Vac Seal and Sous Vide

jimstocks53 said:
I realize there is some security with using a vacuum sealed bag when cooking in a sous vide bath. But I have been using zip lock bags successfully for years without any leak problems. The trick of weighting down the bags (with a metal utensil) and closing the sinking bags as water pressure drives the air out has worked as long as I've kept the seal above the water with a wood-working clamp affixed to the side of the bath container. I've not felt it necessary to get a 'seal-a-meal' system - at least not for sous vide.
Click to expand...

I use a vacuum bag when doing racks of lamb, and I do make bone sleeves for extra protection. Everything else I use Ziploc Freezer bags and have never had an issue. I have the silicone bag weights that work great. I plan on SV'ing a rack of St Louis ribs soon and will probably use a vacuum seal bag on those.
 
George,


They also make magnets to secure the bag under water. These do not have to be in the bag, but put the bag between the inner and outer magnet(s).


711GZPgEQbL._AC_SX425_.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/pack-Sous-Ma...4603&sprefix=sous+vide+weights,aps,422&sr=8-3
 
I went back and read this thread again. Your machine seals the bag OK, but doesn't suck the air out right. Is this correct ?
I went thru 3 of that brand before buying a better brand of sealer. What may be the problem is at some point when vacing a bag with liquid in it, the unit sucked some of the liquid up into the pump. This will cause the problem you are having. Sometimes they quit altogether or most times they just don't draw the vac right anymore. The liquid ruins the seals inside the pump. That company doesn't sell repair seals or pumps to retail customers like the better companies do. You have to send the machine back to them for the repair. Cheaper to buy a new one from them or spend a little more and buy a better brand of machine.
JWWFM-YMMV
 
OSD said:
I went back and read this thread again. Your machine seals the bag OK, but doesn't suck the air out right. Is this correct ?
I went thru 3 of that brand before buying a better brand of sealer. What may be the problem is at some point when vacing a bag with liquid in it, the unit sucked some of the liquid up into the pump. This will cause the problem you are having. Sometimes they quit altogether or most times they just don't draw the vac right anymore. The liquid ruins the seals inside the pump. That company doesn't sell repair seals or pumps to retail customers like the better companies do. You have to send the machine back to them for the repair. Cheaper to buy a new one from them or spend a little more and buy a better brand of machine.
JWWFM-YMMV
Click to expand...

What did you wind up buying?
 
Big George's BBQ said:
Thanks everyone Much appreciated
Click to expand...


George,


You peaked my interest in Sous Vide.

I wanted to buy the Anova 1000 Watt model ($169) with WiFi, but wasn't sure if this is something I might continue using. So I cheaped out and bought the InkBird 1000 Watt Model ($72) with WiFi. I can always give this away if I think i need to upgrade in the future.



It arrived today and will go shopping at the commissary to try it out tomorrow / weekend. WiFi was a little difficult to set up because I use a MAC Address rejection filter in inside my firewall. The unit doesn't list the MAC on the box or on the unit; I had to create a "hotspot" on my phone to capture the address, then program it into the WAP.


Overall wasn't difficult, I gave it a quick test run just to test remote capability. The real test comes with cooking. Hopefully I'll have thanks to give you for peaking my interests..... Any suggestions for the first few runs?
 
My favorites have been pork chops and steak and then searing them in a cast iron pan Eggs are good Comes out perfect but takes about 45 min The chicken I did last for soup came out excellent- tender and moist and easy to shred- did the breast at 140*
 
Big George's BBQ said:
My favorites have been pork chops and steak and then searing them in a cast iron pan Eggs are good Comes out perfect but takes about 45 min The chicken I did last for soup came out excellent- tender and moist and easy to shred- did the breast at 140*
Click to expand...


Thanks George, time isn't a factor for me these days.


Any recommendations for books that you may have purchased and liked for Sous Vide? or any sites that might be useful to someone who has had no exposure to the process. I learn quickly, and look forward to experimenting.
 
Big George's BBQ said:
It seals fine. It’s the suction that does not get enough air out
Click to expand...


Hey George, I recently had issues with air in the bag when cooking vegetables. While they are properly vac-sealed, I find that during cooking gas is produced slightly inflating the bag.


The magnets I bought seem to help, but the stainless chain mesh used for cleaning cast iron seems to work the best in this scenario. I just place them over the bag after it starts to slightly inflate.
51QWPoCcV4L._SY90_.jpg

They are much cheaper than the INKBIRD version of the similar material.


Hope this helps you....
 
IamMadMan said:
George,


They also make magnets to secure the bag under water. These do not have to be in the bag, but put the bag between the inner and outer magnet(s).


711GZPgEQbL._AC_SX425_.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/pack-Sous-Ma...4603&sprefix=sous+vide+weights,aps,422&sr=8-3
Click to expand...

This seems like a great idea. I have a rack that goes in the water that holds 3 or 4 bags upright in the water — and lets me put a little pressure on them to hold them down. The magnets though would be a great option for when I didn’t need to drag that out. Also (I assume) that if you were using something an enameled Dutch oven instead of one of the plastic containers for the container you’d be able to attach it directly to the pot.
 
Dweverett said:
This seems like a great idea. I have a rack that goes in the water that holds 3 or 4 bags upright in the water — and lets me put a little pressure on them to hold them down. The magnets though would be a great option for when I didn’t need to drag that out. Also (I assume) that if you were using something an enameled Dutch oven instead of one of the plastic containers for the container you’d be able to attach it directly to the pot.
Click to expand...


I saw the vertical rack on Amazon, so I have been looking at using wire footed racks as separators
366150_t.jpg
.
 
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