I love my foodsaver but I thought they were the cheap ones there are many different models Mine is a appox $70 dollar model it broke in the first month I repaired it myself because I wasn't going to pay shipping to send it back I wish I had a better model like Carols as mine does need time to cool down I buy bags in bulk on ebay and get them around 25 cents with shipping for quart bags

Use only the bags meant for use with your model. Make sure the entire length of the open end is inside the sealing channel. Be sure there is no moisture or grease near where you are sealing .. if there is, clean it off and dry the bag well. Make sure there is a wide enough margin between where the bag seals and where the meat starts. Wait the extra 20 seconds between sealings. If your meat is moist, fold up a paper towel and place it between the meat and where you are sealing the bag .. the towel will absorb any moisture before it gets to the seal. Be sure to press down on the lid for several seconds before releasing. Do not re-use any bags that feel at all greasy after cleaning. Keep the sealing channel inside the machine clean, dry, and grease-free. Be sure the bag edge is all the way inside the sealing channel its entire length. Watch the Tilia website for sales and specials on the bags for your model and stock up then. IF I were buying another vacuum food saver system, I would buy only a unit that lets me use/reuse any plastic-type bag I want to. Did you know you can do about as good a job of sealing by using a freezer style ZipLock bag (available at any Dollar Stores) and a soda straw to suck out all the air yourself? The problems with these pricey vacuum systems is you sometimes do not get a tight seal and even when you do get a tight seal with all air removed, how long will that seal last? Gail R (WNY)

Linda, a foodsaver is one appliance I would not be without. I can buy tenderloins, shrimp, ground meats, etc, all on the "cheap" and not worry about freezer burn or icky flavors six months later. I have dinners ready after long days at work or when I am too tired to cook. My home grown produce is packed and ready to go. A double batch of something is no longer a leftover a month or two later. A freind has a baby or is ill and I can send dinner over in minutes. Why are some of you using paper towels for moist items? Freeze them first! Annie, return yours to Kohls, and grab one at Costco/Sams or at the FS site. I have known several people that bought the Kohls ones and they never worked. No clue why though. Make sure it has both the dry and moist setting for sealing. Moist does not squish the items as much. And our dinner tonight? A brochole that Annie made at my house at the end of February last year. I froze it first, vac'd it, defrosted it this morning, warmed it up and we had dinner with great memories attached. Thanks my friend.

"I don't understand the french door thing. Why have to open two doors? It has an application in kitchens with small aisles, I guess, but I dunno - I'd rather have the aisle spaced correctly. The ones with the big trays across the bottom are the worst to me." LOL - side by side fridges are basically French Door fridges - it's just the freezer is one side and the fridge is another - get an old school fridge with the freezer on top or bottom with one door the entire width of the fridge and I don't care how big your kitchen is, you will be desiring side by side or french door for the half-width doors. Also, if you prefer a side by side, why would you have to open both doors on a french door fridge? Your already used to accessing the fridge through a narrow door anyway :o) The side by side fridge I have came with my house - otherwise I would never own one. You can't put in odd-ball sized stuff, and normal stuff doesn't even fit well. It has allot less drawer space than the Samsung freezer on the bottom I had in my town house, and my Samsung was the smaller 18 cubic foot and my side by side is 25.5! To me, a side by side is like a 1500 square foot two story house vs. a 1500 square foot ranch. Theoretically they are the same square footage, but in the two story you loose space to stairs and hallways - not nearly as much actual usual space. I too have an extra chest freezer, but as others stated I would have one anyway. I have a foodsaver and I'm not afraid to use it. I buy things in bulk, on sale, and freeze them routinely. I wish I could find a fridge with a single height freezer drawer for quick access to the stuff I use regularly and the rest dedicated to fridge space. That would be ideal. Indeed, if I ever remodel my kitchen I'm seriously considering putting a fridge only in where my side by side is and a single freezer drawer (if they make such a thing? Surely someone does) in my island. I'd gladly sacrifice a little cabinet space for some more fridge space. I guess if you don't cook at home often, or eat that many fresh fruits or vegetables it's less important, but I never seem to have enough fridge space.