Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[AlaMoi]

3 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

will they work with any heat-sealable bag?

 

 

that's a "maybe" - vacuum heat seal bags are typically a co-extrusion film.

high density polyethylene on the outside, low density poly on the inside.

the low density melts/aka "seals" at a lower temp, the high density poly / polyester outside prevents the heat sealing strip from simply cutting the bag into pieces....

 

the temps will depend on your make&model - also how new/tired&worn out the heat sealing mechanism/temp control is.

[pastrygirl]

@TdeV  This is a pretty sturdy product but an adjustable vacuum would be ideal. 80% or something.

[DesertTinker]

@pastrygirl Have you considered an impulse sealer (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)? No vacuum, but a better seal than folded and taped.

Edited Monday at 08:17 PM by DesertTinker
Fixed link (log)

[rotuts]

@pastrygirl

 

I\thank you for that pic.  I had the idea that was the bag you were talking g about.

 

especially w a bit of the textured bag ( vacuum sealer bags ) in that middle

 

or maybe not : depends on the pressure at the seal point.

 

as this is more plastic than a FRoodSaver default time and temp seal might

 

it might be helpful to be able to adjust the sealing time.

 

got a friend w a FoodSaver ?

 

a visit w Treats would workout for everybody.

 

 

[pastrygirl]

2 hours ago, DesertTinker said:

@pastrygirl Have you considered an impulse sealer (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)? No vacuum, but a better seal than folded and taped.

 

I do have an impulse sealer.  Sounds like manually squishing the air out and sealing that way is my best bet at this stage. 

 

thanks, all

 

[rotuts]

@pastrygirl

 

that impulse seal might be just the thing for you.

 

as a tweak , get a straw , ( plastic soon to be extinct )   

 

put it in the corner of your bag , remove air via ' personal suction '

 

then seal the bag. 

 

[haresfur]

On 10/22/2024 at 2:26 AM, pastrygirl said:

For people with Food Savers or other non-chamber vacuum sealers:  will they work with any heat-sealable bag?

 

I'm not doing sous vide or anything, just want a fast way to seal products & reduce air in bags that I already have.

 

I've done it with the bags my beef comes in. It can work but not very well. Sometimes still have a little air left but it can help for a few days.

[ElsieD]

Instead of blanching food using the traditional water method, has anyone used steam to blanch them?  I have the Anova and would like to steam blanch my vegetables prior to dehydration them.  Thank you.

[DesertTinker]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Instead of blanching food using the traditional water method, has anyone used steam to blanch them?  I have the Anova and would like to steam blanch my vegetables prior to dehydration them.  Thank you.

I’ve done it before. It’s a bit less messy than the boiling water method, but it is a bit slower. Here’s what the National Center for Food Preservation recommends for method and times. It seems like it would be adaptable to the steam oven.