Foodsaver Prep?.....

[Seafever]

My wife just bought a 3800 series Foodsaver.......she (or I) have never used one before......

On the videos online it shows them just cutting their salmon up and bagging it right away on site..
But in the instructions we got, it says to pre-freeze meat or fish a couple of hours before bagging and sealing.

It says if you don't do that then put some absorbent paper in the bag along with the fish or meat instead.......

Doesn't show that in the online vid.......

Do you prefreeze fish or meat before bagging when using yours?

 

[UkeeDreamin]

I do and it makes a HUGE difference. Way easier and way better, more complete, seal. I used to wrap my pieces in saran or the press and seal wrap but don't bother any more. The couple hours in the freezer, on cookie sheets so they stay flat, doesn't seem to affect the quality of the product at all. The fact that the finished product has zero air once vacuum sealed is key to being able to keep chinook past 3-months (I find even a bit of air in the bag means rancid tasting chinook).

Ukee

 

[Theb55]

X2. If the fish accumulates frost I rinse it off and pat dry. The water on the inside remains frozen. But, inspite of that about 20% of Food Saver bags loose their seal.

 

[jaymasta]

Hey sea fever, I recently bought a food saver and I have used the crap out of it, first of all don't buy food saver brand bags buy generic or Weston brand bags from either cabellas or eBay. I bought 100 off eBay and with international shipping they came to .26 each for the 8x12, if you have a hook up in the states you can get them for nearly 10 cents a bag, my shipping was almost more then the bags, either way much cheaper then buying food saver bags locally and they have a thicker more durable feel to them then the food saver bags, and they seal perfectly. Any type of item with moisture i place in my fridge freezer either on plates or on a baking sheet until it forms a frozen skin on the outside. I keep my freezer and fridge door open for about a minute or until it kicks the compressor and fan on and you'll have the airflow and fresh cooling blowing over the outside, it usually only takes 30-40min for it to be frozen enough to seal up the food without the moisture being sucked into the seal bar, you'll know exactly what I mean once you have done a few. Iam very happy so far with my food saver so far I've used about 30 bags and the roll and misc. bags that came with the unit, probably 50 total seals. so far I've only had 2 of the food saver brand bags lose there seal(both were early on before I was freezing my food prior to sealing), and none of the other brand bags. However most of my sealing took place during the month of August so iam still new to it all and I am also quite careful when I go into my deep freeze when handling my vaacumed sealed product.

 

[Olde School]

We have had much experience vac sealing...and it hasn't always worked perfectly.
The solution is to use a cloth or finger to wipe the area that is going to become the seal.
Moisture in that area is not a problem.
ANY meat particles in the seal area is a problem.
Since doing that trick, haven't had a single bag lose its seal.

Smiley.

 

[sly_karma]

Same experience here as Smiley notes - a quick wipe to clean solid matter off the seal area makes a big difference. Most of the fish I vac seal is caught when on charter trips, with 4 of us we will process 100-150 lb of fish in a session, no time or facility to pre-freeze. We inspect carefully for good seals but other than that it goes straight in the one freezer we bring along. I don't both writing date on anymore either, the rule at my place is you can't go fishing again if there's still fish in the freezer. If you can't cook it, smoke it or give it friends by next spring, something's wrong. Most freezer burn issues are taken care of right there, 6-9 months of storage time should be easily achievable.

 

[seadawg]

Excellent advice from sly and Smiley. The 3800 series model I bought two years ago from costco stopped working due to the gaskets failing. The vacuum still worked but it wouldn't suck all the air out of the bag. When I contacted Foodsaver Canada, they told me the gaskets were the problem and replacements were available for the 3000 series. They don't sell them though, and I was told to contact an authorized service depot, which I did. The service depot guy told me as well, that the gaskets were the problem but, in my particular model, they weren't available and weren't replaceable. I told him that didn't make any sense, to which he agreed, but told me I was pretty much SOL. That said, the model I have is the V3820. I don't think I'll ever find the same model used with decent gaskets, that I could rip apart to somehow replace mine. So if anyone has the same model 3820 and wants another one that can be used for parts (other than the gaskets), you just found one. Gratis.

 

[Revenge]

Alot of the bags that seem to not seal are because the pin bones punch through the bag. I have a bunch of heavy plastic strips that i lay over the pin bones before i seal (cut up vac bag). That way they dont poke through.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Excellent advice from sly and Smiley. The 3800 series model I bought two years ago from costco stopped working due to the gaskets failing. The vacuum still worked but it wouldn't suck all the air out of the bag. When I contacted Foodsaver Canada, they told me the gaskets were the problem and replacements were available for the 3000 series. They don't sell them though, and I was told to contact an authorized service depot, which I did. The service depot guy told me as well, that the gaskets were the problem but, in my particular model, they weren't available and weren't replaceable. I told him that didn't make any sense, to which he agreed, but told me I was pretty much SOL. That said, the model I have is the V3820. I don't think I'll ever find the same model used with decent gaskets, that I could rip apart to somehow replace mine. So if anyone has the same model 3820 and wants another one that can be used for parts (other than the gaskets), you just found one. Gratis.

Soak your gaskets in water, remove and place in baggy when not being used. And never store machine in locked position as it ruins gaskets. Try before giving away.

 

[seadawg]

Soak your gaskets in water, remove and place in baggy when not being used. And never store machine in locked position as it ruins gaskets. Try before giving away.

The gaskets aren't removable on this model. At least not without taking it apart, getting inside, detaching electrical etc. Makes no sense.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Then walk it into Costco. Explain the problems you are having and what you have gone thru I bet the manager replaces it for you. Even if it is a few years old.

 

[aheny]

I'm on my 5th now (We use them constantly). The pumps/gaskets arent that high quality in the food saver series, and under heavy use you will burn them out. If its a few years old they consider it "normal wear" and expect you to buy a new one

 

[Seafever]

Well.........wifey just took back the one she bought for refund. No problem.

Reason:- She thought that it would be a labor saver. But in her eyes it isn't. Some times we get home in summer with lots of fish to clean (salmon and assorted species).

Get home at 9:00 pm and then set up, gut fish, clean, dice and slice ,then package and freeze. By the time this is finished we're north of 11pm.

When she found out that she would have to cut fish, lay out on rack or some method, then freeze and then bag after that (which in her case would be the next day) she decided the added labor was a bit too much.

She had visions of just cutting up the fish and bagging/sealing right then and there after gutting/prep. It does say in the book that you can put a piece of absorbent paper in the bag instead if you don't want to freeze first. But she didn't like that idea.

Although there was a suggestion here to quickfreeze in approx 40 minutes,. she didn't want to go that route either because that late at night it takes too long.....

Back to square one.......

 

[gon fishin]

The 3840 does have changable gaskets The part number from foodsaver.com is t910-00075 You don't need to take the machine apart either .You have to have a small chisel or something flat and and narrow You pull out the top gasket and then scrap away whats left of the gasket and the glue I didn't have to glue the new one in and it seemed to work just fine You could use some sort of thin 2 sided tape if you must The bottom gasket is silicone rubber and should be ok I ordered 3 the gaskets were about $5 each and the shipping was $10 or so This is the exact machine I have waiting in the cupboard for when there is something my chamber sealer won't do LOL

 

[gon fishin]

Food saver or chamber sealer prep tip

You should let the fish rest overnight and any water that is in the fish will go to the bottom of the container and will package much better the next day

There is nothing quick about processing your catch short of sending it to St Jeans if you want it to last

 

[goalie]

I have used the same Foodsaver for the past 6 years without any problems.
1. I place a piece of cardboard strip on the seal before closing the lid. This prevents the seal from deteriorating.
2. I tightly wrap fillets with saran wrap before putting it into the bag. This prevents any meat residue from sticking to the bag which would cause improper sealing. The saran also keeps moisture away from the vacuum which is the cause of most Foodsaver problems and stops freezer burn should the bag be punctured by pin bones.

 

[seadawg]

Then walk it into Costco. Explain the problems you are having and what you have gone thru I bet the manager replaces it for you. Even if it is a few years old.

Took your advice FA, glad I didn't take your bet. Didn't need to even talk to the manager. They just looked up the purchase on the membership card. Told me it was bought in 2011 and gave me a full refund, no questions asked, no problem. I was pretty impressed. Especially since the warranty was up over a year ago.

 

[Busterbrown]

I have the solution to ALL the foodsaver problems. Vac Master VP 215c .You will not believe the how much bettter the finished product is

 

[Striper Sniper]

I have the solution to ALL the foodsaver problems. Vac Master VP 215c .You will not believe the how much bettter the finished product is

I now rinse my product just before freezing. If the product is chamber sealed wet the finished product is like a popsicle wrapped in 4 or 5 mil plastic....... love my VacMaster VP215c!

SS

 

[TenMile]

I have the solution to ALL the foodsaver problems. Vac Master VP 215c .You will not believe the how much bettter the finished product is

A $1000 sealer vs. an $80-120 vac packer. Ferrari vs. bicycle? Grady vs. canoe?