With the recent Covid-19 pandemic we are seeing an increase in panic buying, and stores are selling out of canned food, dry-goods, and pre-made meals. However fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats are in abundant supply at the moment. Items that have a short shelf-life if not preserved. Vacuum sealers offer a solution to preserve quick-to-spoil foods for longer periods of time, so you can have fruits and vegetables on hand.
There are several ways to preserve food. Including canning, dehydrating, curing, freeze-drying, refrigerating, or freezing. Using vacuum sealers, like the Vesta Vac’n Seal
Elite, provide food additional protection from freezerburn or spoiling, by removing the oxygen surrounding food prior to refrigeration or freezing. Therefore allowing refrigerated/frozen foods to last longer.
Okay, besides the obvious, why do you need a vacuum sealer? Here are 10 benefits of vacuum sealers, to help answer that question.
1. Sous-Vide
Literally meaning under-vacuum, sous-vide, a French word, refers to the process of vacuum sealing food to remove oxygen surrounding it, prior to submerging it in water, and cooking it at a regulated temperature. Doing so to cook food more evenly, with temperature precision to pasteurize, enhance flavor, color and texture. If you use traditional zipper sealed bags when cooking in a water-bath, it is hard to remove all the air from the bag, causing the contents to float to the top of the water and cook un-evenly. Therefore, Sous-Vide, also known as vacuum sealing, is the best method for cooking food in a water-bath, with a immersion circulator. Without oxygen, the bag will not float, allowing it to cook more evenly.
2. Reduce Waste
Have you ever gone through your freezer and had to throw out items that were freezer burned, or you had no idea what mystery soup was in the container? Vacuum sealers prevent freezer burn. Such things occur when food is not sealed properly and exposed to oxygen, causing the food to dry out, and discolor.
Have you thrown out left-overs because they went bad while stored in your refrigerator, before you could eat them? Vacuum seal bags can be re-sealed and preserve food for longer. You may lose interest in left-overs after having just eaten a meal, and they will most likely spoil before you re-gain interest in them. Sealing them before putting them in the refrigerator will extend the life of your leftovers. Removing oxygen surrounding food slows down the growth of bacteria that needs oxygen to grow.
3. Organize Your Life
Having your freezer and refrigerator organized can save you energy and stress. knowing where/what things are, and how long they have been stored, can help you find what you need quickly, and allow you to eat the food that has been preserved the longest, first. You can also fit more into your freezer/refrigerator if it’s properly organized. Once you seal your food in the bag, write the date on it, and a description of what’s in the bag (no more mystery soup).
4. Save Money
We all want to save money don’t we? I’m a bargain shopper whom loves to save money any way that I can. Buying in bulk, or when items go on sale, can save you money. Fresh fruits and vegetables like berries, tomatoes, and broccoli, are cheaper when in season, or at the end of the season. You can preserve them in vacuum sealed bags for later when they are more expensive, or out of season. If you buy bulk items, they’re usually discounted. Dividing the bulk item into smaller portions allow you to get the discount that goes along with bulk items, without the stress of spoiled or wasted food.
5. Better Tasting Food
Vacuum sealing can enhance what is sealed in it. Keeping fruits and vegetables fresh for longer, protecting them from elements that can make food bitter or slimy. It also allows you to enhance the flavor of food through infusion. Marinating vegetables, and meats with seasonings to enhance their flavor. Buying fruits and vegetables while they are in season, at their peak and most ripe, boosts their flavor. Vacuum sealing allows you to preserve that flavor for longer, when the item may be out of season or more scarce.
6. Meal Prepping Time Saver
Portioning your food, and vacuum sealing it, can save time in meal preparation. You can do the same for uncooked food as you can with leftovers. Making it easy to grab a bag from the freezer and have a meal ready faster, with limited waste. Nothing better than a prepped freezer meal! Plan your meals ahead of time, and meal-prep your food in individual or family serving sizes.
7. Space Saving
Vacuum sealed items have a smaller profile than items stored in zipper bags. Removing the air around the item makes it more compact and easier to store. Leaving more room for your favorite ice cream in the freezer.
8. Safety
Depriving food from oxygen prevents the growth of mold and bacteria that can cause your food to spoil. Vacuum sealing can give you added peace of mind.
9. Durable Materials
Have you ever had a container fall from the freezer when you opened it, cracking once it hit the floor (or your toe), and exposing your food to bacteria? The durable plastic vacuum seal bags are less likely to break, should they fall from the freezer. They also are less likely to break open while submerged and heated in a water-bath.
10. Preserve Non-Food Items
Vacuum sealers aren’t just for food! They can be used to water-proof items, such as emergency kits and matches for camping, or your phone when you go on your next floating trip. It can also be used to protect documents or antique items that are sensitive to air, and can degrade over time, or get damaged in case of a flood. You could even use vacuum sealer to reduce the size of items you pack in your luggage when you travel!
Thank you for supporting the brands that I enjoy working with. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vesta Precision. The opinions and text are all mine. XOXO- Kristel