Author Topic: Vacuum Sealer  (Read 9097 times)

MafiaPrincess

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Vacuum Sealer
« on: December 02, 2012, 11:36:34 AM »
Looking into buying a vacuum sealer to help with freezer waste.  Stuff getting freezer burned..

The model costco has there are a bunch of bad reviews for.  Sears has ones with good reviews and a bunch of choices for bags..

Help?  Would like to help keep the cost of the consumables down not just the machine for best value.

grantmeaname

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2012, 01:49:16 PM »
We have one and never use it. Try using thicker ziploc bags to fix freezer burn first, if you haven't.

MafiaPrincess

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2012, 05:09:14 PM »
We have the highest quality ziplock bags already.  Things like chicken look kind of gross within a month of bagging them..

Wonder if I should be searching CL and kijiji for used...

Russ

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2012, 05:23:10 PM »
I've never had a problem with freezerburn, but I've heard that keeping the humidity up by leaving a block of ice in the freezer will help with the sublimation. Adding a little acid inside the ziplock bag in the form of lemon juice or sour salt might prevent the oxidation, but I just made that up so it may or may not actually work.

jdchmiel

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2012, 07:07:10 PM »
As silly as it sounds, I use my mouth to suck all the moisture out of the ziplock freezer bags we use before sealing the last 1/2" or so.  I think it helps? It keeps me feeling useful ;)

MafiaPrincess

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2012, 09:50:26 PM »
You know if it is just that easy lol, I could save the $120-$150 on getting one..

I see there are a bunch on kijiji..

Lauran75

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2012, 10:07:13 PM »
You could also use a straw - close up the bag almost completely, and then use the straw to suck out the air.

N

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2012, 11:37:16 PM »
http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/freezer-burn.html

if you are wrapping, wrap first in foil or plastic wrap, tightly, then put into a ziploc freezer bag and suck out as much air as possible. you can wrap several smaller things in this way, and then load a bunch of tightly packed things into another larger (gallon) size bag, again,pushing or sucking extra air out. the layers or wrap help prevent air and vapor going in.

smaller things can be laid out on a tray and frozen individually. containers should be filled and left only a small amt of space for expansion. small containers can still go in larger gallon bags (reuse these! if they do not touch raw meat)

make sure food is cold when packaging it for freezing.

dont open your freezer a lot :)

or... ask grantmeaname to mail you his :)

n

JamesAt15

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2012, 11:45:07 PM »
As silly as it sounds, I use my mouth to suck all the moisture out of the ziplock freezer bags we use before sealing the last 1/2" or so.  I think it helps? It keeps me feeling useful ;)

I do this too. Figure it's a lot cheaper than a vacuum sealer and helps build lung power. And character. Can never have too much character.

ThatGuyFromCanada

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2012, 08:25:14 AM »
We got a vacuum sealer for Christmas one year and it's actually been much better than I expected. I figured the cost of consumables would outrageous but I find a roll of material lasts a long time.

I mostly use it for portioning bulk meat buys into meal size portions. Lately I've started making up crock-pot meals ahead of time and using the sealer to store them. 

ShavenLlama

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2012, 10:12:41 AM »
We've had good luck with this, but it's hard to find in stores:

http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/VacuumFreezerSystem.aspx

JourneyJon- Which system are you using?

ThatGuyFromCanada

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #11 on: December 03, 2012, 10:52:49 AM »
I've got the "Foodsaver" from Costco. We have an older model than the link shows but it works very well. The consumables probably last us 6-8months

kisserofsinners

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #12 on: December 03, 2012, 01:00:05 PM »
I have a foodsaver unit. I assume it was purchased at Costco. I really like it and use it for breaking up bulk meat into smaller portions before sometimes adding sauce and freezing.

I really love it and am looking to expand my food sealing capabilities.

tooqk4u22

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2012, 01:25:37 PM »
You know if it is just that easy lol, I could save the $120-$150 on getting one..

I see there are a bunch on kijiji..


Actually it is just that easy.  Use thick freezer bags and suck out the air with mouth or straw.  I do this and stuff lasts a while.  Freezer burn is from the air that is in the container. 

It works on firm foods (cooked meats) and soft (soup, raw meat) - for cooked chicke you can put some chicken broth in there too.

momo27

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2012, 10:31:26 PM »
The important thing to remember with vacuum sealers is that there are two types of bags, channel lock and standard 3 mil bags. Food Savers and most other consumer models will use channel lock, and they are heinously expensive.  Commercial models use standard flat bags, which are drastically more affordable (about 1/5th of the price of channel lock bags, on average).  Of course, the commercial models cost thousands of dollars, but there is one consumer model that uses 3 mil pouches.

http://www.dougcare.com/foodstorage/homeequip.htm#sinbo

I've had one of these, in regular use, for about six years now. We did have to replace the element last winter, but it comes with a spare and getting replacement parts is really easy. My husband cuts meat and makes sausage as a hobby/side business, and we package everything we produce this way, unless someone really wants freezer paper.  If you're going to get a vacuum sealer, IMHO, this one is the only way to go.

NWstubble

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Re: Vacuum Sealer
« Reply #15 on: December 05, 2012, 12:41:17 AM »
While I don't have direct experience with vacuum sealers, I do have experience with packaging home processed meats for the freezer. As you know the key is to remove air and moisture from the packaging. While sucking out the air from a ziploc is one method, you can remove the air more effectively by dipping the bag into a bowl of water before sealing it shut. The water pressure squeezes out the air for you. But before even getting to the ziploc, wrap the meat very tightly in cellophane to create a barrier. Do at least two layers. By individually wrapping the pieces and then placing multiple in a bag you give yourself more flexibility in how much to thaw at a time as well.

http://www.meatbasics101.com/freezing_meat_03.htm

With that being said, if you are freezing mass quantities of stuff a vacuum sealer can be very mustachian. They make reusable bags for less waste and the ability to preserve and keep food for that long will add up. To me it is about scale, for most people it is probably not worth it but if you have a large garden or process all of your own meat then it can pay off.