How do I marinade in vacuum sealer bags?

[ilovelondon]

I have a vacuum sealer which has been sitting idle for too long. It's a basic model SealAMeal (no attachment for canisters). I've read it's possible to marinade meat in bags. Have you done this? How does it work? How do you prevent the liquids seeping up into the machine?
Thanks for any advice.

 

[pacanis]

Try putting a paper towel(s) across the top of the bag to intercept the marinade.
I've never done it, but you can try it

 

[kitchenelf]

The best advice I can give you would be to read your instruction booklet - it should talk about marinating and what to expect.

 

[GB]

I have done it with my foodsaver. You need to make the bag extra long and then put a paper towel (folded a few times) at the top.

 

[kitchenelf]

GB - do you put the towel IN the bag? Like seal the bag with the paper towel in it?

 

[Katie H]

I'm pretty sure he does. I do when I have especially "sloppy" foods to seal. Plus, the video that came with the machine demonstrated that.

 

[pacanis]

I'm pretty sure he does. I do when I have especially "sloppy" foods to seal. Plus, the video that came with the machine demonstrated that.

That's where I saw it.

 

[GB]

Yes in the bag at the very top. If you make the bag really big then hopefully most liquid will not reach the top by the time it seals, but what little does make it will get absorbed by the paper towel before it gets sucked into the machine.

 

[ilovelondon]

Thank you everybody for your advice. My manual says "liquids should be frozen prior to vacuum sealing" but I wanted to try a less time-consuming method. I'm going to give the paper towel suggestion a try. Thanks again.

 

[KitchenHack]

Thank you everybody for your advice. My manual says "liquids should be frozen prior to vacuum sealing" but I wanted to try a less time-consuming method. I'm going to give the paper towel suggestion a try. Thanks again.

Freezing is the easiest way with an edge sealer, or else just keep an eye on it and stop the vacuum process before the liquid gets sucked up into the machine.

 

[KitchenHack]

Or, you might want to just use a ziploc with as much air squeezed out as possible. Not as good, but less possibility of a mess!

 

[Kayelle]

I don't get the trouble of going through all that. All the air doesn't have to be removed to marinate. Just use a ziplock bag.

 

[dragnlaw]

The original posting is from 2008, hopefully they have figured it out. Too bad they didn't tell the results. But it is a good thread - thanks for reviving it.

I have done liquids, just keep a very close eye on it! Soups and sauces.

But to marinade I almost always use a zip lock type of bag, either squeeze the air out amap or suck it out with a straw.

I did that with a huge steak I got on sale, made the marinade, sealed it in the zip bag, then threw it in the freezer. When ready to throw it on the bbq I defrosted it in the fridge, still in the bag, for about 1.5 days. Was wonderful.

 

[RPCookin]

I'm not sure why one would need to vacuum seal marinating food anyway. Many recipes just say to do it in an open bowl or baking dish. Granted that if you want to freeze it, you would want to get most of the air out, that can be done adequately with a Ziploc bag. With the liquid in the bag, a little residual air isn't going to have the same effect as it would if the meat was dry.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Actually, using a vacuum sealer to marinate food has some definite advantages. When you put meat under a vacuum, it creates openings in the muscle tissue that allow it to better absorb the flavors of the marinade in a much shorter time than just putting the meat into a bowl and covering it with liquid.

The best way to prevent the liquid from being sucked into the machine is to use a standalone marinator that's designed for this purpose. Something like this:
FoodSaver 2 1/4-qt. Quick Marinator

If you want to use bags, you can do that, but you have to use less liquid than you normally would if you were just marinating meat in a dish. A LOT less liquid.

 

[Mad Cook]

The original posting is from 2008, hopefully they have figured it out. Too bad they didn't tell the results. But it is a good thread - thanks for reviving it.

I have done liquids, just keep a very close eye on it! Soups and sauces.

But to marinade I almost always use a zip lock type of bag, either squeeze the air out amap or suck it out with a straw.

I did that with a huge steak I got on sale, made the marinade, sealed it in the zip bag, then threw it in the freezer. When ready to throw it on the bbq I defrosted it in the fridge, still in the bag, for about 1.5 days. Was wonderful.

Oh dear, Dragonlaw! Sucking air out of a bag with raw meat in it - not good. Risk of food poisoning.

 

[Mad Cook]

I'm not sure why one would need to vacuum seal marinating food anyway. Many recipes just say to do it in an open bowl or baking dish. Granted that if you want to freeze it, you would want to get most of the air out, that can be done adequately with a Ziploc bag. With the liquid in the bag, a little residual air isn't going to have the same effect as it would if the meat was dry.

I was wondering that too. At the outside you (usually) only marinade overnight so a rubber band, a clothes peg or a Klippit would surely suffice?

And wouldn't freezing interfere with the process of marinating?

 

[dragnlaw]

Oh dear, Dragonlaw! Sucking air out of a bag with raw meat in it - not good. Risk of food poisoning.

Not sure quite what you mean Mad Cook, surely you jest? People use those vacuum sealers for more than vegies and fruit!

For zipped bags, using a straw to get air out is common. Immersing in a bowl of water to displace air in a bag is common. Plain flattening and pressing amap is common. Opening a pkg of meat and breathing is common. Wherein lies the risk?

 

[Mad Cook]

Not sure quite what you mean Mad Cook, surely you jest? People use those vacuum sealers for more than vegies and fruit!

For zipped bags, using a straw to get air out is common. Immersing in a bowl of water to displace air in a bag is common. Plain flattening and pressing amap is common. Opening a pkg of meat and breathing is common. Wherein lies the risk?

Yes, but shouldn't be done with raw meat.
Yes but actively sucking up concentrated amounts through a straw is a different kettle of fish and asking for trouble.

By all means carry on if you wish. The attitude to food safety seems somewhat different in the US

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes, but shouldn't be done with raw meat.
Yes but actively sucking up concentrated amounts through a straw is a different kettle of fish and asking for trouble.

By all means carry on if you wish. The attitude to food safety seems somewhat different in the US

Dragnlaw is actually in Canada, and you can't really just "the US" from one person's opinion.