Vacuum Sealing Discussion: Food Saver, Reynolds, Etc.

[oregon]

Great instructions, thank you!

I have a question . . . I sealed some long strips of beef for stir frying and put them in the freezer. When it was time to thaw them I pulled them out and put them in the fridge one night around 7:00 pm. When I pulled them out the next night they had turned brown and the bag had lots of blood in it. I have a very weak stomach and I could just imagine what it was going to smell like if I opened the bag so I threw the whole thing away. Same thing happened with some hamburger meat I froze at the same time. The meat was very fresh and red when I sealed it and I froze it right away.

Any ideas what I did wrong? Are there just certain meats that don't freeze well? Usually I would have thawed them on the counter but I read on a website that you shoudn't do that so thus my decision to thaw them in the fridge overnight.

The pressure of the vaccum actually draws out the extra fluids that aren't completely drained from the meat. It doesn't stink. I usually just cut a corner in the bag and poor it down the drain.

The darkeness of the fluid is because the oxygen in the blood is gone. This happens to all blood, and is a normal part of biology. All red meats are going to have this happen. This is not an indication of rancidness, and there isn't anything wrong with the meat.

Once I have drained it, I rinse the meat and use it. It is fine.

That being said, if there is a strong odor, then I would toss it.

[couponfanatic]

Does anyone use the roll bags? We are new to sealing and DH bought several rolls. Google vaccuum bag 30-0011-W for an example. Are rolls or the individual bags usually a better deal? I know that could be dependent on what you're doing, but which is usually cheaper?
We are using it for freezer storage of meat etc. I haven't gotten into plates or meals yet.

[$Saving!]

Does anyone use the roll bags? We are new to sealing and DH bought several rolls. Google vaccuum bag 30-0011-W for an example. Are rolls or the individual bags usually a better deal? I know that could be dependent on what you're doing, but which is usually cheaper?
We are using it for freezer storage of meat etc. I haven't gotten into plates or meals yet.

I only use the rolls, for one reason. YOU get to decide the size of the bag you need and save $ doing it. The bags are expensive and often not just the right size you need.

Before you cut a piece, seal the end, then roll out the size you need, cut, pack and then seal the other end. Very easy to use and economical

[couponfanatic]

I only use the rolls, for one reason. YOU get to decide the size of the bag you need and save $ doing it. The bags are expensive and often not just the right size you need.

Before you cut a piece, seal the end, then roll out the size you need, cut, pack and then seal the other end. Very easy to use and economical

Thanks, That's what I was thinking, but I never did the math,
Has anyone looked into it?.
i.e.
You could make X quart size bags out of a 50 ft roll
1 roll costs Y
so if you can find bags for less than Z, the bags are cheaper (when X times Z equals less than Y.

And, where's the cheapest place to buy them? Suggestions anyone?

[$Saving!]

Thanks, That's what I was thinking, but I never did the math,
Has anyone looked into it?.
i.e.
You could make X quart size bags out of a 50 ft roll
1 roll costs Y
so if you can find bags for less than Z, the bags are cheaper (when X times Z equals less than Y.

And, where's the cheapest place to buy them? Suggestions anyone?

EXAMPLE: On a 20 foot roll of the 8" wide bags, you would get 20 one quart size bags (8"x11") - excess being used in the sealing edges. Looking at prices on Amazon, 44 premade quart size bags for the Food Saver are about $22 plus shipping.

Since I've never bought just one roll of the 8" but always buy a mixed box that contains (2) 20' rolls of the 8" wide and (3) 16' rolls of the 11" wide, I never did the math before or compared bag price per se.

I do know that the box of 5 bags I described costs me approximately $42-$44. But if you were to make bags out of all those rolls, depending on the size of the bag of course, it still works out cheaper to buy the rolls obviously.

The box I buy contains (2) 8" wide rolls @ 20 feet long each. That would mean they make 40 quart size bags (cutting at 12" length to make the individual bags). But the box I buy also contains (3) 11" x 16 ft long rolls and if you were to make quart size bags out of those, you would get 21 bags per roll = 63 additional quart size bags.

So, quick and dirty calculations for the box of 5 rolls I buy would produce 100+ quart size bags for let's say $44 = 44 cents each vs buying premade at the Amazon price of $22 (plus shipping unknown) for 44 = 50 cents a bag without the shipping cost factored in.

I have bought the boxes of 5 rolls at WalMart and Costco, price is about the same at both.

Hope that helps!

ETA: Of course the rolls allow flexibility of making any size bag you need, reducing waste as a quart may be too small in some cases and too large in others

[couponfanatic]

Thanks!