by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!
It's time to learn how to store dehydrated food properly. Whether for short-term use, or long-term... it's important to pay attention to how you handle it before packing it away.
Before we get going: Shown above is my FoodSaver brand V2240 food vacuum-sealer I use. It's an oldie, but goody. It's over ten years old! Getting the right equipment pays dividends. Read more about food vacuum sealers here.
Believe it or not, I didn't know that text you see on the lid "peels" off - ha! It's just a sticker for reference. It only took me ten years to figure that out... better late than never.
Vacuum sealing dehydrated food pays off, but first - here are a few FAQs...
How to store dehydrated food?
The page you're on right now gives you an overview of what you need to know in order to store food safely.
Click any of the links in this area for full deets.
Storing dehydrated food in Mylar bags?
Storing food in Mylar bags is addressed further down this page.
Vacuum sealed dehydrated food shelf life?
The question of how long does vacuum sealed food last is a valid question and it depends on the type of foods dried. Foods with a naturally lower moisture content will last longer than food with a naturally higher moisture content (think oranges vs cabbage).
Here's a quick comparison of the shelf life of vacuum sealed dehydrated food:
Naturally dry foods:
More moist foods:
Key factors affecting shelf life:
Throughout Easy Food Dehydrating you'll notice I mention "keeping the three enemies" at bay: Light, Air, and Moisture.
How long does dehydrated food last in Mylar bags?
Great question, and that totally depends on how well you dehydrated your food and vacuum-sealed it. Did you add an oxygen absorber in the vacuum sealer bag before drawing out the air? If you did all that properly, then the answer is a year or longer.
It also depends on
how dry the food was before dehydrating. Meaning? If you vacuum-sealed
salt or sugar, it's "pretty dry" to begin with.
On the other hand, more-moist foods like tomatoes, or celery for instance, would depend on how much moisture remained when you vacuum-sealed them. That's why I like to condition fruits and veggies before they are vacuum-sealed. Don't forget to add the oxygen absorber into the bag (or Mason jar) before vacuum-sealing!
Wear Latex Gloves so that you don't transfer germs from your hands to the food. (There are latex-free gloves available if you're allergic to latex).
I use my latex gloves more than once; I wash my hands while wearing them in the kitchen sink, and dry them off on a clean towel.
I then drape them over my dish draining rack—so the latex gloves are ready for another use.
When the dehydrating is done and after a day of conditioning - or overnight - it's time to vacuum seal our fruits, vegetables, and meats! Now we're ready to store our dehydrated food!
ComfitWear Latex Gloves 100-pk
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase. Read disclosure here.
It's important when food vacuum-sealing your dried fruit and vegetables that you have an 'oxygen absorber' tucked inside your food vacuum-sealer bag or jar.
The little oxygen absorber packs absorb oxygen and are readily available in different sizes, such as the smallest at 50cc, then 100cc, 300cc, and up to a whopping 2000cc.
Read more about the reason for different-sized oxygen packs here as it depends upon what size container your dehydrated foods will finally be stored in.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase. Read disclosure here.
After vacuum-sealing individual packages, do this:
After vacuum-sealing dehydrated fruits and vegetables in the food vacuum sealer bags. it's time to store them in Mylar bags as an additional layer of protection.
NOTE: We do not vacuum the air from the Mylar bags, we simply seal the Mylar bag. It's only necessary to remove the air from the vacuum-sealed bags of food.
There are ready-made food vacuum sealer bags— and there are food vacuum sealer rolls readily available to make the perfect-length bag... here's a bit of info regarding the rolls below:
Here's where to get this great deal on Amazon:
Wevac Vacuum Sealer Rolls - make your own size bag using these 8" x 50' and 11" x 50' roll 2-pack for Food Saver, Seal a Meal, or Weston. Commercial Grade, BPA Free, Heavy Duty,
Great for food vacuum storage, meal prep or sous vide applications!
This two-pack purchase is a "no-brainer." Watch the video to see why!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase. Read disclosure here.
Dry-Packs 1-Gallon ShieldPro Mylar Bags
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The price you pay does not increase.
When storing dehydrated fruit and vegetables for daily or weekly use, try using different-sized airtight Mason jars that sit nicely on your upper kitchen cabinet shelves.
Remember to add an oxygen absorber into each jar, then screw the lid on. Read about how and why to use different-sized oxygen absorbers here.
Below the Amazon Mason jar links is a great tip on how to prevent punctured bags.
Read on to find out!
Mason Jars Regular Mouth Quart Jars
Mason Jars Wide Mouth Pint Jars
Mason Jars Wide Mouth Half Pint Jars
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase. Read disclosure here.
Safely Store Dehydrated Food in Spare Closets or the Garage!
This is the tip I referred to earlier, about lessening the possibility of punctured bags:
I choose to wrap up my vacuum-packed packages with cheap plastic wrap. This keeps the sharp edges from puncturing the other packets—and then I put them into my Mylar bags.
Mylar bags are made from a polyester film and are very shiny in appearance; they are very tough and tear-resistant and are ideal for long-term food packaging.
They provide an extra layer of protection to our individual food packets.
And for final storage in a garage, for instance, put the Mylar bags in plastic-lidded bins or feed buckets with lids. Doing this makes it easy to move, is water-proof, bug-proof, and air-tight!
This is how you create space for your dehydrated food where there previously was none! Click here to see the end result of our 8' span of shelving shown in the photo.
Don't forget to check out my optional way of protecting dehydrated food vacuum-sealed packages by reading the Plastic Wrap Guide.
Now you know how to store dehydrated food, and pretty much all the items mentioned are for sale at the biggest website store in the world: Amazon.com — (so no worries there!)
For those of you who have written in asking about storing dry goods, read this page for how to store flour, salt, and sugar.
Thanks for stopping by how to store dehydrated food. Now you know what things you need to get - along with a dehydrator! Read more about dehydrators here.
Don't forget to get your free "Six Simple Steps" eBook where I share how to dehydrate food safely!
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Hi, I'm Susan Gast and I've been making food preservation simple since 2010.
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Hi, I'm Susan Gast and I've been making food preservation simple since 2010. Let me show you how to keep your food pantry full, whatever the reason or season!
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: I am an Affiliate for Amazon, and other sellers of quality merchandise.
Should you purchase an item through their links, I may receive compensation. The price you pay does not increase.
THANKS for your support! Read full disclosure here.
easy FOOD DEHYDRATING: Making food preservation simple since 2010.
I show you how to keep your food pantry full, whatever the reason or season!
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: I am an Affiliate for Amazon, and other sellers of quality merchandise.
Should you purchase an item through their links, I may receive compensation. The price you pay does not increase.
THANKS for your support! Read full disclosure here.
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easy FOOD DEHYDRATING: Making food preservation simple since 2010. I show you how to keep your food pantry full, whatever the reason or season!
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