🔒 Why I Love My Vacuum Sealers

I’ve been using a FoodSaver vacuum sealer for over 20 years—and I’m currently on my fifth one! It’s a staple in my kitchen, especially when it comes to prepping in-season fruits, vegetables, and meats for the freezer. I truly can’t imagine doing without it.

✅ What I Love

My FoodSaver is perfect for preserving food quality and cutting back on waste. My latest model is a huge upgrade from older versions—when I hit the “seal” button, it seals instantly, which means no more crushed crackers or snacks. That wasn’t the case with my older machines, where you had to anticipate the delay and hit the button early.

I also love using 50′ rolls to make my own custom-sized bags. You can find them just about anywhere (Amazon, Walmart, etc.), but my favorite rolls are from VacuumSealersUnlimited.com. They’re thicker than most I’ve used and hold up especially well in the freezer. These rolls are too large to fit inside the FoodSaver or cutter, so I simply re-roll them into 25′ lengths—takes just a few minutes.

♻️ On Reusable Bags & Reducing Waste

One issue I had in the past was with FoodSaver’s older zipper bags—they didn’t reseal well after washing. To be fair, they weren’t really marketed as washable back then. But things have changed. The newer versions are not only washable, they’re also thicker than alternatives like Chef Preserve’s—making them far more durable for freezer use.

And no, I didn’t grow up washing bags—my mom was a career woman and didn’t have time for that. But once I learned about the massive plastic waste floating in the Pacific (allegedly the size of Texas—and possibly a second one forming), it really opened my eyes. Now I try to be more mindful of the waste I create – especially when it comes to plastic!

🛠️ Vacuum Sealing Made Easy (and Efficient)

If you use a vacuum sealer regularly or want to reduce food waste and plastic use, investing in a quality FoodSaver and reusable supplies is absolutely worth it. I truly can’t recommend it enough.

🔄 Resealing Mylar-Style Bags

This FoodSaver is especially great for resealing thinner Mylar-style food bags like Lesser Evil Popcorn and Simple Mills Organic Seed Crackers. If you’re vacuuming and sealing, be sure to hit the “seal” button exactly when you want it to engage–timing is everything for a clean, airtight seal, and to be certain you don’t end up with cracker crumbs instead of crackers!

Vacuum-Sealing in Mason Jars

For bulk pantry staples like spices, homegrown herbs, flours, beans, etc. I rely on Mason jars in several sizes: 12 oz, 16 oz, and 24 oz., all of which are safe for the freezer. While I used the jar sealer kit with the FoodSaver’s accessory port for many years, I don’t love that it doesn’t automatically shut off when sealing jars. I have to manually stop it, which means I can’t just walk away and multitask.

🧩 The Jar Sealer That Solved the Problem

Someone eventually recommended a clever little gadget–an automatic jar sealer–and it completely solved that issue. It fits snugly over the lid (a tight fit thanks to the rubber seal, but that’s a good thing), and it works beautifully with both regular and wide mouth jars. Now I can press a button, walk away, and come back to perfectly sealed jars–no more babysitting the machine!

Click here to read my review for the Canning Jar Sealer.

Click here to read my review for the Chef Preserve.

♻️ Why I Love My New Vacuum Sealer with Reusable Bags

I’ve been a loyal FoodSaver user for over 20 years and have loved it—but I recently added a new tool to my kitchen that’s been a total game changer.

I bought this little gem of a vacuum sealer because I was excited about the idea of reusable, washable zipper bags. The older FoodSaver zipper bags I used years ago wouldn’t seal properly after being washed, so I’d written them off. But the new FoodSaver resealable bags are AMAZING—they’re made of a much thicker, more durable plastic and even slightly outperform Chef Preserve bags in thickness and quality.

💡 Is It Worth the Cost?

I’ll admit—this vacuum sealer, and the bags that go with it, are on the pricey side. But I looked at it as a long-term investment. I was right: I now use much less plastic, and I haven’t looked back.

For items that might leak, like marinated meats or juicy fruits, I simply tuck them into a thin, single-use bag before sealing, keeping the opening away from the vacuum port. I’ve used this trick for years, and it works like a charm.

And when I’m dealing with foods that have a lot of liquid, like soups or stews, I remove as much air as I can, zip the bag closed (or fold it over and clothespin it), then freeze it first. Once it’s solid, I wipe the upper area of moisture then vacuum seal it for a clean, mess-free finish and a perfect seal.

🧊 Perfect for Freezer-Ready Meals

The large-size bags from FoodSaver or Chef Preserve are perfect for sealing My Metabolic Meals before they go into the freezer. Everything stays fresh, compact, and easy to stack.

CAUTION: For items like blueberries, fresh produce that might be crushed, or anything moist, I often pre-freeze before sealing to keep the vacuum port clean and the seal strong.

Storage Organizer

Since I had an abundance of vacuum sealer bags, I purchased this storage organizer and hung it on the back of a door right next to my FoodSaver cabinet. It’s the perfect spot to keep all of my zipper bags organized and easily accessible.

The zipper bags are definitely pricey, but I think worth it. The Foodsaver bags measure 3.0 mm thick (1.5 mm on each side) and the Chef Preserve bags measure 2.0 mm thick (1.0 mm on each side):

Foodsaver Quart Bags

Foodsaver Gallon Bags

Chef Preserve Bags

Jump to my Foodsaver review here.

Jump to my Canning Jar Sealer review here.

Why I’m Glad I Bought This Jar Sealer

I’ll be honest—I was skeptical when a friend recommended getting one of these jar sealers. I already had a FoodSaver with an accessory port, along with both regular and wide-mouth jar sealers. I didn’t want to be wasteful by buying something that seemed redundant.

I’m so glad I gave it a try!

I use canning jars to store all kinds of pantry items—spices, crackers, dried goods—you name it. And this sealer has made the process so much easier.

What I love most is the convenience: I just place it on top of the jar lid, press it down firmly, push a button, and walk away. That’s it! No fuss, no holding things in place—just a solid seal every time.

Canning Jars for Canning and Freezing

I was really disappointed to learn that Ball had discontinued their 24 oz jars—they’ve been my go-to for freezing soups, stews, and even fresh-squeezed orange juice from the supermarket.

So imagine my excitement when I discovered that Azure Standard still carries them! These jars are the perfect size for freezer storage without taking up too much space.

I also found out that the 12 oz jars have been discontinued as well, which is a real shame—they’re the perfect size for my homemade zucchini relish. I’m keeping an eye on Azure and hoping they’ll carry them soon.

CAUTION – DO NOT USE A SEALER WHEN PUTTING JARS IN THE FREEZER!

Which canning jars can go into the freezer? Be certain the sides are straight. 32 oz and 64 oz are NOT suitable for the freezer, because they have a shoulder that juts in. Also, be sure to leave the usual 1/2″ headspace, and let the food freeze before tightening the ring.

Click here to read my Foodsaver review.

Click here to read my Chef Preserve review.

I’ve been a customer of woodpellets.com since 2008. Wow! Seventeen years as of this writing. I had never thought about how long it had been until now. I’ve always been happy with both woodpellets.com’s products and customer service. Call them to place your first order, and tell them: “Lynn McGovern wants to give me $25 off my first WoodPellets.com order!” I deviated one year to a different pellet, which was a mix of hard and soft and didn’t stop sneezing all winter. Apparently, there was too much dust blowing out from not only when I filled the pellet stove, but also from the bag itself.

If you have a wood pellet stove, you likely already understand the difference in soft and hardwood pellets. Cleanfire Superior® Softwood pellets give us more BTUs (8800 BTU and .37% ash) than the hardwood pellets (8400 BTU and .51% ash) and Cleanfire® Ultra Douglas Fir gives us 9200 BTU and “Virtually Zero Ash” at .22%. I was surprised to learn what “Virtually Zero Ash” actually meant, “virtually zero ash.” We need to clean out our fireplace insert after about 6 to 8 softwood bags. We burned 15 bags of Douglas Fir and could have gone even longer before cleaning because there was so little ash. My guess is that less ash means it burns more efficiently.

Why is Douglas Fir the Best Wood Pellet Option?

I was impressed at two things this past winter:

1. I only used one and a half bags per day of Douglas Fir compared to at least 2 bags of the softwood per day when it is even warmer. This was during the coldest month we’ve had in many years. Days were typically in the teens or low 20s and nights were down to single digits most nights. I don’t believe the softwood would have kept us as warm as the Douglas Fir.
2.  I have a fireplace insert, so I have to shut down my stove, and let it cool down before cleaning it. Using softwood, I’m lucky if I can burn 6 – 8 bags before it needs cleaning. With the Douglas Fir – I used 15 bags and could have gone even longer.

Both of these points are a huge plus for us and would you believe there’s another good point here?

3. The Douglas Fir actually works out, at full price, to about the same cost as the softwood, based on using 1.5 bags per day instead of 2 bags per day. As of this writing, it’s on sale for $499 per pallet, which makes it $2 per day less expensive for me! I don’t think I’ll ever deviate from Douglas Fir!

Douglas Fir

Why Have Companies Removed Important Information From Their Bags?

Many companies are now removing important information from their bags –  whether their product is hard or soft wood, and how many BTUs. Because of this, we can no longer compare products. I would NOT buy from a company that does not tell us BTUs and what type of wood their product is. Why are they hiding it?

Softwood

Receive $25 off Your First Woodpellets.com Order

No matter which one you choose, if you purchase via woodpellets.com, tell them Lynn McGovern sent you and they’ll give you $25 off your first order. I, too, will get a $25 credit, which means that if you become a customer, you can then refer friends to receive a $25 credit. There’s no limit to how many people you can refer. And the price of pellets includes free delivery.

WoodPellets.com