www .foodsaver .com 1-877-777-8042
www .foodsaver .com 1-877-777-8042
Vacuum Packaging and Food Safety
The vacuum packagin g process extends the life of
foo ds by rem ov in g mos t of the ai r fro m the sea led
container , thereby reducing oxidation, which affects
nut rit ion al va lue , fl av or an d ov er al l qu ali ty . Remo v ing
air can also inhi bit gro wth of mic roorg anism s, wh ic h
can cause problems under certain conditions:
Mold – Easily identified by its fuzzy char acteristic .
Mol d c ann ot gro w in a low ox yg en envi ro nme nt,
the ref or e v acu um p ac kagi ng c an slow the gr ow th
of mold.
Y east – Results in fermentation, which can be
ide nti fie d by smel l and ta ste. Y e ast need s wa te r ,
sugar and a moderate temperature to grow. It can
also sur vive with or without air. Slowing the growth of
yeas t requires refrigeration, while freezing stops
it completely .
Bact eria – Res ul ts in an un pl ea sant odor ,
di sc ol or ati on an d/o r soft or sli my tex tu re . Unde r
the right conditions, anaerobic bacteria such as
Clos tridium botulinum (the organism that causes
Botulism) can grow without air and sometimes
ca nno t be dete ct ed by smel l or ta st e. Al tho ugh
it is extremely rare, it can be very dangerou s.
T o pre serve food s saf ely , it is cri tic al tha t y ou
maintain low temperatures. Y ou can significantly
reduce the growth of microorganisms at temperatures
of 40°F (4°C ) or be low . Freez ing at 0° F (- 1 7°C )
does not kill microorganisms, but stops them
fro m gro wing . For lon g-t er m sto ra ge , alw ays free ze
perishab le foods that have been vacuum packag ed,
and keep refrigerated after thawing.
It is impor tant to note that vacuum pack aging is
NO T a subs tit ute for can nin g and it c ann ot reve rs e
the dete rio ration of foods. It can only slow down the
c ha ng es in qua lit y . It is diff icu lt to pr edi ct how lo ng
foo ds wi ll ret ain thei r top -qu ali ty fla vo r , app ea ra nc e
or te xt ur e bec ause it depe nd s on ag e and con dit ion
of the food on the day it was vacuumed pac kag ed.
IMP OR T ANT: V acu um pa c kagin g is NO T a sub sti tu t e
for refrigeration or freezing. Any perish able foods
that require refrigeration must still be refrigerated
or frozen after vacuum pack aging.
Food Preparation and Reheating Tips
Thawin g and Reheating V acuum Pac kaged Foods
Alway s thaw foods in either refrigerator or microwave
— do not thaw perishable foods at room temperature.
T o reheat foods in a microwave in a FoodSaver
®
Bag,
alw ays c ut cor ner of the bag be fo re pl acin g it on a
mic ro wa ve -s af e di sh. How eve r , to av oid hot spot s, do
not reh ea t bo ne- in me at or gr ea sy foo ds in mic ro w ave
within a FoodSaver
®
Bag. Y ou can also reheat foods
in FoodSaver
®
Bags by placing them
in water at a low simmer below 170°F ( 75°C).
Prepar ation Guidelines for Meat and Fish:
Fo r bes t r es ult s, pr e-f re ez e me at and fi sh f or 1- 2
hours before vacuum packagin g in a FoodSaver
®
Bag.
This helps retain the juice and shape, and guarantees
a better seal.
If it’s not pos si bl e to pr e-f re ez e, pl ace a fol ded pape r
towel between meat or fish and top of bag, but
bel ow se al are a. L ea ve pape r tow el in bag to ab sor b
ex c es s mois t ure and ju ic es duri ng v acuum pac kagi ng
proce ss.
Note: Beef may appear darker after vacuum
pac kaging due to the removal of oxygen. Thi s is not
an indication of spoilage.
Prepar ation Guidelines for Hard Cheeses:
T o ke ep c heese fres h, v acuum pac kag e it after eac h
use. Make your FoodSaver
®
Bag e xtr a lon g, allo wi ng
one inc h of bag m ate ri al for ea c h tim e yo u pl an to
ope n and r ese al in ad dit ion to the 3-inc h room yo u
normally leave between contents and seal. Simply
cut sea led edg e and remo ve ch ees e. W hen yo u’r e
re ad y to rep ac kag e the ch ees e, ju st drop it in bag
and reseal.
IMP OR T ANT: Due t o the ri sk of ana er obic bact eria ,
Soft cheeses should never be vacuum packag ed.
Prepar ation Guidelines for V egetable s:
V egetables need to be blanched before vacuum pack -
ag ing. This process stops the enzyme action that
could lead to loss of flavor , color and texture.
T o bl anc h veg etab le s, pl ace them in boil in g wat er
or in the microwave until they are cooked, but still
cri sp. Bl an c hin g tim es ran ge from 1 to 2 min ute s for
le afy gr een s and pe as ; 3 to 4 min ut es for sna p pea s,
sli c ed z ucc hini or broc col i; 5 min ut es for car rot s; an d
7 to 11 minutes for corn on the cob . Af ter blanchin g,
imm ers e veg et ab le s in c ol d wa te r to st op the co ok in g
pro c es s. Fina ll y , dry ve ge ta bl es on a to wel befo re
vacuum pack aging.
Note: All veg etable s (including broccoli, brussels
sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower , kale, turnips) naturally
emi t ga ses du rin g st or ag e. The ref ore, aft er b la nc hing,
they must be stored in freezer only.
Whe n fre ez ing ve ge ta bl es , it is best to pr e-f ree z e
them for 1-2 hours or until solidly frozen. T o freeze
ve ge ta bl es in ind iv idu al servi ng s, fir st pl ac e on
Gu id eli ne s
for V acuum P a ck ag ing
a bak ing shee t an d spr ead the m out so they are
not touc hing . T hi s pr ev ent s the m fro m fr eez in g
tog ether in a blo c k. On c e they are froz en, rem ov e
from baking sheet and vacuum pac kage vegetabl es
in a FoodSaver
®
Bag. After they have been vacuum
pac kag ed, ret urn them to the free ze r .
IMP OR T ANT: Due t o the ri sk of ana er obic bact eria ,
Fr es h mus hr ooms, on ion s, & garl ic shou ld neve r
be vacuum packaged.
Prepar ation Guidelines for Leafy V egetables:
|For best results, use a canist er to store leafy
veget ables. First wash the vegetable s, and then dr y
with a towel or sala d spinner. After they are dried, put
them in a canister and vacuum packag e. Store
in refrigerator.
Prepar ation Guidelines for Fruits:
When freezing sof t fruits or berries, it is best to pre-
freeze them for 1-2 hours or until solidly frozen. T o
freeze fruit in individual ser vings, first place on a
baking sheet and spread them out so they are not
tou c hi ng. Th is prev en ts them fr om free zi ng to ge the r
in a bl oc k. Onc e the y ar e fr oz en , rem ov e fr om ba ki ng
sheet and vacuum pack age fruit in a FoodSaver
®
Bag.
Aft er the y h av e been va cu um pa c k ag ed, ret urn them
to th e fre ez er .
Y ou c an v acuum pac kag e porti on s fo r ba ki ng, or in
yo ur f av ori te c om bin ation s f or ea sy frui t s al ad all ye ar
rou nd. If st oring in the re fri ge ra to r , we re c omm end
using a FoodSaver
®
Canister .
Prepar ation Guidelines for Baked Goods:
T o va cuu m pac ka ge soft or airy bak ed good s, we
recommend using a FoodSaver
®
Canister so they
will hold their shape. If using a bag, pre-freeze for
1-2 hours or until solidly frozen. T o save time, mak e
cookie dough, pie shells, whole pies, or mix dr y
ing re die nts in ad va nc e and va cu um pa c k ag e for
later use.
Prepar ation Guidelines for Coff ee and Powdery
Foods:
T o prev en t fo od pa rtic le s fr om be ing dra wn into
vacuum pump, plac e a coffee filter or paper towel
at top of bag or ca ni st er bef ore va cu um pac k agi ng.
Y ou c an al so p la c e the fo od in its orig in al bag in si de
a FoodSaver
®
Bag, or use a FoodSaver
®
Universal
Lid with the original container to vacuum packag e.
Prepar ation Guidelines for Liquids:
Be for e y ou v acuum pac kag e liq uid s suc h as soup
st oc k, pre- fre ez e in a c as serol e di sh, loaf pan or ice
cub e tr ay unt il sol id. Rem ov e fro z en li qui d fr om pa n
and vacuum packag e in a FoodSaver
®
Bag. Y ou c an
st ac k th ese “fro zen bri c ks” in y our fre ez er . When
you’re ready to use, just cut corner of bag and place
in a di sh in micr ow ave or dr op int o wa ter at a lo w
simmer, below 170°F (75°C).
T o va cuu m pac ka ge non-c arbon ated bot tl ed li qui ds ,
you can use a FoodSaver
®
Bottl e Stop per wit h the
ori gin al co nt ain er . Re mem ber to le av e at le ast one
inc h of roo m bet we en c ont ent s an d bot tom of Bo ttl e
Stopper . Y ou can re-seal bottles after each use.
Prepar ation Guidelines for Make-ahea d Meals,
Lefto vers and Sandwic hes:
Efficiently store your make-ahe ad meals, leftovers
and sandwiche s in the stac kab le, lightweight
FoodSaver
®
containers. They are microwaveabl e,
top rac k dish wash er s af e and c om e wit h a cu st om
adaptor . The lightweight container s will be ready
to he ad off t o the of fic e or sc ho ol when you are !
Prepar ation Guidelines for Snac k Foods:
Y our snac k foods will maintain their freshness
longer when you vacuum pack age them. For best
results, use a FoodSaver
®
Canister for crushable
items like crac kers.
Vacuum Packaging Non-Food Items
The FoodSaver
®
vacuum packagin g system also
pro te cts non- fo od it ems from ox idati on, cor ro si on
and moisture. Simply follow the directions to vacuum
pac kage items using FoodSaver
®
Bags, Canis ters
and Acces sories.
T o vacuum pack age silver , wrap fork tines in sof t
cu shi oni ng m ate ri al, suc h as a pap er t ow el, to av oid
puncturin g bag. Y our FoodSaver
®
Bags are ideal for
outdoor excursion s. For camping and hiking, keep
yo ur ma tc hes , map s and fo od dry and c omp ac t. T o
have fresh water for drinking, simply fill a FoodSaver
®
Ba g wit h ic e, seal it and when need ed, let the ic e
pac k melt . If you’re going sailing or boating, vacuum
pac kage your food, film and
a dry c hang e of clot hes . Jus t remem ber to bri ng
sc is sors or a knif e to open th e bag .
T o ke ep eme rg ency k its saf e and dry , v ac uum
pac kage flares, batteries, flashlights, matc hes,
candles and other necess ities. Y our emergency items
will stay dry and organized in your home, car or boat.
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