How to properly vacuum seal and freeze food that may stick together
I had a mishap involving steak freezing together and am wondering what the best way to prevent it from happening again. I just got a vacuum sealer and have being buying large quantities of meat and putting them in one big bag and sucking the air out. This hasn't worked so well as
- the meet got mushed together (especially sausages) and froze together
- after opening the bag I wasn't really able to re-vacuum seal the same bag.
It was recommend to plastic wrap the meat individually. Does that defeat the point of using a vacuum sealer at all? Might I as well plastic wrap everything and then put them in the freezer just like that? It was also recommended to use "freezer paper", I've never heard of that. I guess I could try using it to not cover the individual pieces of meet but only where they would touch the others in the bag that I would vacuum seal.
Also can I reseal vacuum sealer bags? If no maybe the best option is to use small bags and put the individual pieces of meat into them right away.
Best Answer
You can use waxed baking paper between the steaks, It will make them easily separable but without retaining air bubbles.
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Can you freeze food that is vacuum sealed?
Yes. You can prep your meals and cook them up, then vacuum seal once they've cooled down to an appropriate temperature and freeze. Finally, reheat when ready. Generally, your leftovers can be vacuum sealed, so they don't go to waste.Should I freeze food before vacuum sealing?
Freezing First Since many of the types of bacteria that can harm both your food and your body thrive at room temperature, it's best to freeze your meats before vacuum sealing them and storing them in the freezer for an extended period of time.Can you use a Ziploc freezer bag in a vacuum sealer?
Like raw onions and garlic, raw vegetables in the Cruciferae and Brassicaceae families that emit gasses also shouldn't be vacuum sealed. These vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, kale, radishes, bok choy, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and arugula.Foods That Cannot Be Sealed | Foodsaver®
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Answer 2
The other solution for something like meatballs, sausage, etc. is to freeze them first and then vacuum seal them once they are nice and solid. At that point they will maintain their shape during the sealing process and can be easily separated when you need to open the package and defrost some. Once you open the bag and take some out you should be able to re-seal it if you stack them perpendicular to the long axis of the bag (or if you leave enough extra room initially for re-sealing when they are initially packaged).
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