[ContainerTed]

With a little practice, I've figured out how to use some of the zip lock bags, We have a Foodsaver and use all kinds of everybody's bags. It is setup to do the automatic vacuum and seal, but you can do a sort of manual operation and they do hold. I use a small twist of bread bag plastic across the zip lock's sealing strip to allow the vacuum function to happen and then the sealing is done on the heat strip. This type of deviation from the normal automatic operation is what I mean when I say, "With a little practice".

And, yes, ours has that liquid catcher and is easy to clean. We've done quite a lot of things like stew, soups, chicken pot pie base, and other wet stuff.

Worth, it is really worth the trouble to know you can freeze without worrying so much about freezer burn.

The Foodsaver brand has the most support throughout the different stores, and I feel that it is also very friendly to those "manual" operations I like to do.