Keep bags from floating

I have put a regular drinking glass full of the hot water from the pan.  The glass weight holds the ziploc bag quite well in the vertical position.

Lately, I’ve been using a metal serving spoon and bracing the scoop between the floor of the pot and the bottom of the PC. The handle sits right at the rim and is heavy enough to force the bag below the water. 

@Helen said:
I tried pie weights, knives, spoons etc. Now I just use money. $2 in pennies will keep most things down. I sealed them in two layers of  Ziploc and can put them in the bag or clip them to the bottom if the bag is already sealed.

We don’t have pennies in Canada any more. I tried two “loonies” (a Canadian $1.00 coin) but it didn’t work. I thiought that with the sinking Canadian dollar it would be very effective. :slight_smile:

I’m using a stainless steel bib rack to keep items separated for good water flow. Maybe strong magnets might attach the bags to the rib rack.

Otherwise, I wonder whether the weight of two magnets, one on either side of a bag and attracted to each other, would be sufficient.

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Has anyone tried pickling pebbles? And if you need to clean them you can put them in the dishwasher! 

https://www.amazon.com/Pickle-Pebbles-PLUS-Fermentation-Weights/dp/B00V41EZNC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1455812939&sr=1-1&keywords=glass+weight&linkCode=ll1&tag=anovacommunity-20&linkId=d67f854a8f36a683bf7efa3e6ffe9bee

I just toss some depleted uranium pellets in the bag with the food. Sinks straight to the bottom, gives it a nice twang and makes it really easy to find when the lights go out.




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Hang the bags from the top and use something on the bottom of the pot outside the bag to stabilize it. I use a stainless steel sponge holder.

Go to your local hardware store and buy some large stainless steel nuts to place in the bags. (Like nuts and bolts)

I am Canadian and we do have pennies. The stores just started rounding up/down a few years ago.

Working in a resort in the summer and people still use pennies, just not as many. A $2 roll of nickels will work until inflation phases them out.

I use a combination of binder clips and neodymium magnets.

Put (perhaps even glue) the magnet underneath the polycarbonate food storage container you poach in, then use a binder clip on the bottom of the sous vide baggie, pushing both handles back out of the way. Sink the bag until the clip is attracted to the magnet below – and there it’ll stay. No metal contact with your food.

The binder clip will tend to rust after a few cycles. You can either replace them of spray them with olive oil.

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How about this? I used my locking tongs to keep the bag submerged. Worked beautifully!

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That is a brilliant idea!

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I found the easiest way to keep bags from floating was to use a simple rack in the cook container. Plus I hated the idea of sticking metal stuff in my bag. The rack keeps the bags vertical.

At the risk of repeating another post, I listed all the stuff I use in the photo at sousvidego.com. I put together the page after the 10th friend/family member asked me to send them the “kit” info :slight_smile:

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Awesome idea!!

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Thanks, KellyAnn. Works better for me than anything else I tried!

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Most vacuum packing machines do not extract all the air leaving enough to eventually allow floating.

I do a variation of Thames Goodwin’s idea for weighing the bag down. First, I consider the size vacuum bag I need for the food I am going to sous vide. To that length of Food Saver bag, I add at least 6 inches. Next…
Double seal the bottom of bag. Pour in about 4 or 5 ozs of ceramic pie weights. Double heat seal vacuum bag above the weights, creating a separate sealed pouch/compartment at the bottom of the vacuum pouch. (You’ll need to slide the remainder of the bag, - top/open edge back into the Vacuum Sealer, up and over the cutting bar and the unused roll of bag to place the bag material on the sealing/heating bar to create the seal above the pie weights). Place the food item in vacuum bag and double seal again. With this separated, double heat sealed seam, the food stays in the water and does not float, the pie weights do not come in contact with the food, and when I’m finished, remove the food, let the pie weights cool, and store them till the next time. Weights stay clean and dry.

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I use these

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Here’s my current setup. Using 2 Ikea accordian (dish) racks to hold the bags in place.

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Nice! Looks like you’ve got the same Cambro bin that I have - and similar placement of the PC.

I was able to FINALLY snag myself a LipAVI L15 (26SD) Sous Vide rack on eBay (looks like it may be delivered today!) :slight_smile:
Unfortunately, we don’t have an ethical dealer for these in Canada - just a gouger on the Canadian Amazon store that charges more than double the price in the US - heh - actually saw the rack for as little as $59 US - unfortunately , most resellers won’t ship to Canada.
Looking forward to using this new rack!! :slight_smile: (my Webber rib rack can finally take a rest) :slight_smile:

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