Vacuum sealed bags

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Hi Everyone

I am surprised how much interest has been shown in this thread.

The uses for these sealers is unlimited. Food, bait etc.

I have found that you can use ordinary bags as long as they are thick. ( I use one bag inside the other for extra thickness) I use these for stuff at home and the proper ones for camping, boat etc. The bags are however re-useable if you wash them out after use.

Let us know what you seal away.

Good luck everyone with your new purchases and hope you find many new uses.

Ronnie

[Lucky_Phill]

"Phil..if you create a vacuum then the mositure from the product will boil off...hence my original question. What keeps the moisture in the product? "

I am still at a loss as to the question. I don't know enough about these to answer it, but maybe if you explain " boil off ', I can.

The moisture in the product you put in the vacbag is still there, that is, the pump does not suck the product dry. It really only sucks out the air.

I have bought.... say bacon from a supermarket that has been cryovac'd and when you open the bag, there is heaps of moisture. I don't know how the domestic types go in relation to moisture, but i do know that you have to reduce liquids / moisture to a minimum before you can seal the bag, otherwise i believe the liquids / moisture gets sucked into the pump and creates problems.

phill

[Mrs Ronnie H]

HI Phill
Think I will answer your question. You reduce the moisture content for the stews etc otherwise they can and do run out the bag when you seal it.

Suppose it is like everything you freeze. Everything has moisture content such as meat and fish and it stays there when it is sealed.

The vacuum sealer only removes the air from the bag not the moisture content. its not going to dry things out as such.

Once you thaw, everything is as fresh and has as much moisture as the day it was sealed.
Look at the supermarket next time at the Silverside and steaks that are vacuum packed. They all contain some blood content or moisture.

Xmas i took a packet of steak and it was iced for three days. When we came home i put it in the fridge still sealed. A couple of days later we ate it for dinner. Still as fresh and moist as it was when it was packed..
Ronnie

[Chaz]

Bags can be a bit expensive so I have been saving the "good" ones for meat and fish etc. I reuse all sorts of bags for sealing things like pre-greased trailer bearings, packets of matches, left over bait and such stuff. The plastic bags that curry sauce come in work great. Rice also comes in heat sealed bags that work great in the vacuum sealer. My experience is that if its been heat sealed, then it should be OK to reuse.

I use my vac sealer lots and love it.

Brenden

[bungie]

Anybody tried vacuuming cooked rice ?

Somebody up the page was talking about reheating the food in hot water without opening the bags ...... they dont melt or go soft ??

bungie

[Lucky_Phill]

Think that was me bungie.

Yes, you don't boil the water with the bag in it though. The bags that are supplied with the machine are very tuff/ strong/ thick and will take a good amount of heat. Enough heat to make the meal edible as if just cooked. You are basically re-heating a meal.

Phill

[SCOTTYGC]

hey guys what would happen if you vacum sealed dry ice????
after a couple of beers i just started to think about it,

cheers chris

We have a big vacum sealer at work and have sealed normal ice in it and it lasts a lot longer

If you use dry ice it will seal ok but after some time when the ice starts to melt the gas is released and the bag explodes

We have tryed it and it went off with a pop

We use the one here for everything soups, stews ,seafood you name it we have done it

We have done muffins and cookies in it but you just seal the bag No vacuming or you crush the muffins

Here is a link to the machine we use at work
http://www.vacutec-australia.com/epx-30.asp

We also buy our bags from him We use 300mm x 250mm and 300 x 350 mm size bags

The best thing about this machine is i get to use it when ever i like

cheers

scotty

PS: If you want to talk to anyone at the above place let me know and i will give you a name and number

[snappa]

hi'

after reading the post decided to buy one for the "up and coming" snapper season..

off to the good guys.neg. the price ..$210 and $35 for two rolls
now back to reading the post again for some hints ......

did i do good

[NormC]

I bought one on eBay for $71. Total of $111, including postage and an extra 100bags (about 30 come with the machine).

The Sunbeams and similar use specific bags which are quite expensive. Some other machines, including some of the ones sold on eBay can use normal thick plastic bags.

We previously had our meat 'Cryovaced' by our butcher and have kept meat for up to 8 weeks in the fridge. We won't keep it that long when done at home, but 2 or 3 weeks should be OK.

Chicken does not keep more than a week or two.. Use it first. Meat with bones keeps less than without. Whole pieces of meat like steak and roasts keep longer than minced or diced beef. Partially freeze sausages first so you don't suck the meat out of the skins. Also partially freeze stews etc first.

We now carry the machine when camping. We seal fish we want to keep and bait we want to keep. No problem with keeping them in the same fridge as the food and beer now.

I've come across people who pre pack spare bearings with grease and vacuum seal them as well. Lots of possibilities.