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Most vacuum sealers require special bags. I've used FoodSaver vacuum sealers for a long time and they need special bags, but there are other places that make them specifically for FoodSavers.

I had no clue that specific sealers need special bags. I have some off-brand sealer and I've used a variety of bags that I purchased off of Amazon. Rarely have I had an issue. I might be wrong, but I think FoodSaver probably makes a big deal about only using their more expensive proprietary bags because they want your money.

I bought some bags one time that were slightly thicker, so I had to seal them longer for the heat to really work its magic. That's the only issue that I've ever had with different brands.

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AZ_Five56 wrote: ↑September 7th, 2021, 11:44 am I had no clue that specific sealers need special bags. I have some off-brand sealer and I've used a variety of bags that I purchased off of Amazon. Rarely have I had an issue. I might be wrong, but I think FoodSaver probably makes a big deal about only using their more expensive proprietary bags because they want your money.

I bought some bags one time that were slightly thicker, so I had to seal them longer for the heat to really work its magic. That's the only issue that I've ever had with different brands.

No, as I just said, others make bags compatible with FoodSaver and they're cheaper. They're what I buy.

It's understandable that a Brand X sealer would use just about any bag, and the built in ability to seal them longer probably is because they figure a bunch of different bags would be used. Foodsaver doesn't have that ability. It draws a vacuum and then seals the bags while holding the vacuum. That's why it requires a certain type of bag.

Does your sealer draw a vacuum and then seal while holding the vacuum?

Flash wrote: ↑September 7th, 2021, 2:34 pm

AZ_Five56 wrote: ↑September 7th, 2021, 11:44 am I had no clue that specific sealers need special bags. I have some off-brand sealer and I've used a variety of bags that I purchased off of Amazon. Rarely have I had an issue. I might be wrong, but I think FoodSaver probably makes a big deal about only using their more expensive proprietary bags because they want your money.

I bought some bags one time that were slightly thicker, so I had to seal them longer for the heat to really work its magic. That's the only issue that I've ever had with different brands.

No, as I just said, others make bags compatible with FoodSaver and they're cheaper. They're what I buy.

It's understandable that a Brand X sealer would use just about any bag, and the built in ability to seal them longer probably is because they figure a bunch of different bags would be used. Foodsaver doesn't have that ability. It draws a vacuum and then seals the bags while holding the vacuum. That's why it requires a certain type of bag.

Does your sealer draw a vacuum and then seal while holding the vacuum?

Yes, my sealer draws a vacuum while sealing, and no, mine doesn't seal any longer to be compatible with different brand bags. After it finishes sealing, I've just hit the button to seal it again, and that did the trick in those applications. It makes the bag extra melty from the additional heat, so I also let it sit there a few extra seconds before I remove the bag.

All of that to say, you should be able to make just about anything work. That workaround I had was only with one of my many bag orders. Most of the brands have worked fine.

I was working on building up my food supply, and I just put a big order in for some Keystone meats. I've never had a problem with any of their products before, but every single can of Pork in a big order was bad with the lids bulging.

I did a month of freeze dried stuff per person, and we've been buying a bit of "extra" canned stuff - like 5-6 extra cans when stuff is on sale - for a few years. The extra stuff goes in a different pantry. Like you said - the "best by" dates tend to be a couple of years - but presuming that they are actually sealed and sterile when sealed I can't see much difference between 2 years and 10 years. Every once in a while I'll open one of the older cans (the last one was about 5 years old - 3 years past the "best by" date) and so far they have been just fine.