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Ok, I like the IDEA of vacuum sealed stuff. But the reality? Not so much, I don't think. Or maybe the one I got was crappy quality? (got it at Target, will be returning it to Target!)
I tried sealing up a bunch of pulled pork, but it was too juicy, and the vacuum sealer wouldn't seal all the way. (Would leave little unsealed bits along the seal, and I didn't notice until later. Dang it).
The few things I did seal, I took out to the playa and realized that I didn't want to wait around forever to heat an entire pot of water to boil them in. They came back in the cooler! Ha.
Rubbermaid stuff worked fine for in the cooler, as did 2 layers of ziplock baggies for breakfast burritos. Ah well.
I tried sealing up a bunch of pulled pork, but it was too juicy, and the vacuum sealer wouldn't seal all the way. (Would leave little unsealed bits along the seal, and I didn't notice until later. Dang it).
The few things I did seal, I took out to the playa and realized that I didn't want to wait around forever to heat an entire pot of water to boil them in. They came back in the cooler! Ha.
Rubbermaid stuff worked fine for in the cooler, as did 2 layers of ziplock baggies for breakfast burritos. Ah well.
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Berkeley North /Hills
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Tue, September 22, 2009 - 6:55 PMIt's a matter of using it on the right stuff. Some meals are good when held that way, others are terrible. We did chili this year in such bags and it was incredible. Other things to consider would be Chili with Mac and Cheese, Spagetti and Meatballs, and so on. -
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Thu, September 24, 2009 - 9:21 AMre: using it on the right stuff-- it's just touted as such a comprehensive solution, you know? "SEAL ANYTHING!"
I don't want to have to experiment endlessly to see what works and what doesn't. If it won't do something as basic as pulled pork, it's not worth having in my kitchen. :-) -
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Thu, September 24, 2009 - 2:33 PMVacuum Sealing is a kitchen technique, just like baking or sauteeing or whatever else. And just like how you can't bake certain things, you can't vacuum seal certain things. Learn to use it, and it can be great! -
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Mon, September 28, 2009 - 2:47 PMIf its very juicy, try freezing it a bit before sealing it (the downside is that is doesn't have a nice shape if you freeze it that way. The second thing to do is to seal the bag several times. Seal it, then seal it again slighly above the first seal. -
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Thu, October 1, 2009 - 1:32 PMOh, and don't vacuum seal bread ;) I tried. Squished it flat as a pancake. No, wait. A pancake is thicker.
Figured they might "puff" back up when I opened the package. Nope! But good with a jalapeno cheese dip.
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Wed, November 4, 2009 - 12:46 PMi agree, I actually vacuum sealed a few dishes (since I borrowed it from him) and one of the dishes didn't come out well at all...AND i thought it was really wasteful. I mean, after you open this huge plastic bag you throw it away unlike other resealable ziplocks! and you have to cook the "whole thing" instead of just partial... -
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Wed, November 11, 2009 - 8:43 AMActually you can reuse the bags. Just wash them out, put new food in them and reseal... We also packaged each serving individually. -
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Re: Hrmph. Not a fan of vacuum sealer.
Wed, November 18, 2009 - 8:49 AMI use the poor man's manual vacuum sealer system. Fill a zip-loc bag and stick a thin straw just inside the top. Seal the bag, trapping the straw in a corner. Suck the air out, and while still inhaling, pull out the straw and finish sealing the bag. Double bag that if you wish. This gets 99% of the air out, but you still have a re-sealable zip-loc bag. I brought out Chicken Tikka Masala, Boneless dry-rubbed ribs, mexican beans, and Irish stew from PA to the playa this way. Froze it, and packed it in dry ice in a 5-day Coleman. Everything was still partially frozen by the time we used it, and everything re-heated beautifully. We didn't do the boil-in-bag thing, just dumped it in pots, as it was all large camp meals.
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