Poor Girl's Freezer "Vacuum Bags"

bbqgeekess · Feb 27, 2014

Ground meat (beef, pork, sausage, etc..) tightly wrapped in saran wrap then thrown in a gallon zip lock bag. (I never get any frost bite--ever) :

(e.g. 5 pounds of ground beef wrapped in 1/2 pound portions)

Not quite a vacuum but close -- all depends on how tightly you wrap the ground beef. I store steaks this way as well with no frost bite.

cpw · Feb 27, 2014

I do the same thing! Don't have a vacuum sealer, so this works for me.

bbqgeekess · Feb 27, 2014

The wrapmaster device really helps.. makes pulling out the saran wrap and cutting it a breeze.. with no chance to cut your fingers.

mikemci · Feb 27, 2014

I'll stick with my vac-sealed bags, but a good idea if I run out of rolls in the middle of a bagging session.

mchar69 · Feb 27, 2014

Good idea - keep thea air away from the meat and you are GTG.
I use it on venison legs - wrapped tight and no freezer burn. I use about 15 feet of wrap on a leg, but so what. I can't vacuum pack one.

bbqgeekess · Feb 27, 2014

mchar69 said:
Good idea - keep thea air away from the meat and you are GTG.
I use it on venison legs - wrapped tight and no freezer burn. I use about 15 feet of wrap on a leg, but so what. I can't vacuum pack one.

1.2 cents a foot. Wow you spent an entire 18 cents doing that!

buccaneer · Feb 27, 2014

Wow, that is a champion job at thrift

oifmarine2003 · Feb 27, 2014

Vacuum sealer bags are getting expensive! Good idea.

Fwismoker · Feb 27, 2014

If it works i think that's great. Thanks for sharing "poor girl"

sliding_billy · Feb 28, 2014

Been there, done that... sometimes just out of laziness when not feeling like pulling out the vacuum sealer.

IamMadMan · Feb 28, 2014

Double wrapping is a great alternative to vac-sealing. However I don't know if the food would survive up to 2 years if accidentally forgotten about in the freezer. If it does then that's a great alternative, thanks for sharing with those who cannot purchased a sealer.

oifmarine2003 said:
Vacuum sealer bags are getting expensive! Good idea.

Depends on where you purchase them from.. and what size lot you buy them in.
I purchase in 100 bag lots..
Pint Bags are .10 each
Quart Bags are .15 each
Gallon Bags are .27 each

I pick these up locally, so no shipping and always in stock.

The bags also hold the liquid items like soups, stews and chili very well without a lot of fuss. A wide mouth funnel works great for filling the bags.

.

Enrico Brandizzi · Feb 28, 2014

Great idea, THANKS

dwfisk · Feb 28, 2014

You can also improve the hold time by making sure you get as much air out of the zip bag as possible before sealing. I'll frequently fill the sink with water and submerge the filled bag with the zip edge just above the water. The water compresses the bag against the contents and forces most of the air out. Close the zip bag while immersed and you are good to go.

Edit: works OK for 6 months without double wrapping, i.e., smaller portions in smaller bags.

DavidEHickey · Feb 28, 2014

I do the same, I'm the wrap king, double and triple wrap and into a zip lock. Nothing annoys me more "pet peeve" than opening the freezer at home or at a club I'm an officer at and seeing meat stuck in a zip lock bag loosely not wrapped with ice crystals forming. I guess I kinda thought everyone had common sense! I will say though I do love my vacuum sealer! But agree they are not very cheap to use!

Jaskew82 · Feb 28, 2014

Wrap in foil after plastic wrap. Then put in the bag. Works like a charm

QDoc · Feb 28, 2014

I'm a belt and suspenders type of guy. I wrap and since I have a vac I use it too in case the seal leaks esp on high end meats.

Grimm5577 · Feb 28, 2014

Not to be a Debbie downer but I didn't know this was something new? I have always wrapped my meat or other things I'm about to freeze in saran before putting into a zip lock freezer bag. But I moved to vacuum sealing which allows the products sealed to last longer in the fridge without freezing it.

cholloway · Feb 28, 2014

I only use the ziplock freezer bags also. Only I use a plastic drinking straw in the corner of the opening after bag is zipped most of the way to remove as much air as possible.
Works for me.

bbqgeekess · Feb 28, 2014

Grimm5577 said:
Not to be a Debbie downer but I didn't know this was something new?

I never claimed it to be new. But, I'm happy some here in this thread have found it helpful.

Oh, I saran wrap tons of refrigerated items as well. I make a "veggie bin" where I put small veggies and cut up veggies (e.g. onion halves) .. all wrapped up individually in plastic wrap. Makes them last weeks in the fridge instead of days.

Grimm5577 · Feb 28, 2014

I guess what i meant to say was, isn't this common practice? But like you stated, apparently it's not.

Poor Girl's Freezer "Vacuum Bags"

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