by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!
Food vacuum sealer rolls are great for making "just the right-size" bags! Don't waste money buying a bunch of varying sizes of pre-cut vacuum-sealer bags... Here's how to make your own!
Buy rolls in varying lengths and widths, BUT MAKE sure you don't get ones that are TOO WIDE for your particular food vacuum sealer machine.
Bear in mind the sides are already "sealed" if you will. It's just the top and bottom of the "bags" that need sealing. They usually are sold as 11" or 8" wide rolls.
Food vacuum sealer rolls make it very convenient when you have long-length foods that you want to store, such as spaghetti!
No need to break the spaghetti in half to store it! In fact, I left the spaghetti in its box... just in case I forget how long to cook it :-) you know, different varieties have different cooking times!
Wondering why I bother to vacuum-seal spaghetti?
Well, in my neck of the woods, we're prone to hurricanes. Having the spaghetti vacuum sealed protects it from water damage. Yeah, I hear ya - I don't think wet spaghetti would worry us as much as the roof blowing off the house! But still...
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NOTE: I have noticed the FoodSaver brand white printed section (that's there for you to write the bag's contents on it) tends to 'come off' and stick to the lower heating element strip and the upper roller of the machine.
It's not a huge problem as this white residue wipes off easily with a clean, damp cloth.
I wipe down the Foodsaver heating element strip immediately if I see the white powdery stuff on it—so it doesn't hamper future bag sealings.
It's good practice, anyway, to keep your roller and strip clean. You'll create a tight seal, and that's definitely what we're aiming for.
You can easily get these at the same place you purchased
your food vacuum sealer machine from, or over the internet and
shipped right to your door! Check out our picks from Amazon, near the bottom of the page.
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.
Nancy in NC wants us to know this: I get mine that are 11-inch by 16 feet and cut the material to make the size bag I want. I order directly from foodsaver.com and get the GAMESAVER brand, individually or the 6-pack.
I asked about the thickness and was told 4-mil, then I said they ought to include that bit of information in the item description. Right now, the bags are listed under "heavy duty".
(Thanks Nancy!)
ALSO: See food vacuum-sealer bags
Perry in NC wrote in to ask, "Where do I get vacuum sealer bags that are only 4" wide?"
I suggested Perry look on Amazon and if they don't have bags that narrow, then he could easily make his own by following the instructions on this page.
(Thanks Perry, for writing in!)
ALSO: See food vacuum-sealer bags
It's easy to create your own vacuum-sealer bags—just follow the three steps below. Take the time to cut across the width at a 90-degree angle!
NOTE: For long-term storage... after vacuuming the bags, I pull out a 2ft length (approx.) of plastic wrap. I then wrap the package in it!
This extra wrap takes care
of sharp pointy corners, as is the case when vacuuming the whole
spaghetti box. I do this to protect other packages inside Mylar bags so they don't puncture each other.
FoodSaver Vacuum-Sealer 11" Wide Roll
FoodSaver Vacuum-Sealer 8" Wide Roll
FoodSaver Vacuum-Sealer 8" Wide Roll
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase. Read disclosure here.
Another good reason to use plastic wrap is if a vacuumed-bag seal gives way during storage, then the plastic wrap acts as an extra air- and water-tight layer!
My real reason for using plastic wrap as mentioned earlier is to keep the bags from accidentally puncturing each other in the first place when you are putting them in the Mylar bags for long-term storage.
I created a page on how to quickly wrap a filled and fully sealed vacuum-sealer bag as a quick pictorial here.
You may wonder how foods can puncture bags. Well, if you bought a cheaper brand (read: less than 4-mil. thick) you are likely to encounter punctures, sorry.
But the main reason for punctures is this: as our foods dry, they become hard, and brittle in some cases. And sharp! It's those darned sharp edges that cause trouble.
Cocooning our vacuum-sealed packages in plastic wrap helps take care of other bags getting punctured from one rogue bag while they're nestled inside a Mylar bag.
Thanks so much for stopping by to learn about food vacuum sealer rolls.
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