Dehydrators & Vaccum Packing

[Bladerunner]

If you get a vacuum sealer that has the hose extension you can vacuum seal pop bottles and jars by using a suction adapter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C-g4ASSt0E

If you watch this video you get the idea. the first minute or so is just to show yuo the idea so keep watching. I had some suction hooks that you lick and stick to windows for hanging Christmas decorations on. I removed the hook and just used the suction bit.

I shoved a bradawl through the centre and then pushed the tube through the middle of the suction bit. I tried what the guy in the video did and made a hole in the top of pepsi bottle, put a bit of insulation tape over the hole and then tried the suction. It worked just like the one in the video.

Apparently, rice and beans can last up to ten years in this vacuum. You could do exactly the same with jam jars and the like. Just check the seal every now and again to make sure it is still holding.

Great way of storing the stuff you have already dehydrated.

Be lucky (and desiccated)

[Technik]

These are the two things on my christmas wish list - a dehydrator and a vacum packer.

[preppingsu]

These are the two things on my christmas wish list - a dehydrator and a vacum packer.

dehydrator on my xmas list too......OH just rolls his eyes back and says other wives want jewellery and perfume....

[Technik]

He should feel lucky because he will have a full pantry of dehydrated stuff thanks to the present that he gives you. What use he would have from the jewellery or perfume?

[Ogre]

We have the Westphalia dehydrator which we don't use often enough. But our vacuum sealer is used for everything from re-weighing and double bagging shop bought flour and rice to waterproofing electronics for storage to shrinking down clothing for bug out bags. I buy the strong freezer bags from Lidl and just double bag everything. No problems.

[Technik]

What kind of vacum sealer do you have Ogre? I didn't know it can have so many uses.

[Ogre]

Er, not sure. We bought our first one for £25 in Debenhams. Our 2nd one I got for £5 in a car boot sale. The vendor didn't know how handy it was. Lidl also do them on special complete with a DVD on tips. Well worth the expense.

Our next project is going to be 'a bottle of bread'. An American I once worked for gave me a kilner jar with a complete cake mix inside, laid out in layers to be pretty. We're extending the idea to 1L soda water bottles. Weigh all the dry ingredients for a loaf. Pour into the bottle. Seal the bottle, the missus wants to tape a dried yeast sachet to the side and there you go. Bottled bread. At least you can see how many loaves you have remaining or can pass a loaf to a friend without carting a load of preps around.

[Technik]

I'll look around.
And how do you make the bread from that?
I found this DIY dehydrator, kind of funny but it's huge and cheap to make LINK

[Selfsufficientwoman]

Hi

If you vacuum food items like cheese etc it can last 3-6 weeks that has medium moisture level for long term food storage of cheese - seal it and hang it in breathable cheese cloth that will allow cheese to last for year-s -
Items will lower moisture levels like beans etc will last alot longer - though bear in mind plastic allows oxygen to seep in over time which reduce the effectiveness of the vacuum.

Dehydrated items in a glass bottle with an oxygen absorber in the kitchen (where there is relative humidity -12 -18 months. - kept in dark cool cupboard it can store longer (think the time frame of skimmed powdered milk/instant mash potato/corn flakes etc which generally last 2 years and they are all dehydrated products.

Dehydrated items like corn peas etc 8-12 years in a mylar bag with oxygen absorber & possibly moisture absorber (again relative humidity will affect the time frame)

[silverrider]

My Dad has just bought this one
http://www.vigopresses.co.uk/store/prod ... cts_id=422
but is storing the dried food in jars and sealable containers. It looks OK, not too noisy, he says its easy to use.

My plan is to get this one
http://www.juiceland.co.uk/item--Excali ... WHITE.html
although I don't know any one who has one, it just suits my needs better.

Hi Su, we have an excalibur, would recommend, supposed to be one of the best.