GoatLady Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 So my new FoodSaver died . I guess the basic model just wasn't able to stand up to the amount of work I gave it . Anyway, I'm trying to decide if I should beg and plead and hope dh will buy me another one....OR.... if I should try THIS instead! I like that it's non-electric (because I hate being dependent on electricity) but I don't know how much I trust the little tabs that are supposed to keep it sealed. Does anyone have one of these (Pump-n-Seal)? How do you like it? Quote Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I think the tabs are over priced. Do you have a bunch of the seal a meal bags? You can put the food in them, seal with a hot clothes iron (put a paper towel under the bag and another between the bag and the iron surface), then use the hand held pump. Sorry, I've never used the pump, but I have sealed stuff with the iron. Not sure how the bag adapter works. I've used a plastic straw in the corner left open, adapted a house vacuum to suck the air out and then used the hot iron to melt the plastic straw shut and seal the bag the rest of the way. Works, but a bit awkward. Quote Link to comment
GoatLady Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 What I'd been doing with my FS was using the largest canister as a JarVac. I'd put a jar in the canister, vac seal the canister and then open it up and the jar would seal. I was thinking I could to the same thing with the PnS by using the bowl cover over a canister. If that works then I wouldn't have to worry about the tabs. I don't do a whole lot of sealing in bags anyway, mostly in jars. I was thinking about getting the PnS ANYWAY as a non-electric back up, but I think I just found a cheaper way to try it out!! Check THIS out! I just have to figure out where to find the Ziplock pump, I don't think I've ever seen it anywhere, but if I can find it, $5 is worth the investment to see if it works!! Quote Link to comment
Virginia Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I have one of these, bought second hand. It works most of the time. I mostly put rice in quart jars, did not believe it was sealing, and checked sometime later. All I have checked, 3 or 4, have been sealed. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I mentioned in the shout box that you may have clogged your tubing etc., with the powders. When I vacuum seal powders in a jar etc., I put a coffee filter upside down over the top of the jar contents. You may try using a vacuum cleaner to try and suck out and clear what may have clogged your tubing etc. I also have the Ziplock bags with the accompanying manual pump as well as two battery operated pumps and love them. I am able to use the battery operated pump on the cannister too. Another of my favorites is the VacuCraft system that I purchased for $20 a set at Menards. It includes 4 sizes of cannisters and a hand pump. All of my manual pumps work on them. I bought 3 sets...I love vacuum sealing them with left overs and putting them in my frig for second round cooking. Also...you can take a small "awl" (MrWE2 sharpend one for me) and punch a tiny hole (size of a pin hole) in the top of a canning lid. Put the lid and a ring on a canning jar, and then place a small piece of black electrical tape over the hole. Place your manual pump over the electrical tape and it will vacuum out the contents of the jar :-) I keep rings on them to help the lids stay down. I've used this method as well as the VacuCraft to keep my lettuce etc. for a very long time! If you're using a pickle or relish or ??? jar that has a gasket type seal in the top, this will work to re-seal them also. Lots of ways to save your food girlfriend! Hope you can find the problem with your FS...even get a refund or replacement? My foodsave is a work horse and has been for 3 years. We bought it at Bass Pro, it's the Foodsaver, Gamesaver, Deluxe. Perhaps more than some want to spend ($150+/-) but worth every dime! Sorry to sound like a know-it-all, but I've been vacuum sealing for quite some time...even my dehydrated foods I vacuum seal in jars. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I was just typing a similar post when WE2 posted hers. Powders will kill a Food Saver. Quote Link to comment
GoatLady Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Shoutbox is being weird for me right now (ALL my electronic things are ganging up on me today!). I'm pretty sure it wasn't the powder itself that wrecked it (I had covered it with some paper towel) I'm sure some could have gotten around it but I totally forgot that you're supposed to let it rest 20 seconds between uses and while I only had 8 jars, some of them didn't seal the first time or 5 and I got impatient . Totally my fault, not the FS's. When I looked at it again after I was fully awake this morning I realized what I had done to it . Anyway I don't know if it will show up too well (white on white) but here's a few pictures to show how the casing warped! AAARRRGGG!!!! My connection isn't strong enough to load the pictures! I am 5 seconds away from saying "forget this, I'm going full Amish!" Hopefully my connection will be better in the morning and I'll add pictures then *sigh* Quote Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Amazon carries the ziplock pump. I absolutely would never vacuum seal any 'wet' foods, such as left overs, without putting them thru a pressure canner. You would just be begging for botulism otherwise. Save vacuum sealing for shelf stable foods such as dried fruits, dry beans, wheat berries, rice and such like. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I've had two of these hand held Food Savers. I couldn't get either one to work. I tried using them with the bags and I tried using them with the jar attachment. Didn't work for me. I put them on my hand and pressed the button and there was hardly any suction at all. I wanted to use it for jars to save on my big machine. I love the big one though. http://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-sealers/the-foodsaver-freshsaver-handheld-vacuum-sealing-system---white/FSFRSH0070-000.html#start=10 Quote Link to comment
Virginia Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Forgot to mention, the pump n seal I have has to be pumped by hand and takes a lot pumping. Quote Link to comment
GoatLady Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Ok hopefully it will load the pictures now. The damage doesn't show up well on the pics, but in person it's quite impressive lol. After doing some more research (I really only want to have to buy this once LOL) I decided to spend a little more than the Ziplock pump and go with this. I like that I can see from the gauge how much pumping in necessary! Yes, I know I'll be doing a lot of pumping, but that's usually the trade off when getting off the electricity, more physically demanding. The way I look at it it's free exercise! I could spend money on buying exercise equipment (which I've done since I'm counting my physical condition AS prepping. If SHTF I'd rather be physically fit to meet it! I've been really working on it since December and I've dropped 16 pounds so far and getting much stronger!) or I could just keep replacing my appliance with the kind that run on elbow grease . Well, here are the pics... Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Hmmm...does look a bit....cooked. Just a thot if anyone else has to wait for machine to cool down......would an ice pack speed up the process? [Too late for GoatLady tho] Because my laptop internal fan quit, I now use the gel packs that you keep in freezer. I slide one underneath an area that does not have any vents ...don't want to plug vents. When it gets HOT, I get a colder pack. It's kept it from locking up....unless I forget to change them out. The gel packs are easier to mold to shape...rather than a block of ice. And probably less severely cold. MtRider Quote Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 A bicycle pump can be adapted to be a vacuum pump and is quite sturdy and cheap. Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 https://www.echocommunity.org/en/resources/49954b28-cefb-46f3-9c46-ffd1723c329b This is how to adapt a bicycle pump and use other items to evacuate the air from packages. 2 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 For anyone interested in the FoodSaver jar sealers: The regular mouth sealer is notorious for not working correctly, unless.............. you use 2 lids! The first one goes in the correct direction for sealing the jar, the second one is inverted. Then you run the machine as "normal." Many people have found that this "hack" works just fine. @GoatLady This info is for you - if you are still here that it is. 5 2 Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Used this method a time or two. Learned it from Amish on regular pressure canning. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 I've had to use that method a time or two too. I've also found it helps a little bit to hold the adapter down tightly while it's vacuuming. That might be my imagination but I still do it. 2 Quote Link to comment
Homesteader Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 On 2/10/2023 at 1:21 AM, Midnightmom said: For anyone interested in the FoodSaver jar sealers: The regular mouth sealer is notorious for not working correctly, unless.............. you use 2 lids! The first one goes in the correct direction for sealing the jar, the second one is inverted. Then you run the machine as "normal." Many people have found that this "hack" works just fine. I will try this. Thanks. Frustration is great when trying to seal regular mouth jars. 2 Quote Link to comment
Littlesister Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I do have the food saver jar sealers. i haven't used them in a while but will try using two lids next time and see if it works better. 1 Quote Link to comment
Homesteader Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 It works!!!! Every time the regular canning jar lid doesn't seal, I add the second lid, upside down. Even DH is scratching his head on this one. He mumbled something about vacuum height and the second lid filling that space. 4 Quote Link to comment
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