Vent: Wasted $150 on a fancy vacuum sealer that barely works for meat

Bought a high-end FoodSaver from the box store last January, thinking it'd save me time wrapping primals. Turns out it can't handle any moisture without shorting the seal bar - my steaks leaked like crazy. Lost about 30 pounds of good chuck roasts to freezer burn before I tossed the machine in the garage. Anyone else stick to good old freezer paper and tape?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina20d ago

Oh buddy, sounds like that vacuum sealer is more of a fancy paperweight than a tool at this point. Maybe it's trying to make you appreciate the art of manual wrapping all over again.

angela_grant16d ago

My 2019 FoodSaver lasted exactly 11 months before it started doing that exact same thing, @the_nina. I think a lot of people don't realize the seal strip itself wears down over time, especially if you're doing fatty meats like chuck. The oils from the meat kind of eat away at the rubber after a while, and then you get those little gaps @the_nina mentioned. I started wiping the seal bar with a vinegar rag after every use and it bought me another few months before it finally gave up completely. Might be worth a shot before you toss it in the "creative storage solutions" pile.

ray_hernandez20d ago

I'm at 27 pounds of chuck lost myself last winter, so I feel your pain. What kind of meat were you sealing when it started messing up? I wonder if it's a moisture issue with the cheaper models or if you just got a dud from the start. Because I've seen guys at the locker plant swear by the commercial grade ones, but those cost as much as a used sedan. My own sealer started acting up after about six months, would leave those little air pockets right where the seal was supposed to hold. Makes me think maybe these things just aren't built to handle real butcher work, you know?