Using zip loc bags with Foodsaver ?

[Lynn Dollar]

I put a 10# double smoked ham in zip loc bags, one pound per bag. Put them in the freezer to get ready to vac seal.

Is it possible to cut off the " zipper " on the bags and seal them with the Foodsaver ? They're a bit thicker than the bags I normally use for vac sealing. Doing this would eliminate a step.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Don't know how well that would work, I would think the plastic would just melt and not seal.
What I do is I make a food saver bag and put whatever I'm freezing in the bag and put it in the freezer over night and then seal it in the morning. If it's a liquid such as soup I put the freezer bag in a bowl to freeze it to keep it upright. Works very well.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Mrs Dollar seals all sorts of stuff with the Foodsaver, chip bags, brown sugar bag, etc.

I had not thought about putting unsealed bags in the freezer.

 

[timothy]

Yes you can. I've done it with zip loc freezer bags. Just cut right below the zip seal.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I think the food saver bags have small grooves on one side to help the vacuum keep pulling until it seals.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Yes you can. I've done it with zip loc freezer bags. Just cut right below the zip seal.

That's what I needed to know before I tried this. I wanted to hear from others to make sure it would not make a mess or ruin my machine.

But I also like the idea of using the Foodsaver bags from the get-go.

 

[JKalchik]

It might work, but without the vacuum channels that the usual vacuum media has, I'd expect an incomplete vacuum. I also would bet that the zipper bags are a different, softer, material than vacuum bags, you might want to turn the sealer heat/time down a bit.

For what I'm paying for both zipper and vacuum bags, I'll stock both. Different purposes.

 

[Steve Haack]

I think the food saver bags have small grooves on one side to help the vacuum keep pulling until it seals.

Yep, that's how my vacuum sealer works. I can seal bags that are smooth on both sides (re-sealing bacon for example) but I cannot vacuum them.

 

[LMichaels]

I have seen this done on YouTube but honestly the actual FS bags are not cost prohibitive to keep me from using them

 

[Lynn Dollar]

I have seen this done on YouTube but honestly the actual FS bags are not cost prohibitive to keep me from using them

Its not the cost, its saving a step.

I like Rich's idea of using a Foodsaver bag from the get-go. But that does not fit Mrs Dollar's and my Modus Operandi. We're guilty of putting meat to be food saved in the freezer and then forgetting about it for a few days

 

[timothy]

Since you already have it in a zip loc bag, you could put it in a bowl or pot of water and let the water displace the air.
I do that for soups or stews .