Vacuum Sealers
I bought one at a garage sale last year. It's the FoodSaver brand. I finally pulled it out to vacuum seal and freeze a ton of blueberries last night.
2 Questions:
-Any ideas for other summertime bounty fruits/veggies that will seal and freeze well? I want to be able to enjoy this yummy stuff when winter comes.
-Do I have to buy the roll of bags online or do they sell them in stores?
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13 Comments:
My mother always bought bushels of tomatoes to freeze. You can lightly cook into a sauce with no seasonings, so they will be ready for whatever you want to do. Zucchini freezes, as do herbs, strawberries, blackberries, cherries (pit them first!), peaches freeze marvellously, peas, rhubarb. That's just off the top of my head or what I've put up so far this year.
morgancain at 4:25PM on 07/08/09
Summer produce that freeze well:
Tomatoes (for sauces/marinaras later)
Corn
Peas
stone fruits
I've seen the rolls of bags in stores like Costco, Smart & Final (though not sure it you have this in your area), and even Target. And you can reuse the bags. I wash mine out and dry them for later use (unless the bag is too small or too hard to clean)
AnnieNT at 4:27PM on 07/08/09
I get the rolls at Kroger and Bed Bath and Beyond as well. If it did not come with the manual it would be worth looking up online for the freezing tips. Really liquidy stuff, like sauces, needs to be frozen at least partially first or it won't seal properly. We really enjoy the canisters we bought to go with it as well, for coffee and such. Once you get in the habit of using it, you will really like it.
Cary at 5:14PM on 07/08/09
Oh, and if you make the bag extra large for things you might want to use just a little at a time, you can open it, take some out, and still have space to reseal it.
Cary at 5:16PM on 07/08/09
Are these really worth it? I've thought about buying one, but never have. I have limited freezer space, so that's something to consider.
MeganCochran at 5:52PM on 07/08/09
for the blueberries I would freze them first on a sheet pan then sucker seal them. it seems to work better at least for me, because the berries are less likely to be squished in the sucking process.
huneybumper at 7:48PM on 07/08/09
I love my FoodSaver! I get the bags and rolls at Costco.
1stmakearoux at 8:27AM on 07/09/09
It is a space saver in the freezer; also nice to be able to marinate/season steaks, chicken, etc. and freeze half for cooking later. Easy to label too.
Cary at 12:06PM on 07/09/09
Frozen meat and chicken etc freeze well and I take advantage of sale prices for them. Not long ago, I cooked some chicken thighs that had been frozen for almost two years, They were still delicious with no "taste" or loss of quality.
The new rage in cooking - the name escapes me - is to seal food and cook it in boiling water. It depends on a good sealer. I'd be interested to know if someone has tried it.
suegsf at 12:37PM on 07/09/09
I've also seen the bags at Kohl's and some hardware stores - my local ACE hardware maybe?
I LOVE mine. We got it as a wedding gift and it is the 2nd most used gift after the popcorn machine.
AuntJone at 3:38PM on 07/09/09
Good to know. I'll be on the look out for one. Thanks!
MeganCochran at 6:07PM on 07/09/09
@sugsf that method is called suve (SUE V -not sure of the spelling but that is how it is pronounced) and it works well . it works especially well for leftovers--much more gentle than a direct heat method, cream soups and homemade macaroni and cheese do well too. I have heard of other things like fish being done in that method as well but have not tried it
dragonfiregrill at 11:45PM on 07/10/09
FoodSavers are a downright necessity in any Alaskan home. I use mine for storing all the fish I get in the summer time so that it lasts until next summer. Without vacuum sealing it might last a month.
Sous Vide is the technique referred to above. I have on several occasions done duck confit sous vide using the vacuum sealer and an oven. Top notch results without high dollar immersion circulating equipment. Kind of curious about doing ribs this way.
climbhighak at 8:43PM on 07/12/09