Tilia FoodSaver Professional II Vacuum Sealing Kit
by Tilia
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: TiliaBrand: FoodSaver
Model: 00-0312-01
Product features:
- Vacuum system keeps food fresh longer, prevents freezer burn
- Reusable, resealable, dishwasher-safe bags conveniently go into microwave or boiling water
- Includes three quart size bags, two gallon bags, covering many needs
- Works also with bottles, jars, and canisters; 1-1/2-quart canister and bottle stopper included
- To help get you started, it comes with a how-to video; also has a 5-inch replacement lid for jars and cans
- FoodSaver FSFSBF0316 11-Inch-by-14-Inch Gallon Size Bags, 13 Bags
- FoodSaver 2-Quart Bulk Storage Canister
- FoodSaver T01-0029-01 8-Inch Roll, Single Pack
- FoodSaver 4-Quart Canister
- FoodSaver T01-003501 8-Inch Roll Two-pack, 20 Feet Long
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Tilia FoodSaver Professional II Vacuum Sealing Kit
Customer Review: This is the one appliance I could never live without
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my second Foodsaver Professional II. The first one was a model where you had to press down to do the sealing, so I decided to splurge and go for this newer one. I had the first one about five or six years, I've had this one since 1998. Thus I have quite a history with Tilia/Foodsaver. This is my favorite appliance, bar none, one that I cannot do without in my house.
I can't comment on the Rival sealer, but from what I've seen and read, this sealer is THE best, even though it's comparitively expensive. In the long run you will save hundreds of dollars in possibly spoiled food items. I believe it's worth the money. If you can buy the Rival bags or rolls and use them with this appliance, go for it. I always get the FoodSaver rolls by the carton and you get a discount that way.
I do wish to explain about the wide mouth jar sealer. Unless you follow Foodsaver's instructions you will probably not seal the jars properly. They are very specific about how to use Mason jars and tops. You must start with new, fresh jar tops, boil or soak in hot water for about five minutes to soften the rubber gasket, and let them dry. After many reuses, if the jar doesn't hold its vacuum, throw away the jar top and replace it with a new one. You can buy boxes of just the canning jar "dome lids" in any store's canning section, for very little money, like about $1.29 for a box of 12. I have literally dozens of varying sizes of wide mouth canning jars in my pantry, sealed using my Foodsaver Pro II, and if I follow their instructions the seals last forever. You can also buy these canning jars in sizes that range from one cup to two quarts. This is the best, money saving part about the Foodsaver -- reusing canning jars and lids over and over! Contrary to what has been written, they are easy to open -- take a spoon, pry under the edge, and you break the vacuum seal. I don't see what's so tough about that. If you've destroyed the canning lid in the process, you're not following the instructions. You need to go back and read.
Unless you need to save time and don't care about the cost, I don't believe the pre-cut bags are much of a bargain, since you can cut and seal your own sizes easily. The pre-cut bags are nice but a luxury for me. Here's something else I found out the hard way. I had some plastic rolls that were several years old and were losing their vacuum, which I couldn't figure out. When I called Foodsaver's help line, they said the rolls do deteriorate after that many years and will no longer be useful. So don't buy more than you can use within about two years. I also double seal the top edge of my bag, just as a precaution, easy to do because there's a "heat only" setting for the plastic bag sealing.
I don't care for their very expensive plastic cannisters -- neither the standard nor the decorator's version, and because I have a collection of both I'm experienced with their use. They tend to lose their seal, which is an unpleasant surprise when you go to your cupboard and check your flour, cereal, corn meal, etc. It's been an ongoing frustration -- you need to periodically soak the tops in very hot water, to keep the inside plastic ring somewhat softer and pliable. Too much trouble! I suggest you stick with either the plastic rolls to make any size bag you want (yes, you can put liquids, sauces, stews, and gravies in them), or best of all, use the different sized wide-mouth canning jars. They are cheap, they last forever, and the tops are much easier to deal with. I have never had one break on me -- remember, these are canning jars that were produced to sit in a boiling bath for 20-30 minutes.
I can't tell you how much money my Foodsavers have saved me over the years, by keeping foods from spoiling, especially items like flour, sugar, grains, cereals, and refrigerated foods. Right now I have a quart of homemade Thousand Island dressing in a sealed wide mouth jar -- I made it three months ago. It's still fresh and tasty.
You can seal soft items like breads, rolls, tortillas, pitas, etc., by watching the sealing bag and pressing the "ON/OFF" button before the item gets squished, although that would still leave air in it where the item could possibly get moldy. Alternately, you can freeze soft items first and then seal them.
You can also seal household items -- although I don't use it for that, I've tried sealing things like socks, sterling silver, toothbrushes, just for giggles. I guess if you're a camper this would come in quite handy. You can find more household item sealing hints like these on the Foodsaver website.
No matter where you purchase your Foodsaver Professional II, the Foodsaver website is excellent and has great tips as well as troubleshooting help, plus they are always offering bargains, closeouts, and other money saving offers. I have also called their toll free customer support several times in the past and they have without exception been patient, helpful, and have always answered my questions. That says a lot, since I only call when there's something wrong that I can't figure out myself.
Now here's the best part as far as durability. You can call Foodsaver and tell them you want a "tuneup" for your Foodsaver. After a few years the various gaskets, sealing mechanism, and vacuumer will just not work like they used to. Don't worry -- it takes years of heavy use to get to that point. Anyway, it cost me $50 (I used this service once on my previous model and once a couple of months ago on this model) but it is well worth it. Your Foodsaver will come back just like brand new, ready for many more years of faithful service. An added bonus is they include several money saving coupons (for bags, cannisters, other accessories) with the unit when they return it, so in theory you could save the $50 by using the coupons. Now what could be better than that?
Description of Tilia FoodSaver Professional II Vacuum Sealing Kit
Say farewell to freezer burnt steaks, dried out breads, and disastrous leakages of shampoo in your suitcase. With this easy-to-use and versatile vacuum sealer you'll find you waste less food. All those strawberries you spent hours picking in June will be just as delicious in January when you vacuum seal them in a FoodSaver bag.Ingenious and simple to operate, Tilia's FoodSaver system seals food inside containers after vacuuming out the air--and the oxygen that causes foods to spoil. That means food stays fresh longer than when it's merely refrigerated or frozen. Meat, for example, remains good in the freezer for about six months; frozen inside a vacuum package, it remains good for two to three years--and it doesn't suffer freezer burn, either. Fish, coffee, cheese, crackers, sugar, nuts, oils, and wine all stay fresh three to five times longer when stored in a vacuum, whether they're frozen, refrigerated, or at room temperature. Also, silverware and other metal items won't tarnish when stored in a vacuum-sealed bag.
This is Tilia's biggest FoodSaver machine, ideal for packaging large quantities at once. Like all FoodSaver machines, this one vacuums air from containers and seals bags with a simple one-touch operation. It has a manual sealing button for partial air removal and a sealing-time adjustment switch. The machine measures 21 by 6-1/2 by 3 inches, weighs 9 pounds, has a cord-storage compartment, and cleans easily with a damp, soapy cloth. It carries a one-year warranty against defects. An instruction booklet and video accompany the machine.
The basic FoodSaver container is Tilia's three-layer VacLoc bag: it has two plastic layers and an outer nylon layer to keep moist foods (such as meat loaf or chocolate cake) moist, dry foods (such as brown sugar or flour) dry, and all foods from leaking odor. Included in this kit are three quart size bags, and two gallon bags, covering many needs. For cooking, the bags can go directly into a microwave oven or boiling water. They're resealable, reusable, and dishwasher-safe. --Fred Brack
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