Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Investing in a vacuum sealer will make you realize higher savings in the long run. However, this depends on how you use it. If you choose to neglect it then your investment will be a waste but if you choose to use it on the regular, it will extend the shelf life of your food. This means you can cook and shop in bulk saving a lot of time and money. The following tips on how to freeze food with a vacuum sealer will help you save food and money.
- Pre-Freezing
Have you ever tried putting fresh berries in the freezer? The result is squished fruit. When it comes to using a vacuum sealer, you need to sort and pre-freeze foods like fruits, vegetables and meatballs on cookie sheets. Other food items such as soup and pastas require pre-freezing in plastic containers. Also, ensure food is packed tightly by using a spoon or spatula to pack the food in order to eliminate any air bubbles. Once the food is frozen into blocks, place them in the vacuum sealer.
- When to Freeze Cooked Versus Uncooked Food
Foods such as soups and sauces are easy to reheat after removal from the vacuum sealer. Other foods may require sorting and vacuum sealing without the need for cooking. In the past, I have severally come across 3-pound ground turkey packages and I never wanted to miss the low-priced offer. When coming across such offers, I vacuum seal the meat by sorting and pre-forming three batches of raw meatballs. Now when meatballs are on the day’s menu, the hard work is done but I still have fresh meat with less effort.
- Labeling Packages
Sometimes we may forget to label foods and in the rush of our day-to-day activities, we forget our sorting system. When using a vacuum sealer, it is important to label your food and the day it was made and sealed. Use of permanent markets ensures that the labels do not fade.
- Not Just For the Freezer
A vacuum sealer’s application is not limited to certain foods. A sealer can also extend the duration of food in the fridge and the store. Have you bought a big block of cheddar? Seal half of it until you finish the first portion. A sealer can also extend the shelf life of the goods which are dry. However, note that a barrier between the vacuum sealer and any powder is mandatory. For instance, when vacuum sealing flour; seal it in its original packaging.
- Double Recipes, Freeze the Extra
From today, do not be afraid to make any double dishes for fear that they will go to waste. You need to vacuum seal extra portions immediately after preparing double dishes in order to preserve the food in its prime. Disposable foil pans are a good way of storing foods such as enchiladas. Prepare two trays of enchiladas; cook one tray for tonight’s dinner and vacuum seal the other tray. Next time you are craving enchiladas, you only need to defrost and heat them in the oven.
- Buy the Bags
When it comes to using a vacuum sealer, you need specific special bags. These bags are designed specifically for your sealer and are worth the trip to the store. The bags keep air and moisture out ensuring the foods are tightly sealed.
- Portion Properly
It is possible to clean and reuse most sealing bags (except bags used on raw meat or any food with bacteria remnants). However, it is more effective to freeze a meal’s worth per every sealing bag. For instance, you can buy the three-pound ground beef packet, sort it into one-pound portions, and seal them.
- Become Your Own Butchers
As mentioned above, you realize higher savings when you use a vacuum sealer. A higher percentage of these savings can be realized when you vacuum seal meat. Purchase a vacuum sealer today and buy meat in bulk at the warehouse store. Buying meat in bulk is cheaper than buying small portions. You only need to individually seal and freeze the steaks.
