Vacuum Sealers Suck

Unlike the ancient techniques of dehydrating or smoking, vacuum sealing is one of our youngest food preservation techniques. As with many newer technologies, this one came out of the industrial boom of World War II.

Vacuum sealing as we know it was developed by a German citizen named Karl Busch around 1940 for preserving food on a small scale. He didn’t introduce economical industrial vacuum sealers until 1963, beginning a worldwide revolution in food preservation. The Busch Vacuum Solutions Company is still in business today and continues to innovate.

The basic concept of vacuum sealing is simply the removal of air from the Mylar or plastic package that contains the food. This reduces oxidation, and most notably freezer burn, preserving the food for longer periods. In addition, the vacuum sealing process helps prevent spoilage by minimizing the growth of harmful bacteria, fungi and micro-organisms.

The first thing needed is obviously a vacuum sealing machine. We have a model similar to this; when we got ours it was considerably less expensive. However, there are quite a few budget friendly options available.

The Author's Vacuum Sealing Machine and rolls of bags

Most machines come with a small starter roll of sealer bags, but more bags can be purchased as needed. 

All vacuum sealing machines have certain standard features such as a bag cutter, but some have additional accessories, such as an attachment for sealing different types of containers.

This is the process we follow when vacuum sealing meat, using chicken quarters we bought in a value pack from our local grocery outlet as an example

1. Stage all the equipment and supplies ready at hand.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
3. Seal one end of the bag and cut to length.
4. Place the chicken in the bag, pushing it against the bottom seal and avoid getting any juices on the opening.
5. Place the open end of the bag in the sealing chamber, making sure there are no fold or creases.
6. Activate the vacuum sealing function.
7. Check to make sure the bag was properly sealed and there are no leaks.
8. Label the bag with the contents and date.
9. Clean any food residue off the machine.

Two chicken quarters sealed and ready for the freezer

Maintenance is generally fairly simple: we wipe it down and disinfect the unit after each use. Our model has a vacuum chamber tray that can be readily removed for easy cleaning.

Many different items besides food can be vacuum sealed using these machines. I know people who have sealed packets of ammunition, emergency clothes, and even matches.

A good vacuum sealing machine and quality bags can provide a valuable resource for preserving and protecting our preps.

GunBlog VarietyCast Radio #172 - Vacuums Suck

But in a good way!

• Beth has never done yoga because she’s not flexible. But that’s the whole point of yoga! Similarly, some people don’t get involved with firearms training because they aren’t proficient with firearms.
• It's a story with a happy ending, then a sad one: a robbery suspect is beaten with bat by Raleigh store clerk. Sean explains.
• Barron is on assignment
• Talk is cheap, and talk without the skills and knowledge to back it up is even cheaper. Miguel is tired of the fake outrage at those who didn’t help a woman and child shot by a gunman.
• In this week's Main Topic, Sean and Erin talk about HR38, the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity, which just passed the House Judiciary Committee.
• Tiffany is on assignment.
• Just because something sucks doesn't mean it's bad. Erin talks about vacuum sealers.
• All through life,  one must seek intellectual guidance on complicated issues. Who better to seek knowledge from than a puppet,  especially a puppet that’s an anti-gun nut! Yes, Weer'd is about to Fisk a puppet.
• And our Plug of the Week is the TOPOKO 25 oz Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle.

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Blue Collar Prepping Transcript: 

Vacuum Sealers

If you’ve assembled a bug-out bag, you have no doubt run into situations where you wish you compress items into smaller forms so that you could pack more of them into your bag. 

And if you’ve ever fallen while crossing a stream, or gotten caught in a sudden downpour, you know how important it is to have dry clothes and how difficult it is to keep them that way when your bag is drenched. The same also goes for valuable electronic devices like cell phones, weather radios, and the like.

Fortunately there’s a way to accomplish both of these tasks, and that’s with a vacuum sealer. While you’d be hard-pressed to use one after the SHTF due to their need for electricity, they’re great for setting up long-term storage before disaster, and and they make your life easier in the meantime.

Vacuum sealers are quite simple in operation:

1. Take the item you want to seal and place it inside the smallest bag which will fit it, leaving an inch between the end of the bag and whatever you put inside it. (Most vacuum sealers come with pre-made bags with only one open end, but you can also make your own using rolls of plastic; more on that later.)
2. Place the open end into the sealer, close it, and press the activation button.
3. The sealer will then suck all of the air out of the bag. When there is no more air to be sucked out, a heating element will fuse part of the top and bottom of the bag together, creating a seam. 
4. You now have a vacuum-sealed bag that is both watertight and airtight!

The applications for a vacuum sealer are limited only by imagination and what you can fit inside the bags. Here are just a few uses:

• Foods like beans, rice, and dehydrated meals can be protected from spoilage and pests. 
• Clothes are not only kept dry, but are compressed into a compact shape. I have a friend who sent me a set of surplus BDUs by vacuum sealing them so that they fit into a flat rate box. 
• Protect things which would be damaged by water like medicine, first aid supplies, electronics or important documents. 
• If you throw in some desiccant packets -- the moisture absorbers which are included in a lot of over-the-counter medicine and supplement bottles -- you can waterproof ammunition, and possibly even an handgun. 
• And heck, you can even use it for its original purpose: vacuum sealing meat and fish so that they last longer and don’t suffer freezer burn.

I mentioned making your own bags with rolls of plastic, and while it involves a bit more effort -- you have to measure out the bag, seal one end, then fill it and seal the other -- it’s actually more economical because not only do sheets of plastic cost much less than pre-made bags, you also have the ability to make custom-sized bags instead of being forced to use the ones made by the manufacturer. We’re talking the difference between 100 feet of 8-inch tube plastic for $20 vs $20 for 44 bags.

The one drawback to vacuum-sealed bags is that once you open them, they aren’t air- and watertight any more. This is fine for food items, but you might want a way to keep your clothes, electronics and fire-starting tinder dry afterwards. The solution to that is simple: Include some ziploc bags for small items, and waterproof dry bags for larger items, in your bug-out or get-home bags.

I’ve included a link in the show notes to a good, all-around vacuum sealer that has high ratings on Amazon and only costs $30. If you’d like to know more about vacuum sealers, or want recommendations on different options, I suggest you read the two Blue Collar Prepping blog articles written by Chaplain Tim -- they’ll put you on the right path.

• BCP Article on Vacuum Sealers - https://bluecollarprepping.blogspot.com/2016/12/vacuum-sealers.html
• BCP Article on Non-Food Uses for Vacuum Sealers - https://bluecollarprepping.blogspot.com/2016/12/non-food-uses-for-vacuum-sealers.html
• Seal-a-Meal Manual Vacuum Sealer - http://amzn.to/2kefDHL
• Dry Bags - http://amzn.to/2jyx425

Vacuum Sealers

If you've ever found a package of food at the bottom of your freezer that you misplaced months ago, you've experienced freezer burn. Most of the packaging used for food is not air-tight, and some of it is barely water-tight, so food left in a freezer for a long time will lose moisture (low temperature = low humidity) and will look slightly burnt. This will affect the flavor of the food and can make it harder to cook.

The way to avoid freezer burn is to repack food for long-term storage in air-tight packaging. Fortunately, there are tools called vacuum sealers which are fairly inexpensive and simple to use. Their makers claim that vacuum sealing your food can extend the freezer-life up to five-fold, so buying food in bulk and repacking it might make a bit more sense if you know it will still be worth eating by the time you get to it. 

The original Dazey Seal-a-Meal was built to seal food in a boil-able pouch to make meal preparation easier. The early ones didn't have vacuum pumps in them, but it's hard to find one today that doesn't have a vacuum pump. The invention and adoption of microwave ovens killed the idea of boiling food in bags for the most part, although the food snobs around here will know what sous vide means.

Brand names will vary (if in doubt, read the instruction manual), but they all work in the same manner. Starting with a tube of suitable plastic and a vacuum sealer, the sequence goes something like this:

1. Measure out how much of the tube you think you're going to need to hold the food. 
2. Add an inch (or more, depending on your sealer) to each end for the seams. The first few attempts will let you know how much extra you'll need. 
3. Cut the tube to the desired length. Most sealers have a cutter built into the lid to ensure straight, even cuts because the machines are not very tolerant of jagged edges. 
4. Place one end of the tube in the sealer and activate it to melt the plastic together, creating a pouch. 
5. Carefully place the food into the pouch, keeping the plastic on the open end as clean as possible. This ensures a good seal can be made when you're done. 
6. Place the open end of the pouch in the sealer and activate the vacuum pump. Depending on the size of the package and type of food, removing the excess air can take a few seconds or a few minutes. 
7. Most sealers have an automatic sealing function once the vacuum pump reaches a set pressure. The cheaper machines may need you to press a separate button to start the sealing. 
8. Remove your sealed package and label it. Brand-name bags have a white area every few inches to give you a place to write using a permanent marker.

Vacuum sealers some in a variety of sizes and functions.

• The cheaper ones will work with standard 8 inch wide rolls of plastic. These are good for occasional use and smaller items, but they may not have a very long life. Prices are usually under $50. 
• The mid-level ones, priced between $50 and $100, will handle up to 11 inch wide rolls and may have a tube or port for use with special lids or containers. Repair parts are available at this level, and the pumps are much better than those in the cheap machines. 
• The high-end machines, the ones that will set you back more than $100, will almost always have a connection for a hose and tend to be better built. Warranties tend to be better, repair parts are available, and the machines at this level tend to use more metal in their construction.

The sealers themselves aren't hard to find (I got mine at a thrift store for $10 and it works); the real expense is plastic rolls. Brand-name rolls and pre-cut bags get expensive, but there are other options, so if you're using your sealer a lot, look for generic rolls online. I have yet to see anything other than the brand-name rolls on a store shelf, so you're going to have to hit Amazon or eBay to get a better price. 100 ft of 8-inch tube for $20 sounds better to me than 40 ft of the same size for $20. Shop around, because once you see how well these machines work, you'll find other uses for them.

Speaking of which, next week I'll explore sealing things other than food with a vacuum sealer. Plastic is a great way to keep dirt and bugs out of and off of things in storage.