Thinking of getting a vacuum sealer - looking for advice

[audreyh1]

The liquid isn't so much about the motor, it's more about not getting an effective seal.

You can double seal the bag.

If the first seal is not perfect due to a small amount of liquid breaching the seal, you can add another seal higher up on the bag.

 

[swakyaby]

I haven’t had any issues of not sealing when liquids enter the seal, as long as I remember to switch from “dry” to “moist.” Did yours have this feature?

 

[audreyh1]

We have an ancient FoodSaver. It may even be pre-2000. No such selection switch.

Ours was made in Italy. Still runs great.

 

[Buckeye]

When something is liquid, you just freeze it first. DW makes soup, freezes it in some Tupperware that will release it easily and then we bag it with the vacuum sealer.

The other thing I use the vacuum sealer for is pulled pork. When I BBQ, I’ll freeze some of the pulled pork. Then, when I want to eat it, I just throw the bag in boiling water. It comes out pretty much the way it was the day it went in. In the bag heating retains all the moisture that was there when you seal the meat.

We have an old FoodSaver brand. Not sure what’s available today, but I’d probably get a nicer one as dmpi indicated.

Yes, freezing for a few hours and then vacuum packing is the secret.

 

[Buckeye]

I bought my first Foodsaver at Costco. It stopped pulling a vacuum after 6 months so I returned it and grabbed another one. That was 5 years ago.

 

[swakyaby]

We have an ancient FoodSaver. It may even be pre-2000. No such selection switch.

Sorry, the question was posed to the poster who said that liquid is a problem with sealing.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

What I have found is that in some aftermarket brands, the channels collapse so you can't get many extra uses out of them. They just won't work. The official brand's channels are pretty sturdy.

No reusing [-]Dryer Sheets[/-] vacuum bags for us. Like TP, we only use our vacuum bags once. We only ever use them for meat and chicken. Everything else we get fresh.

 

[audreyh1]

Sorry, the question was posed to the poster who said that liquid is a problem with sealing.

I had also mentioned liquid being a challenge with sealing. Several of us did.

 

[easysurfer]

We have an ancient FoodSaver. It may even be pre-2000. No such selection switch.

Ours was made in Italy. Still runs great.

I have one of those too, bought used.

I still think those are the best FoodSaver models. The newer ones look shiny and may have some steel but I'd rather have an ancient one. A lot of thought went into these machines.

Why the nozzle suction method and drain if liquid got sucked in is not longer adopted as a design is sort of sad. The ancient is one model that if some liquid gets sucked in, doesn't risk killing the machine.

 

[aja8888]

Thanks for all the information and user tips so far. This weekend we will be looking at various models.

 

[swakyaby]

This is the first time I looked up the prices for generic vacuum sealer bags. Wow, so inexpensive compared to Food Saver bags. I shall make the switch!

 

[EastWest Gal]

I have a glut of jalapeños that I just picked. No way can I use them all. I'm going to freeze them in small quantities. And I'm going to make lots of small bags today. Here is an old video on how to do this, and also has great ideas for using such small bags.

 

[old medic]

I have a glut of jalapeños that I just picked. No way can I use them all.

We currently have 3 half gallon jars sitting fermenting with a combination of peppers to make hot sauce.. And DW picked another basket full yesterday.
Got a ton of Habalinaros. little goes a long way...

 

[Time2]

Does anyone here put steaks in vacuum sealed bags then sous vide and freezer for later searing?
If so, how do they turn out?

 

[braumeister]

All the time. It's a great way to cook steak.

 

[easysurfer]

Does anyone here put steaks in vacuum sealed bags then sous vide and freezer for later searing?
If so, how do they turn out?

vacuum sealer + sous vide cooker + cast iron skillet = tasty steak

 

[OldShooter]

Does anyone here put steaks in vacuum sealed bags then sous vide and freezer for later searing?
If so, how do they turn out?

I bag them with some seasoning and maybe a pat of butter then freeze them. Sous vide to medium rare when I'm ready to eat and sear in a cast iron fry pan. Never thought to sous vide prior to freezing. I'll have to try that.

 

[24601NoMore]

We also use off-brand bags. WAY cheaper than the Foodsaver ones.

Quart size is great for most things..and as others have mentioned, food can last YEARS and taste the exact same as the day you cooked it.

We'll take things (steaks, pulled pork, etc) out of the freezer, dump the sealed bag into a container of water in the fridge, and it defrosts perfectly. Best method for defrosting safely and quickly that we've found, and the bags make it easy peasy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DC6LA9Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[walkinwood]

The bags tend to be expensive, so go to Amazon and find some third party bags or rolls.


Most cooked foods will last a week in the refrigerator, so you may not need to freeze as much as you think you'll need to. I tend to cook enough for at least 2 meals. Eat one right away and the other a couple of days later.

 

[braumeister]

I bag them with some seasoning and maybe a pat of butter then freeze them. Sous vide to medium rare when I'm ready to eat and sear in a cast iron fry pan. Never thought to sous vide prior to freezing. I'll have to try that.

That's what I do. Guess I misunderstood the question -- I would never freeze after the sous vide; that makes no sense.

 

[Time2]

That's what I do. Guess I misunderstood the question -- I would never freeze after the sous vide; that makes no sense.

Sure it does, sous vide takes 3 hrs. Searing a sous vide steak is 5 minutes.
The question, is the quality affected, most seem to say they are fine.

If it good, I can buy rib eye in bulk, vacuum seal and sous vide, then freeze them. i can put one in the fridge daily to thaw and eat it the next day, perfect for my carnivore diet. YMMV

 

[braumeister]

Sure it does, sous vide takes 3 hrs. Searing a sous vide steak is 5 minutes.
The question, is the quality affected, most seem to say they are fine.

If it good, I can buy rib eye in bulk, vacuum seal and sous vide, then freeze them. i can put one in the fridge daily to thaw and eat it the next day, perfect for my carnivore diet. YMMV

That time you're thawing it in the fridge is equivalent to the time mine is in the sous vide before searing.

 

[OldShooter]

That time you're thawing it in the fridge is equivalent to the time mine is in the sous vide before searing.

Yeah. From a logistics POV, freezing before sous vide makes more sense. It doesn’t take long for something to thaw in a sous vide bath, so the bath time is not much extended. Thawing in a fridge or even in a bowl of water is unnecessary if the meat is frozen before going into the bath.

 

[Time2]

Yeah. From a logistics POV, freezing before sous vide makes more sense. It doesn’t take long for something to thaw in a sous vide bath, so the bath time is not much extended. Thawing in a fridge or even in a bowl of water is unnecessary if the meat is frozen before going into the bath.

In my case I need to get the sous vide unit out of the box, unpack, put water in get it up to temp, hang the bags and then wait, So if he kids are coming this weekend, I get the frozen sous vide steaks in the fridge on Friday and sear them 15 minutes before we eat. I like that way, (assuming the quality is still good) you are more than welcome to do it your way.
You can sous vide 4 steaks now, and 4 steaks next week and 4 more after that.
I can sous vide 10 or 12 steaks and have them in the freezer waiting to be seared.
I say tomato, you say Solanum lycopersicum!

 

[ERD50]

Yeah. From a logistics POV, freezing before sous vide makes more sense. It doesn’t take long for something to thaw in a sous vide bath, so the bath time is not much extended. Thawing in a fridge or even in a bowl of water is unnecessary if the meat is frozen before going into the bath.

Analyzing this way too deeply (hey, it's what I do!), I'd say the sous-vide then freeze makes sense on a few levels.

Less energy overall, right? Let's see - sous-vide from room temperature, less energy used. Freezing would take a bit longer, but they'd lose a lot of their heat just sitting out for a few minutes. And freezers are moving heat using electricity, which is more efficient than heating with electricity (COP applies).

Then, when you defrost in the fridge, that cold is being released into the refrigerator, where you want it, so it's not wasted.

Plus, I imagine you'd sous-vide several steaks at once, so the pre-heat is shared for less waste, and less time with this stuff on the counter, and taking it out and putting it away for each steak.

All pretty minor points, and might not be significant for the individual, but objectively I'd give the nod to "sous-vide, freeze, sear" as better than "freeze, sous-vide, sear".

-ERD50