I just invested in a food saver when I saw that I could buy an 8kg bag of rice for the same as a box of Uncle Bens from an overpriced market, and I'm really loving it! Side note: Anyone looking to get one check out WalMart website. I was able go get one on clearance with $100 of rolls and attachments for $50 +tax.
So after I bought and froze my rice to keep away unwanted eggs... I separated my rice into 2 pound bags and vacuum sealed them. So now I have a bunch of rice bags that I can store away in a bucket to keep fresh until I need one. Does anyone know how long rice stored like this will be good for? I also did the same with my loose bulk tea. My sister went away to Europe and brought me several pounds of loose tea which I separated and sealed into 100-200g bags and stored. With the rice and tea I kept a current portion in a tin then vacuum sealed the rest mainly to keep it fresh.
I'm single so my stash is mainly for myself and trying to preserve as much freshness for as long as I can. I also live in a building in the city so I don't have a ton of room but have started downsizing my needless things to make room for what's important.
Does anyone else vacuum seal? What are some other bulk items that you all have vacuumed and stored.
Nuts...I'm using bulk Coscto nuts that I sealed up in 2 cup portions and stored in my fruit cellar . I marked each bag with the BB date from the original package.
I'm eating nuts that are 6 months past the BB date...walnuts, almonds and pecans do well...I'm finding the hazelnuts are hit or miss when you're this far past their BB date as I'm getting 1 nut out of 10 that's tasting stale (not rancid but tasting old).
I'm the lady you're stuck behind in the grocery store with the over loaded cart filled with cases of tuna, peanut butter, huge bags of rice and the weary looking husband
Other items that store well using a vacuum sealer are: White flour, Oatmeal, White Sugar, Powdered Milk, Dried pasta, Dried Beans, Dehydrated Vegetables, Dehydrated Fruits, Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Cornmeal, Instant coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Dried Spices and/ or Herbs (salt and pepper included). Just to name a few.
Although for best results you should use an oxygen absorber. Even better is to vacuum seal these in mylar bags and store in food grade buckets with tight fitting lids. In additon to that, they should be kept in a cool, dry, and dark place for optimal shelf life.
I forgot to mention if sealing powders like white flour you should put these in a separate bag and fold it closed (do not seal the inner bag), before adding it too your food saver bag. Otherwise the powders will be sucked up into your machine and could potentially damage it.