Anyone that vacuum seals fish filets instead of freezing with water have any comments as to how long they last, taste, etc.?
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Anyone that vacuum seals fish filets instead of freezing with water have any comments as to how long they last, taste, etc.?
I have only vacuum sealed when temporarily freezing fillets left over from a larger freezer bag i unthawed. I think it is hard to beat fillets frozen in a 1 gal freezer bag filled with water and air bleed out.Quote:
Originally Posted by MidHillbilly
My response differs as I think the fish tastes much fresher when thawed from a vacuum sealed bag vrs frozen in water. I hardly ever eat froze fish but when I do I like 'em now whereas I really didn't want froze fish before. If I have fish in my freezer longer than 6 months I just give 'em away as I'm back to catching by then.
Vacuum seal all the way, will last up to 2 years, best if eaten in a year, saves a lot of space in the freezer, will thaw out a lot faster, want soak up any water in the process, I got 2 of them sealers, only way I put up anything in the freezer, works great with deer meat also.
What he said.Quote:
Originally Posted by Countryboy N.C.
Good to know. I am trying to justify buying a vacuum sealer (mainly to my wife) and I can see how it would free up freezer space.Quote:
Originally Posted by Countryboy N.C.
I usually go overboard on most things. I have a commercial grade chamber vacuum sealer. I would not do any other way. I have been using for about 6 7 years now and it's the only way to go. I used to freeze in gallon bags with water but this is so much better.
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My vac broke so this is what I do now.
Lay fillets on cookie sheet
Put in deep freezer
Pull out next day and mist with water, flip over mist that side, the mist turns to ice instantly. Fish are protected from freezer burn with a nice layer of ice, works great
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Found some recently that were over 2 years old. Tasted like fresh caught. Free up freezer space. As there is only 2 of us my wife buys lots of meat in value packs, then I divide it up and vacume seal it. Lasts so much longer and better when vacume sealed. Also season meats and vacume seal to pull seasoning into meat.
I use a cheap sealer purchased at Walmart & it lasts 3-5 years before replacing. It keeps the fish fresh for at least a couple of years with less freezer space used. I put fillets in bag & roll it to expel air, freeze overnight, & then vacuum seal. This keeps any liquid from coming up into the sealer so it seals better. I keep at least three families supplied with crappie fillets and haven't had any complaints yet.
Nature abhors a vacuum.....��
and so does my freezer.
Look up food saver bags. They have the DAM bag. Has like a paper towel in it. Let fish sit in strainer for about a minute then vaccuum. Catches all water and seals everytime.
We use the Vac/seal for a lot. We don't drink coiffed so we freeze the left over (new) grinds and they stay fresh for years.Quote:
Originally Posted by MidHillbilly
While in the Navy in 1970 or so we were eating meat that was frozen in 1944. the meat was older than me. don't ask if it was good
I did the freezer bag with water for my whole life and then finally tried the vacuum sealers to save freezer space. Can't say that I notice any difference in the taste even with year old fish. The frustrating thing when I first started was getting a good seal. It seemed like no matter how much I toweled off and dried the fillets before, moisture would get pulled into the sealer and ruin the seal. Finally I just stuffed a paper towel over the top of the fillets and problem solved.
I vacuum seal EVERYTHING. I work at a farm that Tyson owns and can buy chicken at a greatly reduced price. It comes in bulk boxes so I have to "dibbey" it up to portion sizes and vacuum seal enough for me and the wife. Vacuum sealing all my deer meat keeps it "red" until it's used....such as ground meat (hamburger), and cubed steaks. Just cooked today....smoked BBQ meat (butts), a deer hind that was thinly sliced, a whole turkey that was carved and sliced, and deep fried a dozen Cornish hens. All were put up in the freezer in portions and all were vacuum sealed. Just couldn't live without it anymore.
Tip.....buy your rolls of bags from Flea Bay. They aren't Brand name but just as good. Also, half the price as Walmart or anywhere else.;):)
Vacuum sealed. Some people dry the filets or freeze first. I throw them in the bag wet and vacuum seal. Typically you don't get a good seal, so I pop the latch, relatch and hit seal again. I find they taste better leaving them damp.
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Vacuum seal everything, space saver enough said already.
Try my system first
Save the $100
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I have used the vacuum sealer for all species of fish and it works great, I have had redfish and spec fillets in the freezer for 2 years and they still taste great.
vacuum seal bags, where do you buy your bagging material, have seen some on ebay and wondered if it was of same quality as the "namebrand" rolls???
I have bought some generic bags on ebay and the Food Saver brand at walmart. I like the Food Saver brand.
I fillet and brine my fillets. I then rinse off the brine and vacuum seal. They taste fresh and clean even after a year.
Just had a mness last nite. Even though they were caught during the spring of this year they tasted as fresh as just caught. They were vacuum sealed.:)
Over the last few weeks I've vacuum sealed a bit of BBQ chicken and ribs as experiments on how to keep and ship meat to out of state relatives. While vacuum seal is by far the way to go on keeping /freezing my only complaint is is has to be bone dry for it to vacuum and seal. The same sometimes applies to fish. Other than that I have no problems with vacuum sealing
I do BBQ each year and vacuum seal meal size bags. It is as fresh 12 months later as if just bagged.Quote:
Originally Posted by turkeyfootnc
Have you tried placing a folded paper towel inside the bag to absorb the water? After patting the fillets as dry as possible I add the paper towel. 'Course I ALWAYS double seal both ends of all my bags too.
I do the same Butch, the second seal really makes a big difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by gabowman
We always put the paper towel in with ours and double seal on both ends. My wife says its my OCD kicking in on the double seal!!!:Rofl
I use the sealer for mine and many other meats and other stuff. One trick for "juicy" stuff is place your item in the bag then place a paper towel in the bag that goes across the width of the bag. Make sure it's a couple inches below the edge of the bag so it don't mess with the seal. When you go to seal it the moisture will wick into the paper towel and not mess with the sealing. Then when you are ready to eat just thaw, remove the paper towel and prepare your items.
Used to have a little vacuum pump that sucked air out of sandwich bags and I loved it. Have a vacuum sealer some where and don't like it. Never got the hang of it, bags were expensive and didn't like the way they fit in the freezer. Today I dress the fish, put them in egg and coat with bread crumbs. Then in plastic freezer bags and wrap in freezer paper. When ready to use I drop them into deep fryer while still frozen and no complaints. Before wrapping in paper I do squeeze out the ait best I can. Wish I knew where to get another of those little pump's, it was great!