Vacuum sealers for food - money-saving or not?

Kevie192

No it doesn't, one heat only

sb44

Kevie192 wrote: »

Sb44, do you find that your bags sometimes melt right through when sealing? This is the problem I've been having lately!

Sometimes yes, do you wait 30 secs before sealing again after the last one?

That is what my instructions say.

I can't remember which ones of mine sometimes melt.

I am using 4 lots now!

I bought the thick ones from Lidl, the Tesco ones, some cheap ones from the cash and carry type place and some more today from Home Bargains, they were 69p for 25.

I can't control the heat setting on mine either, it just has the one heat, hence waiting between sealing.

Sunnyday

Well i`m :mad: now.

I cleaned out my some of my kitchen cupboards earlier and the smallest cannister that i have dried onions in has lost the seal. I thought that they didn`t look quite right so decided to test it and then reseal it afterwards.

Good job that i did. I`m not sure whether the onions are ok or not but i`ve thrown them in a freezer bag and shoved them into the freezer.

Soooo peeps if you have anything in cannisters have a quick check.

*wonders if its just something to do with onions or not*

On a plus note the other jars are perfectly fine

I had planned to pull more onions and slice them ready to dehydrate overnight tonight but i`ve run out of time now. Just time for a quick run round with the hoover and then i`m off.

Happy sealing peeps

SD

sb44

Sunnyday wrote: »

Well i`m :mad: now.

I cleaned out my some of my kitchen cupboards earlier and the smallest cannister that i have dried onions in has lost the seal. I thought that they didn`t look quite right so decided to test it and then reseal it afterwards.

Good job that i did. I`m not sure whether the onions are ok or not but i`ve thrown them in a freezer bag and shoved them into the freezer.

Soooo peeps if you have anything in cannisters have a quick check.

*wonders if its just something to do with onions or not*

On a plus note the other jars are perfectly fine

I had planned to pull more onions and slice them ready to dehydrate overnight tonight but i`ve run out of time now. Just time for a quick run round with the hoover and then i`m off.

Happy sealing peeps

SD

What shape is your jar Sunnyday?

I saw on YouTube that someone does not rec those with a neck that comes down slightly and then widens out, if you know what I mean.

They say to use jars that are kind of fat all the way up to the lid ie with not much of a lip under the lid part.

taxsaver

I've just returned from Tesco (I know - I'm mad but late night is soooo much less stressful and often there are some good reductions too.)

Anyway, they have some fabulous large shoulder joints of pork in atm. £2.74 per kilo!! :j:j

They are big ones at a cost of around £10 each, but with our vacuum sealers we can buy them and cut them into smaller joints, vac seal and freeze. At that price it's worth stashing some away! I'm also going to use part of one to try to cure my own ham. :eek:

[Deleted User]

I have been fridge sorting and pulled out a large AJ vac jar. It had beetroot stalks in it and they have been in there at least 2 weeks so it was with trepidation that I turned the seal. It gave a loud hiss and I relaxed. The stalks inside were as good as freshly picked and so I made soup in my pressure cooker, also using month old vacuumed elephant garlic stored in another jar. Absolutely delighted with all results

Sunnyday

sb44 wrote: »

What shape is your jar Sunnyday?

I saw on YouTube that someone does not rec those with a neck that comes down slightly and then widens out, if you know what I mean.

They say to use jars that are kind of fat all the way up to the lid ie with not much of a lip under the lid part.

SB it wasn`t a jar that lost the seal this time it was one of the cannisters that work with the vacuum sealer. This worries me a bit as i thought that they would be perfect as they are sold to work specifically with the sealer.

The cannisters that i have are these ones http://www.fresherpack.co.uk/products/4/9/vacuum_sealer_food_canisters/

I am wondering if its anything to do with the onions themselves so i would be interested to hear if anyone else has had any problems. I`ve had a quick google but not found what i`m really looking for. If i get chance later i shall have a more thorough search.

I`m off to pull some veg before i go to w*rk as i plan on running the dehydrator overnight tonight when the cheaper electricity kicks in

Have a good day peeps.

SD

[Deleted User]

I have the same canistrs from AJ and they are wonderful. I have lemons in them for 2 weeks now amd elephant garlic as above. I did some shallots a few weeks ago and decided to use them sooner rather than later, it was the shallots as they were less than perfect when I vac packed

My dehydrator is on right now: green beans, potato and I am testing marrow

blissfulbabe

Having discovered a meat wholesaler that sells to the public I have decided that a vacuum sealer is probably a good idea. At the moment I can't make my mind up between the Andrew James sealer (approx £48, including delivery) or the Elite II (£80, including delivery). I like the AJ because of the cost, on the other hand I could use cannisters with the Elite.

If you own either one would you post your experience of using it?

Sunnyday

kittie wrote: »

I have the same canistrs from AJ and they are wonderful. I have lemons in them for 2 weeks now amd elephant garlic as above. I did some shallots a few weeks ago and decided to use them sooner rather than later, it was the shallots as they were less than perfect when I vac packed

My dehydrator is on right now: green beans, potato and I am testing marrow

Kittie its reassuring to know that the cannisters are good.

This is the first time that i`ve used one to store anything as before i`ve just used them to seal the jars. I think that in future i shall just bag the onions and freeze them.

The onions are really really strong and flavoursome - i`ve spent quite a bit of time in the garden with my eyes streaming lol. The whole house is full of the smell, i`m sure the DH will be impressed when he gets home :rotfl:

Think that i shall close the kitchen door before i go out to try and contain the smell a bit - the dogs don`t seem too impressed either lol.

SD