Hi All
When I smoke Salmon, I cut it into 2 to 4 inch sections. Anyone here have experience with packing multiple small portions in one bag and sealing with one of the vacuum packers advertised around the web? Good or bad? Any advice? I've been looking at a Foodsaver model. Concerned about leaving air spaces between portions.
Thanks
Joe
I have the stand up model foodsaver from costco and always foodsaver my salmon after smoked. No problems with air pockets.
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Have the food saver with no problems, one thing I would recommend is to wrap the fish with saran(sp) wrap before vacuum packing.
Quote from: zueth on September 22, 2011, 01:13:01 PM
Have the food saver with no problems, one thing I would recommend is to wrap the fish with saran(sp) wrap before vacuum packing.
What does the saran wrap do? Double protection ?
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Quote from: Keymaster on September 22, 2011, 02:04:45 PM
Quote from: zueth on September 22, 2011, 01:13:01 PM
Have the food saver with no problems, one thing I would recommend is to wrap the fish with saran(sp) wrap before vacuum packing.
What does the saran wrap do? Double protection ?
Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk
Keeps from sucking the juices outta the meat when vac sealing.
Quote from: OU812 on September 22, 2011, 03:06:29 PM
Quote from: Keymaster on September 22, 2011, 02:04:45 PM
Quote from: zueth on September 22, 2011, 01:13:01 PM
Have the food saver with no problems, one thing I would recommend is to wrap the fish with saran(sp) wrap before vacuum packing.
What does the saran wrap do? Double protection ?
Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk
Keeps from sucking the juices outta the meat when vac sealing.
Cool, learnt somethin new, Thanks
Ok, since I have vac sealed just about 2000 -- yes two thousand -- bags over the past 18 months, let me say:
Yes, a Foodsaver machine works great and keeps everything fresh for a really long time. I have the V3850 (I think) sold at Costco in Canada for $169.99. Foodsaver claims 2 years for fish. I would be happy to post some photos of sealed bags if that helps.
Let the fish cool overnight in the fridge and there is no problem with moisture. Stuff it in and seal.
And if you need cheaper bags go to http://www.bestvacuumbags.com/
Regards, Rich
I vacuum pack at least a couple hundred pieces of fish every year and whether it is fresh or smoked salmon you will always want to wrap in saran wrap first, so that vacuum packer does not suck the moisture out of the fish and it is easier on the food saver.
If you are doing smoke salmon let it rest in a ziploc bag in the fridge overnight at the minimum if not a day or two before vacuum packing.
I also use a food saver to pack smoked food. I find that an hour or so in the freezer keeps the moisture from being sucked into the works. I wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap before sealing, that way you can remove only the pieces you need and if you leave a few inches of extra space in the end of the sealer bag you can repack the remaining frozen pieces with the food saver (saves a lot on those expensive bags)
I've worn out three Foodsavers, sealing thousands of pounds of salmon, halibut, cod over the years. I like to do things with as few steps as possible and with as few supplies as possible AND ensure that the product stays the way I want it for up to at least 2 years.
I've used the "light freeze" method and it works well but adds an extra step and delays the processing...not satisfactory to me with the large volumes of fish I often process. The Saran Wrap method would also be cumbersome to me for the larger volumes of processing that I do. Please understand that I don't intend this to be perceived as disparaging to what has worked well for others...just explaining the "why" of how I've come to the current method of processing my fish which I've used for several years now.
When I process mine, right next to my cutting board I have a tray with two layers of paper towels on the bottom to start. As I'm whacking up the fish into its final cut, I cover the first layer of towels with the "final cut and ready-to-seal" meat pieces. Then I cover that layer of fish with another two thicknesses of paper towels, another layer of fish pieces, two thicknesses of paper towel, fish, towel, etc until they won't stack any higher. With that tray stacked to the max, I switch to a new tray and build another "fish/paper towel lasagna" until all the fish is finally stacked on how ever many trays it takes. This provides almost totally-dry-on-the-outside pieces of fish to pickup and slip into the vac seal bag and seal with NO seepage of moisture....even on the VERY "leaky" halibut. So I just start on the first tray stacked remove the top towel layer, load the bag, seal the bag, mark the contents, and put bag in a freezer bin.....
Again, not chumping what works for others...just describing what has worked well for me for years, using the Foodsaver type vac sealer. For those that can afford the waaaaaaay better chamber type sealer, disregard the above "paper towel lasagna" method....you can vac seal WATER in those things!!
"better chamber type sealer" What is this you speak of? I have not heard of these. Do you have a link?
Quote from: Quarlow on September 23, 2011, 06:54:38 PM
"better chamber type sealer" What is this you speak of? I have not heard of these. Do you have a link?
I would like to know "also too!"
My faithful Foodsaver has a blown gasket on the left side which impedes progress but still works well. I have a new unopened backup FS in the garage which I need to take back to Costco and return and re-buy to renew the 1yr warranty.......
Rich
Here is a good chamber vac sealer...
http://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-VP210C-Chamber-Machine-Metallic/dp/B001Q3LSW4/ref=sr_1_2?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1316835243&sr=1-2
I vac pack small chunks of smoked fish all the time and have had no problems with them keeping.
Ok well that is a pricey piece of equipment. I will stick with my FS.
Quote from: Quarlow on September 23, 2011, 06:54:38 PM
"better chamber type sealer" What is this you speak of? I have not heard of these. Do you have a link?
Yes...they are indeed pricey. The good ones will run $2000US plus. I do a lot of fish but I haven't been able to justify the solo purchase of one (yet!). This is one of those cool tools that might be worth a co-op investment. WARNING: If you do get the opportunity to use one, you will become just "sorta-satisfied" with the Foodsaver but spoiled to forever be on the quest for ownership (or part ownership) of a chamber sealer...that's where I am now after using my neighbors single then double chamber sealer several times. IF you do find yourself in a position to purchase one, don't settle for the dry piston type....go full-on to the oil reservoir type for longer life. Here's a link to a good one with some good features for under $2k http://homesteadharvest.com/vacmastersvp10.html
Food Savers are great and I used them for many years but after I also burned out my 3rd one I wanted to go with a vacuum chamber unit. Yikes! no way could I hide the price of a good commercial unit from the wife! What to do?? several years of Ebay surplus shopping and lots of semi humerous engineering trials (/failures) I built my own. It has a 1-1/2hp Leybold 2 stage vac pump and a 12" 5mm heat sealer and has been running for about 8 years now. Like Kummock said, you can't go back! It will go through 200lbs of halibut filets and not even strain. I'm using commercial 3mil Low Oxygen Transfer Rate bags which I buy in 1000 piece case lots for about 6 cents each and appear to give my fish an infinate freezer life.
WARNING - Do not ever try a chamber vacuum bagger, do not even look at them!!!!
(http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h438/weedenb/bag1.jpg)
(http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h438/weedenb/bag2.jpg)
(http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h438/weedenb/bag5.jpg)
Sorry, made you look :)
Dang...very impressive!! You are my new hero, Weedenb!! Have you tried building an F-15 yet!?!?!? Somehow I think you could pull it off!
Wish I could see the first 2 pics.
That is awesome Weedenb!!!! Very creative engineering ;D
So how much money in parts would you say you got into that thing if you don't mind me asking?
Ingenious!
Very impressive indeed weedenb!
QuoteWARNING - Do not ever try a chamber vacuum bagger, do not even look at them!!!!
I made the mistake of trying one in my local butcher's shop when he asked if I wanted a go........... brilliant! :) Been on the lookout for a second (or third or fourth) hand one ever since but no luck so far.
For the time being I will carry on with the paper towel lasagna method Kummock highlights! ::)
Weedemb, where do you get those bags???? Would they work in a FoodSaver? I think FS bags have to have ribs or something....
I'm paying a lot more than 6c each!
Rich
Wow guys, thanks for the comments on my billybob bagger. Its almost like I posted some good internet porn.
muebe:
Cost for components on the final setup wasn't too bad, I lucked out and finally found a good 2-stage pump on Ebay for about $250. That is the key to the whole thing, I had initially got a very nice BUSCH single stage pump but it was a little too slow. Sealer parts are the same ones used on a 12" hand impulse sealer which you can buy the whole unit for around $100. Those two components and a bit of fabrication will be most of what is needed. I went a little overboard and automated the thing with a programmable relay, crydom proportional controller for the heat sealer and some more Ebay surplus pneumatic cylinders and valves. Probably around $500 total for everything I didn't have already laying around the garage.
Smokeville:
Looks like my bag prices went up a bit since I last checked, they are about 8.5 cents each now for 8x12" low OTR. Unfortunately these will not work in a FS style bagger. I've been using http://www.dougcare.com for most of my supplies and I did notice they carry the embossed style bags also for the FS style baggers. Quite a bit more expensive but maybe a good alternative to the retail FS bags. This place also has a lot of really neat commercial bagging equipment if you want to get a bad case of the I gotta have one of those!
Robert......
Thanks, Weedenb;
They are still a lot cheaper than what I'm buying. I'll give them a call to find out the shipping...
Rich