Chamber Vacs

[cruiseplanner1]

So from good advice from my mentors on this site I did purchase a chamber vac last year. I was tired of my fish looking like they were sealed fine by my Food Saver Game series and then finding them expanded with frost on the edges. I was happy with the results but did not have any time in the freezer to compare them. Here is a picture of a bag of Salmon filets done by my friend in her vacuum sealer and here is a brook trout from last year from the chamber vac. Notice the frost on the edges of the Salmon, so there is a nice 2.5 lb bag of filets wasted. The brook trout look like I just put them in there. Both are almost a year old in the freezer. Although I have had some very good seals with the old vacuum sealer I do get a few like this every year.

[texastweeter]

All you need now is some butter, salt, pepper, garlic and maybe some dill or lemon!

[cruiseplanner1]

You got it! When I grill Salmon I make a dill sauce with yogurt base on the side. Marinate the Salmon in Canola oil, light Teryaki maybe a TB, and some chopped cilantro. Get that grill hot as hell and cook them until about 130.

[TripleB]

There was a hole in the vac. sealed bag. Probably got punctured when things were moved around in the freezer.

[cruiseplanner1]

No

[TripleB]

cruiseplanner1 I have both the vacuum sealer and vacuum chamber. And I have had a hole punched in a bag before and it looks like your fish bag...inflated, not sealed. However, I don't get the condensation build up that yours show. Just an inflated bag, but the frozen item still looks like your trout bag. A sealed bag should not have condensation build up unless you freeze your items really wet. Try wrapping your items in plastic wrap before sealing. Helps to prevent freezer burn.....FWIW.

[cruiseplanner1]

Yes that is the trouble we have with fish, they are so moist they don't vacuum tight with the Food Saver and that moisture raises hell inside the bags after froze if they are not tight.

[fzxdoc]

Another win for a chamber sealer. Congrats on your choice.

Since getting my vac sealer, I rarely (if ever, IIRC) have a bag that looks like that of your friend's frozen salmon. It was much more common way back when I was using Food Saver vac sealers.

Whatever sealer I've used, I always do a second seal if there is a fold in the strip area where the bag was heat sealed. If I don't take that extra step, I'm just asking for trouble.

Kathryn

[SheilaAnn]

Love mine! Avid Armor for the win!

[jayjordan]

cruiseplanner1 - which brand/model did you buy?

[cruiseplanner1]

Avid Armor Ultra V32. Heard some good things from the folks on here about it, maybe Sheila and a couple others.

[fzxdoc]

Nice sealer, cruiseplanner1 . I have the same model and love it.

K.

[Manxman]

I can very much relate to those pictures! In my opinion and it is just my musings the very act of packing several items in the same bag can facilitate such issues given any movement / flexing as you delve for freezer items or reorganise stuff seems to increase the potential for frost invasion!

Noticed it much more on my old Foodsaver type sealer as opposed to my chamber vacuum sealer when the max vacuum of the former is around 90% and the latter 98%+ but I now carry a wider range of bag sizes and pack fish fillets individually and if packing multiple whole fish always arrange them in parallel and of similar size.... bit more labour intensive and uses a fair few more bags but it has reduced wastage a lot.

[fzxdoc]

jayjordan , it sounds like you may be in the market for a vacuum sealer or chamber vac. You may want to visit this topic, which is all about buying and using them. It's a long one, but starting at the end with the more current posts may help. There are some great suggestions there.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/accessorize-your-pit/vacuum-sealers-foodsaver-vacmaster-etc/693610-fed-up-with-foodsaver-vacuum-sealers#post693610

HTH,
Kathryn

[jayjordan]

Thanks fzxdoc. Just read that thread. I bought a Food Saver vacuum sealer just before Covid and it works okay. But always looking for improvements in my kitchen stuff.

[surfdog]

jayjordan That’s the thing…”it works okay.” I’ve had one for years, actually still own one. And, like you, felt that it just worked okay. And sometimes not. It’s kind of a crap shoot. Freezer burn roulette if you will.

Not convinced that I wanted to spend $500+ on a chamber vac, I picked up the Anova version on sale for well under $300. Instant game changer. The only downside is the bulk. Far superior to my “regular” vacuum sealers AND more versatile. Things like quick infusions are a doddle.

[realdocBBQ]

I'd like to get a chamber vac, but at ~$500 and it being so big and bulky AND still being limited to an 11"/12" seal bar... I just can't bring myself to do it. I'd rather have a 14"/15" double seal bar than a chamber sealer. <sigh>

[ssennott]

Some nice looking trout.

[fzxdoc]

Agreed!

[cruiseplanner1]

Won't be long and I am hoping to be catching more. Only keep a few on my August trip though. Rest of the year and most streams are catch and release. The one I keep them from has a more than robust fishery.

[cruiseplanner1]

So this morning I took out three packages of Salmon. The one on the lower left I froze in my chamber vac. The other two were gifted me by a friend who used a vac sealer. Note the one on the right has frost inside and her other one looks fine. The main reason I went to a chamber vac. Using my Food Saver they seal good and look tight but you find this later. The value of the fish lost will probably pay my difference in about 5 years.

[cruiseplanner1]

Update, I was able to trim off the edge of the Salmon in the frost bag as they were not deeply damaged and will be grilling them tonight. I will have my friends bring those fish over to me as soon as they are caught and I will chamber vac them all for us to eliminate wasting those precious filet's.

[Smoke em if you got em]

I agree. I only use my external vac when the item is too big for the chamber vac. It’s a world of difference. I’m sure my wife thought I was crazy when I bought the chamber vac, especially when it has to take up counter space. It didn’t take her long to appreciate it. We use it almost daily. The bag cost is a fraction of the external food saver type bags, and a leaker is extremely rare. I have had items in the freezer for years, including fish that look like they were just sealed.

If anyone is interested in buying one, I would recommend getting on the email list for Meat Your Maker, they run a big sale on them occasionally at like 40% off. They have quality bags, and run sales on them as well. Their products are great and so is their customer service.