Wow. Try getting out of the house for some fresh non-shop-vac air. End of discussion for me. Buh Bah now!
To hold floaty things down, I have successfully used one of the expanding Ikea Variera pot lid organiser. As I can concertina it close, I can use it to grip the bag.
FWIW, I always vacuum seal, as I often cook batches, and sear as required. The vacuum seal just ensures the internal stays as pasturised as possible.
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I can’t. It was a childhood playground accident, my lungs were pulled out on the monkey bars. I need the shop-vac to filter the air so I can breathe.
I use the vacuum seal method exclusively. We pre-make things seal them in a bag and then freeze the. Such as asparagus with butter and seasoning. It comes out of the freezer and into the Anova. We also vacuum seal with the marinade (we have both a chamber and standard sealers) It seams to penetrate better also.
/treadjack
I’ve been eyeing a chamber sealer for some time now.
If you don’t mind me asking,
Which one do you have?
What do you like about it?
What do you not like / wish was different / could improve on about it?
Thanks
/threadjackoff
Can anyone point me towards recommended brands models of vacuum sealers ?
To /threadjackoff:
We have a Vacmaster VP215 that we purchased from webstaurantstore.com about 2 years ago. Watch for when they go on sale. The only thing is that we wish it was bigger., however that is just a want not a need. There is nothing else that really needs to be improved. The freezer is better organized and you can see things better because the bags are crystal clear on both sides. We like that you can fill it with liquid, such as marinade and meat, and seal it. You can’t do that with a regular sealer. It does keep things longer and better than the standard ones. Every time that we use it my wife says “why did we wait so long?” It is a natural partner for the Anova. Last night we had a marinaded sirloin in the Anova finished in a hot pan.Delicious.
Thanks for the info. Interestingly, the VP215 is the one I’ve already been looking at to replace a foodsaver 24xx clamp sealer.
We still have a Foodsaver that we use occasionally. There is no comparison between the two.
No doubt. I can see how the clamp sealer still has uses for items that exceed the length or dimensions of the chamber sealer.
Any bag catastrophes (brand or thickness) worth mention as a warning?
Uh…no, it doesn’t. This nonsense is right up there with healing crystals and those bracelets that magically make you stronger/give you better balance/etc.
Uh… well then use whatever sinky thing your opinion directs you to use.
The Foodsaver 24xx series (which I believe was replaced with the 26xx and 28xx) has been good to me. These are the “average” models ($90/ea give or take) that lie flat on the counter, have a minimum of features but have the same sealing bars and pumps as the more expensive food savers. I have a pair of them that I run very heavily for years now and have not managed to kill yet. My luck with other brands has been mixed.
I’ll probably move to a chamber sealer soon, largely for the advantages that only chamber sealers can offer: sealing of liquids and wet foods without freezing them first, better evacuation and significantly lower bag cost. With as many bags as I go through for various cooking projects (smoked cheeses, cured meats etc), I can offset the higher cost of the machine in a few years.
I know not of chamber sealers :-). Glad you mentioned issues of sealing liquids. I take it that If I have a steak in marinade, I would have to drain off the solution before using a vacuum sealer? Pat dry ?
Yeah, you could also do what I do for that in a clamp sealer, which is to have only a small amount in the bag, like 2 TBS (30ml) and then put it in the freezer for an hour or two, long enough that the marinade freezes. Using a tall bag helps too, the air will evacuate faster than the liquid can climb up the channels to the sealing bar area. If you have to, as the liquid gets close to the seal bar and you are near the end of the evacuation, you can push the manual seal button while the unit is running in automatic. You’ll be left with a small amount of air in the bag, but this is probably equal to or less than what would be left if you used the immersion method and ziploc bags. While it’s less than ideal for long term frozen storage, this small amount of air is not a concern for SV cooking,
Initially, I always used a FoodSaver vacuum bag. But following Kenji’s advice, I tried a freezer Ziploc on all cooks below 158 degrees F. They work perfectly. Just immerse them so the displacement method pushes all the air out and clip the top of the ziplock to the top of the container so no water can get in. You don’t even need to seal them and any gasses can escape. It saves one more step!
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I went to IKEA and looked for the expanding lid holder, they said they do not carry it anymore. I thought it was a great idea.
That’s a pity; do they still list in on their website, as you may be able to order online for a pickup.
I just found it on Amazon.
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