I've always been curious about Foodsavers since the commercials make them look so easy. You pop some food in a bag, stick the bag in the Foodsaver and vacuum out the air.
Ba-da-bing!
Ba-da-boom!
You have an edible brick!
Easy enough. But I'd heard things, questionable things, and was hesitant to spend the money on a device that may or may not work as well as the infomercials indicated. A couple weeks ago, Paul at Our Happy Homestead agreed to let me try a Foodsaver and give my readers a review of the product. He said to be brutally honest; okay, maybe not 'brutally', but honest. The goal was to figure out if this product worked as advertised and to discover whether there is a place in the prepper's home for a gadget like the Foodsaver.
First I'd like to give a nod to Our Happy Homestead for getting my order out so quickly. I hate ordering a product and waiting weeks to receive it. I don't know if it's the GenX in me or what, but once I place that order, I want to run to the front porch and watch for the UPS truck. It's not that I'm an impatient person; I just hate waiting : )
When I opened up the Foodsaver, I was pleasantly surprised by both it's design and all the goodies that came with it. The Gamesaver Sport Plus is very lightweight at only a couple pounds, and low profile as well, so it will be easy to store in a narrow spot in any cabinet. The package included 10 pre-formed bags, 2 huge rolls of bag-making wrap plus gadgets and gizmos for vacuum-sealing jars and other various containers. So far, so good.
My first efforts at vacuum-sealing were clumsy at best, but I quickly figured out a few tricks to make the process easier. I started out with dried corn which may not have been the best item to start with. I filled the bag according to the directions, popped it in the Gamesaver and proceeded to vacuum. And waited. And waited. And waited. No vacuum. The problem was that the weight and bulk of the corn pulled at the opening of the bag, sort of mis-aligning the top. I solved this problem by placing a 'prop' under the corn, raising the height of the bag and making it so much easier to handle. And it sealed, quickly and beautifully. Had I started with something lighter and more solid, like a cut of meat, I don't think this would have been an issue.
A word of advice for you: my dear friend Amy at Homestead Revival said that items with sharp edges like dried corn can sometimes puncture the bag, ruining the seal. 4 days out, the vacuumed bags of corn are still sealed, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on them. Oh, and while you're visiting Homestead Revival, make sure that you check out Amy's latest giveaway. One can never have too many Gamma Seal lids, right?
After the corn, I worked with some whole wheat. Again, a heavy and bulky grain, but the 'prop' (i.e. telephone book) under the bag of wheat made the entire procedure pretty much effortless. What was surprising was how quickly the process went. Start to finish, you're looking at under 30 seconds to vacuum and heat-seal a package, even less if you have a second pair of hands available. I'd guesstimate that you could vacuum-seal 50 lbs of wheat in under 30 minutes.
Practical applications, in addition to storing bulk grains, could include:
- Buying large packages of meat and freezing them in dinner-sized portions.
- Preserving seasonal produce such as strawberries, raspberries that are particularly susceptible to freezer burn. Make sure you freeze the berries on a cookie sheet first so they don't get smooshed!
- Packaging items that HAVE to stay dry (matches/kindling for instance) for camping trips or bug-out bags.
- Storage for important documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses, deeds. I'm not sure if vacuum-sealing would be appropriate for heirloom documents, not knowing the make-up up the bags and possible acid-content.
- One particularly clever fellow I know created his own MREs by vacuum-sealing packaged foods like canned pastas, protein bars, etc into individual meals. Very clever : )
-Preserve your saved seeds til the following growing season! We all know that moisture and air cause vegetable seeds to deteriorate, so vacuum-sealing should extend the shelf-life of your seeds. You could even go a step farther and create your own survival seeds for long-term storage.
My mind is reeling at this point with ideas for putting the Gamesaver to good use. I think it could a very useful item in terms of extending the shelf-life of bulk foods and could also be very practical around the house for cutting down on food waste. After all, what's the point in saving 50 cents a pound on meat by buying the family package, if half that meat goes to waste or gets freezer burnt????
Now, make sure you click on the links and read more about the Gamesaver Sport Plus. Our Happy Homestead has some great information about the product line and also offers free shipping on items over $100! Can't beat that!
3 comments:
I love my food saver - especially the jar sealer attachment and the meat marinade accessories! Thanks for mentioning the give-away at Homestead Revival!
I've had Foodsavers for about 25 years. The original one finally died about 3 years ago. I think I got my money's worth!
Fresh proteins - fish, beef, pork, chicken - are HUGE money savers. I have not purchased ground meat in years. I typically buy a 15-20 lb pork butt or shoulder, grind it myself, and break it down into 2 lb packs.
Wheat, rice, beans, spices, cous cous, coffee, tea bags and sugar all work perfectly.
I've had problems with most pastas, dried corn and many things with edges. Ground flour is a bit problematic, but corn meal has worked very well.
For our Bug Out Bags and Get Home Bags, we all have rolls of toilet paper that are vacuum sealed. Takes up much less space and will never get wet. Our important documents and emergency cash are also vacuum sealed.
Have fun!
I use my food saver every week I bag up dry foods and put them into a 5 gal bucket and then seal the lid. It works great on rice, oats,salt, sugar and cornmeal. Now the next item I am going to get is a second food saver to have as a back up. Great post!!!
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