On 13-Oct-2007, Nonnymus > wrote:

> Steve Calvin wrote:
> > * Posted in alt.cooking-chat but thought some here may find it useful
> > info.
> >
> >
> > ok, I'm getting ready to head up to our camp for deer season with a
> > couple friends and needed to vacuum seal individual servings of chili,
> > sausage & peppers, and stew. And I hit a problem and solved it. I
> > thought I'd pass it on.
> >
> > The problem: getting the inside top of the bags wet/goobered up so they
> > wouldn't seal properly with out wiping them off prior to sealing.
> >
> > The solution: Find a food grade tube of plastic, preferably flexible,
> > around 3 1/2" in diameter and 9" or so inches long.
> >
> > Use: Insert the tube into the bag but *not* all the way to the bottom.
> > Approximately 1/2 way so that when you scoop the food into the tube it
> > falls out the tube into the bag without messing up the outside bottom of
> >
> > the tube.
> >
> > Pull the tube out and seal the bag with nice clean insides. Works great.
>
> The Food saver sealer I use would still wick the moisture into the
> sealed line and make a mess in the collection tray inside the sealer.
> When doing something like you're recommending, I put the substance into
> small Tupperware-type containers and freeze them first. The frozen
> contents can then be removed by a swift 'bang' on the cutting board and
> the frozen block of whatever inserted into the vac bag cleanly. Since
> I'm gonna freeze whatever anyway, the only additional work is in washing
> the Tupperware afterward- but then I have a dishwasher and that makes it
> a snap anyway.
>
> Nonny

My method is to fill the final vac-bag using a canning funnel and then fold
over the top and secure with a clothes pin while the package pre-freezes.
After it's hard frozen, I remove the clothes pin and evacuate/seal the bag.
I have the space to pre-freeze. YMMV.
--
Brick(Youth is wasted on young people)