When I freeze meat (including fish), I wrap it in freezer/butcher paper before I put it into a Foodsaver bag and vacuum seal it. Two freezer bags does not seem to help, but the butcher paper does. I put the shiny side next to the meat.

I individually wrap each chicken piece in a couple of layers of plastic wrap (just roll it a few times) then place them into a heavy duty ziplock bag with the air squeezed out. I do the same with bacon (in one serving portions) and other things I buy in bulk to freeze.

I do what Colleen does.

Food saver bags plus the electricity to run the freezer doesn’t pencil out. Unless you live in a rural area, buy fresh 2-3 times a week. It isn’t hectic, unless you allow it to be.

I use that Glad Press and seal and then a freezer bag. When I make chicken cutlets, I separate each cutlet with parchment and then wrap the whole stack of cutlets ( no more then 4 to 6 at a time) in press and seal and then into a plastic bag. I do the same with individual hamburgers and portions of sirloin or pork chops.
Never have any freezer burn with that method....even after a shamefully long time.

For me any added cost of plastic and paper is long out weighed by the convenience of having what I want when I want it at hand.

For chicken breasts and thighs, I take Glad fold lock top sandwich bags (not the zip style).

https://glad.ca/food-storage/products/bags/sandwich-bags-with-fold-lock-top/

I put one breast or 2 thighs in each bag, tuck the flap to the inside, roll it around and pull the folded part over the end. Place these in a Ziplock gallon freezer bag and seal. Lay flat to freeze. Take out what you need and reseal the ziplock.

They do not get freezer burn, because the air is forced out of the sandwich bag as it is rolled. I label the big ziplock with what is in it. When it is empty, I rinse and place the empty bag back in the freezer for reuse. The sandwich bags are of course discarded. My freezer is an upright frost free and I haven't had a problem.

ETA: Like Linda, I do this for last minute meals, not really to save money. It also works with boneless pork chops.

I have a manual defrost freezer and a rapid turnover of chicken. Chicken pieces are individually frozen in foldover sandwich bags, pressing them so they stick to the chicken and then the bags are put into a Glad zipper freezer bag.

If you have a frost free freezer and want to store anything beyond a week or two (especially boneless skinless chicken breasts, pork or fish) vacuuming sealing really is a must do. I've been using 'Lemon Tree' vacuum bags which are less expensive than the Foodsaver brand. Not only less expensive but I have a whole lot better luck with them so far as not losing vacuum. With the Foodsaver brand, I was having about 50% vacuum failures.

You can find the Lemon Tree bags on Ebay, Amazon or from their website.

http://www.lemontreefoods.com/products.html#foodsaver

Back when we did a lot of fishing, I always froze fish filets submerged in water in repurposed quart size half n' half cartons.

I don't wrap with anything before putting in the freezer bag. Never have a problem with freezer burn.

Frequent the Food Saver site online. And sign up for their newsletter. They often have really good sales. Sometimes buy one get one half price, sometimes buy one get one free, sometimes free shipping. I try to stock up when they have a buy one get one free with free shipping. Makes them pretty durned cheap! And I always get the rolls rather than the bags, even cheaper!

I portion meat into individual servings, wrap each in either plastic wrap or use the cheap fold over sandwich bags, one serving per bag. Lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze, when frozen solid, place in FS bag (how many per bag depends on what kind of meat it is), then vacuum, label, date, and back into the freezer. Haven't had any freezer burn, or freezer smell, since I've been using this method.

Rusty

ETA: Using this method, no meat touches the FS bag, so they can be washed and reused.

FOAS, the first thing I'd suggest it to make sure you do not have a self defrosting freezer. It freezes, then thaws, then freezes again, which compromises the quality.

Peppi kindly brought me a roll of those produce bags, which I put things like thawed meats into before I Food Saver them, because the moisture from the meat always compromises the seal. Then I seal it, but it's not for extra protection, it's to keep the moisture from the sealing area. Other than that, if I'm keeping something for less than 6 months I stick it in a ziplock bag, press out the air and freeze it.

I've not had a problem yet, in either the upright or the chest freezer, as neither is self defrosting. The freezer under the refrigerator, however, is a self defrosting type and in a couple of months things will be freezer burned and inedible.

An extra layer of protection might help with a self defrosting freezer, but I don't know as I haven't tried it. Good luck! And I will remind you that discarding meat is more expensive then the FS bags, if that's the major factor.

Annie

This is a method I have developed. No need to buy expensive bags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l88n3QEFVj8&t=119s

dcarch

I really think it's all about having a manual defrost freezer more than anything.

There are also lots of generic bags that work with a foodsaver. Much cheaper.

A good frost free upright, if properly used, by not stuffing the interior, and prepping your food with a good barrier material, will work just as well as a chest freezer.

The defrost cycles on modern freezers are so short that it doesn’t require the interior temp to rise even to noticable levels if the fan air is allowed to do its job and move freely. it is the frost itself that is the major contributor of freezer burn.

A thick material and zero air in your packaging is key to freezer storage. Many methods work. I use bread bags that are thicker than a produce bag. A simple knot will remove all air from soft foods and liquids. No need to go through the dcarch method at all. It is, at that point, NOT ready for the freezer. It needs to go into a thick freezer bag for an extra barrier.

My roasted sauce is wet enough to go straight into quart zip-locks, then into gallon zips to keep them organized and double bagged extra barrier. The thin bread bag sauces go into a thick gallon zip.

I only use the food saver for high value meats and proteins. Fish fillets, straight from the sea, go into knotted bread bags, then into food saver bags.

Thin produce bags will stick together and the seal will easily break while searching in the freezer. My thick freezer zips and food saver bags never stick together.

Using thin bags first, like Annie mentioned, will easily and cheaply remove all air. Then placing into a thick barrier bag will keep food frost-free and cost efficient.

Best to not be tempted by sales unless willing to get it stored asap and properly. Then freeze it on a small tray and check it the next day for a good seal before filling it away in a designated spot. Put it in your meal rotation and use it within a couple months if possible. Date it.

Of course it will last longer but why squirrel away so much freezer food. Plan to use it. Unless you buy bulk CSA or 1/4 cow. 1/2 a pig. Catch 50lbs of fresh cod.

My MIL's upright is stuffed as is her fridge. Full of little bags probably years old. Both are a bit of a disaster running not so efficiently.

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions. Something to take from all. In thinking about it further, I do think that my freezer is the culprit. More times than not it's registering 20 deg, and I can't always be coincidentally catching it in a defrost cycle. And I don't have this issue in my kitchen fridge.

Between being a poor planner, working from home, and having a plethora of shopping options very close, historically I've been a "shop today for tonight's dinner" type of person. But I've been failing to keep up regularly, so it's nice to have a few more options in the freezer. There's a brand of chicken breast that one butcher carries that I particularly like, so when it went on sale I got sucked in. And they always put bulk stuff on sale that ends up not being such a great deal once trimmed, but since I'm there I'll buy it anyway. (Today it's $4.99 prime short rib, "sold as a 4-bone whole piece, average weight 3-4 pounds. No idea what that's going to look like or cost after trimming.) Anyway I think the answer is to get a new small freezer, and use suggestions above for a bit better packaging.

Thanks again!

ETA - just re-read the email, those ribs are only $2/lb off regular price. I’m predicting a lot of trimming.

FOAS, I had an older upright frost free, and it often ruined food without losing seal on ziplocks - but my newer one doesn't. I double wrap with saran wrap or a baggie of some sort that seals but isn't heavy duty, then a heavier freezer ziplock... no issues.

FWIW, I understand plastic 'breathes', so I often wrap things in parchment, then heavy foil, if they're going to be stored for a long time. I also put packaged items into freezer bags for extra protection & it seems to help - esp. in preventing punctures or rips in the packaging. (I rarely need to repackage large quantities, but rather leave meats in their store package.) Both foil & bags seem to help prevent food from absorbing off flavors too.

Sometimes I use 2 freezer bags for extra protection.

Another thing--when the freezer burn is just superficial, I use a wicked sharp knife to cut the freezer burned portions off.

Also, in future, leave the breasts whole when you freeze them because less surface area of the meat is exposed. That way, if you do get some freezer burn, you won't lose so much meat when you slice away the bad.

After extreme trial and error vacuum sealing is the only thing that I've been able to work with.

Carol, I don't know about plastic "breathing" unless there are different types of plastic packaging material used in foods. I raise cattle and often put a beef half or a whole pig into the freezer. They are all vacuum packed by the processor. I recently cooked beef that had been packaged in the heavy plastic vacuum pack dated December 2013. It was still fine, we ate it and could detect no off flavors or freezer burn, and the texture was still as it should be. That was found in the bottom of my big old manual defrost freezer, it's probably 15 years old or older, but it's not a frost free and I keep it as cold as the settings allow.

If I put the same package into the freezer in the house, a bottom freezer under my less-than-3-year old refrigerator, it'll last for several months, but after a year or so, it's on the edge of "use it right now or it becomes dog food". That freezer is a self-defrost plus the ice maker is in there, so it gets opened a lot more than the big chest freezer in the garage. A combination of those two circumstances is the problem, I think, as all the meat is packaged and handled the same other than that factor.

Annie

Chest freezers - more economical. Upright freezers - just as efficient if working properly but not as economical. I have had an upright freezer for years, only got an additional freezer this past year because I now have the space. BUT they are harder to sort through,,, Both will be better than the one that comes with your fridge.

I wasted more food in a chest freezer. It was the biggest you could buy and you had to defrost it. Everything got lost in the bottom. It died after 30 years and I got an upright self defrost. I should of throwed that old thing out years before. I have had the "new" one at least 10 years and I have NEVER had a problem with stuff frosting. Don't get hung up on that "old is better". sometimes isn't.

Couple of things....some plastic does allow moisture to escape..."freezer bags" not so much.,..and of course foil is moisture proof but only as good as the seal. As an experiment put a cut onion in a non freezer zip lock bag and lay it on your counter....see if you can still smell it.
Secondly it's not the warming and cooling that allows for freezer burn , but the presence of air between the moisture barrier (plastic bag or wrap) and the food. Even at sub zero temperature frozen water sublimates and becomes water vapor...if there is air present for it to dissipate into. If there is no airspace, the frozen stuff doesn't lose moisture....even if partially thawed. It's sort of the same reason why you lay plastic wrap on the surface of a cooling custard to prevent a skin forming...you are preventing the loss of moisture.
Also a full freezer runs more efficiently than one partially empty. Experts recommend you fill a freezer with jugs of water as you use up food, to keep it running more efficiently. Also more modern self defrosting freezers don't have a heater plate that defrosts accumulated frost as the old ones did and don't defrost every so many hours, but are "smarter" and the defrost time is adjusted for the time based on the time it took previously to defrost, and consequently keep your frozen food better....even as they defrost themselves.
And the reason a chest freezer works more efficiently than an upright, even if both are not self defrosting, is because cold air is heavier than warm air....and literally "falls out" or an upright when you open it, and it takes more energy to cool the freezer down after it has lost some cold air. With a chest freezer, the cold air stays in the bottom as you open it.
In years back, the Maytag Repairman used to be a good friend! Not to name drop...but one Sunday I was having a rather informal dinner party for 4 other couples...one of the men happened to the the President of the Maytag Company. My Maytag dishwasher had some broken prongs on the rack and I couldn't load 10 plates. anyhow the next morning a repairman appeared at my door with a new rack, installed it and took the old one away!
Sorry to get off track.... LOL!

LIndaC, then how does that explain a package of vacuum packed beef in the manual defrost freezer (choose your favorite, I have two chest freezers and one upright, all manual defrost and all in the garage and each a different brand) and a package of beef from the same animal, packaged at the same time by the same processor using the same technique and materials, but the one in the refrigerator/freezer will be compromised within 8-10 months but the package(s) in the other freezers are good for 3 or 4 years, minimum. Same material, same vacuum package, same age. The only difference is the freezer that I put it in.

Annie

"----Experts recommend you fill a freezer with jugs of water as you use up food, to keep it running more efficiently.---"

I hear that all the time. I hear many "scientific" explanations why that theory works. But that is one of those theories that has been passed around from one expert to another without much testing, verification and analysis. .

I can't understand how it can be more efficient:

To get 1 cubic foot of air from 70F to -4F you will be using around 1.3 BTUs of energy.

But to get one cubic foot of water from 70F to -4F you will be using around 15,275 BTUs of energy.

???

My most scientific advice for freezer efficiency - if you find that your freezer is very empty all the time, get a smaller freezer. :-):

dcarch

Actually, I've put a couple full bottles (gallon sized) in my freezers - if you are prone to storm related power outages, it keeps the food in there from thawing too fast. Right now I have an upright and a chest freezer, in anticipation of a whole lamb and half a pig. (I am set for getting a whole house generator, but that won't happen for a few months here at my new home.)

I find both the chest and upright freezers to stay cold, and they are efficiently at the same temp as each other. A chest is more economical, but an upright (my older one, still at my old house while I ready that house for the market) is easier to sort through and find things. Plus its smaller footprint was essential there.

The best thing to do is be sure you have manual defrost machines instead of the cycling style.

When I get CSA meat, it is already cryovac'd. I find that plastic wrap then a stiffer bag as in ziplock helps keep stuff I freeze myself in good shape.

At my new place, the closest real grocery (as opposed to a convenience store) is 30 minutes away. I am training myself away from shopping twice a week!

Annie....I can't explain...I only know the "scientific" reason frozen food gets "frosty" and the meat gets freezer burned...or dried out. But you notice it only gets burned on the surface. The food that is not exposed to air stays un dried out longer.
Keeping your freezer full is more efficient because once the water jugs are frozen, they don't defrost every time you open the freezer and you only have to re-cool the air....and with a full freezer there is less cold air to escape and need to be rewarmed. I worked at an appliance lab where these theories were actually tested and power usage measured....trust me, it is so.

"----Keeping your freezer full is more efficient----"

That is very true, but ---- dividing 15,275 BTUs by 1.3 BTUs, efficiency only comes after you open/close door over 10,000 times. For a manual defrost freezer, moisture from the air (on a humid day) frosts up on the cooling coil, blocks cooling air and makes the freezer highly inefficient. Therefore, less air is better. However, with an automatic defrost freezer, that is much less of an issue.

dcarch

But it is still an issue...
keep your freezer full for maximum efficiency.

Well, I don't have to worry about that, my freezers always seem to be full. If it's not beef and pork it's chicken and venison, or packages of butternut squash puree or pepitos and poblanos or blueberries or bread crumbs! Add a bunch of those flexible blue ice packs for Elery's knee or the hard sided ice packs for coolers. Actually, freezing water in gallon jugs to take up freezer space does double duty because they make great cooler packs when I drive to Grand Rapids and need to keep things cold/frozen until I get back. Still won't keep ice cream frozen for an hour, but it works well for pretty much everything else like butter from Costco and seafood filled ravioli from Trader Joe's.

So, in essence I agree with LindaC that a full freezer is more efficient in power usage, although you may have an expenditure in old food that doesn't get found because the freezer is full. My chest freezers do not have exposed coils that require air circulation, although the upright does.

And I stand by my assertion that the self-defrost freezers will not keep meat as long as the manual defrost ones do, at least in my experience. Also, the freezers above/beside/attached to refrigerators do a sub-par job of keeping things for long term storage. And, no matter what, you need to wrap food well and get rid of as much air in the package as possible. A double wrap on the vacuum bags helps when the bag comes unsealed too, which is a very common occurrence with my FoodSaver.

Annie