vacuum sealer thing suggestions?

[belibutn]

What kind of vacuum sealer thing would you all suggest for us to get? we are going to be dispatching and cleaning our cornish x rocks that we got from Welp soon, and need some suggestions on which ones work, and which ones are big enough to seal up those birds. It would be nice to have something turkey sized since we are thinking about doing those as well.

 

[spatcher]

We have had a "Foodsaver" for a long time. When we wear it out we get a newer model (about every 5 years or so). They are all limited by the sealing element which I think is about 11 inches or so. If you buy the rolls instead of the bags, you are pretty much unlimited as to the length. Also, we have tried the non-foodsaver bags that are cheaper but you lose in quality. One tip for you though. Flashfreeze whatever you are packaging before sealing it in the bag. It keeps its shape much better and I find you will have less "false" seals this way. We wouldnt be without one. Hope this helps.

 

[belibutn]

Hmm, thanks. question: How does one 'flashfreeze'? Should we just bag them in ... something... till they age past rigor, then freeze them and seal them after that?

 

[spatcher]

I dont know how many you are processing but if its a lot then the "flashfreeze" might not be an option. Everything we seal are in smaller amounts so we have the room in the freezer to put them in on cookie sheets or whatever, unwrapped. Turn the freezer to "max" and put them in for a couple hours. They wont be frozen solid obviously, but will keep them from collapsing under the vacuum pressure. Not sure about the "rigor". Would get them in as soon as I could.

 

[chiknlittle]

I agree with what spatcher says. I am on my second FoodSaver, and I find that I use it for everything. It keeps frozen foods longer without the fear of freezer burn. Some of the attachments are indispensible. You can save on rolls to make your own bags (saves money over buying bags and is easy) by buying in bulk at costco and sams. I have a mason jar sealer attachment for regular and wide mouth jars too. Now I keep all my dry goods (flour, sugar, rice, etc) in quart jars which seals out all moisture and keeps things fresher longer. I thought the FoodSaver canisters were a nice idea, but they're impractical for frequent use since they must be resealed after each time they're opened and they're not diswasher safe. I think they're a good product that will last several years before expiring. Some things to think about:

1. Vacume sealer will all work, but to different degrees and some come with nice bells and wistles. Decide what you can and can't live without. I have the one that holds and cuts the roll of plastic for me, and a place to attach the tube for the accessories.

2. Most all of these sealers holds a maximum of 11-12 inch wide bags. FoodSaver rolls come in 8 inches wide and 11 inches wide. Really big birds will need to be halved or quartered or put up another way.

3. Spatcher recommended flash freezing whatever you are sealing, and I recommend this too. My parents (who also have a Food Sealer) ruined theirs by vaccuming too much liquid and ruining the motor. I freeze everything first for a cople of hours or until hard and then seal and freeze. Liquids should be frozen flat preferably in a squarish bowl and then removed from the bowl, placed in a bag, sealed and placed back in the freezer.

4. Labeling is important, but tape tends to fall off these bags, and permanent marker rubs off. I have about 2 inches of empty space at the top of the bag after sealing is completed. I quickly go to my computer and print out what I've just stored:

Chicken Breast 1 pound Sealed: 6/1/08

and make the size so that when I print it out a lot and cut it out it will fit in a 1 inch high X 10 inch wide (for big bags) space. I put this in the 2 inch space and seal again. It is now a waterproof label for waterver is in the connected pouch.

Hope this helps!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Quote:
I absolutely agree - I have a Foodsaver (on my third one now) and it is really tricky to vacuum foods with juice, even if you don't THINK there's juice. I also find that laying a couple paper towels over the food helps absorb most of the liquid so I can get a good seal. I have ruined many a seal/bag and machine but if you take the extra steps to pre-freeze, then you should be fine.

Your big birds probably will not fit whole into the bags though. I had trouble with some of mine and the biggest were 5 lbs. Had to half them.

 

[belibutn]

Thanks for the info folks. This was exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for!