What vacuum sealer do you use?

748rpilot · Sunday at 9:49 PM

I bought a few Prime Ribs while they were on sale for Christmas with the intent of vacuum sealing and freezing them (well, all but one). I borrowed a FoodSaver V2440 from my sister and bought the expandable bags, but holy shit was this a frustrating experience. The machine would constantly fail to pull enough vacuum to empty the bag of oxygen and then seal. Sometimes the bag seemed empty but it refused to seal.

One prime rib I sealed I just took out of the fridge and it had a pocket of air in it. The meat has a faint sour odor but feels fine (not slimey) and doesn't otherwise seem obviously bad. I'm going to freeze it for use anyway and I just won't serve it to guests. But, I'm pissed off and frustrated by the entire experience with the FoodSaver's reluctance to do its job.

I know there has to be vacuum sealer users here. What do you guys use? Anyone have experience with VacMaster? Should I give FoodSaver another shot with a new machine?

UKDslayer · Sunday at 9:56 PM

748rpilot said:
I bought a few Prime Ribs while they were on sale for Christmas with the intent of vacuum sealing and freezing them (well, all but one). I

How did you get more than one? I thought the sale was limit one (except for illegals).

Heavyopp · Sunday at 9:57 PM

I use this one -

16" External Vacuum Sealer | MEAT

16" External Vacuum Sealer

www.meatyourmaker.com

I have no experience with vac sealers other than this one. It’s wide. It does what I need it to do.

748rpilot · Sunday at 10:01 PM

UKDslayer said:
How did you get more than one? I thought the sale was limit one (except for illegals).

Literally just grabbed a couple from the meat cooler. 1x USDA Prime, 2x Choice. I went to the butcher counter and got one more, then went through the self checkout. It didn't seem to be enforced and no one said anything to me.

MOUNTIC · Sunday at 10:08 PM

VacMaster VP230 is what I use. Well worth it. Especially when you package elk, deer, or other larger quantities of meat. You can take those food savers and toss them in the garbage.

VacMaster VP230 Commercial Chamber Vacuum Sealer

Shop VacMaster VP230 Chamber Vacuum Sealer. Professional commercial-grade food storage vacuum packer. Vacuum seal liquids & liquid rich food. Free Shipping!

www.vacmasterfresh.com

The "out of air" bags you can find on Amazon are super durable and worth it also. Don't have to worry about frozen meat putting little pin holes in cheap bags.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017LFB4UG?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-mobile_k0_1_11&amp=&crid=18CCBQJHGSX5H&amp=&sprefix=out+of+air+

Have probably well over a thousand bags sealed with the above combo and would do the same if I started from scratch again. The sealer has very little maintenance with just changing the oil. Its pretty heavy so put it in a spot where it doesn't need to be moved often. The VP230 is just crossing into the more durable commercial category but worth it over the few options just below it.

LonewolfMcQuade · Sunday at 10:13 PM

Lem max vac 500. Commercial quality, actually made to be serviceable - not throw away. Made in Ohio I believe, all parts available. Fast continuous sealing, no cool down times like many others. Mine has been problem free 3 years running. I use it daily,

748rpilot · Sunday at 10:23 PM

LonewolfMcQuade said:
Lem max vac 500. Commercial quality, actually made to be serviceable - not throw away. Made in Ohio I believe, all parts available. Fast continuous sealing, no cool down times like many others. Mine has been problem free 3 years running. I use it daily,

I had looked at that unit, does it seal while pulling vacuum? A common complaint with FoodSaver is that it stops pulling vacuum to seal, returning some amount of oxygen back into the bag.

AZLong · Sunday at 10:26 PM

Had a Foodsaver for a while. The first one didn't last long, but bought a top line unit about 10 years ago and haven't had a problem with it

hlee · Sunday at 10:30 PM

UKDslayer said:
How did you get more than one? I thought the sale was limit one (except for illegals).

Some people just want to see the white or world burn…

LonewolfMcQuade · Sunday at 10:39 PM

748rpilot said:
I had looked at that unit, does it seal while pulling vacuum?

Yes

Pharmseller · Sunday at 10:40 PM

I just did this today.

My Foodsaver

I ended up buying 4 prime rib roasts from Safeway, $4.99/lb. Different accounts, playing the game. Cooked 2 for Christmas Eve, cooked the third last night. Had a bunch left over as well as the entire fourth roast.

This piece gave me 5 nice slices. A hair under medium rare.

I added 4 spoonfuls of au jus to each slice and vacuum sealed them. I had to freeze them for a couple of hours first so the liquid didn’t interfere with the process.

Then I sliced the last roast into ribeyes and got 8 1 1/4” steaks.

Same process, 2 spoonfuls and a chunk of solid fat from the roasting process.

Pretty pleased with the results.

P

748rpilot · Sunday at 10:46 PM

That's interesting, I wonder if I should have tightly wrapped each roast in saran wrap and frozen for a couple hours before vacuum sealing to stop/prevent the machine from pulling meat juice.

John? · Sunday at 10:55 PM

We’ve given up on food saver machines. They don’t last very long and are a PITA. Can’t buy replacement parts.

If the bag is too long it won’t properly vacuum and the seals can fail. Double sealing can help.

Looking at LEM or Weston as a replacement. VacMaster is beyond our budget.

triumph001 · Sunday at 11:15 PM

People who process a lot of their own meat or garden produce are money ahead to invest in a chamber style vacuum. The external foodsaver types work for infrequent light duty jobs but all but the most expensive units are limited in their utility. I burned up an external foodsaver vacuum sealer annualy until I decided to drop the coin on a vacmaster vp115 (now discontinued) around 5 years ago. We process a lot of meat and produce for the freezer every year. It is the single best food preseravtion tool I have ever purchased.

It is a heavy pig and is not something I wanted to lug around much. We bought a small wheeled cart and can easily roll it out of the pantry and into the kitchen when we need to use it. This past fall my sister was visiting when I processed 50 pounds of green chilis I grew in one of my gardens and roasted in the front yard. She couldnt believe how easy it was to use and how good of a job it did. She now owns a very similiar unit, LEM MaxVac Pro, and seems to like it so far.

MaxVac® Pro Chamber Vacuum Sealer | LEM Products

This heavy-duty chamber sealer vacuum seals all types of foods, including liquids like soups and stews, preserving flavor and nutrients, and preventing freezer burn. It's also ideal for marinating meat and making boil-in (sous vide) bags. Compact and lightweight, this convenient countertop...

www.lemproducts.com

Pro’s of chamber vacs
1. Don’t take expensive bags like the external style units. Bags of equavilent size are half the price or less.
2. A lot less likely to leak liquid while going through the sealing process. If you do leak some liquid it doesn’t immediately get sucked into the innards and require a full tear down to get back up and running.
3. Settings can be easily dialed in to eliminate air pockets and sealing time can be changed to allow perfect seals for bags of varying thicknesses.

Con’s of chamber vacs
1. Expensive cost of entry.
2. They are heavy therefor they can’t easily be stored in a cupboard or under the counter.
3. Servicable units do require you check the oil level on the pump. Look for maintenance free units if that is a concern.

For most the cost of entry is what keeps them from buying a chamber vac, it was my biggest hangup for years. However, when I factored in the cost of replacing moderately priced foodsaver units annualy, paying 10-20 cents per bag and having questionable results when processing expensive meat and produce it didn’t take long to justify the expense of a chamber vac. I have spent virtually nothing on it since I bought it. We are about to place an order for more bags as we are about to use up the last of what we ordered when we bought it, 3000 bags later.

Pharmseller · Sunday at 11:20 PM

748rpilot said:
That's interesting, I wonder if I should have tightly wrapped each roast in saran wrap and frozen for a couple hours before vacuum sealing to stop/prevent the machine from pulling meat juice.

Saran Wrap is not needed. Bag the steak, wipe the mouth of the bag with a paper towel to prevent a failed seal, and freeze. Fish gets frozen overnight, and sometimes I do the same to steaks. Frozen steaks and fish vacuum better anyway.

P

Matches Malone · Sunday at 11:22 PM

I just wrap it in butcher paper and put it in a super large freezer bag, then freeze it.

I use to use food savers for game meat, but I really try to avoid plastics going directly on the meat whenever possible. Waxed paper seems to work fine for long time storage imo.

Franko · Monday at 12:21 AM

Have a VacMaster VP112S that has probably sealed up more than 1k bags. It runs like a champ and will even handle soups and marinades with a little creativity. They are pricey but work really well and allow me to save a lot of money by buying meat in bulk from Costco and then repackaging and freezing. The heavy bags are also nice because they can go 6 months in a freezer without leaking.

LuckyLuke80 · Monday at 12:56 AM

Heavyopp said:
I use this one -

16" External Vacuum Sealer | MEAT

16" External Vacuum Sealer

www.meatyourmaker.com

I have no experience with vac sealers other than this one. It’s wide. It does what I need it to do.

This is a good brand. Endorsed by the legendary bearded butchers

Darryle · Monday at 1:22 AM

I have a chamber sealer but rarely use it, it's big and cumbersome. Only use it for massive jobs, like processing farm raised pig, sheep or goat, yearling beef goes to the processor in town.

Like @Pharmseller , I buy whatever foodsaver is on sale that will seal an 11" bags bought in bulk, remove the gaskets after use, clean everything up and put them in a ziploc making sure they are not folded or twisted.

Rarely does one go bad unless you close the lid too tight and compress the gaskets or you let fluid get into the pump, then a warm water flush followed by a squirt of Kroil and everything is like new again. I give mine a squirt of Kroil right before I put it away.

Haney · Monday at 5:38 AM

Foodsaver is a fine rig if used properly.

Fx51LP308 · Monday at 5:52 AM

I'm a FoodSaver man, m'self, although an older model (but it still works and I get the bags for it).

I use it presently for freezing my Beef Tenderloin medallions. I'll buy a Costco whole Beef Tenderloin, trim it and then slice it into 2" medallions where possible. I can usually get around 8-10 medallions from one tenderloin. And then I'll make a couple of medallions buy rolling and tying the chain and other pieces together (not as tender, but...). I then make up some bags (i.e. seal one side), and then put two medallions in each bag. I then freeze for only 1 hour... not much more. I then complete the vacuum seal and continue the freezing. Just makes it easier to avoid the "running juice" problem when vacuuming. That, and the medallions don't "squish" as much.

eddie102870 · Monday at 7:22 AM

MaxVac® Pro+ Chamber Vacuum Sealer | LEM Products

The LEM MaxVac® Pro+ Chamber Vacuum Sealer packages virtually everything, from meat to fish to liquids. With chamber sealing technology, you'll be able to increase the shelf-life of your home packaged perishables better than ever.

www.lemproducts.com

ColbyLang · Monday at 7:23 AM

I have 2. One chamber sealer (small) from Anova Culinary and one “commercial” LEM/Weston version that operates like a FoodSaver. I use both regularly. The chamber works way better, but limits the size stuff I can do. The clam shell style works, but you gotta know what you’re doing

Devildog · Monday at 7:44 AM

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-12-commercial-grade-vacuum-sealer

We’ve been using this one for several years and it does a great job.

Having trouble using the site?

What vacuum sealer do you use?

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