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Food Saver newbie

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dbos1254
dbos1254 Posts: 4
in EggHead Forum
I just bought a food Saver from Walmart. Is it necessary to freeze food ( pulled pork) before you vacuum seal? It seems redundant to have to freeze the food then vacuum and seal and refreeze. Also I am having a little trouble getting a seal every time. It will vacuum fine and seem to seal but then loses it's seal. I know it's simple but my technique needs improving. At first I thought there was something wrong with the machine, but I think it is me. I would welcome any advice.
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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
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    It's recommended to at least partially freeze stuff like that so the foodsaver's vacuum action doesn't suck a bunch of the juices out of what you're sealing...or for things like hamburgers, so it doesn't crush them.

    I've never had your problem.  Just make sure you're pulling (out to each side) the bag so it goes in and stays flat, slide it in far enough, and hold still til it tells you it's done.  That assumes you have one of the automated versions where all you have to do is insert the bag and it detects the bag and starts the vacuum/seal process.  I think some of the lower end ones may not be as automated.
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
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    I only freeze first my soups, burgers, and English muffins - otherwise I do not! BTW what model do you have?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • calracefan
    calracefan Posts: 606
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    If your food has a lot of moisture , you may have to fold a paper towel ans place in the neck of the bag to keep the vac from pulling it out. This may be why it is not sealing.
    Ova B.
    Fulton MO
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  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
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    I mainly do "BBQ items" (pulled pork, pulled beef, ribs, brisket).  I don't pre-freeze ever.  Yes, sometimes it pulls a little juice through but no big deal.  I just clean up the foodsaver groove when done and everything is fine.  Mine is at least 10 years old and is not a high end model but there is a light that tells me when it's done sealing.  As long as you hold steady and firmly closed until then, I haven't had issues.
    Packerland, Wisconsin

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  • dbos1254
    dbos1254 Posts: 4
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    Thanks all. My model is a 3200 series .I paid about 100 dollars for it. I'll keep practicing!
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    The 3200 series is manual seal I think. To get the hang of it, try freezing stuff before you seal, once the vac is established, seal it. 
    I often wrap things like chicken pieces in saran wrap before vac packing. Know it sounds dumb to double wrap. The advantage is once in the freezer, I can open the food saver bag, separate the pieces to take out what I want and then reseal the food saver bag. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
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    I have a Gamesaver Silver.  The only issue I have encountered was with the portion control bags.  Apparently the perforation leaks enough to not allow the vacuum to reach full value and transfer to auto seal mode.  If I preseperate the bags at the perforation they seal no problem.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
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