Long shelf life foods

What kind of vacuum sealing system and Mylar bag brand are you using? I have a food saver V2244 that’s been sitting in the box for year. It was a gift for some sous vide cooking. Prob will upgrade before even using. Lol
I use the tube attachment with the food saver, then seal the mylar with a hair flat iron. I poke a pencil hole in the bag, shove the tube in, suck out 90% of the air, then seal. The bag has two 300cc O2 eaters in it
 
I use the tube attachment with the food saver, then seal the mylar with a hair flat iron. I poke a pencil hole in the bag, shove the tube in, suck out 90% of the air, then seal. The bag has two 300cc O2 eaters in it
Gotcha. Thanks. My daughter has a couple flat irons laying around. She won’t mind. [laugh]
 
If you're using Mylar and O2 absorbers, hand squishing the air out will be enough. The absorber will compact the bag enough and nitrogen. Isn't an issue.

When I do 5gal bucket I throw in two O2s use a reg vacuum and seal with iron. Its overkill.
 
If you're using Mylar and O2 absorbers, hand squishing the air out will be enough. The absorber will compact the bag enough and nitrogen. Isn't an issue.

When I do 5gal bucket I throw in two O2s use a reg vacuum and seal with iron. Its overkill.
Thanks. I’m an overkill guy. So, I can appreciate it.
 
This thread made me want to reorganize the pantry. I’ve always only bought pre-packaged food items but would like to get into doing it myself.
Look what I found. These were bought a few years ago. I think it’s just one that was bad. Do you think I should keep the rest of them? They look fine.
View attachment 329416
View attachment 329417
View attachment 329418
View attachment 329420

Looking at the label on the boxes advertising their website, if they can't spell their own domain correctly, I am not so sure I trust them with my food. ;)
 
Looking at the label on the boxes advertising their website, if they can't spell their own domain correctly, I am not so sure I trust them with my food. ;)
If I remember correctly, I ordered those years ago, when someone here posted a link to a deal. [laugh] Not my provider of choice.
Upon calling them, I found out that they are under new ownership or management now.
 
I use the tube attachment with the food saver, then seal the mylar with a hair flat iron. I poke a pencil hole in the bag, shove the tube in, suck out 90% of the air, then seal. The bag has two 300cc O2 eaters in it
The food saver is great for resealing chip bags, etc. they last a lot longer than with a chip clip.
 
So, in light of recent events, I’ve been paying more attention to the doomsday pantry. I finally got around to opening up the Food Saver. I usually just buy ready made, long term food. This weekend, I sealed up 16 lbs of pasta and 40 lbs of rice, in Mylar bags. It was a bit of a learning curve, but...YouTube.

Two mistakes. Penne pasta is sharp, and will puncture even 5 mil. bags. I had to repackage all 8 lbs. with a little padding and double bagging. The 8 lbs. of elbow macaroni were fine. Rice was no problem.

The other mistake was using 2qt gusseted bags, with a ziplock. Smaller, 1qt bags, with no ziplock would have allowed me to fit more in each 5gal bucket. I’ll rotate them out, and use smaller bags going forward.

I also put all my MPS, ready made meal bags and MRE’s, in 5gal buckets, for better protection. They normally just sit on the shelf.

I bought some mason jars and a couple lid sealer attachments for the Food Saver. I’m thinking of canning some beans?

Still a work in progress. Doomsday pantry...

88DF3945-3717-495B-AC5C-D87321860C2A.jpeg
D51485B1-36FD-4A03-9BCE-2AA1955C156F.jpeg
97A0189C-95A2-4497-8459-F69F6E65FE1A.jpeg
4317FAF1-2331-4DA0-8117-75A02736EC01.jpeg
37F783E8-F7AF-4499-B6F0-D2248CF5EB51.jpeg
 
Nice setup. Do you happen to have a link for those water containers?
Thanks. I bought them a few years ago. I can’t remember from where, but I’ll look into it. I’ve seen them from a few sellers online though.

*google waterbricks. Don’t forget to get a spigot & a spare.
 
Last edited:
So, I’m pretty confident with vacuum sealing rice and pasta in Mylar bags. I’m now going to put about 25 pounds of dry beans into 1 quart mason jars.

What’s the quickest method?

I’ve seen people sterilizing jars with boiling steam, then putting the jars in the oven to dry. Then putting beans into the jars and putting them back in the oven and then placing lids them.

I’ve also seen people just fill clean jars with beans, throw in an oxygen absorber and vacuuming the air out. That’s what I’d like to do.

Also, what’s the consensus on desiccants? I didn’t use them with my Mylar bag rice & pasta storage. I just threw oxygen absorbers inside and vacuum sealed. That’s what I plan on doing with the mason jar & beans as well. I guess some people use them, some don’t. Am I good without them?
 
I have many cases (dozens) mason jars vacuum sealed. I run them through the dishwasher to get any manufacturing flavors out. Verify they’re dry, fill and use the food saver jar vacuum sealer. O2 absorbers, no dessicants. I have sampled dry types of beans, lentils, white, jasmine and basmati rice, sugar, salt all over 10 years sealed. FIFO.
Chocolate chips lasted 5.
No O2 absorber on stored sugar. YMMV. Picture is literally today’s beer virus scare additionsA7E60A6F-7A21-4723-B914-43A1B2C69655.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I have many cases (dozens) mason jars vacuum sealed. I run them through the dishwasher to get any manufacturing flavors out. Verify they’re dry, fill and use the food saver jar vacuum sealer. O2 absorbers, no dessicants. I have sampled dry types of beans, lentils, white, jasmine and basmati rice, sugar, salt all over 10 years sealed. Chocolate chips lasted 5. No O2 absorber on stored sugar. YMMV
Thank you. This is just what I was looking for. The lids are OK in the dishwasher as well?
 
Tonight, in addition to the 25+lbs of dry beans and lentils, I purchased about 5 dozen assorted canned goods products, including corn, carrots, peas, green beans, tuna, Spam and various soups. All stuff I can rotate through. I’m getting closer to where we need to be.

My 30lbs of dried milk substitute arrived from Augason Farms today as well.

Now I’m looking at chest freezers. I should have done this long ago. I do a ton of bbq & cooking in general. We have a lot of waste.

I need to put the new chamber vac to work.
 
Last edited:
Tonight, in addition to the 25+lbs of dry beans and lentils, I purchased about 5 dozen assorted canned goods products, including corn, carrots, peas, green beans, tuna and various soups. All stuff I can rotate through. I’m getting closer to where we need to be.

Now I’m looking at chest freezers. I should have done this long ago. I do a ton of bbq & cooking in general. We have a lot of waste.

I need to put the new chamber vac to work.

Scour craigslist for the freezer. I bought one 3 years ago for $25.

Also save a few milk jugs (4-8). Fill with water and freeze in bottom of the chest. This will help keep stuff colder longet if you lose power.
 
Scour craigslist for the freezer. I bought one 3 years ago for $25.

Also save a few milk jugs (4-8). Fill with water and freeze in bottom of the chest. This will help keep stuff colder longet if you lose power.
Thanks for the tips. Will do. Much appreciated.
 
Now I’m looking at chest freezers. I should have done this long ago. I do a ton of bbq & cooking in general. We have a lot of waste.
Amazon product ASIN B07VTSDGHTView: https://www.amazon.com/Version-KeeKit-Refrigerator-Thermometer-Wireless/dp/B07VTSDGHT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=freezer+alarm+alert+when+temperatures+drop&qid=1581852934&sprefix=Freezer+alarm&sr=8-1

Don't forget one of these. I had a freezer up and quit for no good reason. We lost everything in it. luckily it was late summer and we had drawn down it's contents a lot. Had it been late fall it would have been full.
 
Last edited:
This weekend, I stored about 40lbs of lentils, kidney, black and pinto beans, in Mylar bags and mason jars. I also packed away 20 lbs of salt.
It’s starting to get a little tight in the pantry, so I picked up some 2gal food safe buckets & lids. They’ll fit perfectly on the shelves.
I’m maxed out on 5gal bucket real estate.
I have to reorganize for maximum storage.
760CD08A-488F-4890-865D-E50C9B50FA17.jpeg
377F4097-7453-4F24-B7FA-F043689C3AC0.jpeg
D324CC8D-FFA9-40FA-84AD-9CF3FC2B910F.jpeg
BFBB172C-DE17-466A-A97A-8F8F643EC62E.jpeg
 
I see your point. Makes sense. From what I’ve heard, the biggest benefit of storing in original containers is ease of use? Rotation? Maybe that’s more for iodonized salts? I’ll probably do a 2 gallon bucket or 2 of different types of salt for variety.
 
I see your point. Makes sense. From what I’ve heard, the biggest benefit of storing in original containers is ease of use? Rotation? Maybe that’s more for iodonized salts? I’ll probably do a 2 gallon bucket or 2 of different types of salt for variety.
Swap the salt into quart or gallon ziplock bags. You can get pretty much all the air out of the bag by hand. No need to vacuum seal. It's salt.
 
I have many cases (dozens) mason jars vacuum sealed. I run them through the dishwasher to get any manufacturing flavors out. Verify they’re dry, fill and use the food saver jar vacuum sealer. O2 absorbers, no dessicants. I have sampled dry types of beans, lentils, white, jasmine and basmati rice, sugar, salt all over 10 years sealed. FIFO.
Chocolate chips lasted 5.
No O2 absorber on stored sugar. YMMV. Picture is literally today’s beer virus scare additionsView attachment 332025

Nice!

My only comment is that knowing mason jars are almost a buck a piece, and a quality food saver bag off a roll is about 10-15 cents, I'd be using those jars to pressure can meat or other foods that contain liquid.

Dry goods in single or double size serving vacuum bags stack easily into a bucket and take up alot less shelf space. I just put up 100lbs of pearled barley in 4 cup serving vacuum bags. They stand up in a bucket like index cards nicely and you can pack it pretty tight.
 
Keep a salt shaker, or a mason jar, and refill as needed. It's salt, you just want to keep moisture away so you don't end up with a salt lick of rock salt

In the average size table salt shaker, a teaspoon of rice will act as a desiccant, for a pint mason jar, about 2 tablespoons.
 
So, in light of recent events, I’ve been paying more attention to the doomsday pantry. I finally got around to opening up the Food Saver. I usually just buy ready made, long term food. This weekend, I sealed up 16 lbs of pasta and 40 lbs of rice, in Mylar bags. It was a bit of a learning curve, but...YouTube.

Two mistakes. Penne pasta is sharp, and will puncture even 5 mil. bags. I had to repackage all 8 lbs. with a little padding and double bagging. The 8 lbs. of elbow macaroni were fine. Rice was no problem.

The other mistake was using 2qt gusseted bags, with a ziplock. Smaller, 1qt bags, with no ziplock would have allowed me to fit more in each 5gal bucket. I’ll rotate them out, and use smaller bags going forward.

I also put all my MPS, ready made meal bags and MRE’s, in 5gal buckets, for better protection. They normally just sit on the shelf.

I bought some mason jars and a couple lid sealer attachments for the Food Saver. I’m thinking of canning some beans?

Still a work in progress. Doomsday pantry...

View attachment 330726
View attachment 330725
View attachment 330729
View attachment 330728
View attachment 330727

I'm feeling a little under prepared now.
 
Back
Top Bottom