Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Dee Randall" wrote in message

Say, a 2-3 lb. block of Parmesan Reggiano, or Jarlsberg cheese, would you
vacuum seal it and always keep it in the refrigerator, not the freezer?


Correct. Look at the labels on the commercially packed stuff and it has
months of shelf life. No air = long time.



Chicken in vacuum seal held 5 days in refrigerator, not the freezer,
right?
Thanks,


Right. In the freezer, it could be kept a couple of years. Yes, years.


Be careful what you vacuum seal. Anaerobic bacteria can be a problem.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

"Bob Wheeler" wrote in message
...
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Dee Randall" wrote in message

Say, a 2-3 lb. block of Parmesan Reggiano, or Jarlsberg cheese, would you
vacuum seal it and always keep it in the refrigerator, not the freezer?


Correct. Look at the labels on the commercially packed stuff and it has
months of shelf life. No air = long time.



Chicken in vacuum seal held 5 days in refrigerator, not the freezer,
right?
Thanks,


Right. In the freezer, it could be kept a couple of years. Yes, years.
Be careful what you vacuum seal. Anaerobic bacteria can be a problem.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/

I had to look it up:
"Anaerobic bacteria are bacteria that do not live or grow in the presence of
oxygen."
Are all these bacteria on
http://trishul.sci.gu.edu.au/courses...anaerobes.html
anaerobic?
Thanks,
Dee Dee

Dee Randall wrote:


Steve, can you give me an idea what items you seal that you don't freeze.
Thanks,
Dee



I am not Steve, but I also use Foodsaver for non frozen things. Mainly
for cold cuts and cheese that I bring from an ethnic store that I go to
no more than 2 times a month. Sliced ham which would go bad in fridge
after 3-4 days will keep 2 weeks, non sliced even longer. Same with cheese.

Monika

Bob Wheeler wrote:
snip


Right. In the freezer, it could be kept a couple of years. Yes, years.

Be careful what you vacuum seal. Anaerobic bacteria can be a problem.


I'm not familiar with those but I figure if normal proscribed methods
are followed to ensure that there's no cross-contamination and the
freezer being at least negative 15dF (-26dC) there shouldn't be any
problem. And for the cheese, coldcuts etc that end up in the refridge.
Heck, they don't last long enough for anything to form anyhow. ;-)

I think that avoiding x-contamination and proper cooking procedures are
probably the keys for safety.

Can you site some instances where this may come into play? I've
certainly not had any problems in three years of using the FoodSaver.

--
Steve

Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.

Dee Randall wrote:
snip
What puts me off about getting a unit is when I see someone writing about
$59 for bags. Yikes! I've only casually looked at the prices of bags at
Costco and it frightens me. I suppose a lot of people think it's worth it.
I have a sub-zero frig/freezer side-by-side and I don't feel that I have a
lot in it even though it is full all the time. The freezer has drawers so
that ziplocks aren't sliding out onto the floor everytime you open the door,
but the slippery bags seem like they would take up a lot of room.

I'm getting ready to teach myself how to make some danish pastry and
doughnuts. I know we can't eat all I can make in one day, so I'm wondering
how pastries fare in the bags. Is pastry something that you wouldn't
consider putting in them because they would be low cost vs. cheap labor.
Any thoughts might help.
Thanks,
Dee

I find it cheaper to make my own bags from rolls.

About "sliding out". I generally freeze things like soup and stew.
For those, I use the 1/2 gallon cardboard cartons that milk/juice comes
in. I put the bag(s) in the carton, then label the carton. They stack
well, protect the bag corners from breaking when frozen, and generally
make my freezer contnets easier to store. Some shelves they can stand
upright, some shelves they must lay down, so I put a label where it
will show, and then when I open the freezer, I can easily read the
cartons. Actually any cardboard or plastic box will work, I just have
a lot of cartons, and my bags fit well inside them. I am careful when
stacking multiple bags in a carton to have all the corners on one side
so the bags do not interlock, otherwsie getting one out is a pain.
betsy