Vacuum Sealers For Food

Any recommendations for a vacuum sealer for food?  I had two large Salmon from a Bodega trip last Wednesday that I filleted and ended up giving away most of it because I did not want to ruin it with freezer burn in zipper lock bags.

Food saver brand.  Skip cheap models & get good bags (food saver brand too).

Bill

Walmart carries the Foodsaver brand, any experience with a particular model #?

I had a FS die about 10 years ago, and it wasn't very old. The thing with FS is there is nothing between the vacuum intake and the motor. Empty the juice catcher reservoir often or put a rolled up paper towel below the seal line to soak up liquids from extra juicy items.

Current FS almost 10 years old and runs strong like bull.

I also wrap all my fish in plastic wrap first before I put them in the FS bag. It holds the juice on the fillet instead of in the corner of the bag. You can see the difference after thawing one you might have forgot to wrap and one you did from the same trip.

Plastic wrap, like Saran wrap?

I went with a Foodsaver from Costco.  It stands upright, holds the bags inside it, and 'auto' seals and vacums.  I reccomend the auto ones if you plan on doing a lot in one sitting.  Cutting up and freezing two WSB in one night last year, the auto functions made it much much easier.  Also wanted to mention, dont throw away your bags after use!  Cut them neatly and re-use them for bait and such!

I went with a Foodsaver from Costco.  It stands upright, holds the bags inside it, and 'auto' seals and vacums.  I reccomend the auto ones if you plan on doing a lot in one sitting.  Cutting up and freezing two WSB in one night last year, the auto functions made it much much easier.  Also wanted to mention, dont throw away your bags after use!  Cut them neatly and re-use them for bait and such!

Had not thought about reusing the bags for bait, great idea, thanks!

I rember reading that not all FS are created equal. The Walmart ones had cheaper internal parts then the ones at cabelas, sportsmens, ect. They look identical and have the same packaging but to meet walmart's price they had to skimp on internals.

Plastic wrap, like Saran wrap?

Yup.

Also, Costco is a good place to purchase one. They usually come with a couple of rolls of bags and their return policy is pretty liberal should you find out you purchased a lemon or it is otherwise not performing up to your expectations a few months down the road.

Also the ones with the "pulse" feature are kind of handy if you plan on freezing berries or anything else you don't want to crush.

I had a FS die about 10 years ago, and it wasn't very old. The thing with FS is there is nothing between the vacuum intake and the motor. Empty the juice catcher reservoir often or put a rolled up paper towel below the seal line to soak up liquids from extra juicy items.

Current FS almost 10 years old and runs strong like bull.

I also wrap all my fish in plastic wrap first before I put them in the FS bag. It holds the juice on the fillet instead of in the corner of the bag. You can see the difference after thawing one you might have forgot to wrap and one you did from the same trip.

Freeze your fillets on a cookie sheet first than vac u pac it will keep the juices in.

Do you really want to keep the juices in?  I like to drain my fish by letting them sit on a draining rack in the fridge for a day.before freezing, with a paper towel over the top.  Then when defrosting, I like to take them out of the vacuum bags and defrost on the draining rack in the fridge, again with a paper towel over the top.

-Allen

I have had a F/S that I purchased off a TV commercial, about 15 years ago. It still works great. Not sure about keeping any juices in. I fillet, rinse, pat dry with a paper towel, and then vac seal. This has worked for me for the entire time I have owned it. The only item I ever kept juice in, was crab meat. I (meaning the wife, kids and myself) would crack/clean crabs, then I would vac seal pure crab meat into bag that had approx. 5 crabs worth of meat in them. This was back when I had a P/B with electric winch and would leave pots out for months. If you drained the juice, crab meat would be DRY!!!

I fillet, rinse, pat dry with a paper towel, and then vac seal.

Totally different subject, but I have learned to never rinse any seafood before freezing. Wipe the scales or sand off of clams and do any necessary rinsing after thawing. Freshwater turns a saltwater creature to mush. Probably the best advice I've gotten from brother Pelagic off NWKA.

I fillet, rinse, pat dry with a paper towel, and then vac seal.

Totally different subject, but I have learned to never rinse any seafood before freezing. Wipe the scales or sand off of clams and do any necessary rinsing after thawing. Freshwater turns a saltwater creature to mush. Probably the best advice I've gotten from brother Pelagic off NWKA.

Been doing the same ever since Guitarzan mentioned it long ago in a similar thread.  After filleting I just leave the skin on and the vac and freeze.  Then defrost, fillet off the skin and rinse before prepping for cooking.  Works great! 

Check out bass pro shops  I bought one from there its made by lem no problems yet I've had it about 6 yrs...