New Questions About Mylar Bags...Sorry

[nu2solar]

Hubby and I bought the smaller Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. We used a Food Saver to "double" seal our bags.

On the first batch, we did pasta, beans, and rice. Most of the pastae and rice did well(all of the visible air was absorbed). The beans didn't work except for one bag. Not sure if it was the Food Saver or the oxygen absorbers. We were working pretty fast. How long can you keep the oxygen absorbers out before they don't work?


The next batch we did powdery things like brown gravy mix, chicken gravy mix, hot chocolate, potato flakes, sugar, and pancake mix. We did this using the Food Saver first and taking out the air. Then we put the filled sealed Food Saver bag into a Mylar bag, added the oxygen absorber, and then double sealed the Mylar bag. All of those Mylar bags did not work. What went wrong? How should we do small packs of powdery food?


Last question...for now, lol.
Most long term food storage prep calls for wheat. Why? I don't make bread now very often. I don't see myself making it if things get really bad. I packed rice, pasta, biscuit mix, and pancake mix for carbs. Thoughts?

Thanks again:)

[grumble]

Nu2, there are others here with much more experience than me, but let me kick off the discussion.

You've got the right idea on packing those airtight bags. Thin plastic inside the heavier aluminized mylar bags. I'd suggest though, that you put the O2 absorbers closest to the food -- that way, any air remaining inside the first bag gets "de-oxygenized" and anything that might leak through in the future also gets reduced.

I don't know which mylar bags you use. The ones I have are pretty heavy weight, and my little vacuum sealer won't suck hard enough to collapse them properly, and the little wire heater that seals the bag isn't wide enough or hot enough to seal the mylar properly. You may have a better unit; if so, disregard this next part.

I taped a chunk of 3/8" clear tubing (the stuff people who use oxygen use to go from the O2 bottle to their mask) to my shop vac. I mean, that REALLY sucks! To prevent burning up the shop vac, I left some air space where the tape went across the vac hose. I put about a half inch of newspaper on the table, and used it as an ironing board, then used my regular clothes iron, set to linen, to seal most of the mylar bag. Then stuck in the O2 hose to suck out the air, using the iron to finish sealing the mylar bag.

I don't know how long those little O2 packets can be in the open air either. I do know that when I opened the sealed package of them, after about a half hour the pile of them still inside the package got downright warm, too hot to touch in the center of the pile. Whether those packets will still work to absorb O2 or not, I have no idea.

Wheat. Probably the most ancient of stored food items. Properly stored, it will last a LONG time. Also, pretty versatile, can be used in many ways besides just to make bread or other flour based food items. It might be worth your time to look up various recipes you can make using it. When everything else goes bad, your wheat will still be a good source of nutrition.

You're on your way! Keep up the good work.

[NCLee]

We don't use mylar bags and O2 absorbers here. Because we store what we eat and eat what we store, haven't found the need for them. (Meaning that we keep foods that we normally eat rotated.) That said, our circumstances may be much different than yours. So this isn't to say they aren't the best solution for you.

We do use a FoodSaver vaccum sealer. Not one of the hand-held models which are designed for short term storage. There are several precautions that you have to follow for those to work successfully. Sharp objects can puncture the bag during sealing. Fish fins, cut rib bones in chicken, sharp broken pasta pieces, etc. For things like sharp bones, cushion them with plain white paper towels or position the meat in the package so the meat, itself acts as a cushion.

For things like dried beans and pasta, I don't vacuum seal those in plastic bags. They have a 30 year shelf life, if properly stored. http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7798-1-4224-1,00.html I store those items in glass canning jars without pulling a vaccum. That'll keep them as long as I want to store them. With things like beans and white rice, the older they are, the longer it takes to cook them. Thus, the more water and energy needed. Thus, I try to balance all the factors when coming up with how much, for how long, and the cost to store vs benefit derived. (Hope that makes sense.)

For dusty items, when vacuum sealing, this is best done in glass canning jars. Cut a coffee filter or a piece of paper towel to fit over the powder. That helps prevent the powder from coating the rim of the jar and from it being pulled into the vacuum pump.

One other comment or two about vac sealing bags. Make sure the sealing edge is clean. Anything caught in that sealing line can cause the seal to fail. Putting white folded paper towels between the sealing line and anything containing moisture helps with sealing and keeping the pump clean, too. The towel will help absorb moisture as it's pulled towards the pump ACROSS the sealing line. That moisture may contain fats, tiny bits of whatever is being sealed, etc.

On to wheat. Unground wheat (wheat berries) also has a storage life of 30 years, if properly stored. Once the wheat is ground into flour, the shelf life drops to a year, or less, depending on the type flour. Whole wheat is the shortest because of the natural fats it contains. That will turn rancid fairly quickly, As does brown rice, BTW.

Some of the things you mentioned, such as pancake mix, have a relatively short shelf life due to the flour in them. Doesn't matter if the flour is separate or in a mix, the shelf life is approximately the same. Plus, many flour mixes contain fats of some type. Shelf life on fats is relatively short, too. The fats will turn rancid. Rate depends on the particular fat and the storage conditions. Especially the temperature.

Thus, I rarely store "mixes" with the intent of them being for long term SHTF purposes. Instead I store the individual ingredients separately. Then, as the need arises, make up the amount of the mix needed at that particular time. The reason: If a bag/box/jar of mix goes bad because of one ingredient, I have to toss all the ingredients that make up the mix. One ingredient may have a 6 months shelf life while some other ingredients may have several years of shelf life.

Opps, kinda, sorta, got off track. Back to wheat berries. The best way to ensure that you'll have flour, in the event of a long term SHTF, that's the BEST way to store flour. Providing...... you have mill to grind the berries into flour. And, that you know how to use whole wheat flour to meet your needs. And, that your taste buds and your body can handle the transition from white flour to whole wheat.

If you're considering storing wheat and haven't worked with whole wheat flour, I encourage you to pick up some from your local grocery and learn to use it. Learn to make sourdough whole wheat biscuits. Learn how to make your own baking powder if you want your bread to rise (don't have yeast nor the time to make sourdough starter). It'll take time to learn the techniques of using whole wheat. It'll take time, from a taste/texture standpoint, to adjust. And, your digestive system may need a little time to adapt, too.

Before you rule out storing wheat, take a little time to consider just how many ways flour is already being used in your home. BOTH with what you use for recipes, such as making gravy, breading meats, etc. and how much is already in products that you buy. Things that you may not have noticed that have flour somewhere in the ingredients list. Consider the shelf life of those products, and what you'll do if you can no longer buy those products.

The site, referenced above, gives recommend amounts of many things, including wheat, that a family should store, per family members. Take a look at that, then, make your decision based on your circumstances.

Hope this helps, a bit.
Lee

[nu2solar]

Thank you for taking the time to explain some more things to me.

It is always aprreciated to get help:)