What foods can be vacuum packed?

The vacuum packing method allows our food to be preserved, for a long time, minimizing the loss of characteristics and nutrients.

There are different types of vacuum bags. Most of them are manufactured in different sizes, designed to store solid and liquid products.

Although it is very common to observe the vacuum packing method in restaurants, it is also possible to use it at home to preserve the products you buy at the market and help your economy.

Learn a little more about the technique of packaging and preserving food, as well as which foods can be vacuum packed.

What do you mean by vacuum packaging?

It is common that, after making the purchase, you find yourself in the need to throw away some food that has been damaged before its consumption. This is especially true for fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables.

That is why it is common to use the vacuum packing technique, that is, to store the ingredients in vacuum bags and eliminate the air that is kept inside, giving the opportunity to store for long periods.

This process is possible because of the elimination of oxygen and microorganisms that degrade and damage the food.

Vacuum bags are made of different materials, some thicker and more resistant than others, so you have the option to store them in the freezer, pantry or refrigerator.

What foods can be vacuum packed?

Vacuum bags allow the vacuuming of food, no matter if it is liquid or solid.

However, it is important to be careful and respect the capacity of the bags to avoid spills or the bag not sealing completely.

Here is a list of products so that you know which foods can be vacuumed.

Meat and poultry

It is ideal to vacuum pack the meats, no matter if you reserve a complete piece or fillet. In the case of vacuum-packing poultry, it is best that it has been deboned and separated by pieces.

You can take advantage of this storage method to store already marinated meat cuts and at the moment of cooking you only have to remove them from the fridge and cook them in the pan.

The meat you are going to put into the vacuum bags can be fresh or frozen. The important thing is that it will not lose its quality and that it will become more tender when you cook it.

It is recommended that you do not keep meat that has bones under this method. This is because, when the air is removed from the bag, the bones can break the vacuum bag.

Fish and seafood

If you are going to vacuum pack small fish such as sardines, ideally they should be frozen so that they do not get crushed when the air is removed.

Large fish such as octopus, shrimps, squid and prawns are vacuum packed complete so that you have more options when preparing them.

However, it is important that you try to keep the whole fish without the fins and even without the tail because they could open a small hole to the bag, preventing the vacuum from being created inside.

Vegetables and legumes

The best alternative to vacuum pack vegetables and legumes is to cook them so that they do not absorb moisture, and then freeze them. This also prevents the food from being spoiled during the process of removing the air to create the vacuum.

Cheeses

The cheese to be vacuum packed must be cut into medium sized pieces so that only what is necessary is used and not all the cheese is defrosted.

If you are going to freeze a soft cheese you must do it very carefully. This type of cheese drains a liquid that should allow the vacuum bag to be sealed.

Fruits

It is important to cut the fruit into pieces and freeze it before creating the vacuum to avoid bruising and crushing.

If you are going to make juice from the fruit, you can take the pulp out to freeze it and vacuum pack it.

Liquids

To pack a liquid you must serve less than the capacity of the vacuum bag to avoid spills.

In addition, you must be careful when creating the vacuum to avoid the liquid from allowing the bag to seal or, if you are using a vacuum machine, to break.

If you want to know more about the process of vacuuming liquids, we recommend the article: Can liquids be vacuumed?

Tips for vacuum-packed foods

If you have a vacuum machine, just follow its instructions. But if you want to use this technique without it, there are different home methods to generate the vacuum that you can find in the article Vacuum cooking: all you need to know.

To preserve meat and fish for a longer period of time, the ideal is to cook them. And if you use vacuum cooking bags, you can cook the food there.

Vegetables and legumes have to be cooked so that they do not generate gas after eliminating the oxygen for vacuuming.

Vacuum bags? We have them for you

No matter if you have a business or you are going to use them to store the ingredients in your home, at Monouso we have the perfect vacuum bags for you.

Among the variety of vacuum bags we offer you are the biodegradable vacuum bags, the embossed vacuum bags, plastic vacuum bags for preserving food and vacuum bags for cooking.

You have different sizes to choose from and store from the smallest product to the one that takes up the most space in your fridge.