Learning How to Vacuum Seal Dry Foods Cooks and homemakers are constantly looking for new ways to keep their foods fresh and free from mold and germs. One of the newest, cutting-edge technologies in cooking is vacuum sealing foods for freshness. Vacuum sealing foods helps your food to last longer, taste better, and stay fresher over time. The shelf life of a vacuum sealed package of food compared to a regular package of food is on average several months greater.
Which Foods are Best? Dry foods like flour and sugar in particular vacuum seal very well. It may sound complicated, but all you’ll need to begin vacuum sealing your foods is a manual or electric vacuum sealer and vacuum sealing bags. The first step in vacuum sealing your food is place the food you want to seal inside one of the vacuum sealing bags. As mentioned earlier, dry foods usually work best when first learning how to vacuum seal. Make sure that when you put the food inside the bag, you do not fill the bag all the way to the top with the food. The vacuum sealer that you purchased should have instructions on how much space to leave at the top of the bag. As a general rule of thumb, however, you probably should not fill the bag more than 2/3 of the way full with food. If you have a manual vacuum sealer, the first step is to attach the pump to the bag and start pumping the air out of the bag. You will know when all the air is gone because it will become nearly impossible for you to pump the device anymore. The next step is to place the open end of the plastic bag in the clamp of a vacuum bag sealer.
How Vacuum Sealers Work This machine has fans inside of it that will suck all the air out of the bag so the bag will conform tightly to the air around it. If you’re using an electric vacuum sealer, you will attach the pump to the bag and get the air out of the bag with the electric pump.
Electric vacuum sealers are on average more expensive than manual vacuum sealers. It just depends on what kind of experience you’re looking for as to which kind you’ll want to buy. Electric vacuum sealers are more expensive, but they on average will give your foods a longer shelf life. Electric vacuum sealers will often have a dial on the side that will indicate when you need to stop pumping the air so the bag does not implode. One of the most important things to remember about vacuum sealing food is to try to only vacuum seal individual portions. Vacuum sealing one piece of meat or one serving of vegetables will be far more effective than trying to cram a ton of food into one bag. When trying to decide whether or not to buy an electric vacuum sealer, make sure you find out if extra vacuum sealing bags are included or if they cost extra. Taking the time to learn how to vacuum seal your food can help your food last longer and stay fresher.