[The Rabid Brewer]

I used to use one of those setups with the reusable bags but, go check the bags after a week or two and I always found half of them had lost the "ziplock" seal.

Unfortunately, I'm starting to see the same thing. At least it was cheap!

[beerocd]

Seems to me that you could get the snorkel device and incorporate a piece of  foam
like the type used by us brewers for stopping erlinmeyer flasks ...


that would solve the problem of getting all the air out.

Do these snorkel style units also have an accessory port that will allow use of Mason Jars?

The snorkels pull all the air out. The sealer is in front of the snorkel, so once it's pulled the vacuum then the heat bar melts the plastic to seal the package. Search ebay for vacupack. It's ugly but it seems to be a good machine.

[corkybstewart]

I use a Foodsaver also.  We buy 2 bushels of green chile every fall and vacuum-seal them.  After roasting the chiles produce a ton of water that makes it a PITA to seal, but I've found 8 year old bags of chiles in the freezer that were still good.  We wouldn't think of not having a vacuum sealer of some sort, it's just way too handy.  This fall we processed and froze 85 pounds of peaches, and I have about 30 pounds of bratwurst left from Oktoberfest. 

[euge]

I've busted some smoked Pork-loin out that I vac sealed on 10/9/09. Looks as good as it did a year ago and no burn. Hops I bought 2 years ago look the same as the day I got them. Really one can't go wrong with a vacuum sealer. Unless you buy the wrong one. Avoid Seal a Meal. Buy a Foodsaver

[tat2pompadore]

I have a standard food saver.  It does the trick.  I also use the food saver canisters to draw the air out of my crushed grains, sugars,and malts for storage. 

[1vertical]

Ok, after much soul searching, and research...damn the steep learning curve, I hate it!
I opted for the cheepo (on sale at target) bottom end foodsaver for sixty bux new...
I bought a jar sealer accessory set up from Cabellas (both wide and reg mouth jars)
I tried this unit using some old mylar hop bags..and with a cut piece of  the channeled
foodsaver patented stuff, you can indeed seal the mylar it works trust me.

Since I am getting past my doom and gloom end of the earth survivalist mode of existance,
I really do NOT need to vacuum pack a beef for subsistence/existance conditions,
this unit I hope will do the job...thanks all for your comments and guidance.

Besides storing my soon to arrive hops in jars, I will as well be able to vac pack some other stuff.

[corkybstewart]

I bought 2 bushels of green chiles and vacuum sealed the first one tonight.  My Food Saver kind of let me down, about half the bags didn't seal properly and were full of air after 30 minutes.  I broke out my backup, a Black and Decker and it came through for me.  It's slower and noisier, but it works like a champ.  IIRC it was a lot cheaper than the Foodsaver also.

[1vertical]

Well I got an update here, I got the hops from hops direct and they are packed in some
heavy duty mylar.  The foodsaver will NOT get quite warm enuff to seal this material back.
I was able to however cut a long sleeve and roll the mylar/hop bag into the thing and vac pack
seal it in that fashion....
I got the Jar lid attachments and sealed some quarts full of fresh hop cones seems to be a
good way to go, just shake out the needed amount and vacuum the jar shut again, then
back in the freezer....more on this later perhaps.    

Wish I had some green chilies to vac pack!

[tschmidlin]

Wish I had some green chilies to vac pack!

Seriously!  Hey corky, what does a bushel of chiles go for?  They don't sell them by the bushel in these parts 

We can get bushels of oysters and apples, but I don't know what they cost.

[corkybstewart]

They're $18 + $6 for roasting at the farm in Artesia NM.    I used to roast my own but I don't have time anymore(got a real job)  Since we're having a long summer the  fields are still full of green chiles, plus there are lots of red ones ready for drying.  We buy a bushel of the hottest and a bushel of the milder ones, but even the mild ones can be pretty hot.
We have apples down here but the only oysters I can get come from my boss' cattle ranch and a bushel of them is not on my menu.

[tschmidlin]

For $6 I'd let them roast them too, that's a deal.  Hopefully I'll have a better crop next year.

So you're a christmas person, or are you sometimes red and sometimes green?

We have apples down here but the only oysters I can get come from my boss' cattle ranch and a bushel of them is not on my menu.

[corkybstewart]

If I'm eating out(very rare)  I'll order the Christmas on burritos, but for enchiladas I'm a green chile guy, posole I like red, and I make tamales with either.  Green chile chicken tamales and oatmeal stout are about as fine a breakfast as a person can eat.