OVHA Chat

Does anyone have any advice on vacuum sealers? I don't want to spend an arm and a leg, but I would like to store my hops as best as I can since I bought in volume. Thanks.

Don't buy The Ziploc one.
I only had luck about 1/2 the time with those bags.

I use the FoodSaver at the brewery. It's about $100.00. A box of bags is about $35.00, but it lasts about a year.

I had a crappy one for several years until I seen a bag of hops Dwayne had sealed with a good one. A world of difference! The crappy one was leaving in lots of air. The Foodsaver will turn a 5 lb bag of grain into a brick wall. It's really amazing how much air it will pump out. The only thing I don't like about the Foodsaver is with my old one, it would take air out of a foil hops bag and seal it, the new one won't draw out air from those. It really only works with the bags with the ridges built in. I seal a lot of grain and have reused the bags many times. The Foodsaver I have also has a port for a hose attachment that you can degas homemade wine with, or seal a jar of whatever. Love it. I think mine was around $100 or so also.

On the Foodsaver bags, spend the extra $$ and get the FoodSaver brand bags vs. the generic branded ones that you might see at WalMart. The quality of the cheap ones is very inferior.

I pulled the trigger on a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. Do you typically use the bags or the rolls, or do both have a best purpose? Thanks for your input!

I use the ones on the rolls and they're fine ... it's sometimes an art to determine the right length.

Chris Alvey wrote:I use the ones on the rolls and they're fine ... it's sometimes an art to determine the right length.

I use the rolls also. I bought a cheap paper cutter at Walmart that I use for cutting to size.

That's a good idea Dwayne because when I try to cut them with scissors they're all jaggedy.

Jeff
Did you get a vacuum sealer, and what type?

Don

Don wrote:Jeff
Did you get a vacuum sealer, and what type?

Don

I bought a Foodsaver Model 2490. It works great. I'm in the process of vacuum sealing my hops in 2 ounce increments. Since I bought five pounds of hops, I still have a lot of sealing to go. If you, or anyone else, is in need of styrian golding, u.s. golding, fuggle, hallertau, or perle hops, I could hook you up.

Question on vacuum sealing leaf hops.
I have sealed several in 1 and 2 oz sizes, but wondering if it won't be easier to just seal the entire pound in one large bag, or maybe 2 bags and leave several inches at the top, then cut open and remove what I need then reseal the bag every time?
Will a cold bag from the freezer reseal OK?

Don wrote:Question on vacuum sealing leaf hops.
I have sealed several in 1 and 2 oz sizes, but wondering if it won't be easier to just seal the entire pound in one large bag, or maybe 2 bags and leave several inches at the top, then cut open and remove what I need then reseal the bag every time?
Will a cold bag from the freezer reseal OK?

There's no reason that wouldn't work. However, with my sealer I would use an inch and a half or more of the bag each time I reseal.

Is that any thing like a lid? Or a two finger fatty?

I have a shiny chrome one that I found at Big Lots for about 35 dollars, not sure what brand, but i think it will deflate an air mattress.