New vaccum sealer?

hossblur

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Sealing up some chilli burgers, and chilli Verde tonight, and the vaccum sealer is really struggling. Sealer bar has a hot spot that keeps burning a little hole. Struggles to vaccum on top of that.

What are you guys using that you'd recommend?
 
I had one that didn't work out as it kept melting the bags. I have a new one and it doesn't always work perfect but is good. I'm not sure what to tell you Hoss. May e we have to buy the stupidly expensive ones?
 
I use a $100 FoodSaver and it's been a champ for years. Some folks have problems with them sealing (because of blood/moisture on sealing surface) but I just pay attention to that and I rarely have to reseal.

If your funds and unlimited, Cabela's and other food service companies have vacuum sealers that laugh at moisture and seal it anyway. Those are a bit more pricey.
 
Sorry, I looked it up and if there is too much liquid you have to partially freeze before sealing. I apologize for my lack of knowledge. I need to read more instructions.
 
We have a Food Saver model, and it works like a champ. Just be careful to keep surfaces clean and dry, and it will perform like it is supposed to. You may have to try different brands of bags to find the best compatible one with your machine. Ours does well with both the FS and also Cabela's bags.
 
Oops, looks like DM already made this suggestion.

I’m a pure novice at vacuum sealing and various types of sealers. I did read an article that offered this suggestion for sealing issues with moisture, blood, water etc.

The article said to prefreeze what ever your sealing. Freezing just enough to solidify the moister prior to vacuum packing it.

I tried with raw hamburger and it worked very well.

I did find that I needed to leave each package in the freezer until immediately before I was ready to vacuum pack the individual contents. Otherwise it quickly began to melt and the moisture problem returned.

For what it’s worth, I’m now sure it’s a standard operating procedure but for some it might help a little.
 
We have been using the same one for about 20+ years now. I can't recall the brand but will check with my wife the next time she comes to the kitchen to refill her coffee cup.

But you know what..I've found that stuff freezes & keeps just as well with Saran & Zip-loc bags. When I cut the tenderlioins into filets, I wrap each tight in Saran to dispel the air. Then I put as many as I can in 1-gal. Zip-loc that gets labeled for contents. Obviously, that doesn't work well with juicy stuff, but for most solids, it's fine. And if you plan on more than 6-months, the vacuum sealer is the way to go.
 
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Been using this one 15 years plus
Have to let it cool off after 5 or so bags and that is ridiculous
Looking for some thing better but it does a great job

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Ok, ours is a really old Foodsaver model that you have to press down on to sorta activate. It still works good, but it's probably no where near as easy to use as a newer one.
 
After a special audience granted by my wife, our combined memory meanderings have determined our Foodsaver dates back to when they first appeared on the scenes, circa late 1980s. This was one of the original models.

foodsaver.JPG
 
We have been using the same one for about 20+ years now. I can't recall the brand but will check with my wife the next time she comes to the kitchen to refill her coffee cup.

But you know what..I've found that stuff freezes & keeps just as well with Saran & Zip-loc bags. When I cut the tenderlioins into filets, I wrap each tight in Saran to dispel the air. Then I put as many as I can in 1-gal. Zip-loc that gets labeled for contents. Obviously, that doesn't work well with juicy stuff, but for most solids, it's fine. And if you plan on more than 6-months, the vacuum sealer is the way to go.
I have tried everything but with seal a meal I have enjoyed salmon almost 2 1/2 years later and it was just as good as new.
 
Sealing up some chilli burgers, and chilli Verde tonight, and the vaccum sealer is really struggling. Sealer bar has a hot spot that keeps burning a little hole. Struggles to vaccum on top of that.

What are you guys using that you'd recommend?
Weston is the best you can't do better in my book. Two motors and my fish especially salmon which will go bad all too soon if you don't freeze it right.
A little pricey I think they are about $450 now but I have had mine for about five years now and it works as good now as it did the day I got it.
Just my .02
 
Vacmaster is what I use. Since you don’t put up a lot of game I would recommend the ziplock bag method by outdoorwriter.
 
The real key to freezing anything is to remove the air from the package. The nice thing about vacuum packing is you can see the contents easily. Even if it's just in a Ziplock, roll the package to get as much out as possible, before sealing.

We process all of our deer and elk, and usually just in Saran Wrap, then white butcher paper. It will easily keep meat good from 12-18 months. It's convenient too, as you can write anything on the package with a marker. Make sure to rotate stuff out so you don't end up with old meat. Won't be bad for you, but definitely starts to lose flavor.
 
I have tried everything but with seal a meal I have enjoyed salmon almost 2 1/2 years later and it was just as good as new.
No way. The fat/oils go rancid in 3-9 months. Sockeye is still edible at a year but does not taste like fresh fish. Silvers and kings are in the 3-6 month range before they start tasting off. Seal-a-meal is no different than any other vacuum bag system, just a different brand.

We package at least 200lbs of salmon and fish a year and have tried it every way you can imagine to last longer. You can't stop the oil from going bad.
 
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No way. The fat/oils go rancid in 3-9 months. Sockeye is still edible at a year but does not taste like fresh fish. Silvers and kings are in the 3-6 month range before they start tasting off. Seal-a-meal is no different than any other vacuum bag system, just a different brand.

We package at least 200lbs of salmon and fish a year and have tried it every way you can imagine to last longer. You can't stop the oil from going bad.
Maybe because it had been in the river and lost some oils ? I had Walleye last also.
 
Maybe because it had been in the river and lost some oils ? I had Walleye last also.
Salmon don't really loose much oil in the river, and unless they were tomatoes they still have a lot if fat in them. Similar to pork, it will go bad in the freezer, because the fat doesn't "freeze." Not saying it was inedible, but it certainly didn't taste as fresh as the day you sealed it up. I've eaten through, god knows how much salmon, but once the 12 month ticket is punched, it better be gone or it will get smoked.

Walleye and many other white fleshed fish can last a long time. I've eaten halibut that was 3 years old that was ok, once the freezer burn was trimmed off. Rockfish 2 months later, will be fishy, but edible, at 6 months its cat food. Speaking of which, I need to make some rockfish tacos ASAP, have a bunch from last month to eat up.
 
Salmon don't really loose much oil in the river, and unless they were tomatoes they still have a lot if fat in them. Similar to pork, it will go bad in the freezer, because the fat doesn't "freeze." Not saying it was inedible, but it certainly didn't taste as fresh as the day you sealed it up. I've eaten through, god knows how much salmon, but once the 12 month ticket is punched, it better be gone or it will get smoked.

Walleye and many other white fleshed fish can last a long time. I've eaten halibut that was 3 years old that was ok, once the freezer burn was trimmed off. Rockfish 2 months later, will be fishy, but edible, at 6 months its cat food. Speaking of which, I need to make some rockfish tacos ASAP, have a bunch from last month to eat up.
Maybe my memory and it was just tge Walkete only and the salmon was less ..?
 

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