Mini FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer at Wally Wo rld

“I was crusing Wal-Mart yesterday to buy a new crock pot and noticed a new way cheaper Vacuum Sealer. It's a FoodSaver Mini Vacuum Sealer that uses 6 to 8" wide bags and rolls of the sealer stuff. Looked perfect for backpacking meals.

I never really looked at them before because I just couldn't justify $100+ for a thing to suck air and seal bags. ;-)

I may just have to get one and try it.

Any of y'all got and use one?
How do you like it?”

“Hmmm... we're gonna be dehydrating a lot for this summer, thanks for the tip.”

“I don't have a mini, but I have the regular sized one.
I like it.”

“http://www.foodsaver.com/products.ad2?productID=1516&catalogID=1007

Found a picture link. It's this one except without the hose and video 'kit'. Wal-Mart doesn't have the $40 one I'm talking about on their website yet.”

“I got one of the big Sears brand sealers and a couple rolls of the bag stuff but have yet to use it. Do you think that the bag material would stand up to boiling water? I’ve been wanting to get back into dehydrating and wondered if I dehydrated a meal and then sealed it if I could just cut the top off and pour boiling water in?”

“The website says the bags can be boiled or microwaved.”

“WooHoo! We are SO there!”

“wow, I am gonna look at this today after I am back from the doc.

i could hmm..i could...do so much... like ...hmm..I don't know..but I could use it for something...

I need some coffee...”

“I'm thinking of using it to freeze green beans this year also.”

“I've got a dehydrater, this could make a good combo.
Make your own 'Inertia' 'pour boiling water in bag' meals!
last edited: 3/04/05 9:11:02 AM”

“I like the hose, cause I use the cannisters to store dehydrated stuff at home. I always wonder if they seal though, and keep checking - which means I have to reseal them, then I wonder again, LOL...”

“I saw them in Wally World this week. Almost bought one but couldn't pull the trigger.”

“I think I am going to go look at these. It would be great to buy a box of oyster crackers and make smaller portions to use instead of taking what I need then having to throw out stale oyster crackers because I could not eat them all in a short time. I really think this would a great thing to have just for things like that. Crackers, chips, cookies, etc. Stuff goes stale quicker than I can eat it all.”

“Oh, and cereal too. Maybe even small portions of dog food for when the dog accompanies me on the trail.”

“Yea, wolfie, I was thinking of crackers, too.
I love cheese & crackers for trail lunches, but my crackers always go stale.
Heck, I could make up little cracker cheese combos and seal a lunch size up.

I think I just talked myself into buying one. :-)
Thanks Wolfie!
last edited: 3/04/05 9:25:17 AM”

“Yeah, I talked myself into it too. And, hey, Stovie? A man that cooks? Crockpot? I'm in love....”

“LOL
If you only knew.... ;-)

I cook about once a month. It's usually not worth the trouble to cook for one person.
Crockpot cooking is so easy I don't consider it real cooking, but it sure is tasty.

Here's my fav crock pot meal.
Trim a roast, put in crockpot.
Take a package of onion soup mix, add to two cups hot water, pour in crockpot.
Turn pot on.
Cut up potatos and carrots till they fill up the crockpot.
Place lid on.
Go out and have a great day, return.
Have a great meal!”

“Banquette makes some frozen crockpot meals that come with everything you need. Just dump the package in 2 cups water, turn on pot and walk away. Then add the rice, noodles or whatever 1/2 before it's done. they are really good for packaged food.”

“"Found a picture link. It's this one except without the hose and video 'kit'. Wal-Mart doesn't have the $40 one I'm talking about on their website yet.
StoveStomper
8:52:33 AM
3/04/05"

OK StoveStomper... what the h*ll is this??? It looks kinky

Capt.Jim


last edited: 3/04/05 10:18:08 AM”

“Isn't that Austin Powers' Swedish #&%!$ Enlarger Pump?”

“CJ - that doesn't come with the Wal-Mart version. :-)
It's some kind of cookie gun.”

“If you're really interested in a sealer I would spend the extra cabbage and get a good one... especially one that does jars and such. They are incredibly handy. That one just seems way too small.”

“Errrrr... seems way too small to do anything besides backpacking stuff.”

“... seems way too small to do anything besides backpacking stuff.”
DeoreDX


That's why I'm looking at it.
I would only use it for small things, like backpacking meals.

If I wanted a big one, I would get a big one.
The whole reason for this thread is there is now a smaller cheaper model.”

“And thank you Stove Stompie! I bought it and am now going to use it...God willing I don't end up all wrapped up in it myself...remember when I burnt a hole in my counter top with the stove that Hog On Ice sent to me? Hope I don't end up vacuum sealed too.”

“On second thought, the fresher, the better!”

“You might check on the bags available for these sealers. The typical poly bag is permeable to oxygen, which decreases shelf life of dried foods. If you could get bags that are not permeable to O2, that would be even better for keeping dried foods.”

“I wonder if wolfie is OK?
She might have sealed herself into a corner. ;-)

Usage Report needed, wolfie!!!!”

“I sealed marshmallows....man,they look very different with no air in there...kinda erotic if ya ask me...the way they just kinda squish from one form to another...then when you open them up....WAHLAH! Little smooshy sweet things again...I love my new toy.”

“saw it at the PX for $47. so no taxes but prices that are way too hight. #&%!$ them... going to walmart!

that #&%!$ pump looks sort of scifi...”

“Dang wolfie! Are ya SURE you are talking about the vacuum sealer? ;-)”

“It is a vacuum sealer, Stove Stomper. Dontchya remember?”

“I just got back from Wally World with my new Mini FoodSaver and an extra box of quart bags. :-)”

“What are you going to suffocate, Stove Boy? As you know, I did marshmallows and crackers. I am dehydrating salsa at the moment...”

“I bought a decosonic food sealer years ago. I was not impressed with the thermetic seal. The bags leaked.

I am just a weekend warrior so ziplocks are my container of choice. I dehydrate foods as I need them.”

“You guys are FREAKS!!!

(said lizs, as she went back to spraying permethrin on clothes outside and then hauled them all into her living room to dry)

FREAKS!!! :-)”

“i wonder if it's worth it for my CA trip? Ya think my food will fit easier in my bearicade if I repack? (not great into dehydrating yet, so I would only be repacking stuff)

worth it?”

“Gemini, I've used it on my clothes, extra socks and so on. It'll pack them down to nothing.”

“great idea...but how you get all your stuff back in your pack after you took it out of the plastic bag?”

“Okay, I bought one of the mini jobs. Now I have another new gadget to figure out how to use. Another slice of my life down the tubes.”

“

Here's my first batch of rice meals I cooked and dehydrated, then sealed in quart bags with my new vacuum sealer.

5.8 and 5.9 ounces in the bags for an 'add two cups boiling water, set, and eat', meal.
Enough for one really hunger hiker, or two not so hungry, each meal.”

“Did you leave enough bag at the top to roll down so it doesn't leak all over the inside of your cozy?”

“Yep, the top part is folded over in the pix.

You can see the top part peeking out from under the bottom meal.
last edited: 3/09/05 9:53:43 PM”

“OK cool.”