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Vacuum sealer / Foodsaver - favorite uses?

 
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I just got a hand-me-down Foodsaver (which had been on my wish list for a long time). I'm vacuum sealing just about everything in sight. I'd love to hear about your favorite kitchen and non-kitchen uses for a vacuum sealer. (So far I only have the sealer itself, no attachments for jars etc, though I'm keeping my eye out for used accessories.)
 
pollinator
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Non food uses.....

...seal medicine bottles to keep out moisture. I pop one or two desiccant packets in with the bottle before sealing. I happen to keep a good assortment of medications on hand.
...seal my surgical instruments to keep them from rusting in my moist climate
...seal gauge sponges and bandaging to keep them clean and dry....again, a moist climate
...seal seldom used hand tools to keep them from rusting
...seal a first aid kit for when we travelled abroad. Things then didn't get lost in the suitcase or backpack.
...seal matches and lighter when we went backpacking or canoeing.
...seal dry change of clothing when we went canoeing. The packs would float if we got overturned, so we could retrieve them down river.
 
Olivia Hall
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Su Ba wrote:Non food uses.....

...seal seldom used hand tools to keep them from rusting



Some really great tips! Wouldn't have thought of sealing up my tools.
 
steward
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One use we have is we use it to keep cat food from going stale so fast. We buy the large bags because it's more cost effective, and when a new bag gets opened, about half will go into a large vacuum bag to help it stay fresh. We found that by the time we got towards the end of a bag of dry cat food, the bits at the end are stale, and the cats are finicky and don't care to eat them, so their finickiness trained us to come up with a way to keep it fresh, and it works. Anything for our pets right?....
 
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It's also great for marinating stuff in. Be warned, if you're happily food saving away it's only a small step to getting an immersion sous vide cooker.
 
gardener & hugelmaster
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Mine doesn't get much use due to the plastic involved. Vacuum sealed a lot of dehydrated food with it at first. Works great. It does help keep food fresh for a long time. About the only thing I use one for now is backpacking. Even though I have good dry bags & rain gear keeping some toilet paper, first aid items, fire starting items, & undergarments vacuum sealed provides extra reliability of staying dry. I try not to open those (to minimize plastic usage) but it's nice to know they're available. It works good for saving seeds too.
 
pollinator
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I use the jar attachment more than anything.  Great way to store bulk spices and tea.
 
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