Vacuum Sealer Question

[Roll_Bones]

I have the Food Saver Vacuum Sealer system and had a two part question.
For the record, I am using Food Saver brand name bags and rolls.

1) Sometimes when I go to get items that have been sealed from the freezer, they seem to have lost their vacuum. Like I had just used regular freezer bags. I have even tried double sealing on the individual packages and I still cannot prevent this.
Its only a few packages out of many more, but it is troubling.

2) Sometimes store bought meat packages are injected with some sort of gas, so the plastic film is kinda like a balloon. Might not be the best description. But they have some sort of gas injected into the package. To help/assist shelf life I am assuming.

My question is. Should I remove the meat from these gas injected packages and use the vacuum system instead?
I have been leaving them as is and freezing. I had some freezer burn on the last pack of sausages.
I only see this addition of injected gas in ground pork in some grocery stores and Premio Italian sausages I get at Costco.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[Andy M.]

I remove food from store packaging and vacuum seal. When I have trouble with maintaining a seal, I've found it's because there was moisture in the package that prevented a good seal. Now I ensure I've dried off the meat/food before I seal it.

 

[Cheryl J]

Same as Andy - I remove the meat from store packaging before sealing. I usually run a paper towel around the inside edge of the top of the vacuum bag, just to make sure there isn't any moisture there from transferring the meat to the vacuum bag.

Sometimes I'll roll up a dry paper towel and put it on top of the meat before sealing, just to make sure that no liquids get sucked up and compromise the seal.

It can be a pain, but when the vacuum seal works great 90% or more of the time, it's a great way to stock up and portion out meats and poultry on sale for future use. I haven't had the seals fail very often.

 

[Rocklobster]

Happens to me all the time..I have a commercial machine with heavy duty bags and we routinely go through the freezer section and repackage the bags that have lost their sea..I think things change once a bag, and it's contents become frozen and not so pliable...

 

[caseydog]

Definitely remove the meats from the store packaging, so the bag can cling tightly to the meat. However, every once in a while, I'll have one loose its vacuum. I just assume the seal wasn't perfect, perhaps because of too much moisture or fat, or some other barrier to a good heat seal. It happens pretty rarely to me.

CD

 

[Roll_Bones]

I remove food from store packaging and vacuum seal. When I have trouble with maintaining a seal, I've found it's because there was moisture in the package that prevented a good seal. Now I ensure I've dried off the meat/food before I seal it.

I always remove the food from the packaging. The Costco Premio sausages are in four 5 link portions to be pulled apart and stored like that. There is not Styrofoam bottom. It is a sealed package, with air injected into it.
I removed the ones I sealed today. Thanks Andy.

Happens to me all the time..I have a commercial machine with heavy duty bags and we routinely go through the freezer section and repackage the bags that have lost their sea..I think things change once a bag, and it's contents become frozen and not so pliable...

Thanks Rock. I think we are on the same page.

Definitely remove the meats from the store packaging, so the bag can cling tightly to the meat. However, every once in a while, I'll have one loose its vacuum. I just assume the seal wasn't perfect, perhaps because of too much moisture or fat, or some other barrier to a good heat seal. It happens pretty rarely to me.

As well with me. I have always removed any store packaging. But the Costco Premio Italian sausages come in storeable, pull apart packs of four. 5 links per package.
I guess next time I will take a pic. I'm not certain my point is taken with this packaging technique. They are supposed to make portioning and storing very easy.
Like I said above, I removed them from the portioned bags and vacuumed sealed each 5 link section in a vacuum bag.

Thanks folks!

 

[Itrystuff]

My bags usually get comprised by me mucking about in the freezer and clacking them together.