How can I tell that the oxygen absorber I put in with my rice is doing it's job?
When can I expect maximum oxygen removal?
I know I won't get a "vacuum seal" look (air being nearly 80% nitrogen) to see that it's working. And I don't want to open a mylar bag 5 years from now and find that something went wrong, something I could have fixed today.
When you seal up your mylar, seal all but about 1" or so; then squeeze out all the air you reasonably can. Seal up the last 1".
Depending on the food you have in the bag, rice or wheat say, the absorber will create a partial vacuum and the bag will be pulled against the food, giving it a sort of vacuum-packed coffee-brick appearance.
That tightening down of the mylar on the food always tells me two things: The O2 absorber is working, creating the partial vacuum, and the bag is effectively sealed with no pinholes or tears.
Along the same lines; What thickness mylar bags are the best? I like overkill sometimes but don't want to throw money away either. I've read some posts here that things like spaghetti could poke a hole in it. Wouldn't want that to happen!!
My 1 gallon mylar bags are 3.5 mils thick. i use them for wheat and rice. soon to use them for corn. like said above, all mine sucked down like a brick to the point that you could not rearrange the food inside. :thumb:
For most food packing the 4.3 mil bags are fine. If in doubt you could use the heavier 7 mil bags.
Never, ever use the 2.5 mil bags or stuff sold in rolls that are less then the 4.3 mil film thickness. I've seen a few thread with folks asking about these products, looking to save a penny.
Most of the places selling Mylar bags for food packing will be the 4.3 mil thickness. If they don't state what thickness they are call and ask or find another vendor. the only place I've seen with the thicker bags is Sorbent, which also sell the thin stuff too. http://www.sorbentsystems.com/mylar.html
You'll want the PAKVF4. (4.3 mils)
The PAKVF2.5M (2.5 mils)would be to thin for long term storage.
Their thick materials are;
PAKVF4PC (6 mils)
PAKDRY 7500 (7.5 mils)
I've never used anything but the 4.5 mils (or there about for everything.) It's the most common and what's sold by most places that sell them for long term food storage. For items that might puncture the bag I don't try to remove all the air and hope it doesn't tighten up on the food.
Note: the one gallon bags are only 3.5 mils, so thinner then the ones for 5 gallon buckets.
If the bags don't suck down somewhat, suspect the O2 absorbers and replace them. Sometimes when you store leftovers, air leaks in to whatever you're storing them in, or they got left out too long before storing or something. I've had this happen before.
Hey Mike, I know this is an old post but I know you also like for us to post in areas that apply to the subject. Question, is it good to do mylar bags oxygen absorbers on a rainy day or when the humidity is really high?
Or should I wait for when the humidity is down to say 15%
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