Vacuum sealing, freezer space, and saving - a revelation

[RosieL]

DH and I are on our way to more frugal living. After three years as DINKs I've stopped working to go back to school and we're planning on having kids, so we're ratcheting down the spending and increasing frugal habits. To facilitate this, we bought a vacuum sealer with most of a Costco rebate check. Last year we gave away a TON of product from our garden because we couldn't eat it and didn't have canning and freezing equipment. Now we do!

Yesterday we inventoried our freezers. We found surprises that were a bit depressing, like the four totally frost-burned lamb chops from our favorite farm. I had complete forgotten about them, and they were not well-packed so they were completely ruined. 

In any case, we re-sealed a bunch of things and now have an inventory to consult whenever we're wondering if we have something. I'm looking forward to buying more Costco items in bulk and then re-packaging with the sealer, and especially looking forward to going in on bulk meat from Polyface soon. 

Problem is, we've already run out of the sealer bags (Foodsaver roll) and I found out that a new package of three rolls costs $40!!! I am sure there's generic brands, but I don't know what they are and whether they will work well. Do any of you have experience with this? I'd be please to hear any other tips and tricks for a new vacuum sealer fiend like me. 

[velochic]

It's worth it to buy the bags, even at that price.  We keep two well-stocked deep freezers in addition to our freezer in our fridge.  I know it sounds like a lot, but the food saver bags, IMO, is worth it because it keeps your food so fresh.  I've opened chicken breasts that had been in the freezer for 2 years in food saver bags and they were just as tasty as fresh.  I got an AMAZING deal on sundried tomatoes and pine nuts a couple of years ago and they taste great still because of food saving.  I also use my food saver to remove the oxygen from canning jars with dried goods like beans, grains, flours, spices, etc.  I do a lot of food preservation, including canning all sorts of things, but I like my food saver for the herbs, meats, and fruits that I dehydrate.  Once you have a complete system in place, it really will save you a lot of money.  The fact that you got your food saver for next to free puts you way ahead of the curve already.  Good luck!

ETA:  We buy most of our meat by the animal or side, so it comes from the butcher properly wrapped in butcher paper.  I don't repackage this meat because the way the butcher packages it is even better than the food saver.  The only meats that I use the food saver for is chicken breasts that I buy from the grocery store.  If you are thinking mainly for meat, you might find that you don't need to use the food saver because your butcher is doing the hard work for you already.  I'd use it for repackaging meats from Costco, though.

[RosieL]

Thanks for the reply! I'm really excited about the food saver. I wish we got more meats from a butcher, but I don't know any in our suburban area...I need to start looking. The packaging from our farm-sourced meats really isn't good. They loosely pack in bags, so if put directly in the freezer it frosts. 

We're saving up for a deep freezer. Right now we have to top-of-the-fridge freezers and cleared out a lot of space yesterday. 

Regarding the vacuum bags, I was hoping there would be generic brands available somehow. Like some secret website that sells bulk bags somehow. 

Thanks for replying - I will probably want to pick your brain about canning stuff this season. We got a full range of second-hand canning supplies and did some trial-and-error canning at the end of last season. Pickles didn't work (we tried pressure-canning them) but raw-pack veggies, and hot-pack salsas and tomato sauces worked well. It was a lot of work because our process was really bumpy. I need a canning bible or something, because the internet has really dispersed and contradictory info sometimes, it seems. Or the volumes are so different that I can't figure out how to convert a recipe. 

Well, we're off to costco. Another question - do you ever put a marinade in with something like a flank steak, then vacuum and freeze it? We eat a lot of flank or london broil but sometimes we "make do" with unmarinated meat because I forget to pull it out, thaw, and marinate the night before. 

[Irishmommy]

We got one a few months ago, and I love it too. I got 6 rolls of bags at Costco for about $35-40, and I'm still only on bag 2.

For the marinades, I would make a bag (seal one end only), put the meat and marinade in and freeze. Then vacuum and seal the bag. That way there is no danger of sucking out the marinade when vacuuming.

[RosieL]

The bags at costco are $20 (40%) cheaper than the ones online! I feel much better about buying them now.

[Shantimama]

 How much does a vaccuum sealer generally cost? I am in Canada.

[RosieL]

I didn't do a lot of research before buying, because we had to buy at Costco (rebate check). Ours was $130**, and appears to be a good one. I assume you can get them from below that. My mom bought a commercial-grade $350 one. I originally thought we could share, but I realized it's an on-the-counter type of thing. It's tucked away in a space that wasn't being used otherwise.

I also bet this is probably a pretty decently available used item on ebay or craigslist. I imagine, like breadmakers, lots of people envisioning starting to use this type of appliance but then never do.

**http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11300615&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=4294905034%205000014&No=0&Ne=5000000%204000000&Mo=0

[heatherdeg]

Not sure how much a vacuum sealer generally costs.  We've had our FoodSaver for a few years and beat the living daylights out of it.  YOU CAN REUSE THE BAGS if they didn't hold raw meat.  I recommend it.  :)

For canning, get the Ball Blue Book.  It's VERY good at giving you the barebones necessities.  Two of my favorite other food preservation books are "Putting Food By" and "Stocking Up" (I have "Stocking Up" and "Stocking Up III").  I have another on root cellaring that I've never used.

Also, I find that vinegar-related stuff has always been finicky for me with canning.  I probably just never got it right.  And if there's one piece of advice I was given about canning that I am a converted believer in it's USE THE FRESHEST PRODUCE!!!  I had a HUGE batch of tomatoes one year that started having a TINY black spot here or there--not even on every tomato--and I cut them out and used the tomatoes to can.  It was the first batch of tomatoes I ever had that burst on me.  And it took at least a week (maybe two?) before it happened.  None of the jars exploded--it was a slow leakage, but very messy when it happens to 12 jars.  :(

Last, chiming in on the freezer.  I would look into a standup if you can.  You will find and store things WAY easier.  We've had ours for about 14 years.  LOVE it.

[velochic]

+1 to what Heather has said about canning literature.  I recommend contacting your county's Homemaker's Extension office to have them help you with canning, as well.  This is usually through an Ag department in the state (often through a university, depending on where you live).  They have classes and can even give tutorials on canning.  You don't want to try to can using willy-nilly techniques.  It's serious business.  You can kill (poison) someone if it's not done properly.  If you aren't 100% confident about what you are canning, don't.

[Irishmommy]

Originally Posted by Shantimama 

 How much does a vaccuum sealer generally cost? I am in Canada.

I got mine on sale at Real Canadian Grocery Story for $80. Canadian Tire often has them for around that in the flyer. They tend to come on sale in cycles, so wait for the flyer to come out, or keep an eye on the website.

[RosieL]

Originally Posted by velochic 

+1 to what Heather has said about canning literature.  I recommend contacting your county's Homemaker's Extension office to have them help you with canning, as well.  This is usually through an Ag department in the state (often through a university, depending on where you live).  They have classes and can even give tutorials on canning.  You don't want to try to can using willy-nilly techniques.  It's serious business.  You can kill (poison) someone if it's not done properly.  If you aren't 100% confident about what you are canning, don't.

THANK YOU for reminding me about my extension office. They *just* held two classes (one for water, one for pressure) last weekend. But I've emailed to ask about a sign-up list for the next scheduled. I read a TON last year about canning, and we followed the recipes carefully, except for pickles. We started them in the pressure canner and then I looked for the timing...and found out it's only okay to boil them! The pressure makes them utterly soggy. In any case, I really want to take a full class. Again, thanks for the reminder. :)

How do you choose what to freeze and what to can? 

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by RosieL 

How do you choose what to freeze and what to can? 

Here's what goes into my decision-making process--usually in this order:

* How is it best preserved?  Obviously pickles don't do well in the freezer.  :/

* Where do I have the most room for it/am I anticipating needing room somewhere?  (i.e. Am I anticipating harvesting a load of onions--which for me get diced & go in the freezer?)

* What do I have time for/what's going to be easiest?  What do I have the supplies for?  Canning supplies are easy to go out and get at ONE time of the year and no other--so if I don't have the canning supplies, it may not be an option.  :/

Sometimes, it's a toss-up.  If so, I can it just because if that's an option, it may NOT be an option sometime later.  Freezing the stuff is quick and easy--so I'd rather reserve that for when I truly DON'T have time to can.

[bignerpie]

We have a Kenmore brand vacuum sealer. It is identical to my grandparents' FoodSaver, except for the name on the front. We've used all different brands of bags in it, and we've never had a problem. I've been buying the Rival brand at Walmart, and the last time I got them, a box of 2 rolls was either $11 or $13. As much as we use our sealer (for pretty much anything that goes in the freezer), there's no way we could afford to buy the brand name bags.

[mnnice]

Both my mom and my SIL have vacuum sealers and while I think they are a decent tool I am not getting one.  They use them a lot to freeze vension that they process themselves. I don't especially care for vension (it's okay in chili or if somebody makes a 2/3 pork 1/3 vension sausage out of it).

For my life I think that buying (and reusing for non-meat items) heavy duty Ziploc freezer bags makes more sense (especally since this is an items I have consistently found good sales/coupons for).  Mostly I am freezing items like corn, peas, berries, and cherries. Prepared foods I generally put in the Pyrex or corningwear dishes with plastic lids.   It seems like the foodsaver bags have a lot of plastic around the edges without any actual food in it to me. 

I think had the OP put her lamb chops in their orginal packaging and slipped that in a Ziploc and then put in a deep freeze not an other the fridge freezer she would have been fine for a long, long time.

[cristeen]

The decision on processing is really about how we eat/shop/cook, plus the particular item's own quirks.

For instance, we're not pickle eaters, except for a few exceptions. So i've had to accept that and stop making pickles. I use canned tomatoes regularly, but not sauce or salsa... so i can tomatoes plain (chopped), since thats how i use them.

Some fruits like strawberries dont defrost well. So i jam them. Some like apples are better dehydrated or sauced. Some like apricots get split between the freezer and canning, jamming and dehydrating, since they do all well and we'll eat all of them. But plums get dehydrated because thats the only way we'll eat them (they make great jam, we just dont eat it). Some years cherries get frozen, some dried and some jammed. I think ultimately we eat more dried, theyre just more work.

Over time, you learn. In part by what's still in the pantry come spring. Strawberries have already arrived here, and i still have 5 or 6 cases of canned goods. That tells me what to do more or less of this year.

[bignerpie]

Originally Posted by mnnice 
 

It seems like the foodsaver bags have a lot of plastic around the edges without any actual food in it to me. 

The last time I bought rolls for mine, I discovered that the Rival brand at Walmart comes in 2 different sizes. I don't know if the brand name bags do, too, since it's been so long since I bought them. I use the smaller bags more often now, and there is much less extra plastic.

We also bought ours specifically for processing venison, but since then, we started buying meat in bulk from our local butcher shop. Their packaging is not suitable for freezing, so we have to repackage it anyway. Ziploc bags have never worked for us, even the heavy duty freezer bags. It always ends up covered in freezer burn.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by RosieL 

THANK YOU for reminding me about my extension office. They *just* held two classes (one for water, one for pressure) last weekend. But I've emailed to ask about a sign-up list for the next scheduled. I read a TON last year about canning, and we followed the recipes carefully, except for pickles. We started them in the pressure canner and then I looked for the timing...and found out it's only okay to boil them! The pressure makes them utterly soggy. In any case, I really want to take a full class. Again, thanks for the reminder. :)

How do you choose what to freeze and what to can? 

You're welcome.

For me, I only freeze what cannot be canned and I freeze the meats that we buy by the side/animal.  Garlic, for example, or anything with garlic in it, is very dangerous to can because garlic is an incubator for botulism toxin.  If I want to make something with garlic in it, I freeze it instead.  However, when you freeze vegetables, it changes the texture drastically.  The freezing process creates these sharp ice crystals.  Then when you thaw, those ice crystals puncture the molecules and make whatever it is mushy and runny... the more water content an item has, the worse it is when frozen/thawed.  It's why things like cabbage and cucumbers are better to be pickled and canned rather than frozen.  I freeze avocados, but don't freeze guacamole (because the tomatoes make it watery when thawed).  For me, I prefer canned, home made beans to frozen beans because their texture is better than frozen.  Those are a few examples.  Again, it's how the food breaks down when thawed vs. how it holds up to canning.  Some things I store in their natural state or dehydrate and put in mason jars or vacuum pack (as I mentioned above).

There is also convenience.  I can some whole meals, like stews which are good for on-the-fly lunches.  Meats, like chicken and ground beef are easily pressure canned and they are wonderful to have on-hand for last-minute meals.  For example, if I have some canned ground beef, it takes only 10 minutes to put together a tex-mex meal with some canned beans and freshly-chopped lettuce.

You really just have to kind of experiment and figure out what works best for your own family. Good luck!

[mnnice]

Originally Posted by bignerpie 

The last time I bought rolls for mine, I discovered that the Rival brand at Walmart comes in 2 different sizes. I don't know if the brand name bags do, too, since it's been so long since I bought them. I use the smaller bags more often now, and there is much less extra plastic.

We also bought ours specifically for processing venison, but since then, we started buying meat in bulk from our local butcher shop. Their packaging is not suitable for freezing, so we have to repackage it anyway. Ziploc bags have never worked for us, even the heavy duty freezer bags. It always ends up covered in freezer burn.

The one my mom has can be any length and you make the bag the size you want.  I still thought it wasted a lot.

We have lots of small butcher/processors around here and they all use either good freezer paper or their own vacuum sealed stuff.  I have had roasts spend nearly two years in my deep freeze without any difficulties.

[RosieL]

Originally Posted by mnnice 

Both my mom and my SIL have vacuum sealers and while I think they are a decent tool I am not getting one.  They use them a lot to freeze vension that they process themselves. I don't especially care for vension (it's okay in chili or if somebody makes a 2/3 pork 1/3 vension sausage out of it).

For my life I think that buying (and reusing for non-meat items) heavy duty Ziploc freezer bags makes more sense (especally since this is an items I have consistently found good sales/coupons for).  Mostly I am freezing items like corn, peas, berries, and cherries. Prepared foods I generally put in the Pyrex or corningwear dishes with plastic lids.   It seems like the foodsaver bags have a lot of plastic around the edges without any actual food in it to me. 

I think had the OP put her lamb chops in their orginal packaging and slipped that in a Ziploc and then put in a deep freeze not an other the fridge freezer she would have been fine for a long, long time.

Our previous method was to use the ziplocks. For curiosity's sake I will try to calculate the cost per bag for ziplocks versus the vacuum bags. To freeze in ziplock we would have to fill up a pot of water and submerge the ziplock with the food to squeeze out as much as the air as possible, effectively creating something close to vacuum. If we didn't do that, we'd see freezer burn much much more quickly. It was more of a pain, but you're right, it can definitely be done.

[bignerpie]

Originally Posted by mnnice 

The one my mom has can be any length and you make the bag the size you want.  I still thought it wasted a lot.

I didn't phrase that correctly. I also use the cut-to-size rolls. What I meant by smaller bags, is that the roll itself is not as wide as the standard bags, so there is less wasted plastic on the sides.

I understand what you mean, though, since you do have to cut the rolls a bit longer than the item in order to get the end into the vacuum chamber.