Vacuum sealers for food - money-saving or not?

Angelina-M

taxsaver wrote: »

Hi Angelina,

I've just been and checked them and they all look ok still atm, but I'll check again in the morning. I did look closely at them when they came out and they all looked pretty good, but time will tell.

I watched very closely for the juices and although they looked to be rising up the bags as the air was drawn out miraculously none actually escaped into the machine at all. I think it helps that the bags are resting on the table when the sealer is working, so the liquid has to go 'uphill'.

I'm not yet 100% sure how I'm going to cook them, but was thinking that a few hours in water in a slow cooker would be the way forward. I have a digital thermometer, the type that has a probe on the end of a wire, so I intend to check temps with that the first time and if I need to then I'll finish in a pan of boiling water on the stove.

Thanks I like to know everything when I have a new interest lol!
yes I think the slow cooker is a good idea (I nearly said crock pot then!) I'm not confident enough to do the really low temps that err on the side of food safety. I would only get scared and blast it in the microwave afterwards!

taxsaver

I think so many things get overcooked though and as long as the meat hits the temp required to kill microbes I'm happy.

P.S. - I do like my steak rare though!

Angelina-M

taxsaver wrote: »

I think so many things get overcooked though and as long as the meat hits the temp required to kill microbes I'm happy.

P.S. - I do like my steak rare though!

From what I read. A chicken breast is safe to eat at 140 degrees as long as its kept at that temp for at least 33 mins. It can't just reach that temp and be eaten straight away. I'm ok with that, its when the rules are bent a bit and the meat is kept at something like 125 for forty hours that scares me. I really need to stop reading egullet....

I like my steak medium so i'm a bit boring anyway :-)

taxsaver

Bags from last night were still nicely sealed this morning before I froze them.

Made up a few vegetable medleys this evening:

sb44

taxsaver wrote: »

Bags from last night were still nicely sealed this morning before I froze them.

Made up a few vegetable medleys this evening:

You may find that the bag at the front of the pic will 'leak air in' due to the way the bag has melted on the right. Ask me how I know.

taxsaver

Yeah, I did think it might too. Fingers crossed though!

sb44

taxsaver wrote: »

Yeah, I did think it might too. Fingers crossed though!

A couple of mine did that so I just put the bag back in at an angle just to seal across the part that may not have been sealed properly.

Angelina-M

Look at us all still loving our sealers! I've been dehydrating loads of stuff and sealing it away. I bought a ton of cherries really cheap and i've filled a jam jar and sealed it for everyday nibbling but the rest i've vac packed into one of the strong bags and i'm hoping that will last quite a long time.

I've never had so much fun with my food!:rotfl:

sb44

Angelina-M wrote: »

Look at us all still loving our sealers! I've been dehydrating loads of stuff and sealing it away. I bought a ton of cherries really cheap and i've filled a jam jar and sealed it for everyday nibbling but the rest i've vac packed into one of the strong bags and i'm hoping that will last quite a long time.

I've never had so much fun with my food!:rotfl:

I have found myself buying jars of cheap stuff just to test the lid!

Sad or what.



I bought 4 more jars of sliced lemons from B & M yesterday as I know those lids work. Have chucked the lemon slices into a ziplock bag in the freezer to use instead of ice cubes. They are only 29p a jar in B & M, £1.29 in Tesco!

dianasnan

Are there any major differences between the eiffel sealer and the Andrew James one please?