Defrosting a chicken


 
Bruce said:
What is a good economical brand/model???
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Price is relative but I've been using this one for the past 12 months and I am extremely pleased with it. https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00PDF2LGS/tvwb-20

Prior to, I had a Foodsaver that malfunctioned a few times before I gave up on it within 2 years of service. In addition to the reliability issues, the FS that I had included an 11" seal bar compared to a 16" bar on the PRO380; that is a huge benefit for bulky items, which includes chickens. Having said that, FS does make a sealer that is wider than the 11" that I once owned. But given the failures I shopped for a different brand.
 
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Oh, yah, that is what I was afraid of. Oh well, maybe I can save up some from my rehab grills and get one some day.
 
Yeah we have a FoodSaver not a very good machine. Was expensive (around $100) the bags are costly and the seal breaks no matter what you do. Bottom line IMO don't waste your $$$. Frankly I don't freeze meat of any kind other than an occasional burger. Unless you can flash freeze the cells break down, moisture is given up it's just a waste of good food. I buy only enough meat products that will be used within a safe time period
 
We have a small refrigerator so usually we only freeze ground beef and sausage. Again, I won’t be freezing any more whole chickens!
 
I will echo the "Stay away from the FoodSaver brand" comments. 2 of them were worthless for me in short order.

I'd recommend practically anything with the VacMaster (Ary) brand. I have a Pro260 that works very well, little brother to what BFletcher has. And their customer service is great, compared to Rival/FoodSaver's non-existent customer service.
 
The one I used to have was a food saver. Besides the cost of the bags I wasn't enamored with its performance. when the time comes I'm going to look into what's available and hopefully get one that works good.
 
Best price I've found on rolls & bags are from webstaurantstore.com. I need to order more pint bags today, as a matter of fact.
 
If I'm not mistaken, Ary will sell replacement parts to the consumer. For times when we can diagnose an issue on our own, that ability to buy parts is a big plus. Foodsaver will not sell parts in a million years. And I disassembled one of mine... I had to take careful notes, annotate screw and other hardware placement, take pics, and pray. I would be lost without a vac sealer, not only for fresh foods but also for leftovers--especially from larger items like smoked pork shoulder, leftover brisket, etc. And when I make chili and soups I sometimes make huge batches and freeze for easy, delicious meals at a later date :)
 
BFletcher said:
If I'm not mistaken, Ary will sell replacement parts to the consumer. For times when we can diagnose an issue on our own, that ability to buy parts is a big plus. Foodsaver will not sell parts in a million years.
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Yes. No trouble at all talking to Ary's customer service (who know what they're talking about,) and parts like seals and heater strip tape are easily available. I bought some spares that as it turns out I don't need, because I had some bad bags.

I've never been able to exceed the duty cycle on my VacMaster Pro260, I exceeded the duty cycle on both of my FoodSavers (when I could get them to start....) on a fairly regular basis.
 
I must have the magic touch or I baby my equipment. My first FoodSaver lasted 19 years and was still working fine when I donated it to Goodwill. I bought a Model 5480 at Costco in February 2018 and it works great.
 
Chris Allingham said:
My first FoodSaver lasted 19 years and was still working fine when I donated it to Goodwill. I bought a Model 5480 at Costco in February 2018 and it works great.
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Yes; it was unfair of me to imply that all Foodsaver vac sealers are a bad value. Thanks for pointing this out.
 
Once you buy a vac sealer, how much would you estimate it costs to seal up something like a pound of fish? Or a 1lb Ribeye?
 
Bruce said:
Once you buy a vac sealer, how much would you estimate it costs to seal up something like a pound of fish? Or a 1lb Ribeye?
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Pint bags, the smallest size I buy, run from $3.39/50 to $5.39/40. Call it $0.06 to $0.14 per pint bag.
Quarts.... $5.38/50 to $8.99/40. All prices from Webstaurantstore.com.

I've actually been buying the more expensive bags, and using bags instead of rolls simply due to cheap and ease of use. I still have some big roll material for things like rib roasts.
 
Wow, defrosting a chicken really went in another direction!

Does anybody have experience DIY installing central air? That might be the next "big" project over here in our 1928 house ....

Just kidding of course!
 
So, we are basically talking about a dime per use. That is not bad considering a guy can buy a lot of bags for that 1lb ribeye that you might have had to otherwise throw out.
 
THyde said:
Wow, defrosting a chicken really went in another direction!

Does anybody have experience DIY installing central air? That might be the next "big" project over here in our 1928 house ....

Just kidding of course!
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I have to shampoo my cat that weekend..... :D
 
THyde said:
Wow, defrosting a chicken really went in another direction!
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Yeah; it is not uncommon for threads to migrate to other, related topics. Vac sealing is a common component of freezing foods (i.e. how to thaw a chicken), so here we are :)
 
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