Freeze Drying 8 lbs of Mashed Potatoes - Batch 655 (plus 2 other things)

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Freeze drying batch 655, including 8 lbs of mashed potatoes, 2 cups of buttermilk, and a 1 1/2 lb pan of scalloped potatoes.
Want to support this channel? Buy me a coffee :-) www.buymeacoffee.com/DanZm
AFFILIATE LINKS & REFERRALS - I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided
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As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided. By clicking on the links, you can explore the products and tools I use.
www.amazon.com/shop/schoolrep...
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PackFreshUSA
We have been buying oxygen absorbers and 7 mil Mylar bags from PackFreshUSA since early 2018. During all that time (1000's of bag and oxygen absorbers, and about 6 year before before we added this affiliate link) we have been happy with the products and service we have received from them.
I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided. - packfreshusa.com/?rfsn=787757...
Use the discount code "SchoolReports5" to get 10% off your first purchase when using the link.
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Harvest Right - If you are thinking of buying a freeze dryer, please consider supporting us by purchasing through our link. It helps us and costs you nothing!
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Before buying a freeze dryer, perhaps research to find out more about the downside of the machine; some people have problems with their machine and it's big and heavy and hard to return!
When trying to decide what to freeze dry you can start by asking why.
Start by asking yourself this question. Why are you freeze drying food? Knowing this should help you decide what you should freeze dry first.
I'm freeze drying because:
Just to freeze dry leftovers?
You want to make your own food for camping/backpacking?
For if/when the SHTF?
For a short term emergency?
You have your own garden and want to freeze dry the food?
You love Costco but don't have a family of 6?
You are good at finding the food sales but only have 1 freezer?
When you cook homemade chili just for yourself you make 10 gallons? Because you have 3 full freezers and are worried about power outages?
If I knew then what I know now, I would have freeze dried things in a different order. Or maybe not, because I started freeze drying because we had 3 full freezers, I was thinking of getting another one, and I decided I should buy a walk-in freezer instead. I started looking into walk-ins and realized they were expensive to buy (even used ones) AND expensive to own and operate. Then I found out Harvest Right was making home sized freeze dryers. One of my first thoughts was "I like Mountain House!" I have used their food for backpacking almost 45 years and we even kept some in our travel trailer, for just in case.
Freeze dried food will stay fresh for many years and be ready and waiting when you need it.
We do videos showing how we are using our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer to freeze dry food for long term storage. (We have the medium size machine that we got in August of 2017) We talk about how to load and unload the freeze dryer, how to know if the food is dry, is it better to freeze dry raw food or cooked food, and do a few taste tests. Freeze dried food is also great for prepping or just for camping and snacking!

Опубликовано:

6 апр 2024

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Комментарии : 52

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

Want to support this channel? Buy me a coffee :-) www.buymeacoffee.com/DanZm AFFILIATE LINKS & REFERRALS - I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided ─────────────── As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided. By clicking on the links, you can explore the products and tools I use. www.amazon.com/shop/schoolreports --------------------------------------------------- PackFreshUSA We have been buying oxygen absorbers and 7 mil Mylar bags from PackFreshUSA since early 2018. During all that time (1000's of bag and oxygen absorbers, and about 6 year before before we added this affiliate link) we have been happy with the products and service we have received from them. I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided. - packfreshusa.com/?rfsn=7877576.a54e2a Use the discount code "SchoolReports5" to get 10% off your first purchase when using the link. --------------------------------------------------- Harvest Right - If you are thinking of buying a freeze dryer, please consider supporting us by purchasing through our link. It helps us and costs you nothing! affiliates.harvestright.com/995.html ─────────────── Before buying a freeze dryer, perhaps research to find out more about the downside of the machine; some people have problems with their machine and it's big and heavy and hard to return!

@Thetravelingmoes 2 месяца назад

We just did a batch of mashed potatoes about a week ago. ❤

@kerry1963qld 2 месяца назад

Thats a great tip about rounding the corners of the bag , Thanks for sharing

@misterp158 2 месяца назад

good stuff, thanks for sharing

@Christine-777 2 месяца назад

Hello, sir! We appreciate your time and channel so much, and have implemented several of your ideas. Thank you for providing your printable Batch Sheets. What a gift to all of us! Do you have a video of what you print on your labels for your mylar bags? Is the info taken directly from your Batch Sheets? Which labels do you use? If you already provided this information in one of your videos, my apologies. Take care, and may God bless you! Much appreciation from Texas. 🙏❤️

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

No apologies needed. I thank you for watching and commenting! Trying Out My New Thermal Label Printer - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-64uMWEFxOgA.htmlsi=xG_lM8tJwoTKDj51 I do not have our database connected to the printer in any way. I decided for what I'm after that the info was just too simple to bother with linking the database with the printer. I just made and saved some label templates in OpenOffice - most of the info is almost the same on them. Of course I still have no idea how they will do long term. So people are very concerned about the longevity of the labels. I'm not overly worried; I have 20 year old thermal prints that still look perfect. Time will tell. Texas or Bust! Dutch Bros - Melissa, Texas

@Christine-777 2 месяца назад

@SchoolReports Oooh, thank you, sir! We wholeheartedly love that your printer isn't connected, in more ways than one. 😉👍 And, my hubby works in IT for a large tech producer. 😆 Says something, doesn't it? I'm looking forward to checking out your video, thoughts, and tips. We really need to get a handle on our storage with the garden getting under way. I keep having this thought running through my mind, "About time!" 🤣 Your system is an answer to prayers! Thank you very, very much for your time and for sharing your wealth of knowledge on your time-tested, successful organization. 🤗 Take care! Sincerely, ~ Just Another Grateful Online Fan 😄

@Christine-777 2 месяца назад

P.S. Our children and grands live near Melissa and Dutch Bros.! 😲😂❤👍

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

@@Christine-777 We use an OpenOffice spreadsheet to track and sort all the bag data and bin locations, and we keep a fairly updated _printed_ copy of the spreadsheet. Of course we can sort by food, location and/or date. I've had a number of people tell me (people who are prepping for when nothing works?) that they just keep copies on multiple devices, so they don't need a paper copy. Always makes me wonder. 🤔 Dutch Bros is building a new roasting facility in Melissa. Their current one is near Grants Pass, Oregon.

@brianschindler1511 2 месяца назад

👍👍👍👍👍

@buckonono7996 2 месяца назад

Haven't tried mashed potatoes yet, but it makes me hungry to just think about it! I am tearing my hair out looking for your address so I can mail you a long awaited check. I've given up looking through videos and decided to confess my organizational short comings. I really think you should add it along with your Buy me a coffee. Your channel is wonderful.

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

Hello Bucko! (Just fun to say:) No need to send anything, but if you want to (and I do love to receive things - who doesn't) I did add the address to the "About" page on the channels home page. Do you think I should put it somewhere else too? Hyde 1224 NE Walnut ST #164 Roseburg, Or 97470 If you find yourself with an extra 50 minutes to kill, consider this video from AQUALAB (I've watched/listened to a bunch of their videos/podcasts. They make the AQUALAB 3 😍) Using critical water activity and package permeability to predict shelf life - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kMAxfQzAYDk.htmlsi=3usHiHjWINP8-t5A

@buckonono7996 2 месяца назад

@@SchoolReports Thank you so much!

@buckonono7996 2 месяца назад

@@SchoolReports 🙂 Mailed you a card yesterday and thank you so much for all you do to make your channel so good. I can only imagine the hours of time you spend making, editing and posting the videos for us to enjoy. You have taught me so much! THANK YOU!!

@buckonono7996 2 месяца назад

@@SchoolReports I think folks would be more apt to see your contact info if it was right under the Buy me a cup of coffee. I'm hoping you get many people who will send you a check or another type of gift to show their appreciation. Having an address available on other channels has allowed me to easily do that. You are the science teacher I wish I would have had in school. I would have learned more and enjoyed the process. The link looks pretty interesting, but I'm only about 6 minutes in. Not enough time now to finish, but so far I'm enjoying it. Thanks for sharing it. I'm behind in my watching of videos as it is gardening season. Made a bunch of copper wire electroculture antennas tonight to add to the strawberry beds. New concept for me, so I'm excited to see the comparison between those plants who get them and those who don't. I'm hoping for a bumper crop to both freeze and freeze dry. Strawberries are almost as good as apples. 🙂 Thanks again friend.

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

@@buckonono7996 Thanks so much for the kind words. I would love to have a garden again; I had had one most of my life. We haven't had one at our current house because the deer, squirrels, and turkeys would just eat it unless we did some serious fencing. We did have one at in-laws house for a few years after we move here. Some of the first things we freeze dried was fresh green beans from our garden. I do miss fresh green beans. We do have a few young fruit trees. I'll have to look around for an animal resistant/safe area for green beans. I'd love to hear how your gardening progresses. Right now I've been spending most of my functioning time working on our minivan camping project on/for the other channel. I'll sure look at adding the address in the video description. (or the pinned comment) Either way it's a pretty big process to open and edit anything on 400+ videos. That's why I was lazy and just did the "About" page, it's a one-and-done thing. But I do have to go to almost all of them anyway because I need to get the PackFreshUSA link correct. (Oops!)

@corabunselmeyer1241 2 месяца назад

have you freeze dried jello or pudding

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

Freeze Drying Jello and V8 Juice - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YtU6U4MRZHg.htmlsi=H7GQRH5MGdbeHLu_ We've also done chocolate mousse.

@dianavestal850 7 дней назад

Oh, I want to weigh the food before and after like I see you doing and I'm unable to do any of what you're doing. Lady in tears!!! :(

@SchoolReports 7 дней назад

Weighing can be useful, but the only really important weights are the _Dry Check_ weights to make sure it's dry, and those can be done on scratch paper. (We threw them away after each batch until people started asking about them:)

@marcfruchtman9473 2 месяца назад

I always wonder, whether or not it would taste good after -- So I know I would re-hydrate a tablespoon or so, just to check! heheh, Thanks for the video.

@SchoolReports 2 месяца назад

Very understandable! When we first started, before we started videoing the batches, we rehydrated something from almost all the batches. I've been meaning to do a lot more rehydrating videos. Rehydrating a Complete Dinner from Freeze Dried - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B0Q5XUCBbiw.htmlsi=3_vF5UiGBsqoVH1N

@dianavestal850 6 дней назад

It's amazing that it Tasts so good after rehydrating. I'm new to this and had to check the Tast/texture with my first successful batch (which was yesterday) :). Hubby really wasn't into all this but it's awesome what comes out of that machine. The only thing is the packaging and storage has me ummm reluctant. I'm just so afraid that I will do something wrong, and we will lose the food, my husband would be apoplectic and all my attempts to secure even just a little food for later would be stopped!! Happy Freeze drying!

@marcfruchtman9473 5 дней назад

@@dianavestal850 I have been thinking about storage as well, and I have come to the conclusion not to use "large plastic buckets" to store the food, because I have seen my plastic containers get eaten thru by pests. So, my advice would be sturdy metal containers. And make sure you use Oxygen Absorbers when you put the food in the Mylar Bags before you seal them. Definitely, practice by slowly increasing the amount of time before you rehydrate and test the food. You can also "buy" freeze dried food as a "test" before you sink cash into it.

@dianavestal850 5 дней назад

@@marcfruchtman9473 I made a mistake and didn't fully freeze dry my eggs so I sealed it all to keep it from rehydrating with the moisture in the freezer till I could return it to the machine. My concern is not the storage but what to do if you realize you under processed something but already loaded the machine with other product and now have to wait for that to complete before finishing. This is only like my 4th day with all this and I'm totally messing up. ;( I'm not sure if that's the question you were answering or not. lol the other question I had was about freeze-drying chicken with the skin on. When I spoke to harvest right, they said you could, but I see grease on the edges of my skin that hangs over the meat and am worried it will (rehydrate) the meat while in storage and make the food inedible. I don't know why I decided to start this with probably the hardest items to process but I did. lol If my husband gets sick or we lose food he won't allow me to continue this and waste food, so I have to get it right.

@marcfruchtman9473 5 дней назад

@@dianavestal850 To answer your "Fat" question see his video, "Putting Lots Of Fat In The Freeze Dryer. A LOT! -- Responding to Anti Fat Comments" As far as the eggs, just reprocess them and make sure they are dry by weighing them and check them to see that they don't lose weight anymore. If they lose weight, repeat until they stop losing weight. It doesn't hurt to over-freeze dry (except for the cost to your electricity) as far as I know. I can't say for sure, but practically every video shows where he will pull the food out to check the weight, and then continue freeze-drying, so just look for those. If you watch "Freeze Drying - Batch 658 - Dry Bean Cooking Test (part 2)", and look for the weight checks in the video, that will guide you.

@robertpatton2140 Месяц назад

Is there a download for the paper that you are using to record the weight of the trays.

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

These are the freeze drying batch worksheets I have been using: (we use the 4 tray one because our machine has 4 trays) They were made using OpenOffice. You can download them and change them in any why you want to suit your need. Freeze Drying batch worksheet - 4 tray - 2 per sheet (Feel free to download a copy and use it anyway you want. You don't need to ask :) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14_1KDR7-eEv_h9EdwJcHb2Dex5MuhnxlDV24qPR7H6c/edit?usp=sharing Freeze Drying batch worksheet - 5 tray - 2 per sheet (Feel free to download a copy and use it anyway you want. You don't need to ask :) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tgNrGRD3BICKsokLxuClAbQAYvHfDTmbXu6XvA089nc/edit?usp=sharing Freeze Drying batch worksheet - 6 tray - 2 per sheet (Feel free to download a copy and use it anyway you want. You don't need to ask :) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d3x-gaD3_5SYravfrmk-SxUsp875T0lZsRmi8MLrKPU/edit?usp=sharing

@mikesfarmmikesfarm3977 Месяц назад

Do you believe that tomato seeds need to be cracked to dry enough for long term storage or just extra drying time is enough ? I am really a believer in your scale method to access dryness, but seeds have such little mass compared to the rest of the toms.

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

Ha! This took me by surprise, a great tomato seed observation/question on a potato video. 😄 I do think that they (the tomato seeds) _could_ be an issue if: 1) There is a large percentage of seeds to tomato solids ratio, and 2) they just barely had enough time to dry. As you said, I'd just give it a bit of extra time. (Sorry, but I'm just guessing because I haven't tried sorting out the seeds from a batch and seeing how much water is in them at different stages of dryness. And now I'll need to) The seeds should (and seem to) dry easily (more guessing - and I hate guessing) because of the surface area to total volume of the seed ratio; a lot of surface for such a small volume.

@mikesfarmmikesfarm3977 Месяц назад

watched most of your vids, have you FD any meat or fish that was breaded ? like frozen fish sticks or chicken strips ?

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

I haven't FD any yet, but my sister has freeze dried multiple batches of frozen fish sticks and chicken nugget things. (She did cook them before freeze drying) I thought the dry fish sticks were pretty good. I don't know how they rehydrated; I'll try to remember to ask my sister if she rehydrated any, and if so, how'd she do it and how did they turn out.

@dianavestal850 7 дней назад

HELP! :( I was so excited to get a freeze dryer, finally got it and I have tried to use it this weekend. Totally Unsuccessfully!!! I barely slept in 2 days. The issues are that I don't know what to do when I want or need to add time so I can go to bed. I have stopped the process, but it then starts the entire process all over again instead of just continuing on. The other bigger issue is when the machine runs condensation/water accumulates on the top part of the gasket so when I check the food the water drips down and it will not vacuum seal again to continue the process. It doesn't matter what I do, it happens every time top and bottom. I have had to take the food out and put it in the freezer then put it back in as a new batch the next day and then we run into the time issue again when I want to go to bed, if I release the vacuum and open the door it will not seal again. I have almost achieved full freeze dry statice but then have to freeze it to sleep. I don't know why I'm having these issues or how many times one can try, and freeze dry the same darn food! I really don't know what I'm doing with this thing and my excitement has turned to wanting to return the darned thing! I read and re-read the book but can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I see everyone taking food out and putting it in to finish the process or set the timer because it won't be done at a convenient time. PLEASE, TELL ME WHAT IM DOING WRONG!!

@SchoolReports 7 дней назад

It will probably take me a couple of replies to cover everything. Please bare with me. (And feel free to ask anything; I'll do my best to answer) First, don't worry about being there when the machine finishes, it will wait for you. The freezer part will still be running and everything will be fine. No need to stop it. It will just sit with the "Process Complete" screen waiting for you. (We've had it sit like this and wait for 2 days) When you have time to get back to it (like the next morning) just press the "More dry time" then "Continue" buttons and it will restart the vacuum and then the heaters. Do this before opening the machine because the food will be too cold if it's been waiting more than about 1/2 hour. Condensation can be a big issue, including building up ice on the seal and making it hard to seal. We have added insulation around our seals and a plastic disc in the door opening to help stop it. It made a big difference. Door Seal Insulation ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zD2a1qmU7P8.htmlsi=2L9buFa0D6JERC5C ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LA1sHVUqKts.htmlsi=3Csa6GY-4fFvljfT Ice on Door Seal and Condensation on Door ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WMNvva9uTds.htmlsi=FIlo1KWL03sOTC3L Making an Acrylic Disc Front for a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-erH1VDqNi80.html For the newer machines you may be able to skip the whole pattern making step if you chamber barrel is very round, and just draw the correct size circle.

@dianavestal850 7 дней назад

@@SchoolReports First let me start by saying THANK YOU, for taking the time to help me with these issues. I realized, at least with this machine, that you can NOT add time till the drying process finishes on the screen. Then the menu that I see in your video comes up and the machine will allow me to vent, open the machine and check the food while it waits (tweeting occasionally) till I return the trays if need be AND the seal held with no ice buildup though there was still condensation on the top of the seal. I had been interrupting the drying process to try and set extra time so I could go to bed. That unfortunately couldn't happen because It took 4 hours for it to freeze and such before trying to vacuum and failing, twice each day I did it. LOL It's helpful to know that it will be fine if it's just left. Will it take extra time to process If I end up having to leave it or will it pick up where it left off after finishing the preprogramed (extra time) cycle? I kept putting it back in the freezer after the second time of failing each night so It was partially frozen and partially freeze dried each time. Can I ask one more question? Will the oxygen absorbers cause your food to be crushed in the bags when they suck all the air out? I did meatloaf and it's fragile. I don't want ground beef I want meatloaf so when it finished, I put them in wide mouth canning jars and used my vacuum sealer to close them. I rehydrated one slice to see how it was, (super good but it did fall apart) and put one in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber but that doesn't look like things do when I vacuum seal food. It's a tinny bag and has been a few hours so I don't know. We are seniors with barley any budget for food as it is, I can't afford to lose any food. Thanks for all your help. God Bless

@SchoolReports 7 дней назад

@@dianavestal850 You're welcome to whatever help I can give you. (For what it's worth:) You are right, you can't add more time until it "thinks" it's done. But you can set it up to have extra "Final" dry time before starting, which I highly recommend. We have both mine and my sister's machines set up for 12 hours extra final dry time on every batch. The beep can be turned off so that it only beeps once. I hope I'm understanding your question. - If the machine says it's complete and you add "More dry time" then "Continue" it does pick up where it left off and continues drying as soon as the pressure get back down. When the bags shrink due to the oxygen being absorbed it can crush some foods. Meatloaf is good! - The way I make my meatloaf, it isn't very fragile. Rehydrating a Complete Dinner from Freeze Dried - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B0Q5XUCBbiw.htmlsi=1SafVebZSiPL5Img Making, Freeze Drying, and Rehydrating Meat Loaf - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FcTK63ZECjQ.htmlsi=qyn81Y9oJcV09Oqm Freeze Dried Tomato Slices - Quick Test/Check After About 12 Weeks (From Batch 609) - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XWz0FZoV5gc.htmlsi=MZdwsGS3_QE0jY-K Batch 609 Freeze Drying Tomato Slices - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F2351166JZM.htmlsi=aERvUx3HJ7SEE01C When vacuum sealing food in jars, it's still necessary to include oxygen absorbers. (And store them in a dark place) There will still be some oxygen left in jars that have been vacuumed. Vacuum Sealing Jars in the Freeze Dryer - How Much Air is Left? Too Much! - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JJqCHYoylDE.htmlsi=uZoyf70eThCMAxz8

@burvey74 Месяц назад

Do you have a batch info spreadsheet available for the batches after 1-50?

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

First 500 lbs data spreadsheet link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ieekdk5aH_2OWLUealeOLurU9_zl03BfFEg_qhAgcaA/edit?usp=sharing Recapping the "First 50" Batches - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IRkac5wrCzI.htmlsi=uZUzg6FFc9jS47l6

@burvey74 Месяц назад

Yes, that’s the sheet I saw originally. I was wondering if you have anything for the batches after those?

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

I'm sorry. (Twice:) First, I'm so used to having people ask for the 50 batch data that I missed the word "after." in your comment! Second, I'm sorry I didn't keep up the charting. I started but didn't keep it up; it only has the next 11 batches. Maybe one of these days I'll get it caught up. (I have the data, I just never put it into the spreadsheet. This is what I do have. - Freeze Drying: The Next 50 Batches 551 to 600 docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SeVFOmCqhu75fg96E9lAjUXsK9zJotiZ_HKhzQ0dAXA/edit?usp=sharing

@burvey74 Месяц назад

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. If you ever decide to make them available, please let me know. I’m especially interested in the what you made field. Secondarily the link to the video and bag yield amounts. Thanks again for your help and reply.

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

@@burvey74 We made it using OpenOffice. You can download it and change them in any why you want to suit your need. Click "File" then "Download" and it's yours.

@hydej1667 2 месяца назад

🙂🥔🙃🥔😇🥔😛🥔😋🥔❤🥔🐸

@Christine-777 2 месяца назад

😆😂🤣❤👍 🙏❤️

@tokyofamily8536 Месяц назад

Why aren't you using those machines that absorb oxygen and close the mylar bags

@SchoolReports Месяц назад

Good question. The short answer is time, money, and oxygen. As far as I know, there is not a machine that absorbs oxygen out of Mylar bags. I assume you are referring to a vacuum sealer, which does remove a lot of the air from the bag - but not all of it - which means there is still oxygen in the bag. I'm not against vacuum sealing the bags or jars (as long as there are oxygen absorbers), except for the cost of the chamber vac, time (maybe a minute or two per bag, times thousands of bags), and the potential of crushing some delicate foods (if using bags), e.g. tomato slices, green beans or other delicate items. I have no plans to get a chamber vacuum for Mylar bag sealing. I would always use oxygen absorbers for long term storage, even when vacuuming, because there is still going to be a small amount of air/oxygen between every particle of food. A lot more than people think. A little oxygen goes a long ways when it comes to damaging food. The oxygen absorbers will remove the oxygen exponentially better. I don't know if vacuuming the bag - and including oxygen absorbers - is any better than oxygen absorbers without vacuuming. (It might be, because it does remove most of the air, but I've seen nothing to say it is) If the bag has a lower pressure on the inside vs the outside, there will be a pressure pushing the oxygen in. The long term problem is permeability - oxygen is going to be going through the bag, slowly, forever. The better the bag the slower it happens. (That's the big plus with jars - not permeable) Of course if you have oxygen absorbers in the bags they keep absorbing any oxygen that comes through. No matter how we pack them, we always add oxygen absorbers.