10
Preparation Guidelines
Meat and Fish
For best results, pre-freeze meat and fish for 1-2 hours before
vacuum sealing in a FoodSaver
™
Bag. This helps retain the juice
and shape, and guarantees a better seal. If it’s not possible to pre-
freeze, place a folded paper towel between meat or fish and top
of bag, but below seal area.
Leave a paper towel in bag to absorb excess moisture and juices
during the vacuum sealing process.
Note: Beef may appear darker after vacuum sealing due to the
removal of oxygen. This is not an indication of spoilage.
Hard Cheeses
To keep cheese fresh, vacuum seal it after each
use. Make your FoodSaver
™
Bag extra long,
allowing 25mm of bag material for each time you
plan to open and reseal, in addition to the 75mm
room you normally leave between contents and
seal.
Simply cut sealed edge and remove cheese. When you’re ready to
reseal the cheese, just drop it in bag and reseal.
Important: Due to the risk of anaerobic bacteria, soft cheeses
should never be vacuum sealed.
Vegetables
Vegetables need to be blanched before vacuum
sealing. This process stops the enzyme action that
could lead to loss of flavour, colour and texture.
To blanch vegetables, place them in boiling water
or in the microwave until they are cooked, but still crisp. Blanching
times range from 1 to 2 minutes for leafy greens and peas; 3 to 4
minutes for snap peas, sliced courgette or broccoli; 5 minutes for
carrots; and 7 to 11 minutes for corn on the cob. After blanching,
immerse vegetables in cold water to stop the cooking process.
Finally, dry vegetables on a towel before vacuum sealing.
Note: All vegetables (including broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips) naturally emit gases during
storage. Therefore, after blanching, they must be stored in freezer
only.
When freezing vegetables, it is best to pre-freeze them for 1–2
hours or until solidly frozen. To freeze vegetables in individual
servings, first place on a baking sheet and spread them out so
they are not touching. This prevents them from freezing together
in a block. Once they are frozen, remove from baking sheet and
vacuum seal vegetables in a FoodSaver
™
Bag. After they have
been vacuum sealed, return them to the freezer.
Important: Due to the risk of anaerobic bacteria, fresh mushrooms,
onions and garlic should never be vacuum sealed.
Leafy Vegetables
For best results, use a canister to store leafy
vegetables. First wash the vegetables, and then dry
with a towel or salad spinner. After they are dried, put
them in a canister and vacuum seal as normal. Store in
the refrigerator.
Fruits
When freezing soft fruits or berries, it is best to
pre-freeze them for 1-2 hours or until solidly frozen. To
freeze fruit in individual servings, first place on a baking
sheet and spread them out so they are not touching.
This prevents them from freezing together in a block.
Once they are frozen, remove from baking sheet and
vacuum seal fruit in a FoodSaver
™
Bag.
After they have been vacuum sealed, return them to the freezer.
You can vacuum seal portions for baking or in your favourite
combinations for easy fruit salad all year round. If storing in the
refrigerator, we recommend using a FoodSaver
™
Canister.
Baked Goods
To vacuum seal soft or airy baked goods, 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. To save time, make
cookie dough, pie shells, whole pies, or mix dry
ingredients in advance and vacuum seal for later
use.
Coffee and Powdery Foods
To prevent food particles from being drawn into
vacuum pump, place a coffee filter or paper towel
at top of bag or canister before vacuum sealing.
You can also place the food in its original bag
inside a FoodSaver
™
Bag, or use a FoodSaver
™
Universal Lid with the original container to vacuum
seal.
Liquids
Before you vacuum seal liquids such as soup stock,
pre-freeze in a casserole dish, loaf pan or ice cube
tray until solid. Remove frozen liquid from pan and
vacuum seal in a FoodSaver
™
Bag. You can stack
these ‘frozen bricks’ in your freezer.
When you’re ready to use, just cut corner of bag and place in a
dish in microwave or drop into water at a low simmer, below 75°C
(170°F).
To vacuum seal non-carbonated bottled liquids, you can use a
FoodSaver
™
Bottle Stopper with the original container.
Remember to leave at least 25mm of room between contents and
the bottom of the Bottle Stopper. You can reseal bottles after each
use.
Pre-Made Meals, Leftovers and Sandwiches
Efficiently store your pre-made meals, leftovers
and sandwiches in the stackable, lightweight
FoodSaver
™
Containers. They are microwaveable,
top rack dishwasher safe and come with a custom
adaptor.
The lightweight containers will be ready to head off to the office,
to school or the great outdoors whenever you are!
Snack Foods
Your snack foods will maintain their freshness
longer when you vacuum seal them. For best
results, use a FoodSaver
™
Canister for
crushable items like crackers.