Vacuum Sealing for freezing, cooking and refrigeration

[Emme]

Judy, over here we can get them at Master Butchers. They are wholesale butcher suppliers but will sell to the public.

Are the bags you get for the Sunbeam Cookie?  I have always used the Sunbeam bags or rolls but they are quite expensive.

[cookie1]

Yes they work in the Sunbeam. We tried heaps and heaps and were then told about them. They have a rough side and a smooth side and come in various sizes.

[obbie]

I bought it from oo.com.au

Food Vacuum Sealer Saver with Heat Strip Free 10 Bags
Product Code: HMFSMA2120   $64.95

[Emme]

Yes they work in the Sunbeam. We tried heaps and heaps and were then told about them. They have a rough side and a smooth side and come in various sizes.

Thanks Cookie, will look them up.   

[Itsnotartitsdinner]

I would love to know how it goes Obbie as I want to buy one for MIL for Christmas

[obbie]

I'm sure I will use it.
marinates meat in it, and then freeze, so it is all ready to go.


should get it this week..

[Wonder]

Obbie I will be interested to hear how you go sealing with the marinade in the bag. I've tried it a few times and found it needed to be partly frozen otherwise it would seep up through the top.

[cookie1]

I've had the same problem Wonder. Any liquid seems to seep up as you vacuum seal. That is why I freeze my casseroles and soups before vacuum sealing them.

[Wonder]

Still haven't had a lot of luck with liquids in the machine but have been using it much more than every before and my fridge and freezer are looking great. I bought a heap (close to 150) bags from the supplier JulieO listed in the shopping thread and now have different sizes and much cheaper than the ones I had. I got a number of avocados from the farmers 2 weeks ago and because we tend to go through them slowly here and waste at least half, I cut them in half stoned them and then vacuum sealed each half in it's own small bag and then left in the fridge. 2 Weeks later they are great and I'm just opening one package each time I want some avocado. it will be interesting to see how long they last.

[Bonsai]

Fluids don't vacuum well as they get sucked in to the sealing device. You can vacuum if you freeze first but I suppose that defeats the purpose. Commercial vacuum devices have a system which drops the pressure inside and outside the bag so that fluids don't get sucked out

[Wonder]

Thanks bonsai, some seem to be having success with marinades and others not. I guess it does make a difference how thick they are and how much. At the moment I've been freezing anything liquid into blocks and then vacuum sealing.

[JulieO]

Wonder, does your machine have the ability for you to stop the vacuum process then seal or is it just automatic?

When I'm vacuuming something that has liquid in it, I will vacuum until I see the liquid being sucked up to the top.  I then press cancel or stop, then press seal.  You don't get all the air out like normal, but it is good enough.  It's good when it's a marinade because you can then squish the bag now and then, it's not quite as solid so to speak.

Another idea I've read about but haven't tried, is to have the bag containing the food/liquid hanging over the side of your bench top so the liquid moves to the bottom of the bag and then vacuum.  More air can be removed before the liquid is sucked up IYKWIM. Might be worth a try. 

[astarra]

I have got mine now - it is still sitting in it's box on the bench. 
My freezer is about 1/2 empty now  and want to get it cleaned out before I refill it - sure the sealer will get a workout then!
- also think it will be used alot once the summer veges become an abundance! 

[Wonder]

Thanks for those tips JulieO. I do have one where I can stop the seal but wasn't sure if that outweighs the positives of the vacuum seal?? I did do this with a batch of marinated chicken wings and the marinade remained semi liquid after freezing so I was very worried the chicken hadn't frozen properly so ended up throwing them away. 

I also tried the hanging the bag over the bench with a batch of bolognese sauce and at that time I didn't realise that the generic bags we purchased at the good guys were not great quality, and with the first batch I was concentrating on the sealing and not watching what was happening with the bag that was hanging over the bench and the bottom seal split sending meat sauce all over my feet and the kitchen floor. A huge mess that the dogs had a great time helping clean up. the bags I purchased through your link seem much better quality but I think when I next try that method I'll seal along the bottom edge a second time just to be sure.

Astarra you'll love it, I'm finding it's great for things in the fridge and saves so much room in the freezer.

[obbie]

got mine, so cooking heaps tomorrow, and sealing. will report back.

Dream pot to get a work out too.
and my 2 thermies, so busy weekend.