My husband and I tend to be extremely sensible individuals, even in our gift giving. One year, we gave our family members that did not already own one a Vacuum Sealer. I have used one for 24 years and couldn’t bear to be without one.
I guess that I’ve utilized one for such a long time that I didn’t think about the “learning curve” for operating one of these great kitchen helpers. My phone line was burning up with questions from the gift recipients about the most efficient system to make use of their new toy. So, here goes - a few guidelines to using a vacuum food sealer.
Using Vacuum Seal Bags
1. Make use of the rolls in lieu of the pre-cut bags. You can cut them to whatever length you require.
2. Wrap all your items in Saran wrap. That way you can reuse the bag without having to wash it. That means cheese, bacon, wieners, etc.
3. Make the bags about twice as long as you need them to be. That way, as you use partial portions of your item, you have room to reseal the bag numerous times.
4. Pre-freeze all meats in plastic wrap (See # 2), then vacuum seal. Create the portions any volume you want, but keep in mind, the smaller the bulk, the faster it will defrost.
5. Pay attention to meat with sharp bones. I wasted 3 bags one time because I did not see that a bone was punching a tear in my bag. I place a Saran wrap “patch” over the sharp bone. Simply make a little square of some layers of folded up Saran and lay it on top of the sharp area before you wrap it in the plastic wrap - that usually solves the problem.
6. If you are freezing items with liquids, such as stew or cooked vegetables containing liquid, freeze the food to start with. You can use a ziplock bag, freeze it, then vacuum seal. This may appear a bit wasteful, but anything keeps for a longer period of time if it is vacuum sealed. An additional tip for freezing liquids. When you set your ziplock bag in the freezer, form layers using a layer of cardboard stuck between the packs. That way, they freeze level, similar to an envelope and do not bond together. You can make your vacuum seal bag big enough to contain quite a few packages (See # 3). You can also use freezer bowls, but you’ll have to take the item from the bowl in order to vacuum seal it.
7. Pre-freeze items such as bread dough and pizza crust dough in rolls in Saran wrap, then vacuum seal them. Once you’re all set to use them, remove the quantity you require and put them in the refrigerator the day before you need them and they’re prepared to go. You might make several batches at one time to save time and cleanup.
Using Wide Mouth Canning Jars
1. Nearly all of the Vacuum Food Sealers come with an attachment that can seal wide mouth canning jars. I use this to seal dried beans, rice, macaroni, baking supplies, peanuts, ground coffee, tea bags. The list is endless.
2. Make sure that the lids you make use of have not been processed in a canning process or they will not seal correctly. Just attempt to store them in another part of your kitchen so you do not mix them in with the other ones. The lids will last for a long time, but if you need new ones, you may pick them up at any grocery store in the canning aisle. All you need is the flat part. Do not use the screw top part with this, it is not needed and can break the seal.
3. Every so often wash the accessory that fits on top of the jar with a moist paper towel since on occasion, you can have a slight build up of dusty substances, like flour.
4. You may use jars to freeze liquid things such as soups and stews if you have space in your freezer, but this will take up a good quantity of space.
Using Vacuum Seal Canisters
1. Nearly all of the manufacturers offer canisters in lots of assorted sizes with their systems. I’m not sure if they’re interchangeable or not. I would just be on the safe side and utilize ones that my unit offers.
2. Canisters can be used for any dry goods such as breakfast cereals, grits, oatmeal, corn chips, crackers, bread crumbs, baking staples like flour, baking powder, sugar, and so on. In other words - any items that you do not want compressed and any items that you would in general put in a canister.
3. I use them for fresh vegetables and fruits. I wash the items, dry them and vacuum seal them for refrigeration. The tall canisters are super for green leaf lettuce and celery. I will put together a large salad, vacuum seal it and it will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. One preparation and one cleanup - Sweet.
4. Use them for vacuum sealing deli cold cuts. They perform better than the bags for this purpose.
5. While vacuum sealing flour or anything finely ground, position a paper towel or paper coffee filter on the top after you have poured it into the canister to stop any of the dust from getting sucked into the tubing.
6. Most makers offer a canister to marinate meat. It is typically rectangular. It is nice, but to be truthful, any of the canisters that will hold the amount you need will perform just as well. Simply make sure you have an adequate amount of the marinade to cover your meat.
Anyway, these are merely a few tips off the top of my head. It ain’t rocket science, but sticking to a few rules makes the learning curve a lot easier. Vacuum sealers really are a good way to conserve money and cut back on waste. There’s no way to tell how much money I’ve saved since I have been using mine for so long. I simply know that it would be tough for me to do without one.
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