If you don't already have a vacuum sealer I highly recommend getting one. I made instant pot carnitas a month or so back and they were phenomenal. Also ran into the problem of having too many leftovers. I used the vacuum sealer and turned them into lunch packs so I can have tacos at work and it worked amazing!
GERYON Vacuum Sealer Machine, Automatic Food Sealer for Food Savers w/Starter Kit|Led Indicator Lights|Easy to Clean|Dry & Moist Food Modes| Compact Design (Silver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4W5PMB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yl5bEbRYZZ52M
You can use mason jars that are freezer safe and use the FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Wide-Mouth Jar Kit found on Amazon do that you minimize plastic and also for certain foods you don’t crush it.
Happy this is helpful. Here’s the one I have. It gets the job done and I haven’t had issues with it.
GERYON Vacuum Sealer Machine, Automatic Food Sealer for Food Savers w/Starter Kit|Led Indicator Lights|Easy to Clean|Dry & Moist Food Modes| Compact D https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4W5PMB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_ooXTWI2Ppv4HL
Short of my instant pot, my 2nd no regret appliance has been my food savr, https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Machine-Starter-Certified/dp/B0044XDA3S
You can individually package your leftovers into meals with none of that dried out freezer burn of the past. Not to mention reseal most all bags of chips, nuts, dried fruits.
I always vacpack my bags, even if I keep them. When vacpacked they can sit on my shelf for at least 6 months and stay fresh. I just have a basic Foodsaver one and it works great. I use it for sous vide as well. Check out Costco, they usually have them and the bags for cheap.
This is mine, and zero complaints. I use the FOodSaver bags, Costco sometimes runs specials on the big assortment box, otherwise I top up with Amazon or Target when needed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2HE2HD/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_qB6VCb2QGJH5R
I recently purchased this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KCK9W1K?psc=1
after doing enough research to become an expert in vacuum sealers, and I can highly recommend it.
Key features: it has built in bag roll storage (and cutter), and you don't have to hold it down while it's vacuuming. It also has a manual cancel switch if what you're vacuuming has a lot of juices.
https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-FCARWJAH-000-Wide-Mouth-Regular-Accessory/dp/B016OL1AB6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GHDPYG6FC2B6&keywords=ball+jar+vacuum+sealer+for+mason+jars+food+saver&qid=1668040268&sprefix=ball+jar+vacuu%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3 I've used these to seal jars before. I will say the wide mouth works better than the other for me.
It helps to put the bag on a tray, or elevate it so it is even with the machine. Approximately 1 inch off the counter.
We had a similar issue with ours, and that seemed to help. We've switched to the nesco when our foodsaver gave up the ghost two years ago. The new one is much better.
I use this with a foodsaver.
These work with the standard wax seal lids. But since you aren't using heat, the seals on the lid can be reused.
I have a FoodSaver V2244 and love it. I also got it on the rare occasion when Amazon had it for $29.99.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VSVRNFH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 my friendo. Or you can shell out for the Anova precision chamber vacuum sealer if you want to do some sous vide as well.
Even mason jars leak a little smell, but you can double up and store them in a plastic storage tub. If you insist on bags, and don't mind smashing your weed, vacuum seal bags are your best bet. I use them to store extracts and seeds long term to keep moisture out. The link below is a little hand held one that works with their quart and gallon sized bags. They're essentially heavy duty Ziploc bags that have a little valve spot you put the sealer on and hit the button. 30 seconds later it will have sucked out all the air, and you're good to go. Again, it will smash your weed, but it will also keep super fresh with no air in or out. Or smell.
ATK likes the Nesco VS-12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d-0BFRUoko
I bought it and have been happy with it. I mostly seal meats and cheeses as well. You can use any bags that are no wider than 11". I've used generic bags from Amazon, Costco bags, and FoodSaver brand bags.
I use mason jars and the [vacuum sealer attachment](https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-FCARWJAH-000-Wide-Mouth-Regular-Accessory/dp/B016OL1AB6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=751YZCD2OWP1&keywords=mason+jar+vacuum+sealer&qid=1668612735&sprefix=mason+jar+vacuum+sealer%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-4). Way more convenient to pop the seal, snag the amount of hops I need, then seal it back up.
I bought a small handheld vacuum sealer off Amazon and I've been pretty happy with it. I buy sealer bags and use the handheld sealer over the vacuum hole to seal. Works great!
Note: this is not an affiliate link. I receive no compensation if you purchase.
FoodSaver 31161370 Cordless Food... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VSVRNFH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I use a vacuum sealer (see link below), and throw in some uncooked rice in the bag (I put the rice on a cookie sheet at low heat for a couple of hours to dehydrate first). The rice acts as a desiccant, although the vacuum sealed bags don't allow much moisture. Then the bags go in a large freezer tupperware container, and put in my chest freezer for long term storage.
/u/boxedinmyshell can you give me a sanity check on this species
OK, a lot going on here, I'll give you some appropriate care recommendations once either I wake up enough to not have a fuzzy brain, or boxedinmyshell can double check the id. NA species are not my thing, I will say your entire setup is badly wrong, and those lamps are a fire hazard and ineffective for what you using them for.
For basking/heat purposes use these fixtures https://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Repta-Clamp-Lamp-Switch-Reptiles/dp/B0002DHODG/ along with cermaic heat emmitters and regular incandescent bulbs.
For UV, I use the reptisun T5 bulbs, however I'm experimenting with actual UVB LEDs that seem to do well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TQXXLMY
I'll stop myself from going further until I have someone confirm the id
Why would you break the seal? I mean if you have the machine that vacuum seals food, or can order one on Amazon, vacuum seal 1-4 bottles at a time or just 1 bottle at a time in case it spills. Why would you need to break the seal to vacuum seal a bottle? You can get a machine for $45 at Amazon. There’s a video at the end of the pictures if you want to see how exactly it works. Here’s a link if your interested: Link of Vacuum seal machine
Get one of these vacuum sealers, and the bags that go with it. Wal-Mart may be slightly cheaper than the Amazon link below. They carry the vacuum and a couple sizes of bags near the mason jar section. I vacuum seal all of my containers into a couple of bags, and then put them on a rack so they don't sit anywhere condensation is collecting.
So one of the weird things that I've noticed is that sometimes the seemingly weird Chinese off-brand products are actually very solid. This Vacuum Sealer was one of NYT Wirecutter's top pick. I bought it to replace me older larger heavy duty vacuum sealer and I love it.
I completely agree that Amazon's search is not great. Not quite as bad as reddit's search though.. For both sites I've found a mix of browsing and google are necessary to find what you want.
Do you know where to buy JUST the jar sealers without the tube? Now that I've got the inkbird sealer (thanks for posting!) I'd like to be able to seal jars. I found e.g. this but it includes the tube, which I would not need.
There's two sizes of mason jar, regular and wide mouth. I picked wide so I didn't have to buy two of everything.
Fill the jar, put the flat lid on, pump out the air, put on the rlid ring.
There's lots of adapters for different vacuum systems.
https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-FCARWJAH-000-Wide-Mouth-Regular-Accessory/dp/B016OL1AB6
Agreed keep it simple. I have had this one for a couple years and it works fine. Sorry for the Amazon spam. https://www.amazon.com/NutriChef-Automatic-Sealing-Preservation-Indicator/dp/B01N2HE2HD/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=12UHT1NKXU8UC&keywords=vacuum+sealer&qid=1653591604&sprefix=vacuum%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.d977788f-1...
I tried this one and I was very disappointed.
I was much happier with this cheaper unit geryon
get a vac sealer attachment for mason jars... it works great w/my foodsaver and seals up jars completely.
I bought this vacuum sealer a few years ago and have been extremely happy with it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HMWC4A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The price is up significantly from when I bought it (for $30). Not sure if that's a short term blip or not. The best part of this model is that it's so small. It fits into a corner of a shelf next to my brew gear and I can just grab it, plug it in and reseal a bag right after I get the hops I need.
I have a Geryon that I've used for a year and a half with no issues. I also use it to vac bag food for storage and freezing, so it gets use beyond just my sous vide.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B4W5PMB
I've used this one for a couple years now and it works well. $56.
If you have a Scheels near you, their store brand vac bags are awesome. Way better than foodsaver bags.