Marinating with a FoodSaver

[Jimmy Buffet]

I just got a FoodSaver (model 2460) and noticed that one can purchase a FoodSaver marinating dish as an accessory.

Does this work better than vacuum sealing food in a bag with the marinade? I would think that using a bag or a bag made from a roll would allow the marinade to contact the meat better.

[alanbarnes]

As Rmis32 says, marinating in a bag is problematic because the vacuum sucks the marinade right out. So you have to freeze the marinade before sealing, then try to get it distributed evenly over the meat once it thaws. Kind of a hassle.

[Gerall]

Works great. What you do need to do is take a paper towel and fold it so it fits in the bag just below the vacuum seal line. Then when you vacuum the towel will soak up the marinade and it wont go into the unit. If a bit gets into it its no biggie as it wipes clean easily.

[Rmis32]

Using a bag is tricky, because you don't want the juices to get sucked into the vacuum mechanism. It is easy to prevent that with the marinating dish.

[todao]

The claim is that pulling a vacuum on the plastic box containing the marinade opens the pores of the food item to allow greater penetration of the marinade. Personally, I doubt that it would make enough difference to convince me to spend another twenty five bucks on a plastic box for marinating. I'm not even sure I'd want to go to the trouble of marinating my food items in a vacuum. If you already have the FoodSaver and you have the time, why not try a study where you marinate an item in the usual way and another item exactly like the first in the vacuum sealed pouch and let us know if you see any meaningful result.

See:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/594017