Clicky
Search Easy Food Dehydrating

Podcast Episode 8:
Food Vacuum Sealer Bags and Rolls

Susan Gast, founder of Easy Food Dehydrating

by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!

Ep 8 - Food Vacuum Sealer Bags and Rolls

Thanks for checking out this Podcast Food Vacuum Sealer Bags and Rolls


Listen:

Head on over to our Podcast Host to see a list of all our Easy Food Dehydrating episodes... or go to our hub page on this site. Please note that for your convenience, the episodes on our site contain the Podcast transcripts, too!



Read the Full Transcript, Below:

00:07
Hello and welcome to Easy Food Dehydrating, the show that teaches you how to safely dehydrate and store fresh (or frozen) fruits and vegetables, along with cooked meats. I’m your host, Susan Gast.

00:24
In today’s episode, I’ll discuss food vacuum sealer bags and rolls, what size bags to use and a reminder to add an oxygen absorber in the bag before vacuuming and sealing!

00:36
Food vacuum sealers have been around a long time. Many of us bought them solely for vacuum-sealing leftovers so they’d keep in the freezer without freezer burn. Back in 2010, I found another use: to vacuum seal my dehydrated foods!

00:54
I used to get my bags from an online dealer but he stopped carrying them for some reason. I now get my bags from Amazon but please shop around for the best prices online.

01:06
What you need to be on the lookout for are bags that are at least three mil. thick. Any thinner than that, and you risk getting your bags punctured while in storage. Why does that happen, you’re wondering? When we dehydrate carrots, for instance, they shrivel and dry up and become almost rock hard. After vacuuming, those sharp pieces of carrot can puncture thin bags. Ask me how I know!

01:35
Seriously. The two sizes I use are the pint-size bags which measure 6 inch by 10 inch. The other size I use (a little less often) is the quart-size bag. They measure 8 inch by 12 inch. While over at Amazon, don’t forget to pick up your oxygen absorbers! Both these sizes of bags require a 100cc oxygen absorber for best results.

02:01
I need to mention here that when I’ve vacuum-sealed my food, I wrap the vacuum-sealed bags in plastic wrap. This cushions them against each other. I put three to four of these wrapped packages inside a Mylar bag. I want to note here that the Mylar bags I get (yes, from Amazon!) also come with 300cc oxygen absorbers! Make sure you don’t forget that. Of course, you can buy the Mylar bags and 300cc oxygen absorbers separately, too.

02:36

Sponsor Message
You're going to love this. Getting Susan's book, Easy Food Dehydrating is one of the smartest things you can do for your health and your budget. Not only will you save money, but you'll know exactly what goes into your recipes. Susan's book takes you from start to finish with all the recipes on her site, including her best selling “Make Your Own Dog Food” recipes for Chicken Chow and Bow Wow Beefy Chow. Learn how to dehydrate the top 14 fruits and the top 16 vegetables, along with cooked meats such as chicken, beef, and turkey. Visit Easy Food Dehydrating and get started today.

03:22
Now, back to the vacuum sealer bags. Let’s take a look at the inside of one. Look closely! One side of the bag is smooth. The opposite side is textured. Why have different kinds of interiors? If we didn’t have the textured bumps, we would be unable to draw the air out! Think about it. Two otherwise smooth sides simply clamp tight together, making it pretty much an impossible task to draw air out. That’s why we only seal a Mylar bag; we do not even try to draw the air out.

03:59
Place your dehydrated food inside your chosen size of vacuum sealer bag. Don’t overstuff it. Leave about two inches of room at the top. Why? You need to be able to place the edge of your bag directly in the center of the oval vacuum sealer chamber and then be able to close the lid! If you fill the bag all the way to the top, you won't be able to close the lid.

04:26
TIP: Practice placing an empty bag in the correct location and closing and clamping the lid. Takes a bit of practice. You need to get this ‘down pat’ so you don’t clamp your fingers!

04:39
TIP: If you have a hard time filling your vacuum sealer bags, buy a canning funnel. They are a great aid. Wrap the neck of your vacuum sealer bag around the funnel base. Grasp it tight. Then pour in your dried foods. And yes, I got the canning funnel from Amazon. Around $7.

05:01
I also want to let you know there are vacuum sealer rolls, too! Rolls are handy because you can pretty much make any size bag you like. You’re limited to the width of your oval vacuum sealer chamber, though. So don’t go buying rolls that are too wide for your food vacuum sealer!

05:20
Why use rolls? I actually vacuum-sealed boxes of spaghetti (back in the day when I ate pasta). Why do that? Eat pasta? No, I mean vacuum seal spaghetti! It’s already dry, right? I live in an area notorious for hurricanes. If one were to strike my food storage area, I’d know that rain wouldn’t ruin my dry goods.

05:45
To recap today’s episode:

  • Use two different sizes of vacuum sealer bags; just make sure you don’t buy bags or rolls that won’t fit the width of your food vacuum sealer. 
  • Invest in a canning funnel for easy filling of your vacuum sealer bags.
  • I also told you why one inner side of the vacuum sealer bag is textured (so you can draw the air out!)
  • Purchase Mylar bags with the 300cc oxygen absorbers already included.

06:14
Until next time, take care! If you enjoyed this episode, please feel free to share it with like-minded friends. I would appreciate that. And if you found this to be helpful, please leave a review! Thanks so much.

06:30
Closing:
Thanks for listening to the Easy Food Dehydrating podcast.

Visit Easy-Food-Dehydrating.com for much more information on how to dehydrate food and the best way to safely store it.


Head on over to our Podcast Host to see a list of all our Easy Food Dehydrating episodes... or go to our hub page on this site. Please note that for your convenience, the episodes on our site contain the Podcast transcripts, too!

Thinking of Starting a Podcast?

Thinking of starting your own Podcast? I’m having a total blast… and Buzzsprout is here to help you get started. It’s so easy to launch a professional Podcast, and their support is second-to-none. Over 100,000 people already launched their Podcast with Buzzsprout.

They get your Podcast into every major Podcasting platform: such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more. Get a great-looking Podcast website, along with an awesome Podcast player you can drop into other websites, detailed analytics, tools to promote your episodes, and much, much more!

Start today and get a $20 Buzzsprout credit when you upgrade to any plan via the link right HERE - this takes you to Buzzsprout's login-page where you can sign up for a free Buzzsprout account to get you going. This lets Buzzsprout know we sent you to them… and it helps support our show!

Buzzsprout - it's the easiest way to start a Podcast.

Before You Go...

If you like the content, please give me some love by clicking on the 🩷 in the lower right hand corner (on just about all my pages). This signals to me that you find it enjoyable and useful. Thank you so much!


Recent Articles

  1. Mastering Food Preservation: 6 Essential Techniques

    Dec 22, 24 03:54 PM

    Home canning in a kitchen
    Learn 6 essential food preservation methods to reduce waste, save money, and prepare for emergencies.

    Read More

  2. Dry Veggies: Crispy Snacks That'll Make Your Taste Buds Dance

    Dec 20, 24 08:36 PM

    dried vegetables in small tins inside a wooden box
    Discover how to dry veggies for delicious, crispy snacks. Our easy way to create healthy, flavorful treats at home.

    Read More

  3. Learn Food Dehydrating at Home: Top Tips for Fruit, Vegetables, Meats

    Dec 20, 24 07:51 PM

    Lemony Chicken Orzo soup, in square bowl with a spoon
    Learn Food Dehydrating at Home: Top Tips for Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, and More... plus Recipes!

    Read More

CONNECT WITH ME

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!

Sweet Susan's Sunshine
Sweet Susan's Sunshine
0:00 / 0:00

MUSIC created with AITUBO -
check it out!
READ how YOU can do it too, HERE.