I bought a Foodsaver, but haven’t opened it yet. Based on what I’ve been reading, sounds like a chamber vacuum sealer is much better for sous vide cooking. Any recommendations on an affordable chamber vacuum sealer (US in my case)? Many thanks in advance!
There are no inexpensive chamber vacuum sealers. The least expensive one I have seen is the Vacmaster VP-112 with current (2014-09-11) internet pricing ranging from $579 - $800.
I have a VP-215 and it works great, sometimes too good as it can crush some foods.
From what I understand even a Foodsaver vacuum packer is more than you need for most Sous Vide cooking. Many people use the “displacement method” with ziplock bags to very good effect. I have even seen some videos of people using open bags clipped to the side of the pot. This would have an additional advantage for food that “off gasses” during cooking as the gas would be vented from the open end of the bag and the bag would not then float.