If you are reading this article, the chances are that you are familiar with vacuum sealing and its effectiveness at preventing food spoilage. No one wants to eat food that has spoiled and which is past its expiry date To avoid this you need to ensure the proper storage conditions for different types of food. We are not referring here to the preserving methods used in jam or relish making – no, we are talking about storing sandwiches, marinated fish and meat, cheese, and other fresh or cooked food that can, if not stored properly, quickly perish.
There are more than a few reasons why vacuum-sealed bags have become an increasingly common sight in kitchens up and down the land, but perhaps the most important is that not a lot of effort is required in using them.
Vacuum sealers are in high demand at both retail and online markets, making them one of the best selling kitchen storage ideas today. The main advantages of these gadgets are that they allow you to save money and are environmentally friendly in that they reduce food-wastage.
Bearing this in mind, there is one question that needs to be answered, being “can you reuse vacuum sealer bags”. The answer? It all depends on the food that you have stored in them. In order to give you a reliable answer, we need to go into detail considering the potential benefits as well as the specifics of food stored in vacuum sealer bags. So let us take a look at the ins and outs of vacuum sealer bags.
The Benefits Of Using Vacuum Sealer Bags
As we have mentioned above, there are more than a few advantages to storing your food in vacuum-sealed bags. Apart from the fact that you get to save money and reduce waste in the process, vacuum sealing is a versatile food storage method that will allow you to end up with food that remains as fresh as the day it was sealed. But how is this so, and what are the other positive aspects of this method?
Vacuum sealing has the main purpose of food preservation. What is quite fascinating to find is that as opposed to traditional food storage methods, vacuum sealing can triple the shelf life for a number of different foods. For example, if you decide to pack raw meat in a vacuum sealer bag and put it in a freezer it can last for up to 3 years, while with a traditional method, it would be 6 months at most. The same goes with cheeses that usually have an expiry date of 2 weeks since opening. That can become 2-3 months once in a vacuum-sealed bag. Your food ingredients will be protected from nasty bacteria and other damage that is related to traditional storage methods (freezer burns, etc.).
As the main idea of vacuum sealer bags is to take out any air and so prevent food dehydration, it doesn’t come as a surprise that ingredients stored in vacuum sealer bags keep their taste and texture throughout many weeks of storage. You don’t have to worry about the nutritional value being lost in the process either.
Additionally, using these will allow you to have better organization of your fridge and freezer, and the best thing about it is that you will not need to throw out food or leftovers, as resealing them is as simple as it gets. While the answer to “can you reuse vacuum sealer bags” is something that we are yet to discuss, we can assure you that resealing the food that was previously in other bags is perfectly safe and healthy.
Using vacuum sealer bags can be a great addition to your cooking game, as with it you will get to marinate your fish and meat and go for rich flavors that are accented by various sauces and spices.
Is Reusing Vacuum Bags Safe?
Now that we have discussed the benefits and purpose of vacuum sealer bags, including resealing, it is time to answer the question if you should reuse vacuum bags and how it rates in terms of health concerns. Our main suggestion is that you inform yourself about food safety concerns by reading the FDA and USDA guides on the storage precautions that you should take.
As for reusing vacuum sealer bags, there is one principle that you should always follow and that is to never use a bag in which food such as raw meat, cheese and fish was previously stored. The reason? While you may think that washing will destroy any bacteria that might have built up, you don’t want to take any chances of being infected by E.Colli or Salmonella.
While reusing vacuum sealer bags can be safe if you have taken all the precautions, you should still consider that these need to be washed properly in order to remove any leftover grease or oil and so prevent it affecting the food that you are planning to store. Using mild soap and hot water should be enough to get rid of this.
You should ensure that the bag itself is still in excellent condition and doesn’t have any cracks in it through which air might enter, ruining the main purpose of these bags which is to remove any air in the food storage atmosphere. If you find that the bag is damaged, get out a new one. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous advantages to using vacuum sealer bags as the main food storage method, including it being a budget and eco-friendly option. While the answer to whether you can reuse vacuum sealer bags is a yes, you should still consider the mentioned food safety concerns and ensure that there are no risks to it!
So, embrace a more environmentally-friendly stance and start reusing your vacuum sealer bags instead of throwing them away after each use. Not only will the environment thank you, but your wallet will thank you too as you will no longer be wasting money on purchasing unnecessary vacuum sealer bags.
