Check

 

Defiance Boats!

LURECHARGE!

THE PP OUTDOOR FORUMS

Kast Gear!

Power Pro Shimano Reels G Loomis Rods

  Willie boats! Puffballs!

 

Three Rivers Marine

 

 
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#152733 - 06/03/02 02:59 AM Freezer Burn
Camofish Offline
Juvenile at Sea

Registered: 04/26/02
Posts: 242
Loc: Mount Vernon, WA
Anybody got any surefire techniques for preventing freezer burn on your frozen salmon. I bought one of those foodsaver vacuum sealers thinking that would do the trick, but am still seeing freezer burn. Seems like a waste of money now. It says fish should be good for up to a year, but that wasn't the case. I had freezer burn after just a couple months.

I've heard of people freezing fish whole (guts & all) to prevent freezer burn, but I've never had the stomach to try it. Does this really work?

CamoFish

"Help: Will fish for food"

Top
#152734 - 06/03/02 03:43 AM Re: Freezer Burn
FishinSinsation Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/12/02
Posts: 624
Loc: kenmore, wa
i also have a vacuum packer, but i have not noticed freezer burn. I have fish in the freezer from october salmon season thats still as good as the day i put it in the bags.

The trick is to make sure you dry off the fish with a towel before placing them in the bag.. and make sure the bags are not to big..

you're probably doing somthing wrong....

should work?????

Top
#152735 - 06/03/02 03:45 AM Re: Freezer Burn
FishinSinsation Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/12/02
Posts: 624
Loc: kenmore, wa
oh another thing you might want to try is.. smoke your fish and then place in vacuum bags and freez... fish comes out really good.. just take a bag out when you want 4-5 pieces of smoked fish YUMMY

also depending on what you use the fish for you might want to try canning some.. we eat alot of soups with salmon, and sandwiches so we can a bunch..

Top
#152736 - 06/03/02 03:48 AM Re: Freezer Burn
FishinSinsation Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/12/02
Posts: 624
Loc: kenmore, wa
oh when using the vacuum packer i noticed that it helps if you help push the air out while the machine sucks.. you want a tight fit on the fish... usally after it's been in the freezer for a while ( like a week) i'll check to see which bags did not seal up to my standards and eat those first...

Top
#152737 - 06/03/02 03:50 AM Re: Freezer Burn
FishinSinsation Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/12/02
Posts: 624
Loc: kenmore, wa
OH one other thing.. depeding on your machine there is a switch under the flap for fish and other wet meats.. check that out too..
for fish you want it on the highest setting..

open your lid all the way and look for it..

Top
#152738 - 06/03/02 03:55 AM Re: Freezer Burn
FishinSinsation Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/12/02
Posts: 624
Loc: kenmore, wa
oh, what kind of freezer do you have..
freezers play a big role in meat preservation

Top
#152739 - 06/03/02 05:24 AM Re: Freezer Burn
OregonBankie Offline
Parr

Registered: 08/03/99
Posts: 56
Loc: Beaverton, Oregon, USA
I have had freezer burn with vacuum packed fish due to two causes:
1. The seal original was not good, usually caused by water or slime. Dry the fish, and wipe the mouth of the bag dry before sealing.
2. The bag punctures from harsh handling. Don't throw your frozen fish around, as the bags are fragile when froze.

No more freezer burn after taking care of these two items, and I have fish over one year in the freezer that still looks and tastes great.

Top
#152740 - 06/03/02 11:07 AM Re: Freezer Burn
PhishPhreak Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 06/19/01
Posts: 1083
Loc: North Bend, WA
For those of you w/o a vacuum packer, try using good quality zip lock bags and fill them with just enough water to cover the meat. Whatever way you do it, you don't want any meat-to-air contact...

Top
#152741 - 06/03/02 01:50 PM Re: Freezer Burn
Firedog Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 04/15/01
Posts: 356
Loc: SW Washington
Another thing along with all of the tips mentioned here is to freeze your fish over night then dip in water then vacuum pack.Gives it a glaze. Fish isn't the firmest of meats and also the small bones can puncture the bags. with just small enough holes to let air in. I don't have any problems with mine, sometimes I do the glaze trick sometimes I don't.
_________________________
www.finsnbeasts.com

Top
#152742 - 06/03/02 11:59 PM Re: Freezer Burn
StorminN Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 03/30/01
Posts: 448
Loc: Blyn, WA
I've been vacuum packing fish for years, and it all lasts a year or more in the freezer, with no burn.

A couple of things stated above really hold true:

I make sure I pat dry my fillets with a towel just before I bag them, then when I'm vacuuming them, I help work the air out, and move the air towards the edge of the fillets and towards the vacuum nozzle. Home vacuum packers are good, but they're not foolproof like the commercial ones.

I make sure I don't handle the frozen fish all that much. I freeze it solid in my refrigerator freezer, (freezes quicker with the air movement in their) then move it to the deep freeze the next day. I sort them as I put them in the deep freeze, so I won't have to handle them much later on... you will get holes in your bags and get freezer burnt fish if you handle them a bunch.

The Foodsaver bags are thinner than commercial grade bags. If you want to try commercial bags, call PMG Marketing in Seattle, 800-227-3769, or check out their website here.

Professional Marketing Group, Inc.
912 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144

-N.
_________________________
Allright all you saltwater anglers, check out www.salmonuniversity.com

Top
#152743 - 06/04/02 11:13 AM Re: Freezer Burn
F F F Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 12/03/01
Posts: 472
Loc: Kent
Just get all the water you can off of what ever you are freezing. If you do this you don't need any fancy vacuum sealer or special bags. Just a glad ziplock freezer bag. I'm still eating tasty coho filets from fish i hooked last summer. So i'd say that's about a year. And if you must get all the air out, use lung power. Works just fine.

"The food saver" ......bwahahahaha what a scam. Just my opinion.
_________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Occupation: I pet the fish.

Top
#152744 - 06/04/02 01:43 PM Re: Freezer Burn
MasterBaiter Offline
Parr

Registered: 03/29/01
Posts: 69
Loc: HUMBOLDT
One suggestion when freezing is to leave the fish in roast form rather than fillets. This will leave less flesh surface area exposed to the detrimental dry refrigerated air that sucks the moisture out causing freezer burn. Also if you are vacuum sealing, it is easier to get a reliable seal since there are less bones exposed that ultimately create pin hole punctures in the vacuum bags.

Top
#152745 - 06/04/02 08:47 PM Re: Freezer Burn
ltlCLEO Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 06/15/01
Posts: 1119
Loc: brownsville wa.
I have the fodsaver profesional 11 and swear buy it.I have fish from last season that are just as fresh as when I froze them last fall.

One trick I use is to paretialy freeze the fish..like an hour or so in the freezer before I vacuum pack them.It solves the moisture-seal problem.

You do have to be kind of carefull handling them after they are frozen as the bags can get a little brittle.Just do not toss them around.

Hope this helps smile

Top

Moderator:  The Moderator 
Search

Site Links
Home
Our Washington Fishing
Our Alaska Fishing
Reports
Rates
Contact Us
About Us
Recipes
Photos / Videos
Visit us on Facebook
Today's Birthdays
3Gonads, herm
Recent Gallery Pix
hatchery steelhead
Hatchery Releases into the Pacific and Harvest
Who's Online
0 registered (), 947 Guests and 2 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
John Boob, Lawrence, I'm Still RichG, feyt, Freezeout
11498 Registered Users
Top Posters
Todd 28170
Dan S. 17149
Sol Duc 16138
The Moderator 14486
Salmo g. 13520
eyeFISH 12766
STRIKE ZONE 12107
Dogfish 10979
ParaLeaks 10513
Jerry Garcia 9160
Forum Stats
11498 Members
16 Forums
63773 Topics
645290 Posts

Max Online: 3001 @ 01/28/20 02:48 PM

Join the PP forums.

It's quick, easy, and always free!

Working for the fish and our future fishing opportunities:

The Wild Steelhead Coalition

The Photo & Video Gallery. Nearly 1200 images from our fishing trips! Tips, techniques, live weight calculator & more in the Fishing Resource Center. The time is now to get prime dates for 2018 Olympic Peninsula Winter Steelhead , don't miss out!.

| HOME | ALASKA FISHING | WASHINGTON FISHING | RIVER REPORTS | FORUMS | FISHING RESOURCE CENTER | CHARTER RATES | CONTACT US | WHAT ABOUT BOB? | PHOTO & VIDEO GALLERY | LEARN ABOUT THE FISH | RECIPES | SITE HELP & FAQ |