Prep Genrl Cheap vacuum sealer for jars

[phloydius]

I'm so sorry you are having this issue. Thus far its worked perfectly for me. And I never warm the lids or any special thing.

I am very glad it works for you! And I'm glad you started the thread on it.

I want it to work for me. If I can get it to work, it really is ideal for simplifying some of the things I do often. I was really hoping I just received a bad one, but two bad ones is not very likely (although not impossible). If I wasn't concerned about a ding on my Amazon account, I'd risk a third one from the same company to test.

I found a few other brands of what appears to be an identical item, and I might try one of those. But have not decided yet.

 

[db cooper]

We bought one of those thingys from Amazon as suggested in the OP.

That little pump is not really all that great, as we can pull the lid off the jar with finger tips with little effort, which tells me the that little vacuum pump does not suck very well. So we connected the hose to our food saver, and got a real good suck on the jars. Good enough where considerable force is needed to pry off the lid with fingers.

We are also experimenting with this "dry canning" business. We dried some apples, and I theorized that once the vacuum is inside the jar, that it might force some vapors out of the apples, which would reduce the vacuum and the preserving qualities the vacuum gives. My theory was correct. I left a jar sit for about 3 hours, then re-vac'd it with the Food Saver vac, and it sucked more out of the jar.

One thing we tried to some of the apples was to put sugar and cinnamon on them before drying. OMG! Those crispy critters are a great snack. They taste just like apple pie.

 

[nomifyle]

We bought one of those thingys from Amazon as suggested in the OP.

That little pump is not really all that great, as we can pull the lid off the jar with finger tips with little effort, which tells me the that little vacuum pump does not suck very well. So we connected the hose to our food saver, and got a real good suck on the jars. Good enough where considerable force is needed to pry off the lid with fingers.

We are also experimenting with this "dry canning" business. We dried some apples, and I theorized that once the vacuum is inside the jar, that it might force some vapors out of the apples, which would reduce the vacuum and the preserving qualities the vacuum gives. My theory was correct. I left a jar sit for about 3 hours, then re-vac'd it with the Food Saver vac, and it sucked more out of the jar.

One thing we tried to some of the apples was to put sugar and cinnamon on them before drying. OMG! Those crispy critters are a great snack. They taste just like apple pie.

The sealer thing I have is not a pump, although I have one of those but could never figure out how to use it. The one I have is electric, it comes off the lid attachment easily. I don't put the jars away right away and the lids are always properly sealed. The set comes with a lid lifter and it takes a light effort to dis lodge the lid. Not necessary to reseal with the food saver.

 

[phloydius]

The one I have is electric

This is what you have, correct?

 

[nomifyle]

This is what you have, correct?

yes

 

[SwampMom]

I ordered one, also. Mine works great. Went ahead and ordered the manual one, just because.

 

[Gardener]

I have one of these pump-n-seal non electric vacuum sealers.

Pump-N-Seal® Pkg #2 - Food Vacuum Sealer System

Vacuum Sealer for mason jars, Pump-N-Seal, mason jar vacuum sealer, vacuum seal jars, vacuum seal bags, food vacuum sealer, vacuum seal, jars

pump-n-seal.com

It works pretty well. A new lid with a new bandaid seal holds a seal very well. Re-using lids works pretty well, but I occasionally have seal fails.

 

[hiwall]

I am thinking about getting a regular 120 volt vacuum pump similar to this one....

FAVORCOOL FC-36T 3.6CFM 1/4HP Vacuum Pump for HVAC Car AC Charge R410A R134A R22 850007139025 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FAVORCOOL FC-36T 3.6CFM 1/4HP Vacuum Pump for HVAC Car AC Charge R410A R134A R22 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I have several Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters that I can use with it. They look like this..........

Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters Clear set of 3 80oz 50oz 25oz | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters Clear set of 3 80oz 50oz 25oz. Canister are new unused without box, shipped fast & free with USPS Priority Mail.</p>

www.ebay.com

 

[nomifyle]

I am thinking about getting a regular 120 volt vacuum pump similar to this one....

FAVORCOOL FC-36T 3.6CFM 1/4HP Vacuum Pump for HVAC Car AC Charge R410A R134A R22 850007139025 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FAVORCOOL FC-36T 3.6CFM 1/4HP Vacuum Pump for HVAC Car AC Charge R410A R134A R22 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I have several Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters that I can use with it. They look like this..........

Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters Clear set of 3 80oz 50oz 25oz | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters Clear set of 3 80oz 50oz 25oz. Canister are new unused without box, shipped fast & free with USPS Priority Mail.</p>

www.ebay.com

I got those canisters with my food saver after Katrina. And they work well. I still like my sealer from the OP.

 

[nomifyle]

I got those canisters with my food saver after Katrina. And they work well. I still like my sealer from the OP.

The largest canister was the only way I could vacuum seal without using 02s. The lid attachments that came with the food saver just never worked. I tried two lids and I tried warming the lids with the lid attachents resulting in a great deal of frusteration until I tried the canister. It only fits quart or smaller jars, so with the 1/2 gallon jars I was mostly out of luck.

So even if the little electric (usb charged) lid sealer had not worked the lid attachments that came with it saved my nerves. The first one I bought had the plunger type thing that I never could figure out how to use, but the lid attachments are wonderful. I compared the ones that came with the food saver to the china ones. On the china ones the blue rubber comes out of the top further creating an easier seal then the food saver ones.

I'm so sorry the electric sealer has not worked for some, I have no suggestions for you. It even crossed my mind to send you mine, but then I wouldn't have one.

 

[Millwright]

I am thinking about getting a regular 120 volt vacuum pump similar to this one....

I have several Food Saver Vacuum Seal Canisters that I can use with it. They look like this..........

I'm not sure they would hold up to a hard vacuum...29-30" of Hg.

You might have a bit of a learning curve.

 

[genrim]

I warm the lids when I seal jars with my Foodsaver. I think the instructions say to do that. I just drop the lids in a pan of boiling water. Take one out and dry it thoroughly before using it to seal a jar. Then on to the next.

I neglected to mention one little detail: I turn off the heat before dropping the lids into the pan. Might not be good for the rubber on the lids to be in boiling water for a long time. I only warm the number of lids that I can use before the water begins to cool.