How do you freeze meat if you do not own a FoodSaver Vacuum sealing system

I have seen one of those TV food network cooking show guys wrap meat in foil, put in a ziplock bag, close almost all the way then insert a straw & suck out the air, quickly remove straw & quickly finish zipping bag. He says it's just as good as a foodsaver. I have a food saver so I never tried. might be worth a try. I also have a friend who puts food in a zip lock bag, inserts in a sink full of water, just below the zipper. this forces out the air & when you zip you have removed most of the air.

Wrapping in foil seems to keep meat looking better. Also, look at the new vacuum pumps at the grocery store. I think they're under $15. A friend of mine has one and it works pretty well.

just a ziplock won't work for very long.

The 2nd best option would be to double wrap in plastic wrap, then double wrap in foil. AIR is the key to them getting freezer burn, so you won't to minimize any moisture inside (hence, don't use freezer bags for more than a month or so)

I've bent a few straws in my time, and it doesn't work. I was rearranging my freezer today and found some canadian bacon marked 5/12; it was so frosty that I feared it might be 2008 instead of 2009.

Smokin's double double wrap is the way to go with raw meat. However, when I cook the occasional brisket and take the trouble to turn twenty dollars worth of meat into five expensive meals for two, the foodsaver has never let me down.
Vacuum sealer should be the first accessory after the electric smoker. Nothing like stowing away bags of pulled pork for six months, then telling your friends to just put them in a pot of boiling water til they warm through.
The reason we pay for convenience is not dollar value, it is because it is so darn convenient. Less effort, better experience.

Check eBay, craigslist and Costco for vacuum sealer values. They can be had pretty cheap.

The Foodsaver I saw at Costco was $150, they seem to be less at WalMart, but I'm not familiar with the different versions. Reliability and durability are important to me, more so than a small price difference up front.

When I am considering any purchase of this nature, I try and do a search on epinions.com to see what the verdict is.

I bought a FoodSaver about 6 months ago... and although it works ok (most of the time) it has had a few problems... Mostly with the bags not making a good seal and also not doing a good vacuum. Bought some 3rd party bags off of eBay and they work better (and are cheaper).

However, having researched the Foodsaver for whether parts are available, they seem not to be. And the support from the Tilla company seems to be non-existent.

So when the Foodsaver breaks down for whatever reason, I think I will spring for a Sinbo, assuming the reviews sound good for it. And then I can use the Drybags for aging meat.

quote:

Originally posted by Qnorth:
I bought a FoodSaver about 6 months ago... and although it works ok (most of the time) it has had a few problems... Mostly with the bags not making a good seal and also not doing a good vacuum. Bought some 3rd party bags off of eBay and they work better (and are cheaper).

However, having researched the Foodsaver for whether parts are available, they seem not to be. And the support from the Tilla company seems to be non-existent.

So when the Foodsaver breaks down for whatever reason, I think I will spring for a Sinbo, assuming the reviews sound good for it. And then I can use the Drybags for aging meat.

I've had a Sinbo for about 5 years now and I'm very happy with it. I also have a great big whole beef rib loin in a dry bag as I write this. It's been in for a few days now and looking very tasty. The next week will be a long one waiting to tear into that bad boy.

The Sinbo has a wide variety of bags available for it too. Don't overlook that as a big advantage.

I've had good luck, with raw meat, wrapping in plastic wrap, then put that into a freezer bag. Decent quality mind. Good for at least 3 months that way.

I have had a Food Saver for about 5 years and it does a good job.

For about $140 less, you can get the ZipLoc, or Reynolds vacuum pumps and bags. The bags are both zip style. The ZipLoc is uses a hand pump and is about $3.00. The Reynolds uses batteries and is about $10.00. They both come in quart and gallon size bags.

The Reynolds does an adequate job and will get enough air out to prevent freezer burn, but ZipLoc's hand pump vacuum's out a lot more air than either the Reynolds, or the Food Saver.

The Food Saver will seal without leaking because of the heat seal. You need to make sure you have a good seal with the zip bags. I usually leave them on the counter for a few minutes to make sure no air is getting into the bags before freezing. I have a chest freezer full of meat that has mostly been sealed using the ZipLoc and Reynolds.

They're cheap, convenient, they work and they don't take up space on my counter.

Pat

Awesome dude! I will have to look for one of those very soon. Thanks for the heads up me ole China!