# ? Foodsaver & raw/juicy meats



## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

I've just started using a Foodsaver vacuum sealer to package produce & meats. I wonder if there are tricks for best results. First, when packing some juicy cold cuts, a bit of the juice was pulled right into the slot. Mostly these packages seemed to both vac & seal, but some didn't, & the amount of vac-draw seems to vary a fair bit. I tried patting the meat w/paper towels, and that may have helped. Is drawing the fluids through normal? Is there anything better to do to prevent it? Second, some chunks of bologna sealed very tightly in quart bags, but some same-sized chunks of raw pork the vac wouldn't even draw till I cut the bags off a lot closer to the meat. What was going on with that? Thanks, Sue


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## crispin (Jun 30, 2010)

I just bought my first vac sealer and I wonder all the same questions.
I am looking forward to some replies here.
Thank you for asking this.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

My experience has been that too much juice in the food to be sealed means it can get drawn up the bag during the suction and will get in between the layers of plastic, messing up the seal. I use the make-your-own-bag rolls, so I cut them longer for raw meat. Some things, like shredded squash and other particularly wet items, freeze first and THEN shrink and seal. My problem has always been too much suction, the bag squeezes down so tight it squishes things like meatballs. So again, the solution is freeze first, then seal. You also gotta watch bones, the suction will pull the plastic so tight a bone will puncture it. Mine is an el cheapo Black n Decker model, about 10 yrs old now, and has paid for itself several times over.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I semi-freeze juicy meats first. It firms them up and the juice tends to stay inside. With fruits and vegatables, freeze on a cookie sheet first. They keep their shape and don't get the juice squeezed out. You get a much better final product,

*Watch out for any meats with sharp bones sticking out. They can puncture the bags.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

We cut a strip of paper towel as wide as the bag and put it in just below the seal. Juice comes up and hits the towel and slows down enough for the seal to be made. That's for meat.


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## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

Ditto what the previous posters said.

Did you watch the dvd or video that came with the unit? I think they recommend you freeze or partially freeze anything that has alot of liquid in it, hamburger or soups. 

I also put a paper towel under hamburger so that absorbs some of the liquids, if it is not completely frozen.


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## Old Swampgirl (Sep 28, 2008)

When I vacuum sealed my dehydrated tomatoes on my Food Saver it sucked so hard the crispy, pointed tomato pieces poked holes in the bag. I took a cheap paper plate & folded up the dehyrated tomatoes into it & then sealed. This worked. I know, y'all are wondering why I just didn't use a zip lock bag or a jar for storage, but the heat & humidity where I live will get to any thing, both organic & in, and I'd be growing mold & mildew in a few weeks.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Agree with Cliff. Foodsaver recommends that juicy foods, meats, etc. be lightly frozen before you seal the bag. Cuts of meat can just be placed in the bag, set it on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 15-30 mins. and then vacuum seal the bag. Same works well for tomatoes and other wet foods - just lightly freeze them first.

For soft foods that you don't want crushed like rolls etc. just stop the vacuum process mid way. When the bag has sucked in enough you just hit the seal button (on most models) to stop the vacuum process.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

DW used the new Foodsaver to suck a Dungeness crab flat. Oops. The next one she used the delicate cycle.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Thanks for the tips. I wondered about chilling or pre-freezing. I got my sealer at an auction for $16 including bags, rolls of plastic & some jar-sealing equipment, could easily be unused )) No VHS/DVD but I'm not complaining. This one has a knob in the back to adjust how much vac it pulls before sealing. Are there any rules of thumb for how to adjust that? I started at what I guessed was the middle, and then made it a little stronger. Sue


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

if what you want to seal can be frozen separately on a tray then you can put them in the bags and seal no worries I do squash okra and all my veggies this way that I can you csn also freeze in a small dish, bowl or brick then seal if I do meat I try to freeze first spray with water for ice coating then bag and seal


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

Try putting a paper towel against the meat or fish before you seal it. This will keep the blood or juice from traveling in to the sealer.


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