I've had and used a food saver since 2000; the Professional II. I bought this one because of its capacity to squeeze/pump air out of containers plus vacuum sealing for freezing. Does a wonderful job of vacuum sealing, not so good "squeeze/pump air out of containers". Although, my daughter uses her "squeeze/pump air out of containers" all the time. It works for her. My 2 daughters and my son have the savers that require you to use the lock down closer feature to vacuum seal the food. I find that a hassle; mine doesn't. However, all of the kids love theirs. I use mine (and my kids when I'm at their homes) to vacuum seal meat, chicken, fish, soups (previously frozen), nuts, dried fruits, sausages, cheese, fresh fruits such as marianberries & blueberries, (previously frozen, then vacuum sealed), which are native fruits here in Oregon, freshly squeezed lime & lemon juices (previously frozen, then vacuum sealed). Fresh tomatoes are problematic. I dehydrate tomato slices, but puree tomatoes, freeze, vacuum seal and then back into freezer. Chilies I just freeze, although, I think that some blanch before freezing. I'm lazy! I also freeze garlic that I buy in bulk at Costco. I chop, measure into 1 T increments, then freeze. I freeze the cloves whole in packages of 5. I lived in Garlic country (south bay area of California) 35 years. Garlic can be frozen in cloves on a baking sheet, then bagged. This is done if your garlic starts to sprout and wilt. Cheers, Constance Allen On Sep 3, 2008, at 10:48 AM, Helen Gillis wrote: > Hi Everyone - > We have an over abundance of garden products and just bought a > freezer. Do any of you use food savers & which model would you > recommend? > On Topic - we have some sort of mystery pepper that looks like a hab > but the plant looks like a bell. Will keep you posted as it ripens! > Thanks - Helen >