Home vacuum sealers have been available to consumers for nearly 30 years. They offer a convenient way to store food that reduces waste, freezer burn, and significantly extends the time food can be stored compared to conventional means. Foodies appreciate them because food simply tastes better using this storage technique. In addition to these benefits, this article argues that vacuum sealing can be a central part of adapting to a greener, more environmentally benign lifestyle.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away an incredible 34 million tons of food each year (2010). This is the second largest category of material waste that we generate after paper products. Even more incredible is the fact that only three percent of this was recycled for compost or other uses, but that’s a topic for another article. What do home food vacuum sealers have to do with this? Here’s a quote that I think sums it up nicely.

“Generating food waste has significant economic and environmental consequences. Whether you are an individual, a family or a business, it is likely that a considerable part of your budget is spent on buying food, whether it is for you, your family or your friends. That means we’re wasting a lot of our money. Oftentimes, simple changes to food purchasing, storage, and preparation practices can produce significant reductions in food waste generation. This will not only reduce waste, but make your food dollars go further Food waste cost savings have even greater potential in commercial establishments Saving food means saving money Food waste includes uneaten food and food preparation leftovers from residences or homes, establishments commercial such as restaurants, supermarkets, cafeterias and industrial sources ales.”

Vacuum sealers minimize waste

The main way a home vacuum sealer benefits the environment is to minimize food waste. We waste food in a number of small but cumulative ways from purchase to consumption, all of which a vacuum sealer can help. Here are some examples.

• Food can be purchased in bulk and can be vacuum sealed for long-term storage. This minimizes the packaging, transportation energy, and cost of buying food in typical single or small serving amounts. This is true for almost all foods from dry goods like spices to produce. How many times have you bought large plastic bags of salad only to throw away a significant amount because the vegetables spoil before you can eat them? A vacuum sealer can even help with this problem.
• Food can be cooked in large quantities and then frozen in vacuum-sealed containers for later use. Gardeners know how frustrating it can be to have their food crop ripen all at once and see much of it go to waste. Along with drying and canning, vacuum sealing can help you use up all the food you harvest. Canning is of course an even more environmentally friendly one, as canned foods can be stored on a shelf, saving even the energy needed for freezing. However, vacuum-sealed frozen foods may retain a higher percentage of their initial nutritional content than canned foods.
• Vacuum-sealed and refrigerated or frozen leftovers can be used for future meals long after they are originally cooked.
• Refrigerated foods that are normally stored for a few days will conservatively last 2-3 times longer if vacuum sealed between uses. This may sound like it would be more trouble than it is worth, but with a method I describe below it is not.
• In hot and humid climates, the shelf life of dry goods is greatly increased by vacuum sealing.

Sealed plastic bags are not as wasteful as it might seem at first glance

When most people think of vacuum sealers, they imagine food being stored in plastic, either on a roll or in a bag, and traditionally this is how most vacuum sealers are used. Now there are some greener alternatives to this method that I’ll cover in a moment, but first consider the following:

• Food stored in plastic rolls can be resealed and reused until the stored food is completely used up. Bags not used for raw meat can be washed in the dishwasher and reused.
• Many places in the US will allow you to recycle used plastic bags. Check local recycling regulations.

Vacuum packaging jars

For owners or potential buyers of FoodSaver brand vacuum sealers, there really is a better solution that will apply to most food storage needs. Sealing accessories that allow owners to vacuum seal glass jars. These are commonly available, environmentally benign glass jars used for canning and can be washed and reused indefinitely. Nothing is wasted. This is a particularly attractive solution for someone already canning food, as vacuum sealing can be used to extend the shelf of food once the jars are opened.

Available in sizes up to 2 quarts, Bell or Kerr canning jars offer enough flexibility that almost any type of food can be stored in them. They’re particularly useful for soups, sauces, and other liquids, which store much more easily in jars than bags. For most foods, they are also more convenient to serve than sealed bags. And they are certainly easier to reseal after each use. Also vacuum sealed mason jars are completely bug proof.

The only real drawback with using jars is that they don’t achieve the level of vacuum that you get with sealed bags. What this means in practical terms is that for long-term storage it is better to use vacuum-sealed bags rather than jars. Jars are perfect for perishable items like fresh vegetables or food that you tend to use over the course of a week or so. Also, once something comes out of long-term storage, say, a freezer, and is actively consumed, transferring the contents to jars will extend its shelf life in the refrigerator, while allowing for repeated vacuum sealing in a safer way. convenient.

The jar sealing accessories themselves are easy to use and inexpensive. They come in two sizes for regular mouth and wide mouth jars. Consumer reviews seem to indicate that the wide mouth version is significantly more effective. Given the range of jar sizes for 3-inch-wide wide-mouth jars, it’s the more useful of the two standard sizes anyway.

conclusion

We hope this article has convinced you that vacuum sealers are green kitchen appliances, that extending the shelf life of food and flavors will save you money and help you eat healthier in a greener, more environmentally friendly way. environment. Those in the FoodSaver line of products that can be combined with a jar sealing accessory really take these benefits to an even higher level.