Foodsaver prep

[Nick Prochilo]

No need to freeze first.
I use extended seal with very damp items I'm shrink wrapping.
I also wrap individual size portions. If you want a quick lunch, just drop a bag in boiling water. If 2 want a meal, drop 2 in.

[Shawn White]

Originally Posted by Nick Prochilo

No need to freeze first.
I use extended seal with very damp items I'm shrink wrapping.
I also wrap individual size portions. If you want a quick lunch, just drop a bag in boiling water. If 2 want a meal, drop 2 in.

Nick is right, you don't need to prefreeze, but you may get better results by prefreezing some things.

I never prefreeeze pulled pork. I pack it firm by hand, then the vacuum does a great job.

But I did a bunch of wild sockeye salmon fillets (big sale) and I was pressed for time so I didn't prefreeze. I wish I would have. There are a few small air pockets here and there.

When I do my saskatoon berries this year I will prefreeze them as well. Same thing happened to them last year as the salmon I described.

[Larry Wolfe]

I learned the hard way, if you have something with a good amount of moisture, stick it in the freezer for a bit. Then vac seal.

[Griff]

Mine doesn't have an "extended seal" setting. Is that for use on lengthy penipeds? Seriously, I also found things with a lot of moisture like salmon go a lot better if frozen first. Last month I bought an entire beef tenderloin at Costco and wanted to freeze some filets about 3 inches thick. The Foodsaver sucked those guys down to less than half their original thickness. Should have frozen them first.

Griff

[ScottyDaQ]

If the food is not yet prepared, then I would try and get it sub zero mighty fast. The faster you can get something to the point of freezing, the less you'll have to worry about the cellular damage that occurs as the slow crystals start to form. Dry Ice is awesome for this...Hey... Look at me ... I sound like Alton Brown!

Oh Ok...I was watching his strawberry show on the DVR the other day.

[Griff]

Cruising -- don't know they're still in the freezer.

Griff

[Nick Prochilo]

roy, I did ribs last year and froze them to take to my son when he was stationed in Fort Leonardwood. I shrunk wrapped them and froze them. Packed them in ice in a small cooler and they stayed frozen until we got there. All in all it was a 6 hour trip. He reheated them in a microwave and they were great.

[Bruce B]

Rory,

It wasn't until after I got my Foodsaver that I started using my WSM to it's full capacity on many cooks. Instead of cooking 1 or 2 pork butts, I'd cook 4 then pull and vac/pac the leftovers for sandwiches anytime you have a hankerin'.

Brisket or chuck roll is another meat that suits itself for freezing and reheating for good Q anytime.

Also makes it convenient if you want to make care packages for friends and family. don't skimp on the machine, you can always find off brand bags that work in the Foodsaver machine; Black & Decker, Sears, etc. Well worth the investment.