I saw this a while back, but for the life of me, I can't find it again.

I am in need of having some fish fillets vac packed for my freezer.

One of you mentioned a fish market at the Pike Place Market that would vac-pack my fish for something like 10 cents per pound!

I just need to know the name and phone number of that market.

Jensen's wants to charge me a $1.50 per pound just to vac pack. Seems a little excessive to me.

any meat market should do it. i know here on the west sound i go to farmer georges and its 50 cents a bag but an 15lb silver with no head and tail will fit in one bag. Ben

Parker,it's time you purchase a foodsaver professional (2).It will pay for it's self in a year or less with how much fishin ya do.Goodluck,
STRIKE ZONE

hi parker, how much do you have to pack, have a vaccume packer maybe can work something out, doug

What are peoples experience with having Foodsaver Vacuum packers repaired? I've loved mine, but after about three years it isn't drawing as good a vacuum. I think I've done a good job keeping the intake port clean.
Do they just wear out?

I've got three of the Foodsavers, all of them are the old style (pre 1993) ones made in Italy. My first one I bought rebuilt from Professional Marketing Group (PMG) in Seattle for $85. It has lasted the longest... 5 years. The other two I got at yard sales for $5 each.

The one thing you can do to prolong the life of your home vacuum packer is to not suck liquid into it, pat down your fish prior to sucking. If you do suck in fish liquid, put a little warm water in a bag when you're done and give your packer little "sips" of warm water... it will clean it out... then run a little silicon-based lubricant through it, like the stuff you'd use on the dash of your car. This keeps the piston in good shape. Check out PMG's repair site for these and other tips:
http://www.pmgquality.com/repair/Repair.html

Now I have two packers that I've done this to that still don't work well, as these older-style ones get old, the foams that form the seal against the bag get hard, and don't work. I just ordered and received new foams and new pistons for two machines, and hope to repair them myself soon.

Parker, you should call the Wild Salmon Seafood Market in the Fisherman's Terminal, I seem to remember them doing the vacuum packing for pretty cheap per pound... and keep in mind the commercial guys usually use thicker mil bags than the normal Foodsaver bags, which comes in handy when you handle your frozen stuff around a lot, like me with a chest-style freezer.

P.S. you can buy the thicker mil bags from PMG and use them in your Foodsaver also.

-N.

Parker,

Buy a foodsaver. Mine about 15 yrs old and sill going strong. Multiple trips to Alaska... I can not envision not owning one..........

Fishbait

The foodsaver is definately a good buy, my wife and I bought one this last summer and it works great for everything.

Been there..Retreiver. I've had an Ultra Foodsaver for over seven years which worked great until after I had packed 100lbs Albacore and then more salmon a little later. I thought it was the pump clogged and called Tillia. They sent me new black gaskets free of charge. As I have since learned... when it doesn't draw a vacuum it is best to check the renticular gasket for particles and if it is seated ok. The time it has not drawn a vacuum...I simply pull up on the gasket and set it so it is level. I think sometimes it gets pushed down so much that it doesn't provide a tight vacuum chamber. You can also pull out this black gasket, clean it and flip it upside down and reseat it into the groove but not pushed down all the way. Just some tips I have learned after I have BEEN THERE! I have corrected no vacuum problems about five times this way.
Hope this helps. I still love my Foodsaver.

Thanks for the help on maintanance. I'll work on it this weekend.
If you haven't tried packing and freezing cured eggs in jars, you should. It eliminates the damage to the membrane that you get when you use the bags.

you don't need a vac-pac. Release those chums

LMAO, Ultamatefeash. Yeah, Parker, you better quit keeping those chums

Actually, I saw Parker's fish and they were verrryy nasss!

Parker, go to Fred Meyer and buy the LARGER sized Foodsaver bags. Bring to mah houze and you can vac pac those muddas like it ain't no thang!

I've had my Foodsaver for 10 years and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. The life of frozen fish will quadruple when vacuum packed. I've taken smoked fish out of the freezer that was a year old and it's still very good quality. Smoked fish as gifts look professional when vacuum packed...and it's cool.