Does anyone have an opinion of the merits of either the Tilia Foodsaver or
the Rival Seal-A-Meal? The Rival is less expensive and its bags are
cheaper, but I don't know if it's fine. I won't be doing lots of sealing,
so I'm weighing one vs. the other. TIA

Dora

limey wrote:
> Does anyone have an opinion of the merits of either the Tilia Foodsaver or
> the Rival Seal-A-Meal? The Rival is less expensive and its bags are
> cheaper, but I don't know if it's fine. I won't be doing lots of sealing,
> so I'm weighing one vs. the other. TIA
>
> Dora
>
>
>
>

I've never used the Rival but I've had two Foodsavers (first
one was fine, just wanted to upgrade) and I won't be without
one again. Period.

I'd recommend getting one that you can control the amount of
vac. and manually seal it at any point. That way you can
seal more delicate items such as sandwiches etc. Without
that feature you can't do it. Well, you can but the
sandwich would be pressed into a brick by the Foodsaver.

--
Steve

"Steve Calvin" > wrote
>
> I've never used the Rival but I've had two Foodsavers (first one was fine,
> just wanted to upgrade) and I won't be without one again. Period.
>
> I'd recommend getting one that you can control the amount of vac. and
> manually seal it at any point. That way you can seal more delicate items
> such as sandwiches etc. Without that feature you can't do it. Well, you
> can but the sandwich would be pressed into a brick by the Foodsaver.
>
> Steve

You may remember, Steve - I've been sitting on the fence for quite a while
with this project. I even bought the Foodsaver, then returned it before I
used it. With the amount I would need to seal I've never been able to
justify it, but it tantalizes me. So you seal sandwiches with it?

I can keep food fresh for a long time right now by wrapping the food in
plastic wrap then overwrapping in a Ziploc freezer bag, but it can be
time-consuming.

I'm mainly thinking of the different cheeses I like and the fact that some
of them go moldy before being used up because I like to buy the larger sizes
at Costco.

Dora

limey wrote:

>
> You may remember, Steve - I've been sitting on the fence for quite a while
> with this project. I even bought the Foodsaver, then returned it before I
> used it. With the amount I would need to seal I've never been able to
> justify it, but it tantalizes me. So you seal sandwiches with it?
>
> I can keep food fresh for a long time right now by wrapping the food in
> plastic wrap then overwrapping in a Ziploc freezer bag, but it can be
> time-consuming.
>
> I'm mainly thinking of the different cheeses I like and the fact that some
> of them go moldy before being used up because I like to buy the larger sizes
> at Costco.
>
> Dora
>

I wondered... I thought that you'd bought a FS... <Phew,
guess maybe I'm not totally losing it. yet>

Yes, I do use it for sandwiches sometimes. Like if we're
taking a cooler of drinks in ice somewhere and want
sandwiches I'll seal them mainly to be waterproof. Also, if
they're on ice, I don't worry about putting mayo on them. I
also do it when going fishing or pretty much anywhere that
wetness is a potential problem.

I also use it for cheese. Blocks of cheddar mainly and it
drastically increases the shelf life. With cheddar, I
usually cook with it so I cut the block into pieces the size
that we'd normally use for a meal and freeze them. As you
probably well know, freezing does alter the texture slightly
but if you're cooking with it isn't not an issue.

I also use it for leftovers. Seal 'em up in serving sized
bags and either toss 'em into boiling water or the nuker to
warm them up.

Many many uses for the little buggers.

I got this one (and gave my old one to my sister):
http://foodsaver.jardendirect.com/pr...CatalogID=1000

I use it quite a bit more than before because it will stand
up out of the way on the counter so I don't have to pull it
out and put it away after each use.


--
Steve

"Steve Calvin" wrote >
>>

> I wondered... I thought that you'd bought a FS... <Phew, guess maybe I'm
> not totally losing it. yet>

LOL - no, you're still together!


> Yes, I do use it for sandwiches sometimes. Like if we're taking a cooler
> of drinks in ice somewhere and want sandwiches I'll seal them mainly to be
> waterproof. Also, if they're on ice, I don't worry about putting mayo on
> them. I also do it when going fishing or pretty much anywhere that wetness
> is a potential problem.
>
> I also use it for cheese. Blocks of cheddar mainly and it drastically
> increases the shelf life. With cheddar, I usually cook with it so I cut
> the block into pieces the size that we'd normally use for a meal and
> freeze them. As you probably well know, freezing does alter the texture
> slightly but if you're cooking with it isn't not an issue.


Cheese is my driving force. That's a good idea, to cut it up into portions.
I mostly use Cheddar too, but I've had bad luck trying to keep Parmesan
and shredded cheeses. Mozzarella doesn't melt too well after being frozen,
though.

>
> I also use it for leftovers. Seal 'em up in serving sized bags and either
> toss 'em into boiling water or the nuker to warm them up.

Now that's a winner!
>
> Many many uses for the little buggers.
>
> I got this one (and gave my old one to my sister):
> http://foodsaver.jardendirect.com/pr...CatalogID=1000
>
> I use it quite a bit more than before because it will stand up out of the
> way on the counter so I don't have to pull it out and put it away after
> each use.

That's handsome - and not having to drag it out each time is a real plus.

> Steve
Dora

"limey" > wrote in message
news:OGpcg.5239$oa3.2554@trnddc08...
>
> Cheese is my driving force. That's a good idea, to cut it up into
> portions. I mostly use Cheddar too, but I've had bad luck trying to keep
> Parmesan
> and shredded cheeses. Mozzarella doesn't melt too well after being
> frozen, though.
>

Hey-
I use the foodsaver with the widemouth jar sealer for cheese. Works very
well, though you do have to cut the cheese to fit into the jar. You don't
have to pay for the bags-

Slugbrad

On Mon, 22 May 2006 16:31:57 -0400, Steve Calvin
> wrote:
>With cheddar, I
>usually cook with it so I cut the block into pieces the size
>that we'd normally use for a meal and freeze them. As you
>probably well know, freezing does alter the texture slightly
>but if you're cooking with it isn't not an issue.

Why freeze them? I was given a giant block of cheddar and cut into
more useable sizes and vacuum bagged the rest. The last chunk was
over 6 months in the refrigerator and was as perfect as the first
piece.

Vacuum saver has also meant that I never have to buy delicatessen
turkey anymore.. I buy turkey breasts when on sale, roast them and
bone out the breast pieces. They keep wonderfully well in the
refrigerator. I have never gone beyond a month in the vacuum pack
though to be honest.

The large square vacuum container has been a godsend for celery.
Except for "salad" sandwiches and the occasional soup, I don't use
celery and I hate buying a whole bunch when I use only 2 or 3 stalks.
The vacuum container keeps celery crispy for a month!

I also place meal size rashers of bacon between waxed paper and vacuum
bag however many I have. To use, I just slit the bag, take out the
waxed paper wrapped amount I want and reseal the rest. Great for
bacon sales.
------------
There are no atheists in foxholes
or in Fenway Park in an extra inning
game.
____

Cape Cod Bob

Delete the two "spam"s for email

Cape Cod Bob wrote:
> On Mon, 22 May 2006 16:31:57 -0400, Steve Calvin
> > wrote:
>
>>With cheddar, I
>>usually cook with it so I cut the block into pieces the size
>>that we'd normally use for a meal and freeze them. As you
>>probably well know, freezing does alter the texture slightly
>>but if you're cooking with it isn't not an issue.
>
>
> Why freeze them? I was given a giant block of cheddar and cut into
> more useable sizes and vacuum bagged the rest. The last chunk was
> over 6 months in the refrigerator and was as perfect as the first
> piece.
>

Dunno actually. Habit I guess. I'll try just tossin' 'em in
the fridge. Actually, I'd much prefer that anyhow. Thanks


--
Steve

"limey" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Steve Calvin" > wrote
>>
>> I've never used the Rival but I've had two Foodsavers (first one was
>> fine, just wanted to upgrade) and I won't be without one again. Period.
>>
>> I'd recommend getting one that you can control the amount of vac. and
>> manually seal it at any point. That way you can seal more delicate items
>> such as sandwiches etc. Without that feature you can't do it. Well, you
>> can but the sandwich would be pressed into a brick by the Foodsaver.
>>
>> Steve
>
> You may remember, Steve - I've been sitting on the fence for quite a while
> with this project. I even bought the Foodsaver, then returned it before I
> used it. With the amount I would need to seal I've never been able to
> justify it, but it tantalizes me. So you seal sandwiches with it?
>
> I can keep food fresh for a long time right now by wrapping the food in
> plastic wrap then overwrapping in a Ziploc freezer bag, but it can be
> time-consuming.
>
> I'm mainly thinking of the different cheeses I like and the fact that some
> of them go moldy before being used up because I like to buy the larger
> sizes at Costco.
>
> Dora
Dora, you've heard this from me before, but I think I've already saved the
price of my Foodsaver $126 at Costco, in the price of the loss of cheese --
but we're cheeseeaters bigtime.
Dee Dee

limey wrote:
>
> Does anyone have an opinion of the merits of either the Tilia Foodsaver or
> the Rival Seal-A-Meal? The Rival is less expensive and its bags are
> cheaper, but I don't know if it's fine. I won't be doing lots of sealing,
> so I'm weighing one vs. the other. TIA
>
> Dora
>

I use the Seal-A-Meal, and I LOVE it!!!! I use it for all the meats I
freeze so they don't get freezer burned, which used to happen a lot. I
also use it for shrimp, but I now know to "double bag" shrimp because
sometimes the "first bag" gets a small puncture from the shrimp
tails/shells. What I mean is, after I seal the first package of shrimp,
I enclose that in another bag and seal that one, too.

I don't often freeze veggies, but the S-a-M works well for those too,
especially as a boil-in-the-bag item.

Oh, I have the S-a-M marinator, and it's fun to use. Speaking of which,
I think I'll go marinate something now <g>.

I can't say much about the Tilia because I don't have experience with
that make/model.

Sky

"Skyhooks" wrote in message
>
> I use the Seal-A-Meal, and I LOVE it!!!! I use it for all the meats I
> freeze so they don't get freezer burned, which used to happen a lot. I
> also use it for shrimp, but I now know to "double bag" shrimp because
> sometimes the "first bag" gets a small puncture from the shrimp
> tails/shells. What I mean is, after I seal the first package of shrimp,
> I enclose that in another bag and seal that one, too.
>
> I don't often freeze veggies, but the S-a-M works well for those too,
> especially as a boil-in-the-bag item.
>
> Oh, I have the S-a-M marinator, and it's fun to use. Speaking of which,
> I think I'll go marinate something now <g>.
>
> I can't say much about the Tilia because I don't have experience with
> that make/model.
>
> Sky

Which model do you have, Sky?

limey wrote:
>
> Which model do you have, Sky?

I have the "VS110" model.

As mentioned in another post, it's fantastic to use for block cheeses!
Before I had the S-a-M, I'd have to toss cheddar and swiss because they
became moldy. Not anymore

The S-a-M will also allow one to seal anything before a full vacuum is
reached. Simply press the "seal" button when enough vacuum is reached
-- this way, bread won't get smushed.

Sky