042810 Simply Survival Foodsaver Sucks, Part 1

My tax "return" offered up some fun toys this year - a new Excalibur dehydrator and a Foodsaver Vacuum sealer. I show the mechanical features of the sealer, compare bag sealing to jar sealing, a Walmart buying frenzy, Universal lid sealer preview, features of Foodsaver roll-out bags, use of recycled Mylar snack bags alone and inside the Foodsaver vac. bags, and why canning jars are KING. Those flipping lids! Cool tunes by Dr. Arthur.

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Howto & Style

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• Foodsaver

[Madwand1]

Your granola bag didn't seal properly because you skimped on bag length. If you had mad the bag long enough, you would have been able to properly flatten it while sealing. The leak is in the seam where the bag didn't lay flat when you sealed.

[KasinH]

@Madwand1 Hi, Madwand1. You are new to my channel. Welcome, and thanks for the view. Skimping on the bag length wasn't the reason for the bag's failure. It was a puncture in in the side.  That's how I learned to cushion any possible hard foods from the bag surface. DH green beans are especially notorious for puncturing Foodsaver bags, little rascals.

[Madwand1]

Yes, you said that on the video. I really have trouble believing that a piece of granola punctured a sheet of heavy duty freezer grade plastic. More likely the very short length of bag I saw you use was the culprit, since that leads to a wrinkly sealing area. I am pretty sure you could seal a bag of barbed wire without puncturing it. You may think your decision to wrap foods eliminated the problem, but that is just bad logic.

[KasinH]

@Madwand1 I guess you'd have to be here to see it in person before you'd believe what I say. Barbed wire? Metal against plastic? No, don't think so.

[VivianRinSC]

Kasin, I went to wal-mart today to price the canning jars. Did you know the same company makes all 3 brands (Ball, Kerr and Golden Harvest)? I've been using Golden Harvest for years without any problems and they're usually cheaper.

[KasinH]

@VivianRinSC Nope, I did not. I saw Golden Harvest there on the shelf, but hadn't heard of it before, so went with Kerr, a name I knew. Thanks for the tip!

[kyshayne]

what was the name of the song in your intro? nice video

[Madwand1]

@jimbog1776 That's terrible luck for you. I've never had anything puncture my bags, and I even reuse them on occasion. I find they are great for saving all kinds of things. Wonderful product, if you allow enough length to seal properly.

[jimbog1776]

@Madwand1 ,dog food ,banana chips,and even long grain rice, all punctured food-saver bags.There pretty much useless for any thing except ground beef,or cotton balls.

[VivianRinSC]

@33julianc ...for under $50 in fairly good condition, I'd be very tempted to buy it. I'm not paying the new price. I did pay $25 for a brake vacuum/sealer which is manual. I love it! Gives my hands and forearms a real work out while being quiet. Hate the noise of the FS. :)

[VivianRinSC]

@33julianc I did buy a used off-brand vacuum sealer. Sadly, it doesn't have the ability to use hoses for sealing jars. It also didn't have the suction of a FoodSaver. Still, it's good for baggies that I freezer or use to marinade. As with buying anything used, you need to be sure it works before buying. It's not hard to test. Often many high priced items like this are bought, never or hardly used before being sold at yard sales or donated to thrift stores. That's our society. If I can find one..

[Madwand1]

She said she thought the bag punctured. But I find the bags extremely durable and really doubt a piece of granola was sharp enough to puncture a plastic bag. The only time I have ever had a problem with my awesome foodsaver was when I didn't leave enough bag to get a good seal on it. You need several inches extra in order to get it to lay flat and be able to hold it in the slot. Never had a problem otherwise.

[33julianc]

@VivianRinSC Ya she has some good info but suggesting you buy a "USED FOODSAVER" is bad advise. Buy a new unit better yet don't buy a Foodsaver the worst product ever. And she says the bags don't work that is a bunch of inexperience talking.

[33julianc]

@Digitalmanne No BPA in the vacuum sealing bags. No worries and no they don't taste like plasic. But if you are worried use a paper bag first. Better vacuum and longer shelf life. Check out Frontier Media Videos PMG Thom Dolder they have professional advise as it is what they do.

[33julianc]

@Madwand1 She did not skimp on bags the vacuum bags from Foodsaver are pretty thin and it punctured. She should have used a paper bag to hold the product then vacuum packed it. The mylar is a BAD idea as it will not allow the air to be removed and the product will go stale. There is a video on YouTube from Frontier Media with Thom Dolder at PMG with proper information for vacuum packing that saves time and money. And "Foodsaver" is horrible product been there done that a POS junk unit. Sorry