Posted on July 19 2019
Have you ever wondered if there are foods you should not be vacuum sealing? There are many foods you can vacuum seal for extended freshness; unfortunately there are a handful that you should not preserve using this method. Some foods contain anaerobic bacteria, which can grow without the presence of air. Within a vacuum sealed pouch, with reduced oxygen, these bacteria will grow and may pose a risk to your health.
Do not vacuum seal:
- raw mushrooms
- garlic
- soft cheeses (blue cheese, brie, camembert, ricotta and other soft and unpasteurized cheeses)
- freshly cooked or steamed vegetables (safe to vacuum seal after they are at room temperature)
In addition, many common vegetables emit a gas when stored. If these vegetables - in the Cruciferae or Brassicaceae family - are kept in a vacuum sealed bag, this gas will cause them to spoil. To store these vegetables properly they should be blanched, dried, then vacuum sealed and frozen for storage.
Blanch first:
- arugula
- bok choy
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- kale
- radishes
- turnips
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Hello – Yes, you can vacuum seal dried pasta like ramen noodles. I would poke a small hole in the packaging if you’d like the air to be removed from the packaging as well. Just be careful to use the pulse setting on your machine. You could easily crush the pasta.
If I wanted to seal/store Ramen noodles (prepackaged) in vacuum sealed bags do I need to put a tiny hole in each package first?
Hi Larry – Yes, you can vacuum seal pitted prunes. If stored in the refrigerator, they can last 6-12 months, in the freezer they can last 12-18 months.
Unfortunately, we have never tried to vacuum seal the fried pork skins. I would think it would be difficult to seal because the pressure of the vacuum seal with probably crush them. If you happen to give this a try, please let us know how it turns out.
Can you vacuum seal prunes, like say Sunsweet Pitted Prunes? Do you have to be concerned about anaerobic bacteria?
Can you vacuum seal fried pork skins, and if so, how long should they last?
Hi Shelby – Yes you can vacuum seal fresh loaves of bread. Here is a blog post that might help! https://foodvacbags.com/blogs/foodsaverblogs/can-you-vacuum-seal-bread?pos=3&_sid=8d2d56aa9&ss=r
Can you vacuum seal fresh homemade loaves of bread?
There seems to be a lot of mixed information out there regarding vacuum-sealing cooked mushrooms and garlic. I reached out to the USDA and the FDA to try to get a correct answer for you. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a firm answer for you.
can you vacuum pack cooked mushrooms and garlic for example when they are ingredients in a sauce?
Hello Nancy – We suggest blanching both the turnips and the collards before freezing. Without blanching, the colors may fade a bit, and the textures and flavors could end up being off.
I purchase turnip and collards greens at grocery with intent to vacuum seal. do I need to wash and let dry or do they need to be blanched?
Hi Jennifer – Thank you for that information. There are definitely some mixed reviews on this topic. It’s probably best if we leave it up to your discretion.
Hello FoodVacBags:
It is my understanding that adding oxygen absorbers to nuts (due to their high oil content) can be a source of botulism growth and should not be done. In one of your comments, you suggested that one can easily vacuum seal and add oxygen absorbers to nuts to store them. Potentially dangerous?
Hi Joy – When we talk about drying the vegetables in this post, we are talking about just blotting them so there is not a lot of extra water when you freeze them.
As for pumpkin seeds, they can stay fresh for a few of months if refrigerated and can last several years if frozen. Here is a great article we’ve posted in the past:
https://foodvacbags.com/blogs/foodsaverblogs/7-health-benefits-of-pumpkin-seeds?pos=1&_sid=99bc1f5d4&ss=r
Why would you need to dry broccoli or other crucifers before freezing? Do you mean just blot it so there’s no excess water when freezing?
I also have a question about hulled pumpkin seeds. Can they be safely stored by vacuuming packing or mylar and kept in a cool, dry place or should they be frozen?
Hi Merri – The rules of not vacuuming sealing fresh mushrooms or garlic has to do with botulinum toxins. Most strands of botulinum toxins cannot grow at temperatures below 12 degrees C, some can grow in as low as 3 degrees C. Also important, the cold temperatures do not kill any toxins. For these reasons, we do not recommend vacuum-sealing fresh mushrooms or garlic.
Is the rule for not vacuuming sealing fresh mushrooms or garlic for when you are going to store them in the refrigerator, or does it apply to storing them in the freezer too?
Hi Jeanette –
Thank you for your question about vacuum sealing in paper bags. There are a couple of reasons to vacuum seal things like flour and sugar in a bag. The suction of your sealer would most likely pull some of the powdered product in and it could clog your machine. The other big reason for vacuum sealing in the paper bag is so no granules get in the seal a ruin it.
Sometimes when you buy the bag at the store, it’s not the “cleanest” bag because bags around it may have a hole or your bag may have a hole you didn’t know about when you picked it up. If you manage to get a “clean” bag, you could try vacuum sealing it in the bag it came in. Just know there’s still a risk of it clogging your machine or getting in the seal.
You mentioned storing flour and sugar in paper bags. Are you talking about the psoer bag that the flour comes In? I want a longer shelf life for flour if u have any suggestions please ca and thank u