For you folks that use food savers I have a question about usage. I just purchased one and have a few questions:
1: what temp do you vac-seal things? Do I need to cool meats to XXX temp before vac-sealing?
Best results are achieved by quickly cooling the food before sealing. The cooling also helps the meat juices gel so they won't be lost during sealing.
2: when it's time to reheat, can the bags/meats be warmed in an oven? (say 350 until the meat reaches XXX temp)
I would not put the bags into the oven, but the meat can be removed from the bag and panned to reheat. If your bags are approved for boiling (not all are) you can also bring a pot of water to boil, drop the bags into the water, remove the pot from the heat and allow to gently heat about 10-15 minutes. This also prevents the meat from continuing to cook. Once the meat is cooked and sealed you can safely heat in an approved bag and serve when they are reheated to a 145° internal temperature.
3: can whole meats (shoulder or brisket) be vac-sealed?
Yes if your sealer will handle large enough bags. I bag whole flats to keep a uniform thickness for reheating. For winter months, I will bag whole pork butts and reheat them in the oven. Other than that I usually pull the pork in long thick strips after resting and remove the fat and gristle, then cool. I also chill the liquids separately and skim the fat and add the gelled juices to bottom of the bag before sealing.
4: do you process your food before sealing? (i.e. - is there a loss of smoke flavor if your pull the shoulder and seal it?)
Nothing is as good as fresh, but most people will never know the difference, it is great!!!!
5: how long will sealed foods last?
I had sealed foods for up to two years that got lost in the back of the freezer, all great. I rotate items and try to use the food within 6-8 months, but have had many things for a year with no loss of flavor or quality, and more importantly..... Absolutely No Freezer Burn.
6: I hear a lot about reheating in boiling water. Is that better than the microwave?
The heat from the water is a gentle uniform heat, whereas using a microwave actually continues to cook the meat. Both work well, but best results for me are with the pot of water.
.