FoodSaver more versatile than expected

This is the last of a multi-part report about the many uses of the FoodSaver vacuum seal machine.

Some readers are perhaps wondering if FoodSaver is part of my stock portfolio. It is not. The FoodSaver machine has been a major part of my life, saving me time and money for over 20 years. It is prudent to let my readers know about this machine, so they can enjoy the same savings of time and money at their house.

Some people have even placed dry clothing in a FoodSaver bag, sucked the air out and placed the bag in a backpack. Example: It is 30-degrees at hunting camp. After a 3-mile hike, my T-shirt is wet with sweat. Stopping for any length of time will cause my body to chill. This is the time to change to a dry T-shirt.

The bags are designed to be placed in hot water also, which makes them even more handy and useful. Make a slow-cooker full of elk stew. Place the stew in hard-plastic containers, holding enough stew for one person, and freeze them.

When fully frozen, remove them from the containers by placing them under warm running water for a few seconds. This will allow the frozen stew to fall out of the container with ease. This is how any liquid can be vacuum sealed using this machine.

My favorite way to cook lunch, if not at an elk or deer camp where a shelter of some type is available, is to place a pot of water on a Coleman propane stove with a burner going. The stew package can be placed in the pot to warm the stew.

This procedure will take a bit of time if the stew is completely frozen. Instead, take the stew out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. This will create a shorter warming-up period, when the stew is in the hot water.

Serving is simple. Just cut a hole in one corner of the bag and pour it into a paper bowl when warmed to your liking.

Although the FoodSaver is a machine used at home, it is important to outdoor-minded people to preserve the meat brought home. Also, it allows for a hot meal when hunting and even to store lifesaving material in a waterproof pouch.

This appliance is never taken into the Great Outdoors, but is as important to me as my knife, rangefinder and GPS.