air to be pulled out but any moisture is trapped in the towel to give it a solid seal.

Particularly tricky to seal are shrimp. This is where I started doing paper towels. The other thing I do for shrimp i peal off the back tail that has a sharp spine on it. These have a tendency to puncture bags during vacuum.

I find that for those items that have lost a seal in the deep freezer, it had to do with other items scoring the bags as stuff was moved around. For areas that aren't being dug in, the Food Saver has worked great for me.

CrockerCock00 said:

---

I find that for those items that have lost a seal in the deep freezer, it had to do with other items scoring the bags as stuff was moved around. For areas that aren't being dug in, the Food Saver has worked great for me.

---

I agree, and it's what Rinella points to as well.
I have a chamber vac that I love, but it's limited as to how large an item you can seal. I couldn't do an entire neck roast last weekend, so I split it into 2 4# roasts instead. I've thought about buying another standard sealer for bigger/bulky items, but the chamber is hard to beat for wet items. I've actually used it to seal liquids like stocks before.

Hodor said:

---

CrockerCock00 said:

---

I find that for those items that have lost a seal in the deep freezer, it had to do with other items scoring the bags as stuff was moved around. For areas that aren't being dug in, the Food Saver has worked great for me.

---

I agree, and it's what Rinella points to as well.
I have a chamber vac that I love, but it's limited as to how large an item you can seal. I couldn't do an entire neck roast last weekend, so I split it into 2 4# roasts instead. I've thought about buying another standard sealer for bigger/bulky items, but the chamber is hard to beat for wet items. I've actually used it to seal liquids like stocks before.

---

I seal liquid stocks with my Food Saver every year. Not the easiest thing to do, but not difficult either.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

---

No idea on quality but good timing.

https://www.camofire.com/index.php/Deals/40

---

Cheaper from manufacturer:
https://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-sealers/refurbished-vacuum-sealers/the-foodsaver-fm2000-vacuum-sealing-system--certified-refurbished/RG-FM2000.html

May want to check out Costco, if you have one nearby, for Foodsaver brand bags. I got a box about 3 years ago and am just about to the point I need to go buy another box.

Here's the link.

In a pinch, this trick works well....

I got a Foodsaver Gamesaver Big Game as a wedding gift. Just vaccum sealed a whole elk last night with it. Worked great and never had to wait on it for getting too hot or anything.

Not sure if Food Saver or other retail vac bags are meant to be shrunk like commercial food processing bags, but you may want to give it a try. I work in the meat industry and the seal won't last on vac bags we use unless you quick dip them in hot water ~180F. Those are the bags i use at home. The heat shrinks the bag and gets you a better seal and lower oxygen transmission rate (so longer to freezer burn). In fact they are designed with that in mind.

Foodsaver, works great, highly recommend their bags too.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

---

No idea on quality but good timing.

https://www.camofire.com/index.php/Deals/40

---

I have this exact model- bought form Ace Hardware a couple years ago for $55. Much better than the super cheapo I had before (which sucked up liquid and burnt itself out). Not as nice (or as speedy) as my Dad's pro model from Cabelas. Good middle of the road option. Get good bags- makes a diff

schmellba99 said:

---

This is the OB though, so hope you are prepared for answers to build a 20x40 shop dedicated to an industrial sized instand sealer, otherwise you are just piddling around and aren't really serious about doing things right. Because only an industrial machine is good enough for the once a blue moon use.

---

POTD right here, gents

Foodsavers are a great option for entry level sealers. If you get serious about it or have a decent budget chamber sealers are the way to go. Cheap bags and the ability to easily seal liquids.

My family thought I was being a little excessive when I bought my first (VacMaster VP215) but within a few months it became one of the most used items in my kitchen (or utility room). I have since upgraded to the VP320 (pricey but badass) and haven't looked back.

Tx-Ag2010 said:

---

Foodsavers are a great option for entry level sealers. If you get serious about it or have a decent budget chamber sealers are the way to go. Cheap bags and the ability to easily seal liquids.

My family thought I was being a little excessive when I bought my first (VacMaster VP215) but within a few months it became one of the most used items in my kitchen (or utility room). I have since upgraded to the VP320 (pricey but badass) and haven't looked back.

---

Pricey is an understatement.

I have a problem...

There are two 20+ cubic foot deep freezers in my garage that are packed with meat... I love to BBQ but I love to hunt more.

TwoMarksHand said:

---

Tx-Ag2010 said:

---

Foodsavers are a great option for entry level sealers. If you get serious about it or have a decent budget chamber sealers are the way to go. Cheap bags and the ability to easily seal liquids.

My family thought I was being a little excessive when I bought my first (VacMaster VP215) but within a few months it became one of the most used items in my kitchen (or utility room). I have since upgraded to the VP320 (pricey but badass) and haven't looked back.

---

Pricey is an understatement.

---

Yep, standard OB. If you aren't spending the absolute maximum amount of money possible, might as well just not do it at all.

Why spend $150 when you can so much more easy spend $2500?

What Weston model do you have?

What amounts are people vacuum sealing at a time. I would need one that could do up to 100-150 lbs of sausage in a day.

schmellba99 said:

---

TwoMarksHand said:

---

Tx-Ag2010 said:

---

Foodsavers are a great option for entry level sealers. If you get serious about it or have a decent budget chamber sealers are the way to go. Cheap bags and the ability to easily seal liquids.

My family thought I was being a little excessive when I bought my first (VacMaster VP215) but within a few months it became one of the most used items in my kitchen (or utility room). I have since upgraded to the VP320 (pricey but badass) and haven't looked back.

---

Pricey is an understatement.

---

Yep, standard OB. If you aren't spending the absolute maximum amount of money possible, might as well just not do it at all.

Why spend $150 when you can so much more easy spend $2500?

---

Classic OB Conundrum.

schmellba99 said:

---

TwoMarksHand said:

---

Tx-Ag2010 said:

---

Foodsavers are a great option for entry level sealers. If you get serious about it or have a decent budget chamber sealers are the way to go. Cheap bags and the ability to easily seal liquids.

My family thought I was being a little excessive when I bought my first (VacMaster VP215) but within a few months it became one of the most used items in my kitchen (or utility room). I have since upgraded to the VP320 (pricey but badass) and haven't looked back.

---

Pricey is an understatement.

---

Yep, standard OB. If you aren't spending the absolute maximum amount of money possible, might as well just not do it at all.

Why spend $150 when you can so much more easy spend $2500?

---

Just doing my part to uphold the OB reputation...

KW02 said:

---

What Weston model do you have?

What amounts are people vacuum sealing at a time. I would need one that could do up to 100-150 lbs of sausage in a day.

---

https://www.amazon.com/Weston-Pro-2300-Commercial-Stainless-65-0201/dp/B001GP81R2

I think I got it for around $300 on sale. It is definitely more than 2x better than the old foodsavor I had.