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Thread: Vacuum Sealing Food

  1. #21
    Tribal Elder Fletching's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bencasey2001 View Post
    After reading the thread I went and bought a machine. Well when I got home everything got vacu packed Even my socks
    Put the baby down Ben. Step away from the baby. Put your hands behind your...

  2. #22
    Ranger Ben Casey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fletching View Post
    Put the baby down Ben. Step away from the baby. Put your hands behind your...
    LOL I have it is well it was new and I had to experiment
    CLAP clearly loudly, as an order, with pauses

  3. #23
    Alone in the Wilderness
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    Please help - vacuum packing for high temp camping

    Hello everyone

    Just wondering if anyone can offer some advice re: vacuum packing food for desert terrain?

    My partner is a serving medic, currently frontline in Afghan. I really want to send him some decent food as he is on horrible British rations, but not poison him in the process.

    Where can I find recipes suitable for vacuum packing to send through the post (takes a week) and that will be edible for a least a couple of days after they arrive (I will put dates on them so they don't sit around in the heat for too long). He will not be able to store anything in a fridge, so they will be in a tent at around 35c in the daytime.

    I am vacuum packing dry goods and marinated things (olives, artichokes etc) anyway but would love to surprise him with some proper meals.

    Thank you all in advance for your help with this.

  4. #24
    Alone in the Wilderness
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    Hello, what kind of food sealers can you recommend? At my work we have a vacuum chamber (Minerva I think) but I really can't afford a vacuum-chamber at home, so I have to settle with a sealer. Hope you can help me, so that I can start sous vide'ing at home!

    Thanks,
    Kyle

  5. #25
    Alone in the Wilderness
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fletching View Post
    You can extend the shelf life quite considerably but it really depends on what your sealing and how careful you were when preparing the contents:

    'ADVANTAGES OF VACUUM-PACKAGED FOODS
    Vacuum packaging involves removing air from the food package. Oxygen in the air promotes certain reactions in foods that can cause the foods to deteriorate. Therefore, the removal of oxygen from the food package does extend the storage quality of preserved foods. For example, the presence of oxygen can cause fats to become rancid or foods to change colors. (For this reason, materials such as plastic wrap or freezer paper that block out oxygen as well as moisture are recommended for wrapping foods for storage.)
    DISADVANTAGES OF VACUUM-PACKAGED FOODS
    The removal of oxygen from a food package does not eliminate the possibility for all bacterial growth. Although it is likely to eliminate spoilage bacteria that cause deterioration in the quality of food in ways that would let you know the food was going bad (odor, color, sliminess, etc.), some pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria prefer low-oxygen environments and reproduce well in vacuum-packaged foods.

    For example, C. botulinum bacteria that cause the deadly botulism poisoning grow at room temperature in low-acid, moist foods in a low-oxygen environment. Oxygen in the environment offers some protection against C. botulinum growth in foods that are not vacuum packaged. If spoilage bacteria are not present, C. botulinum bacteria can reproduce even easier, making the food unsafe without obvious symptoms of the food being spoiled to warn the consumer.

    Vacuum packaging of dry, non-perishable foods such as nuts and crackers does extend their storage quality and these products are low enough in moisture that bacterial growth is prevented. However, these foods also store well in airtight containers without the expense of a vacuum-packaging machine.'


    (Source: http://www.canningpantry.com/vacuum-packaging.html)

    I would say, you can double shelf life on most things if stored normally (i.e. if you normally store in a fridge, continue to store in a fridge) but if you combine with dehydration, this can be months. Saying this, I'm working on dehydrated (cooked) sausage slices, but I would only want to keep them for about the same mount of time as MREs minus 50% as I don't want to add commercial preservatives. Like I say, I'm experimenting with the combination...

    Steve
    The canning pantry website seems to be down from the end of March.

    Ian


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  6. #26
    Alone in the Wilderness
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    This topic has inspired Mel go out and get one. What features should I be looking for?

    Cheers

    Ian


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  7. #27
    Moderator jus_young's Avatar
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    Anything that can remove the air and seal efficiently. I have been using one for a while now and helps to separate the different days rations when supervising expedition groups over a number of days. They can vary hugely in cost for no real reason.


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  8. #28
    Ranger Ehecatl's Avatar
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    There are some good You Tube videos about "hacks" for vacuum packing. I wouldn't use them for long term storage of food, but for a couple of days they should be good enough.
    "If you were to ask me what I consider to be my finest achievement, I could answer the question without hesitation: teaching." ~ Raymond Blanc.

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