Anyone usa a Vacum Sealer?

[Ak_guy]

If so, what kind?? How do you use it to store food? Can it be used to seal 5gal containers with a 1-way valve or something? :)

Basically I am looking to get a Tilia FoodSaver and interested in what everyone else is using and how you like it/ what you'd get different. Pics are a bonus... :)

[HottAK47]

We got one of the Tilia units this year and our initial evaluation of it is "Its great!". The only problem we had with it was when putting Brussels sprouts up the thing would suck up the juice and not get all the air out. We solved this by freezing them first and it worked fine. So far we have sealed the sprouts , a number of other garden veggies and a bunch of fresh bucthered pork.

We just got the add on that allows you to put a vacum on on canning jars. I think this is going to be REAL handy. We plan to keep it on the counter top and reseal stuff as we use it. The first project we plan is home made pasta in quantity.

Another source of vacum is sitting in your driveway. You can take a vacum hose from the engine of your car or truck and use it to pull a vacum on a sealed bucket or other container . One way that wotks is to insert a fitting hooked to the line in a suction cup of the type thats used to afix cutesy sighns to car windows ans stick it over a piece of packageing tape with a hole in it over a hole in the container to be sealed. Once you think the container is sealed you just slip the tape to the side and its sealed.

I'm not sure just how pictures would help but would be glad to send pics of myself in full camo with a slung L1A1 vacum sealing something if it would be benificial:D

[HottAK47]

I'm not sure just what " bucthered" means other than that I cant spell worth a damn. I was refering to freshly dead dismembered Swine

[Bidah]

I thought I answered something like this recently... oh well.

I have used the Tilia for many years, as well as my folks. I have used it to seal cans, and those extra containers come in handy, but mostly I use it to seal up meat and vegetables. If we happen to get a whole in a bag, or it doesn't seal right, we just eat it first. We have a couple of test meat packages that have gone 2 years and they are still good. Much better than freezer paper..

I have found, if I get something with a bit of liquid, is to put it in a ziplock bag, don't seal up the ziplock, and then put the open end of the ziplock in the bottom of the bag to be sealed. Flash freezing would work too.

-Bidah

[MdlMkr 7.62]

+1 on the Tilia. If you buy one get the good one and stay away from off brand bags.

[bsdmon]

Ok. welll that'll seal it for you but keeping bacteria out is hard part. Most of that stuff wouldn't last long without a canner id assume. Especially no meats. right?

[Bidah]

You would still need to refrigerate stuff that you have vacuum canned (meats). About the only stuff that you would not will be the normal dry stuff.

[MdlMkr 7.62]

Well there's always the old standby of pressure canning...