I think I killed my FoodSaver 4860

[MBMorgan]

Actually I do routinely vac seal fresh corn on the cob without issues (so far). I have basically the same model as Kathryn and as long as I leave 4-5 inches of bag between the corn and the seal ... and remember to use the "moist" setting ... all is well ... so far 😎. Good luck with salvaging yours, Kathryn!

Mike

[Ernest]

yeah, but corn tends to let out a bunch of air when cooking. Before you know it, you got a balloon in the hot tub time machine.
What temp are you cooking your corn?

[MBMorgan]

Ernest - 183 ... and I always have to weight or clamp the bag(s) down to keep them from emulating a Polaris missile launch while cooking. Always double seal, too.

[Ernest]

MBMorgan I used to cook corn in ziploc bag. I'd release the bubble mid cook and it never bubble back.

[DWCowles]

fzxdoc before you go and purchase another one there is a lot of YouTube videos on repairing FoodSavers sealers

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, DWCowles

[Ernest]

In the meantime look into this tiny machine. $34 on Amazon.
On the account that you don't use a sealer that often.
Works great for me on the road.

[HouseHomey]

"On the road?" My lunches don't look like that. Nice going.

[tbob4]

I hadn't seen this post. Mine is starting to act really funky. It will seal just fine sometimes and at others it just gets to the third green light and will not go any farther. Sometimes switching out bags solves the problem but has been driving me nuts. Are these the symptoms you are describing?

[fzxdoc]

Exactly, tbob4 . It's so frustrating.

[tbob4]

fzxdoc - Argh. I was afraid of that answer. Thanks for the post. I didn't know if it was the machine or me doing something wrong.

[HouseHomey]

fzxdoc What news from the land of vac sealer? Could the kingdom be saved or is there a new ruler?

[fzxdoc]

On vacay right now. Will report back when we get home.

K.

[Thunder77]

Kathryn, Foodsaver has bags just for that purpose. They block the moisture from being pulled out of the bag. Too late now, of course. Foodsaver is also having a 30% off sale right now on vacuum sealers.

http://www.foodsaver.com/food-storage-bags-and-containers/specialty-vacuum-seal-bags-and-rolls/liquid-block-vacuum-sealer-bags/foodsaver-liquid-block-vacuum-seal-quart-bags-12-count/FSFSBFLB216-NP.html#gclid=CjwKCAjw5uTMBRAYEiwA5HxQNri0p_F1PeMU9ZfOwzQPNXd6_ibBT7NHhP0dkFzlbi2nY-9N6Mi0yxoCT18QAvD_BwE&kwid=sitelinks-adid%5E153829228744-kwid%5E35177230x1959525010x56749450-device%5Em-slid%5E13182132373x1959525010x56749450&start=2

[fzxdoc]

Good to know Thunder77 . Thanks!
K.

[tbob4]

Kathryn,

Mine went completely out today. It did the same thing I asked you about earlier. I pulled the drawer out, cleaned everything and same result. Now the drawer is stuck to the point that I will break it to get it off again. What is your review of the new model?

[fzxdoc]

tbob4 : "Stuck shut drawer" does not sound good. Sounds like the insert for the drip tray is binding, as if it was not seated properly.

Just opened the new Food Saver 5860 today (we've been away on a trip) but haven't used it yet. Will report back.

K.

[tbob4]

Thanks! I read earlier that you were on a trip so I didn't expect a response this fast. Much appreciated.

[choffert]

I 've noticed some vacuum sealers have a drip tray to allow moisture to escape w/o entering the pump...

[tbob4]

My FoodSaver has the drip tray. The drawer that houses it is somehow stuck shut right now. It just pulls out without a lever system. So "stuck shut" is not good.

[vandy]

I did the same thing to my 4860 about a year ago so I went with the VacMaster 350 and have not looked back, it works great!

[fzxdoc]

That's going to be my next move if this one doesn't hold up, vandy . Glad to hear you're happy with it. I'm also looking at the Vac Master Duo 550 longingly.

K.

[EdF]

I've got the VP 112, and it's been a champ for over 5 years.

[vandy]

fzxdoc that would be really nice to have the best of both worlds!

[jlazar]

I have a foodsaver and love it. When doing liquids or items with high moisture content, just be sure not to hit the automatic seal button. Hit the manual evac button (usually on the left) to manually seal the bag. You can watch the moisture beginning to pull out. When near the top, hit the seal button. The evacuation happens too quickly in the automatic mode.

[Jerod Broussard]

Think our Foodsaver just gave up the ghost. No big deal to sous vide, big deal when you need to vacuum seal.

[fzxdoc]

I hear ya! Not being able to vac seal is a real pain.

K.

[HouseHomey]

fzxdoc and Jerod. It must be in the air. My died not long hers.

[fzxdoc]

tbob4 , HouseHomey and others, I tried my FoodSaver 5860 today. It works fine. The time to pull the vacuum does not seem as long as it was on my 4860, but it seemed to do the job. Time will tell, since the true test is how long the seal holds in the freezer.

One advantage of the FoodSaver vacuum sealers is the footprint, which is about half as much as the Vacmaster sealers I looked at. I store my vacuum sealer in my pantry, but still I don't want it to take up too much room. But at the end of the day, it's the performance that counts.

Kathryn

[tbob4]

Thank you much!

[Joetee]

I have a vacuum sealer and really don't like it because it doesn't have an attachment for a mason jar. I think sealing jars would be so much better especially since the bags are about $1.00 a foot. And with the juice, jars are better also. I'd like to replace it.

[Polarbear777]

Bags for chamber vac are order of magnitude less expensive. Hundreds of bags used in my chamber vac and only one bag seal failure (frozen shrimp pierced the bag). Foodsaver was one failure to seal every 10-20 bags even with dry foods depending on how temperamental it was feeling.

Large investment up front but but the bag price difference adds up after a couple years.

[fzxdoc]

I've been using my FoodSaver 5860 vacuum sealer for a while now and really like it. It automatically dispenses and seals the bag bottom to start with, plus has other nice features.

So I decided to purchase one for my stepdaughter, since I'm getting her a Joule for Xmas and the vacuum sealer seems like the perfect add on gift along with Joule Premium membership.

Foodsaver is having a special with Coupon Code SAVEBIG that saved me $100 off the 5800 series vacuum sealer I bought for her. Nice deal!

Kathryn

[Thunder77]

Awesome! Thanks for the update Kathryn!

[hoovarmin]

You are a one generous stepmom.

[fzxdoc]

I love that kid, hoovarmin .