I was reading an online article at ‘Field and Stream’. It was a comparison between wrapping meat in butcher paper, versus vacuum sealing. It seemed that the main argument against using the bags was cost, but the author loved its quickness, ease, and ability to combat freezer burn. At the end of the article he asks the outdoorsmen to weigh in, and share their experiences with commercial grade sealers, different thicknesses of vacuum bags, and the various kinds of meat that they preserve in the sealers. Here are some of the responses.
- Am an avid Vaccum packer…use for annual Alaska fishing trip, keeps the Salmon and Halibut yummy and yes DON’T skimp spend the $’s and get a good one.
- I vacuum seal everything, fish, meat, pizza dough, soup, you name it. Never going back to any other method.
- Vacuum sealers may be expensive, but worth every penny.
- Game and dense meat offshore fish go in the vaccuum sealer for the past 5 years. I haven’t eaten a funny tasting steak since.
- This process is a PIA but you’ll keep fish and game perfectly frozen for years, yes, years…pre freeze meat till almost solid and then vacuum pack, if not blood will be sucked out of the meat while sealing. When defrosting, poke a small hole into the frozen bag, which releases the vacuum an avoids the blood being sucked out of the meat during defrosting, remember, it’s still under a vacuum seal, save process for fish but I run it under water prior to sealing, the water will freeze to a glaze and further keep the fish fresh tasting. The sealer is also great for sealing non food “stuff”. I once vacuumed pack clothing for a hunting trip to Canada….really saved a ton of space in packing….repacking for the trip home was another story..lesson learned!!
