FoodSaver Professional Vacuum Sealer
- Manual operation
- Convenient roll holder and bag cutter
- Patented, removable, dishwasher-safe, extra large drip tray
- Extra-wide sealing strip creates secure, air-tight seal
- Accessory port and hose vacuum seals canisters and marinates food in minutes
This new Foodsaver vacuum sealer has been designed with the sportsman in mind. This unit has a rugged design to handle the toughest jobs. It has improved vacuuming performance, an intelligent sealing system to handle multiple, consecutive jobs and oversized buttons. This unit is equipped with an extra deep drip tray that is removable and easy to clean in the dishwasher. Includes built-in roll holder and cutter to simplify making custom-size bags. Bag material, accessory hose and instruction manual included.
List Price: $ 189.99
Price: $ 101.18
Vacuum Accessories Holder
“Outdoor” or Indoor, FoodSavers Work Great & Save Money,
After owning four vacuum sealers in ten years, two made by Rival and two by FoodSaver, I found the Rival products cheaper in cost and quality. FoodSaver products cost more, but have been the better buy in our case because both of the Rival models stopped working within a year of purchase. Additionally, the FoodSaver models proved to be more powerful, working faster to suction the air out.
FoodSaver offers a number of different vacuum sealers. All work basically the same. Place food in bag. Place bag in sealer opening. Close sealer. Hit power button. The appliance sucks the air from the bag and then heat seals the bag closed.
Choosing which model FoodSaver to purchase is mainly a question of functionality. The main difference is whether or not there is built in storage for bag rolls (like this one). We prefer the boxed, pre-made bags and don’t use the “build your own bag” feature. Therefore, the built in storage is wasted on us and the difference in size takes up unnecessary counter space.
The FoodSaver models named “Outdoor” or “Game Saver” might lead you to believe they could function in the wild. That proves not to be the case as the only power option is A/C. The only way I see this functioning outdoors would be inside an RV with A/C outlets.
The difference in the outdoor models, compared to the “Advanced Design” models, is aesthetic. The “Outdoor” model is less flashy, more bulky and has really big, well marked buttons; the “Advanced Design” series are models slightly smaller in size, with smaller buttons, and are available in different finishes, including one with stainless steel trim.
Of the many optional accessories available, I’ve only tried the marinating canister. It functions very well and drastically reduces marinating time. Food items that once required marination overnight (skirt steak, etc) can be fully flavored and tenderized within a few hours using the marinating canister.
If I could ask FoodSaver to change one thing, it would be the heat seal strip. Over time, after liquid spilled a few times, the heat strips in both of our FoodSaver sealers developed bubbles and became unable to seal in one pass. In order for a seal to be effective, I have to push the “seal” button an additional time before removing the bag. The problem would be non-existent if the strip was made of a material which would not bubble, or perhaps if it was wider. Other than that, I am completely satisfied with FoodSaver vacuum sealing systems.
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|Great! Just as long as you keep it in the kitchen,
If you really want outdoor use get the GameSaver Pro Silver model, which comes with a DC Adapter and runs for around $180. A friend has one, and while it’s not quite as well built, but it’s something you could actually use in the field.
If you want a basic food sealer for about $80 get the FoodSaver V2244 Advanced Design Vacuum Sealer. This is what most people buy, and it does what most people really want to do: seal bags.
If you want something with a few bells and whistles (better controls, a marinate mode, etc…) get the good old FoodSaver V2840 Advanced Design Vacuum Food Sealer for about $160 or the newer (and perhaps buggier) FoodSaver T000-08004 V3460 SmartSeal Vacuum-Sealing Appliance for about $150.
Personally all I really do is freeze steaks and chicken after a trip to Costco, so the V2840 (which is what I used to have) does everything I need and more. Now I can see that the cheaper 22xx models would have been a better value for me. However if the increased cost isn’t an issue for you, then you’ll find this “Outdoor” model makes a pretty good “kitchen” model, just as long as you keep it safely indoors, where it belongs.
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|Good for inkitchen, not so sure about outdoors,
This particular model of the foodsaver comes with the following items included:
1 Roll 11″ x 20′ bagging material
2 each 1-gallon bags
3 each 1-quart bags
It also incorporates the accessory tube, so that it can be used with the Foodsaver Accessories.
I was a bit surprised when I received it, because it did not include the one thing that would have made it an excellent outdoors tool – the DC adapter cord which would permit it to be used by sportsmen in the field. This cord IS available with the GameSaver Pro Silver – which may be best for those actually wanting to use this to clean and package game in the field.
Having used Foodsaver models in the past, there are several features that I particularly enjoyed on this model as I tested it INSIDE my kitchen. 🙂
First – the Foodsaver makes it easy to create bags, using their cutting strip and their easy-to-operate system. The lever on the right has three settings, closed (where it can operate), store (so the gasket won’t be constantly crushed and will last longer), and open. Not hard.
There are two buttons on the top. Seal and vacuum and seal. You use the Seal button to create one side of the bag, the cutting strip to cut it off afterwards at the right length, and the vacuum and seal button to remove the air and seal the bag. The lights go on to show you what it is doing, so you don’t have to guess.
The second thing I liked about this particular vacuum sealer is that while it sealed the items I put inside of it, when I used it on dehydrated vegetables, it did not crush them. A different model, FoodSaver – GameSaver says that it has a sensitivity control. This seems to be true, as far as I can tell on this model as well.
I really do like the “seal only” feature, since it lets me repackage even the most sensitive items – like marshmallows, without worrying that they will end up in one chunky blob. Obviously, with air, they won’t last as long …
The foodsaver bags and material are multi-ply, and allow you to freeze, microwave, simmer, and just use them for storage. For liquid items, or items like fresh fruits and vegetables, it is best to blanch and freeze them first, then do the vacuum sealing, before you store them long-term in your freezer.
I have done this with corn on the cob with excellent results, and will be handling my broccoli the same way. A friend does this with grated Zucchini as well, but I’m not sure I will – by the time mine is done producing, I never want to see it again, and would hate to spend my whole winter trying to find new ways to use it.
The same goes for bread – by freezing it first, you can vacuum seal it and keep it fresh MUCH longer.
By freezing ice cubes in sealed bags, it makes it easy to take them with you, either in your ice chest or without. Once they are melted, they are an excellent source of water. It also permits you to make drip-free icebags for boo-boos for the little ones.
For items with some moisture (eg fresh meat), the extra-large drip tray catches the drips, and is easily removed and cleaned. For the best seal, you need to prefreeze the meat as well, but if you place a paper towel at the top of the meat, you can seal it.
I have priced around, and short of going through a major membership store, Amazon seems to have excellent prices on the additional bags and bagging materials. However, I also noticed that there were MANY complaints about the foodsaver accessories, so I would be cautious and read up before I purchased those.
A quick hint – you can package individual smaller items in smaller bags – eg. your pills for a trip. Seal one end of the roll, decide how long you want it, cut and remove. Then, turning your “bag” sideways, seal as many columns as you will need. Place your pills or smaller items down into the bottom of each row. Seal them across the top. Fill the next row, and once again seal across the top. If you are dividing into thirds, each row will have three little packs. Since there is only one seal, you will need to be cautious in cutting off the sections you are using, but it can be handy.
This is also the way you would handle smaller amounts of matches and other items you carry.
This is a new model, so I will definitely report any future problems, but it is working well and doing a fantastic job on my kitchen items. I put the 4 stars (instead of 5) because I feel that if Foodsaver is going to advertise an items as “outdoor,” they should include at least the option of purchasing an adapter for the model.
***Special Edit*** My Son-in-law will deploy back to the Persian Gulf this fall. One of the issues he had with the food items I sent to him (eg…
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