Mylar Bags and O2 Absorber Questions

[NVG]

I've been sealing longterm storage foods in mylar for quite a while. My question is, when the O2 absorber has lost it's potency, has anyone vacuumed the air out before sealing? I have found I wind up with several O2 absorbers that are past usefulness. I will vacuum out air via straw or with restricted carpet vac (as long as material is not fine material-example: salt, spices, etc...) Anybody have any other ideas, tricks for sealing without O2 absorbers?
Thanks, NVG

 

[pudly]

Both 02 absorbers and removing/reducing air are important. I'd argue that 02 absorbers are more important because it is oxidation (~21% of the air) that harms food. Nitrogen (~78% of the air) and the various trace gasses are not particularly harmful. Don't invest in food, buckets and other components, invest the time and space for storage and end up wasting your investment.

O2 absorbers are basically iron filings that react with air and rust as a way to deplete the free oxygen. I did the following to preserve mine. I bought a bunch of smaller packets some time ago. Used what I needed and then sealed the rest in a mylar bag and threw it in my freezer (probably overkill). The mylar will protect the 02 absorbers just like the food. When I wanted to pack some more, I sacrificed one of the 02 absorbers to verify it wasn't used up, packed my new buckets and then re-sealed the remaining 02 absorbers. Pretty easy.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

You could use the vacuum sealer to pull most of the air, and therefore oxygen, out first. If there's not enough oxygen left to use up the absorber, you're definitely good. If you have something fine, fold a paper towel over it to keep it in. I vacuum stuff in aluminized mylar ziploc bags, seal the zip under vacuum inside another bag, then heat seal above the ziploc. This gives me a reclosable and potentially reusable bag with a good seal. I vacuum the absorbers and seal them in a ziploc without the heat seal because I'll typically be back for more frequently.

I do the same with the moisture absorbers (the "do not eat" that comes in so many things) after I've recharged them. These are silicon dioxide and can be made to give up any moisture they've absorbed with a little heat. I sit them in the toaster oven on low for a couple of hours, good as new. Oxygen absorbers are just disposable.

 

[NVG]

Thank you both for all the tips and info. Mucho appreciated.

 

[dudley0]

I have a small mason jar that I put my unused O2 absorbers in. Seals up nicely and easy to get to. I try not to open the jar for just one packet if possible.

 

[NVG]

Thanks for tips. I keep mine in a small Ball jar now and it seems that between uses the "Eye" sheet has changed color leading me to believe they have lost their potency???

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Yeah, for long-term storage, I get all my bags ready, put the stuff in the bags, then I divy up the O2 absorbers between the bags with no left-overs, even if it's a little over-kill.

The last bunch of absorbers that I got were packed in smaller lots and that makes it easier. For that kind of thing, I'd rather not have to wonder if they're played out when I put them in a bag.

 

[NVG]

BBJ, I think my next go round will be as u described, do all at once -if my wife allows me to cover bed and floor with 100 bags of food . I recall my O2's came 100/pk.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

BBJ, I think my next go round will be as u described, do all at once -if my wife allows me to cover bed and floor with 100 bags of food . I recall my O2's came 100/pk.

Ha, yeah, that's why I also go for the absorbers that are smaller than I need, so that if they come in a pack of 100, you get the size that requires 4 per bag, then you're only doing 25 total food bags.