My Stupid Food Saver

Can't help you cause i have a different model, but when i was buying my 3rd food saver (they don't last forever) the reviews on the model you got really sucked so we passed.  Glad I did.

Yours sound way more automatic than mine, I gotta lift the lid place the open end over the trough (theres a gasket seal around the trough) and then press it closed and it comes on and goes thru a cycle where it sucks the air out, then when the air is gone the strip heats up and seals the bag then the lite goes off and everything stops. Done, start another.

What I have found is that any wrinkle at all (in the front of the bag that lays on the gasket around the trough) allows enough air leakage so that is never sucks the bag flat and therefore never finishes,  

If the motor's running and the bag isn't being sucked flat, then you have an air leak somewhere.  The thing won't finish a cycle and seal the bag unless the vacuum is at a certain level, (that's the way it knows all the air is gone.)

This has been my experience as well.  My problem is that I often cut the bag too short and that contributes to the wrinkles or leaking.  I need a minimum of 2 inches of extra length to get a good trouble free seal.  It's a waste of expensive bag plastic.  I bet FoodSaver people planned it that way to sell more bags.  Bastards!

I lay my fish out on a alum. baking sheet freeze for a couple than vac pac

Doesn't freezing it mean having freezer burn or somehow 'damage' the fish or abalone (e.g. ice crystals forming)?  Or is a couple of hours enough to get rid of the moisture but keeps the meat yummy, without breaking down the protein or something...  just wondering.

Freezer burn takes a while to happen. It's a process that combines dehydrating the food and the food getting oxidized. If you freeze the food then allow air to come in contact for a period of time, the moisture in the food "sublimates" and dries out the food. If you freeze it then remove the air around it, your fish will be fine. 

"You should all listen to what I say. My I.Q. is 199 for crying out flayven!" -Professor Frink

If you're not freezing a large quantity, vacuum pack the meat in jars.

Yours sound way more automatic than mine, I gotta lift the lid place the open end over the trough (theres a gasket seal around the trough) and then press it closed and it comes on and goes thru a cycle where it sucks the air out, then when the air is gone the strip heats up and seals the bag then the lite goes off and everything stops. Done, start another.

What I have found is that any wrinkle at all (in the front of the bag that lays on the gasket around the trough) allows enough air leakage so that is never sucks the bag flat and therefore never finishes,  

If the motor's running and the bag isn't being sucked flat, then you have an air leak somewhere.  The thing won't finish a cycle and seal the bag unless the vacuum is at a certain level, (that's the way it knows all the air is gone.)

This has been my experience as well.  My problem is that I often cut the bag too short and that contributes to the wrinkles or leaking.  I need a minimum of 2 inches of extra length to get a good trouble free seal.  It's a waste of expensive bag plastic.  I bet FoodSaver people planned it that way to sell more bags.  Bastards!

My thoughts exactly, us tightwads gotta stick together!!!

+? Yeah I find par-freezing helps. Just an hr or two

Thanks for the tips. I think I'm just going to send it back. My friend had a Food Saver and it was great. This one isn't. A $200 machine shouldn't be finicky; it should just work.

Can anyone recommend another Food Saver model, or another vacuum sealer?
Thanks...

Mine is a Foodsaver, Gamesaver Turbo. So far, so good. Occaisonally a bag will leak after having been in the freezer for a while, but not too often. I leave fillets on a cookie sheet in the fridge, turning them over once, and they dry out enough to pack. I also do double seals. I'll seal two strips as insurance.
I found that though the machine is supposed to be able to deal with fluids and still seal, it really won't.
Good luck.

Hmm...What I can say for sure is that I've managed a long time without one so I don't see why I suddenly need one now.
I just ate a halibut fillet that I vacuum sealed a month ago by sucking the air out of a bag with a straw. It tasted great. If I suddenly find myself with 20 tuna to freeze, I'll pick one up again.

I just ate a halibut fillet that I vacuum sealed a month ago by sucking the air out of a bag with a straw.

You must be a great "sucker" (j/k)    How about using our vacuum machine with a modified smaller hose?

I have the V2460 that i got a Kohls with 30% off using the kohls card and it has been great.  Zero issues.

  Do the online research to figure the best model, ( Amazon usually has useful review section on most models). Then keep lowballin over at E-bay until you pick one up for $35.00 or something. I'm lucky as I am able to check the thrift stores every day and so have  3 or 4 foodsavers for about $10.00 each.

   I have a v2460 that works well.  There over 20 available at E-bay starting bid of .99 on many of them.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Foodsaver-V2460-Very-slightly-used-NR-/260667333583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb0fbdbcf


  Added 9/26:  With foodsaver it's been my experience that you need more than two cause the things are always going wiggy. I've thrown out several(bought used tho. Looked like new.). There really needs to be a competing company there, besides the Cabelas $450 dollar unit and others of that sort.


  

I think I need to upgrade. I have the 1040 and its starting to act up. Time to out bid in the last 20 sec's!