The FoodSaver by Sunbeam - Vacuum Food Sealer Packaging Appliance

Be sure the FoodSaver that you purchase has a porthole and a hose for sealing canning jars if you want to use it for this purpose too. Jar sealers for regular and wide mouth jars must be purchased separately as they are not included with the appliance. The cost for each one is approximately $10. Kerr and Ball are two types of Mason jars that are recommended for using with the FoodSaver.

The FoodSaver Appliance: Food storage guidelines!

One of the great options offered with the FoodSaver is the ability to seal your own homemade cookies. Bake your favorite cookie recipe; pack them in a Mason jar; remove all the air from the jar and ship them anywhere (or use a FoodSaver bag). Cookies, crackers, and chips will have a storage life of 3 - 6 weeks in a jar on a pantry shelf. Sending a jar of cookies to a friend will give that person a sample of very fresh cookies that taste "straight from the oven". Once the FoodSaver removes all the air from the jar in the vacuuming process, the item keeps a lot longer and maintains much more freshness, just like items from the store that have been vacuum sealed. No more stale cookies!

Coffee beans, vacuum-packed in a jar, have a pantry shelf, storage life of one year or longer. Beans, grains, rice, and pasta can keep for two years or longer eliminating the "bug or weevil" possibility. Brown sugar can be stored for up to two years without becoming rock hard.

The FoodSaver Appliance: No more weevils or other insects due to long storage!

Storing pantry food items, purchased at reduced prices, can amount to great savings. Vacuum packaging with the FoodSaver allows for the shelf storage of a greater amount of foods. Stored foods can be used in case of emergencies such as: Blizzard snow-ins or other situations that might keep a family home-bound for a length of time.

The FoodSaver Appliance: Vacuum packing non-food items with the Foodsaver!

Use FoodSaver bags to vacuum seal silver, documents, camping supplies, matches, and maps. It protects items from oxidation, corrosion and moisture.

The FoodSaver Appliance: Freezer meats and vegetables!

Vacuum packing cannot be used as a replacement for the heat process of pressure canning. Perishables will still need to be refrigerated or frozen. Meats and other foods can be sealed in FoodSaver bags for a longer freezer life. Beef, pork, lamb and poultry can keep up to three years in the freezer. Ground meat can be frozen for a year and fish for two years in the freezer. Bagels, breads, and pastries can keep up to three years in the freezer because the air has been removed from the package. Do not vacuum seal meats and other foods intended for the freezer or refridgerator and store them on a pantry shelf. Meats that are vacuum sealed and placed on a pantry shelf will not be safe to eat. Freezer foods and refrigerator foods must be returned to the freezer or refrigerator for storage.

The FoodSaver Appliance and Foodsaver bags!

Try sealing and storing some Cheddar or Swiss cheese in the refrigerator for a storage life of up to 8 months. Many vegetables when vacuum sealed can have a freezer life of up to three years (broccoli, brussels sprouts, green beans,corn, snow peas, cauliflower). Strawberries packed with the FoodSaver can last in the refrigerator for a week.

The FoodSaver is very easy to use. It comes ready with a small vacuum hose that attaches to a porthole in the machine with the other end of the hose connecting to the jar top for the vacuuming of air. The machine automatically turns off when the jar is sealed. FoodSaver bags are sealed without the use of the porthole or hose.

Read the instruction manual thoroughly and be well-informed on the guidelines for the use of the FoodSaver Vacuum Food Sealer!

Sources:

www.foodsaver.com
BYU channel - Living Essentials Show
http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com (Wendy DeWitt)