Vacuum Sealers

By drawing the air out of the bag, vacuum sealers help food stay fresh longer.  The food doesn’t oxidize and it is not in contact with air borne bacteria, both of which promote food degradation.  You may ask, do I still need to freeze my food if it is vacuumed sealed?  Yes, you do.  We freeze to slow down bacterial growth.  Although the vacuum sealed bag prevents air-borne bacteria from getting to the food, the food still has bacteria on it when you placed it in the bag, therefore it still needs freezing if you intend to keep the item for greater than a few days time.  Vacuum sealers help prevent frostbite on frozen foods and also help maintain the flavor of the frozen foods.

Just one important warning:  Some product manufacturers of vacuum sealers say that you can boil or microwave directly in the sealed plastic bag.  In fact the manufacturer’s booklet may say this when you buy the product.  Never heat plastic!  Especially plastics that are not specifically meant for cooking and even then I personally try to avoid these, too.  Heated plastics are very, very harmful to one’s health.  Heated plastic releases carcinogens (cancer causing substances) that can melt into your food; this particularly occurs when fats are present since the carcinogens are fat soluble. 

Molecules move faster when heated and it is just the opposite when freezing.  Due to the very, very slow molecular motion in the freezer, using the vacuum sealer on frozen food is a great and positive benefit to food preservation.  Once you purchase a vacuum sealer you will wonder how you ever lived without one.  They will save you money in the long run because they will keep your food fresher and better tasting longer.  Buy a vacuum sealer.  You’ll be glad you did.