Unconventional Vacuum Sealing, 5 Tips and Tricks
Vacuum sealers are a great way to keep food fresh longer. With vacuum seal bags and equipment, you can not only ensure that your perishable foods last longer in the fridge or freezer, protecting them from rot, mold, spoilage, freezer burn, and so on, but you can also save space and keep your food storage neat and organized. There are so many ways you can experiment with unconventional vacuum sealing.
In other words, vacuum sealers are a no brainer for anyone looking to cut down on both cost and food waste that occurs in the average household every day.Whether you’re a trained chef that wants the freshest ingredients (even when you can’t use them right away), an avid hunter or fisherman looking to keep your catches looking and tasting great until you can eat them, or a busy parent that wants to prep and make dinners ahead of time or save leftovers for later meals, vacuum sealing technology can give you the tools you need for the job.
However, vacuum sealers are good for a lot more than just food storage. They can help you with myriad household tasks, making your life easier and more organized. Here are just a few unique ways in which you can put your vacuum sealer to use beyond the refrigerator.
1. Extend the Shelf Life of Dry Ingredients
You’re already using your vacuum sealer to keep meats, vegetables, leftovers, and other perishable food items fresher longer. The next logical step is to address the dry goods in your kitchen. You can start by transferring open bags of cereal, crackers, nuts, and snacks to vacuum seal bags, even going so far as to separate them into single servings so that you don’t have to bother resealing the bulk packaging every time someone wants a bowl of cereal. You can also seal baking goods like flour and sugar, as well as breads and bulk grains to stop them from getting stale, clumpy, or infested with bugs.
2. Organize Linens and Paper Goods
Most people purchase vacuum sealers with the intention of using them for food storage and preservation, but when you start wandering around your house, you’re likely to find all kinds of items that are good candidates for the vacuum sealer, especially those that go into storage for long periods of time.
Consider, for example, extra linens like sheets, blankets, and towels that only come out when guests arrive or during certain seasons. These items could be subject to mold, mildew, moths, and other pests if left in cupboards or boxes in the attic or basement for too long.Instead, vacuum seal them to save space and ensure proper protection.You can do the same when you swap out winter and summer clothes as the seasons change.
You can also put a variety of paper goods into vacuum seal bags. Consider old photos that are starting to turn yellow from exposure to air and light. Vacuum sealing them could preserve your family history for future generations. The same goes for important documents you want to protect.
Even some toiletries can be stored in vacuum sealed bags to save space. If you like to shop sales and buy toilet paper in bulk, this could be a great way to store more in a limited space.
3. Protect Ammunition
Many hunters have long since discovered the joys of vacuum sealing to help preserve the bounty of meat that large game can provide. What you may not have considered is also storing your ammunition in sealed bags.
Whether you hunt for deer, water fowl, or other game, you could find yourself slogging through rain, sleet, and even snow during hunting season. The last thing you want is for ammo to fail because it was exposed to moisture.
Seal up ammunition when you know it’s clean and dry so that it’s always ready to serve you when you need it. One note of caution: seal bags that contain ammunition, but do not vacuum them – it could damage cartridges by causing slugs to pop out.
4. Keep Items Fresh During Shipping and Travel
Plenty of families like to send care packages to kids in college or family and friends far away. When you add baked goods that have been vacuum sealed, you know they’ll taste just as fresh upon arrival as when you took them out of the oven.
You can also use your vacuum sealer when you take road trips or go camping to seal up all kinds of snacks or even homemade MREs.
5. Prepare for the Unexpected
You probably have some kind of emergency kit set up for your household and you may also have one in the car. Vacuum sealing items like matches, batteries, bandages, non-perishable food, and more can help to protect items from moisture and provide a handy means of storage.
You could also use your vacuum sealer to pack items into bug-out kits for every family member and even your pets, ensuring that all necessary items will fit into a small backpack and be preserved and ready in case of disaster-related evacuation.
