vacuum sealers

[NAGG]

Hey all

Anyone have any recommendations for vacuum sealers ...... Any brands to consider & ones to avoid .

What about the availability of the film / cost ?

I'm thinking of buying one for some fish storage but also for packing bait .

Are they worth while ? ..... the good , bad & the ugly

I'm certainly keen to hear your experiences

Cheers

Chris

[bluefin59]

I bought the cheap ass 4 wd super center one and it’s been working for me for the last couple of years . Matt

[TheGurn]

Best things since bottled beer. Check out Pacfood for cheapest good quality rolls. Russell Hobbs make a good sealer. If you're a bit electrickery savvy, can easily fit a 12v jack into a 240v sealer for both power supplies. They mostly all run on 12v internally. Very handy for camping and much cheaper than most 12v store bought ripoff prices they charge.
Bait goes in the food esky now. Wife is happy nothing tastes like pilchards anymore. Nothing in our freezer gets frostbite anymore. Comes out the way it went in.

[DATCOL]

Hi Chris Pack Food Nambour phone 1800823200 good quality gear
if you fish or hunt a vacuum packer is a must have

https://www.pacfood.com.au/shop/?gcl...caAnNoEALw_wcB


cheers COL

[NAGG]

How wide are they ?

Are the pouches a set size & you just seal the end ? -

can you get different sizes .

Fillets - say 30cm long ok ?

When it comes to bait - I want to start ordering a 15kg box of IQF pilchards & them repack into 2.5kg bags ..... Is that doable ?
Then when we get onto some slimies - I want to be able to freeze them up ........ specially when I'm away on my longer trips.

What is the cost of the pouches ?

Chris

[Barry Ehsman]

I think all the info you need mate is in the link DATCOL posted

[Dignity]

Chris, topic covered a few times now. There are cheap rolls out there but I've found that 2/3 rds of the way through they are scrunched up a bit and don't ways seal properly. I recently replaced the kitchen one with a Proline brand (was going for the Pac Foods but thought I'd try this one out) which I find works better than my previous Sunbeam which has broken the lock one end, in that when it goes into Seal mode the pump continues on for a few seconds, seems to manage the job better.
Things I've learned or do.

1. Never store the machine in the locked position, the seal part will need replacing sooner than later. The Proline came with 2 small cardboard triangles in the channel so I store it with them in place.
2. I wrap most things in Baking Paper before vac packing, fish in particular.
3. With moist foods which are hard to remove all the moisture from I roll a piece of paper towel and insert it just before the seal.
4. Don't stinge on how much roll you will need make a bag as you will find you will be wasting it.
5. I reuse the bags for bait, no point buying it especially for the purpose. Just be aware that spiky bits will penetrative most films and you'll lose the vacuum. I tend to hit the Seal button once the majority of air is withdrawn as you can bruise the bait. I throw 10 pillies into each bag as that is a convenient amount for starter baits and will defrost very quickly.
6. You can even freeze liquids, put the bag or roll into a container upright and partially freeze it, then vac it, usually I get the missus to press the buttons as the machine is at the edge of the bench while I'm holding the bag with the contents, once most air is expelled she hits the Seal button and the partially frozen liquid can be manipulated so that you have a nice neat package to continue freezing.
7. Wonder how you've managed this long without one.
Edit:
I rarely buy bags as rolls allow me to cut to any length of product. Sometimes I will put a number of wrapped items in so they aren't touching and freeze then cleanly cut one end, remove and reseal, uses a lot less roll that way but getting lazy now.

[NAGG]

Chris, topic covered a few times now. There are cheap rolls out there but I've found that 2/3 rds of the way through they are scrunched up a bit and don't ways seal properly. I recently replaced the kitchen one with a Proline brand (was going for the Pac Foods but thought I'd try this one out) which I find works better than my previous Sunbeam which has broken the lock one end, in that when it goes into Seal mode the pump continues on for a few seconds, seems to manage the job better.
Things I've learned or do.

1. Never store the machine in the locked position, the seal part will need replacing sooner than later. The Proline came with 2 small cardboard triangles in the channel so I store it with them in place.
2. I wrap most things in Baking Paper before vac packing, fish in particular.
3. With moist foods which are hard to remove all the moisture from I roll a piece of paper towel and insert it just before the seal.
4. Don't stinge on how much roll you will need make a bag as you will find you will be wasting it.
5. I reuse the bags for bait, no point buying it especially for the purpose. Just be aware that spiky bits will penetrative most films and you'll lose the vacuum. I tend to hit the Seal button once the majority of air is withdrawn as you can bruise the bait. I throw 10 pillies into each bag as that is a convenient amount for starter baits and will defrost very quickly.
6. You can even freeze liquids, put the bag or roll into a container upright and partially freeze it, then vac it, usually I get the missus to press the buttons as the machine is at the edge of the bench while I'm holding the bag with the contents, once most air is expelled she hits the Seal button and the partially frozen liquid can be manipulated so that you have a nice neat package to continue freezing.
7. Wonder how you've managed this long without one.
Edit:
I rarely buy bags as rolls allow me to cut to any length of product. Sometimes I will put a number of wrapped items in so they aren't touching and freeze then cleanly cut one end, remove and reseal, uses a lot less roll that way but getting lazy now.

I've never been down this path because for the best part of the last 20 years - I've only eaten fresh fish with a preference for catch and release . I still lean toward catch & release .

Storing bait will be a big part of getting a vacuum sealer

Chris

[scottar]

Salting helps a heap too Chris. I even salt fresh mullet fillets overnight before use now. Much tougher and the fish don't seem to mind.

[Dignity]

I've never been down this path because for the best part of the last 20 years - I've only eaten fresh fish with a preference for catch and release . I still lean toward catch & release .

Storing bait will be a big part of getting a vacuum sealer

Chris

I agree fresh is best but like last night we went to the local RSL and ended up winning a free meat tray. The meat got marinated this morning then cryovaced and in the fridge for about 5 days before freezing, as a chef friend of ours suggested, works well.
You will be surprised at what you can cryovac. I often get good deals on pies here of a brand I like and I cryovac these for fishing trips, just need to extract enough air without flattening them. Once you start you will find lots of reason to use one. If your using it for bait only don't go too cheap as moisture getting into the pump will kill them.

[Dignity]

Salting helps a heap too Chris. I even salt fresh mullet fillets overnight before use now. Much tougher and the fish don't seem to mind.

Even the humble pillie salted for a couple of hours if defrosted works well. Also the liquid left over goes into the burley, nothing wasted.

[Funchy]

I have an Aldi one. Had it for 3 years and it’s been awesome. For around $80 you gotta be happy

[NAGG]

Baitfishing throws up some big surprises . Yes I would have nodded that live or at least very fresh bait was best , however I got a big wake up call early last year on a trip to Crowdy Head .
I'm a big fan of big IQF pillies for snapper fishing but in my excitement to get on the water - I left the quality ones in the car & just took my burley ones & about a dozen big (30cm) slimies that were caught on a earlier trip , taken home & just thrown in the freezer ( these were just going to be used for burley when catching livies. Anyhow - I used these slimies whole & the snapper went nuts over them ...... every bait got smashed within a couple of minutes - half a dozen snapper landed over 60cm with 75cm the biggest.
That opened my eyes & has proven successful ever since.
Those big IQF pillies are just gold - snapper , jew & spotties just cant resit them - so much so that I hardly bother fishing for livies any more.

Anyhow - I want to be able to pack & freeze any slimies that I may catch .

Chris

[Dignity]

Baitfishing throws up some big surprises . Yes I would have nodded that live or at least very fresh bait was best , however I got a big wake up call early last year on a trip to Crowdy Head .
I'm a big fan of big IQF pillies for snapper fishing but in my excitement to get on the water - I left the quality ones in the car & just took my burley ones & about a dozen big (30cm) slimies that were caught on a earlier trip , taken home & just thrown in the freezer ( these were just going to be used for burley when catching livies. Anyhow - I used these slimies whole & the snapper went nuts over them ...... every bait got smashed within a couple of minutes - half a dozen snapper landed over 60cm with 75cm the biggest.
That opened my eyes & has proven successful ever since.
Those big IQF pillies are just gold - snapper , jew & spotties just cant resit them - so much so that I hardly bother fishing for livies any more.

Anyhow - I want to be able to pack & freeze any slimies that I may catch .

Chris

I bet you don't stop at bait with the cryovacing.

[NAGG]

I bet you don't stop at bait with the cryovacing.

no doubt

That said - I'm not a huge freezer of food .... I like fresh - but yeh . We do our trips away up north & I know we all like taking a feed home and I hear that vacuum sealing makes a difference .

Chris