Storing Dehydrated Foods

Mylar and O2 absorbers are the general method used for max storage life.

BadgeBunny said:

Since when have you ever known me to be "general"?? :

(And I say for "max" storage life order from Honeyville or Emergency Essentials! : Some things are too much like work! -- But ... point taken! :thumb

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I never said your way didn't work! :upsidedown: :

I'm just clumsy and break things too easy to have glass jars all over the place. I'm always worried about my home canning even. But I've been lucky so far. Well sorta anyway. I did have to shampoo the dining room carpet after dropping a jar of salsa. Even with the soft carpet, the damned thing decided to break anyway.

Marcie said:

I vacuum seal in regular bags that comes with my sealer, no o2 obsorber needed. store in a dark rubbermaid container, and preferably in a cool area. That's it. You don't have to get fancy or spend a lot of money. Things good for a year, will be good for 5. Rice, beans etc. good for 25 etc. They are easy to grab and go if you have to bug out too.

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Vacuum sealers don't remove nearly as much O2 as an O2 absorber does. There can even be enough O2 left for insect growth. An O2 absorber can remove it down to as low as .02%.

And the vacuum sealer bags are not gas barriers anyway. O2 migrates back in, right through the plastic itself. That's why mylar has the layer of metal. It's the metal that blocks O2. Something plastic simply cannot do. I've seen a lot of vacuum sealer bags that have lost their vacuum in the 2 year range or so. And have read posts here from a lot of others who have had the same experience.

Vacuum sealers are great for preventing freezer burn, waterproofing items, and they're great for short term food storage of a couple years or so. But they're not the right technology for long term storage.

I vacuum seal my home dried veggies and such. But only the ones I will use in a couple years or so.

Marcie said:

Thanks MikeK! I haven't had any problems yes, but looks like I may down the road. So what do you think about me taking everything I have vacuum sealed, but it in big mylar bags and put the o2 absorber in it and then seal it up? I could put several meals in one, like a big MRE, and label the outside

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You could easily do that. Though I'd suggest clipping a corner off the vacuum bag before putting it in the mylar, so that the air inside can get to the O2 absorber. And for foods that you will be rotating in the next couple years, I would just leave them in the vacuum bag.

getFOODnow said:

I no longer use my excalibur dehydrator after none of my dehydrated foods lasted even a year. all that food, all that money spent, all that hard work, and the food didnt even survive one year...

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If you were having mold problems, that's from moisture. Either the foods weren't dried enough, or you used too much O2 absorber (which gives off moisture) or a combination of both. The foods need to be dried to the brittle crisp stage, rather than leathery. If they crumble between your fingers, it's about right. If it's flexible and leathery, even if it's very dry feeling, it still has too much moisture to store well.

BadgeBunny said:

I'd be curious to know what happened to you also. I've had nothing but stellar results with mine so far. Well, except for the banana slices I dipped in lemon juice -- man those things were TART! :xeye::

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Banana chips really benefit from dipping in sugar syrup before dehydrating. Otherwise they sort of lose their sweetness and taste like cardboard. You could do that after the lemon juice, or maybe add the lemon juice to the syrup.